It is indeed unfortunate that I never got the chance to visit Fahrenheit restaurant in St. Charles, as I had heard both good things and bad about it and I would like to have judged it for myself. But alas, it disappeared in a blink. What followed in its place was another restaurant whose claim is that – at least according to an ad I saw in a local newspaper – “We are a value-driven steak and seafood concept in a casual setting…” I’m really not certain what the phrase “value-driven” means in this context, but I do know that our visit to T-Bones was not unlike most Chicago Cubs’ seasons: just shy of a major disappointment.
Note: In the same location, first Fahrenheit closed, after less than a year in operation. T-Bones followed closely in the same footprints. The location is now occupied by a Mexican restaurant, Fat Rosie’s Taco & Tequila Bar.
It was Lauren’s birthday and I thought that perhaps a nice dinner at a nice local venue would be a nice idea. The evening didn’t start out that way, as my first note made relative to the evening was this: I was way overcharged for a top-shelf cocktail. When I later queried our server about it, I was told that “it was a mistake”. Problem is… nothing was ever done about it – never even got an apology.
Normal Levels of Conversation Were Difficult at Best
The music over the loudspeakers was of the sort that is played in the “hip” clothing stores frequented by teen-agers. You know the sort: real heavy base and almost hip-hop. It’s not so much the music that I dislike, it’s the fact that I don’t want to be accosted by it during my dinner. The tables were pretty barren, except for a paper placemat, the silverware and salt and pepper shakers. Perhaps that’s what was meant by “value-driven”.
The dining room itself was fairly austere and poor acoustics did not help matters. Normal levels of conversation were difficult at best. Oddly, there were only two other tables in the dining room. I’d hate to fight the cacophony on a busier night.
Busboys Doing Our Server’s Work
A sort-of bright spot was the food quality, which was actually pretty good… although my steak was undercooked – a pretty difficult task for a steak that was not very thick. Our Oysters Rockefeller were served by Mexican/Hispanic busboys and not our server (who seemed to be in somewhat of a fog that evening). They removed the bucket for oyster shells along with bread plates before we were ever finished with the appetizer. And apparently, neither understood nor spoke English.
Missing the Mark ,Three Outta Four Times
So when I look at the four categories that I use to rate a dining experience, T-Bones pretty much fell flat on its Butt-steak, missing the mark on three out of four categories. Mediocre service and not-well-trained staff, too many distractions and unimaginative plate presentations. I never got a glimpse of anyone remotely resembling management that evening either, and that never helps matters in my book – especially in these tough economic times when so many better venues are fighting to stay in business.
Unfortunately, as is the case ninety-plus percent of the time, I’ll only give you one chance to make a case for your restaurant. T-Bones gets only bare bones on this occasion, Two-and-a-Half-Zins. It was a nice birthday celebration gone not-so-nice.
Your Table is Waiting…
Ralph Pancetta
T-Bones Steakhouse was located at 1890 W Main Street in St Charles, Illinois. The space is now (2025) occupied by Domo Sushi & All You Can Eat.
