Spencer's for Steaks and Chops

I eat at Spencer's about twice a month. I've eaten at Mortons and the Grill on the alley, but this place is the best! The service is amazing and they go out of their way to make sure you have a great time. I start out every dinner with a specialty cocktail. They have some really fun martinis and they seem to change featured drinks. The Spencertini, their award winning martini, is my favorite. I think it has pear and strawberries; regardless, it's so good! One to try also is the Cucumber martini. It sounds odd, a martini with cucumber in it , but it really is to die for. They also have three different mojitos. The Maltese Mojito (it's ingredients are a mystery to me) is innovative and awefully good. I'm getting thirsty!

Everything on their menu is fantastic, but my favorite is the Bone-in ribeye with the Hash Browns au gratin (bacon and cheddar cheese melted inside, soooo goood!). The sides are huge so order only what you can handle. If you're ever in at lunch, try the peppered steak sandwich. It has sliced ribeye with melted cheese on top. I'm hungry just thinking about it. The service staff is extremely knowledgable and very accommodating. I do business lunches and dinner there all the time and it's great place to bring clients.

This place is just Rocks!

The dining experience left me feeling hollow and regretful of having spent my time and money there. It was a classy con-job they pulled over on me and my wife. The decor was impressive upon entering and the staff was friendly and attentive. We ordered our fillet mignon with sauces that were suggested by our server. The order was paired with a simple side salad. When the salad arrived, it was bland and uninteresting with only romaine lettuce and flavorless croutons. When the steaks arrived they appeared delicious and were cooked properly, but the quality of meat was well below that of what you would find at a chain restaurant like Outback lacking any buttery tenderness that this cut of meat should possess. The flavor of the meat wasn't pleasing and there was also a fair amount of sinew as well. The paired sauces were decent, but lacked an appetizing appearance. No sides come with the meal (besides the salad) and are all sold a la cart at inflated prices. When the check arrived we discovered they charged an additional $6 per sauce! The server was not shy to ask us what sauce we wanted paired with the meat and there was no indication that this wasn't included in the price. This cost was not disclosed on either the menu or by the server. The total bill for two steaks was $101 (included a $14 glass of wine) not including the tip. Unless you are only interested in impressing a date that has no appreciation for good food with an expensive meal I would avoid this restaurant and favor far less expensive alternatives to please the pallet.

Early Saturday dinner with a reservation. Get seated promptly. Orders are taken. Restauraunt less than half full. Multiple servers. Good so far. Waiter brings salads and vanishes. Free magic show!! He reappears 30m later with entrees and departs- possibly falling into a cravice. Somehow we get the check- $135.00 w/o tip and we depart.
Meats was well cooked/portioned. Side dishes were a big disappointment. Read San Jose Mercury Food critic rave about the baked potatoes and all the toppings for the potato. Potato was on the small side
and only half the toppings were offered(and the toppings were not fresh).
SPEND YOUR MONEY ELSEWHERE!!!

Service was good, but my 12 oz. filet, which I requested Medium well, was slightly overcooked, much tougher than I expect in an expensive filet, and had kind of an off taste to it. There were no sauces offerred to accompany the steak, which would have been ok, except that this one kinda needed it.

The Hash browns Au Gratin were so greasy that I didn't even come close to finishing them, and I'm not that finicky when it comes to cheese and potatoes.

I've had steaks of equal or better quality at run of the mill chains like Outback, and much better ones at steak houses of similar quality (and price) to Spencer's.

I paid $70 for a $30 meal.

Friends and I dine at Alexander's all the time and wanted to try something different to see how the other local steakhouses stack up to Alexander's. Once again we were sorely disappointed at other "Highly Recommended" steakhouse.

We made a reservation and seated promptly but after 25 minutes of waiting for at least bread, water or maybe a casual "Hello" or head nod we asked the manager to please send a waiter. We both ordered the filet minion, one came out just right and the other was underdone. We sent it back and the instructions were, "Can you please throw this back on for just a minute". It came back charbroiled and was horrible.

The steak that arrived correctly was good, but definitely not great. Maybe I'm just a steak snob and am used to such a high caliber like Alexander's but it was not worth the price tag. The barnaise was probably the worst I have ever had. It had a pungent after taste that made your face twitch.

There was a saving grace however. The chocolate cake with ice cream was to die for. If you like chocolate fudge you will fall in love with the cake. I HIGHLY recommend it!