When Friend #1 had a $25 food credit for one of the restaurants at The Orleans, Friend #2 and I picked this restaurant.\n\nWe were greeted warmly and seated immediately at a both. The mellow and upscale ambience felt soothing, and our efficient server Donna took our orders as soon as warm rolls and butter hit the table.\n\nOur shared appetizer came out fast, but started the meal off SO badly:\n\nLump Crab Stuffed Mushroom Caps ($12) - 5 deep fried balls served on inedible green leaves of some sort, on top of a bed of crispy rice noodles. Dijon mustard, some kind of creamy sauce, and warm marinara came alongside. Talk about an identity crisis! \n\nThe mushroom inside the thick fried coating hid under a ball of salty, dry crabmeat. None of the sauces made any sense at all, nor did they taste good - alone or with the mushroom.\n\nIt was so awful that when I told the busser, he sent the manager over.\n\nWhen I repeated to the manager how awful and dry the shrooms were, he looked down, picked up the plate with the remaining 2 mushrooms, and literally slunk away without a single word of apology or offer to take it off the bill or replace it with something else. It was a very strange reaction, especially for a manager level person, and we were left pretty much speechless by his odd wordlessness.\n\nWhen Donna came back with dinner salads for me and Friend #2 and a Jambalaya soup for Friend #1 (they came with our meals), she did apologize for the awful appetizer, which was the first proper acknowledgement we had for it. Maybe DONNA should be the manager - as she had way better communication skills than their actual one.\n\nSalads were basic - iceberg, red onion, sliced cucumber and diced tomatoes. The soup of the day was the Jambalaya, which it didn't resemble in chunkiness, and the flavor was totally unimpressive to me. Both came with a Cheez-It-tasting cracker that was mildly entertaining.\n\nDinner finally looked up when our entrees arrived:\n\nMe: The Gambler's Cut ($19) - a 14 oz cut of prime rib, rare, with steamed green beans and carrot julienne instead of the mashed or baked potato choice. My meat was perfectly rare, perfectly fatty, super juicy, flavorful without being overly salty, and the creamy horseradish that came with was great! The veggies were good too - tender and skinny green beans, still al dente.\n\nFriend #1: The Beefeater Cut ($25) - this 22 oz bone-in MONSTER was a gorgeous hunka meat! Same meat as mine, only bigger! My friend got a huge baked potato to go with, and Donna served him sour cream, butter, bacon bits and chives from her serving cart.\n\nFriend #2: The Orleans Cut ($16) - my friend requested this 10 oz prime rib grilled, and Donna didn't bat one lash when taking her order. It came out with nice grill marks, and still perfectly medium rare as she likes it.\n\nSince we were rushing off to a show, we didn't have time for dessert. But if I erase all memory of the stuffed mushroom appetizer, I would be open to returning for just the prime rib in the future - and definitely try their Bananas Foster dessert!
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