Steakhouse55 vs Napa Rose

[westcoastminnie]

DH and I will be celebrating our 20th anniversary at DLR on our fall trip. Just thinking about dinner options... The Napa Rose Chef's Counter really appeals to me, but Steakhouse 55 looked so romantic and intimate. Any opinions? I'm sure I can't go wrong with either

 

[Aladora]

DH and I will be celebrating our 20th anniversary at DLR on our fall trip. Just thinking about dinner options... The Napa Rose Chef's Counter really appeals to me, but Steakhouse 55 looked so romantic and intimate. Any opinions? I'm sure I can't go wrong with either

DH and I went to SH55 for both our honeymoon and our 15th anniversary and we are going to Napa Rose chef's counter next month. As far as I think, you cannot go wrong with either but for an amazing food experience, I would say the chef's counter wins out. Having said that, between SH55 and Carthay Circle, CC wins for food every time.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

NR is wine country style cuisine and S55 is classic steakhouse cuisine. This can make a big difference for some people. The service is wonderful at both places. Make sure your restaurant choice knows that you will be celebrating your anniversary. We find the NR counter to be less romantic because the seating is less private -- you have your neighbor guests right next to you and the kitchen staff bustling in front of you. This vibe can be very high energy and very entertaining, especially for foodies, but it isn't the same as the quiet, more private style dining in a booth or a more secluded table at S55. Whichever place you choose will be great, though. If it makes a difference, S55 offers an AP discount, while NR does not.

 

[westcoastminnie]

Didn't even think about Carthay Circle! We're new AP holders so I didn't even think about discounts, but good to know in advance that it can't be used at Napa Rose.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

CCR also offers an AP discount. Those discounts can really help with celebration dinners. The discount allows us to budget for a glass of wine or an extra dessert.

 

[rms123]

We're total foodies, so Steakhouse55 just isn't even in the same ballpark as NR. The service at NR was top notch. At SH it was mediocre at best one time and ok the other time. Others have pointed out atmosphere differences.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

We've never had a bad experience (food or service) at S55. Also, there was a recent change of command in the kitchen (Chef Marcel from Club 33 is now at the helm in S55) and a revamping of the menu. Some people really like wine country cuisine and some people really enjoy classic steakhouse cuisine. One is not better than the other -- just different. We're foodies and we like both -- it just depends on our mood. Whatever the OP and her DH would enjoy more is the right choice for her.
For the OP, one way around this is to start the day celebrating at S55 for breakfast (so fun, great service) and then end with dinner at NR or CCR. That way, you would get to try 2 different places and 2 different styles of food.

 

[OKW Lover]

We've done both restaurants (including chef's counter as well as regular tables at NR) and you're right that you'll be happy no matter which you pick.

For the overall experience though I'd pick Napa Rose Chef's Counter. Its a dining experience you won't soon forget.

 

[Malcon10t]

While Napa was good, for us, we prefer the Steakhouse food. Our last trip there (Thurs before STar Wars run) the food was so good. Everyone commented how great it was. My son is still talking about his steak.

Nick and Dave are great servers. Brian the manager and sommelier is OUT OF THIS WORLD.

But honestly? Go to Napa. Too many people going to Steakhouse is making it hard for me to get reservations. It was booked a month in advance with no walk ups, even for week nights.

 

[DahliaRW]

NR chef's counter was one of my favorite dining experiences ever. If you like steak, tell the chef, you'll probably get some, as he does take taste preference into account. But you'll get to try other things too.

 

[chrisaman]

In my experience Napa rose had the best service by a long shot but their menu is just a bit too liberal for me. I am a big steak and potatoes guy so the menu at steakhouse 55 suites me far better. Their steak is outstanding too, definitely at Ruth's Chris level. I would choose steakhouse 55 every time

 

[Aladora]

In my experience Napa rose had the best service by a long shot but their menu is just a bit too liberal for me. I am a big steak and potatoes guy so the menu at steakhouse 55 suites me far better. Their steak is outstanding too, definitely at Ruth's Chris level. I would choose steakhouse 55 every time

Can you elaborate on this? We are heading to NR in a few weeks and I am not sure what you mean by a "liberal" menu?

Thanks!

 

[chrisaman]

Can you elaborate on this? We are heading to NR in a few weeks and I am not sure what you mean by a "liberal" menu? Thanks!

It is ver progressive. A lot of stranger foods that I normally would not eat. For example, their filet when I was there comes with a chili fig sauce. Not my kind of thing. If you are into things like that then by all means eat there. I have eaten at a lot of nice restaurants to include Victoria and Alberts at disney world and Napa rose was the only restaurant that I didn't really see anything on the menu that I just had to try. Now their scallops, which is more of an appetizer and their hot chocolate for dessert were outstanding but the main course was not for me. Even my wife and my mom who are more adventurous eaters agreed with me. We did not do chef counter though so maybe that is better. I would choose carthay circle and steakhouse 55 every time. You can probably get the scallops and hot chocolate in the lounge and that is what I would probably do next time.

 

[JasonShannon76]

I haven't been to Napa Rose, but I consider myself a foodie and I loved Steakhouse 55. Good and service were excellent, and their Creme Brûlée is the best I've ever had.

 

[Aladora]

It is ver progressive. A lot of stranger foods that I normally would not eat. For example, their filet when I was there comes with a chili fig sauce. Not my kind of thing. If you are into things like that then by all means eat there. I have eaten at a lot of nice restaurants to include Victoria and Alberts at disney world and Napa rose was the only restaurant that I didn't really see anything on the menu that I just had to try. Now their scallops, which is more of an appetizer and their hot chocolate for dessert were outstanding but the main course was not for me. Even my wife and my mom who are more adventurous eaters agreed with me. We did not do chef counter though so maybe that is better. I would choose carthay circle and steakhouse 55 every time. You can probably get the scallops and hot chocolate in the lounge and that is what I would probably do next time.

Huh, never heard of food described as "liberal" before. Thanks for the explanation.

 

[MikeRx]

I vote for Napa Rose. We will be doing Napa Rose in the regular dining area and Steakhouse 55 in March.

We've dined at NR several times including twice at the Chef's Counter. We had Chef Sutton in June 2014! If you do the Chef's Counter make sure you ask the chef to prepare a special meal for you. Don't order off the menu or the "special" tasting menu. They will tailor a meal to your liking. The menu is creative and fun so sit back and enjoy the show. Not often you get to see the "art" being made and then you get to eat it.

Just my two cents, I know you will have a great meal regardless of choice and Happy Anniversary.

Mike

 

[westcoastminnie]

So many great reviews, thanks for everyone's input. I think you all made my decision even harder lol, but nice to know both places are really, really good. I'm leaning towards SH55 (sorry Malcon10t!) for a couple of reasons: DH loves a good steak and DS wants to do NR Chef's counter with us, so maybe we'll save that for a milestone birthday.

In all seriousness, there are way too many good restaurants to chose from. We've only been to DLR five times but this last trip we started trying places we'd never tried before and we still didn't cross everything off our list... Guess we'll have to keep coming back!