Cadillac Ranch at Gulfstream Village

I've been wanting to check out Cadillac Ranch at Gulfstream for quite awhile and I finally had the opportunity to drop in on a recent Thursday evening. We walked around the outside of the building until we found the entrance which was completely opposite from the valet parking and we were promptly greeted by a hostess who scooped up a couple of menus and walked us through an almost empty restaurant area to an empty table surrounded by ten or twelve other empties. After seating I immediately excused myself and asked Michelle to order an iced tea and I headed for the restroom.

The bathroom was very impressive but messy with small puddles and used paper towels littered across the floor. Not a good sign for this "upscale eatery." I expected to return to our drinks but Michelle informed me that no one had been by to take the drink order. Finally our waiter arrived and we ordered drinks and at the same time he asked if we were ready to make our food order. I guess he was trying to hurry us along because we had been sitting so long.

Michelle chose the roasted chicken dinner and added a $5.95 cup of chicken and wild rice soup. I, of course, picked my all American favorite: the Cadillac Steak Burger. The soup arrived quickly and was just the right temperature. It was tasty but should have been called cream of chicken and wild rice to better describe the consistency. Michelle said that her chicken tasted just okay: cooked correctly on the outside but a little undercooked on the inside. My hamburger was good, cooked correctly and visually appealing. The accompanied french fries were about par for a cheap fast food joint.

During our meal a party of ten was seated right next to us even though the entire restaurant was empty. We felt like our privacy had been invaded. At about the same time another patron, who might have had a few two many drinks, tripped as he was going to the restroom and ended up face down with a very loud splat. A server close by turned and looked but did not offer any assistance or even ask the man if he was okay.

I observed some employees standing around making idle talk among themselves and blocking the way to the exit and we almost got run over by someone delivering a vat to the bar. The $55.00 check included an automatically added 18% tip and even though I usually tip in the 20% range it offends me to have the restaurant add it in automatically.

I had a fantasy that I would love this place before I arrived but that fantasy has been shattered and I will probably never return. Cadillac Ranch might be a cool place to go for a few drinks but the food is far from stellar. Had it not been for my $25 Restaurant.com coupon I would have called the night a total bust.