When I first heard about Ferguson Chophouse, an upscale steakhouse in Downtown Ferguson, I was naturally curious about checking them out.
Unfortunately, this was not the experience I was hoping for.
First off, there's no online registration system at their website. I had to call them, and leave multiple voice mail messages in order to make a reservation. After two calls, and two voice mail message, I still hadn't received a return call.
On my third call, I finally reached someone (possibly the owner?). He didn't greet me, or say his name. He just said, "Hello?"
I told him that no one responded to my earlier voice mail messages about making a dinner reservation. I asked if I could make an 8:00 PM reservation. He said, "Sure, no problem." He then said "OK, reservation for David Burnett at 8:00 PM," and immediately hung up on me.
I arrived on time, and when I walked in the door, I noticed there was no host/hostess stationed near the door, and several people waiting in line to be seated.
The person who appeared to be the owner (and, likely, the one I spoke to on the phone) was pretty much running around, doing everything - seating people, bussing tables, bringing out food, setting up tables, etc.
Eventually, he and one of the food runners added a table to the dining area for me, and he walked me to it.
Despite having an 8:00 PM reservation, I had to wait about 20 minutes before being seated.
The dining area was too small to accommodate the number of people in the space. It was too congested, and too noisy. And it was made worse by the food runners constantly running in & out and in between the tables, especially mine, which they set up off to the side.
Also, despite Ferguson Chophouse describing itself as an "upscale" steakhouse, there was no apparent enforcement of a dress code. I saw several people wearing jeans, leggings, T-shirts, sneakers, ball caps, revealing clothing, etc.
My server was polite and courteous. Nevertheless, it took about 20 minutes for my appetizer to arrive at my table, and about 25 minutes after that for my entree to arrive.
As the owner brought my entree to the table, he said to me, and to the table to the left of me, "I know you all don't wanna hear this, but I had a waitress not show up."
The meal, itself, was good.
The White Peach Sangria was very refreshing, and would be a great summer drink. The Italian sausage in my stuffed mushroom appetizer was very tasty.
For my entree, I had the Prime Ribeye with twice baked potatoes. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium, and was both tender and flavorful.
Finally, for dessert, I had a nice piece of chocolate cake. (I was hoping to try the crème brûlée, but they were out of it.)
Aesthetically, the restaurant decor and color scheme looked fine (BTW, this used to be an Italian restaurant), and I liked the soft music in the background. And, again, the food was good.
However, the dining experience as a whole was NOT very good:
1. No online reservation system.
2. No designated host/hostess to greet guests at the door.
3. Too many diners congested in the dining area.
4. No enforced dress code.
5. Too few people doing too much work.
I've been to several steakhouses in the St. Louis area - 801 Prime, Surf & Sirloin, Sam's Steakhouse, The Tenderloin Room, etc.
If Ferguson Chophouse calls themselves an "upscale" steakhouse, and charges premium prices that are comparable to what those other places charge, they MUST step up their game, and provide a dining experience that's at least as comparable to what those other places offer. read more