Server: Wyatt L (#195)

What a horrible experience we had today at Tam O’Shanter. When I made the reservation yesterday I asked if I could use my coupons. The woman who took the reservation said “Sure!”.

When we arrived the restaurant, I showed our server, Wyatt, the coupons and he said that you didn’t accept them today. I told him that I was told when I made the reservations that I could use them. He said “Well, if they said you could…” So my husband and I ordered dinner.

When we were done, we put our coupon on the tab and Wyatt said “You can’t use these today”. He had said earlier we could. We would not have ordered had he said that in the first place.

I told the manager what happened, and he said , “Well, someone made a mistake”. End of story.

The coupon does not specify the “black out dates” for the coupon. The coupon states “Not valid on holidays, for special events or with any other offer or discount”. Mother’s day is NOT a legal holiday. That is why I asked when I originally made the reservation.

Tam O’Shanter ruined my Mother’s Day.

Dining here is really fun. Food is Great… their Sister Restaurant “Lawry”s The Prime Rib” has a little better food… but nothing has better atmosphere. Service in the Dining Room is Excellent… Service in the Bar is iffy. Prices here are less than the Prime Rib House. You can’t sit in this place and wonder how many of your favorite movie stars might have sat in the same chair. I was hoping that I was sitting where Tom Mix had… or John Wayne… of course. It has been a Hollywood favorite and hangout since the beginning. The Disney people ate here for lunch so often… the called it the commissary. If you visit the Los Angeles area… you have to dine here. This is an absolute must! They have been doing this for 85 years… nobody else can say that. The only reason a restaurant can achieve that… is excellent food… excellent service… excellent value.

Showed up around 7:30pm w/ no reservation & a couple of kids. Was seated immediately, and the service was prompt and attentive. My wife & I both had fish, which was just as well-prepared and tasty as the beef we’ve had in the past. The walnut and pear salad is terrific, and the kids wolfed their mac & cheese from the childrens’ menu. Recommended.

I am still a loyal House of Prime Rib patron in SF, but when I’m in Los Angeles and looking for a quick prime rib fix, I head over to Tam O’Shanters.

What I like about this place is that the prime rib comes as a meal and you don’t have to order the sides a la carte (like at Lawry’s – their sister company).

When choosing the soup or the salad, I recommend the Pear and Candied Walnut Salad. The portion is not even half the size of the House of Prime Rib mega salad, but the presentation is nice with good, quality ingredients.

Can’t lose with either the creamed corn or the creamed spinach. I’ve tried asking for half and half, but they just end up charging you for an extra portion.

As for the prime rib itself, the quality and portion size is the same as what you would find at either Lawry’s or House of Prime Rib. If either or these two requirements were sub-par, I wouldn’t even bother giving them a review. :P

Note: You can ask for more au jus sauce. It’s a little thicker (like gravy) but still tasty.