Alex Madonna’s Gold Rush Steak House

Reviews about Alex Madonna’s Gold Rush Steak House

• 1 / 5

  By BuBoNiC NATE
  In short, the food is priced too high for dogs to be allowed at the tables and steaks to be served cold.
  
  My family spent Christmas Eve here for dinner since we were staying at the Madonna Inn. We had reservations, but it took nearly half an hour to be seated.
  
  We were seated in the back of the outer ring of the restaurant, which is not nearly as elegant or aesthetically pleasing as the circular center portion depicted in most of the advertisements (we were given no option). Surrounded by other tables, two of the nearest were inhabited by groups that each had a dog as a guest. Yup, that's right - they struck one of my top pet peeves (pun intended). People were feeding their dogs in their laps off the table. Don't get me wrong, I like pets - but when people are paying $100 a plate for lobster and steak, dogs shouldn't be allowed in the venue imo. I might not have noticed the dogs if it hadn't taken over 30 minutes for our entrees to arrive.
  
  The choice of starters was either salad or tomato basil soup. Everyone at my table opted for the salad but me. I got to say, I really think they missed out. The salads looked like the typical Denny's starter (just normal kind of bag-salad mix with a cherry tomato) -- but the tomato basil soup (though it came in a very small cup - maybe 6oz), was excellent!
  
  I asked for mid-rare rib-eye steak ($40). I received a steak about two temperatures off at mid-well. I think the steak was seasoned a little heavy, but I liked the seasoning flavor so I was okay with it (I just would have liked to have tasted the meat more). The tinfoil wrapped potato that accompanied my meal tripped into one of my nitpicks. When you cook a potato in tinfoil you are in essence steaming the potato, not baking -- you might as well boil it for me if that is the case. I don't like it when places list steamed potatoes as baked potatoes. I also do not like tinfoil being served to me on a $40 steak plate. Can't they have the decency to at least remove it? At a quick BBQ shack, I would just roll with it - but for fine dinning? really?
  
  My wife got the filet mignon rare. It was cooked to about mid-rare and was stone cold. I like to joke that my wife likes her steak still mooing but this one was D.O.A.. It was one of the first things we noticed wrong about the meal (I hadn't yet cut open my steak to see) and we told the waiter who then offered to re-fire it (which would have made it even less rare) so we told him to forget it. Once again, the meat seasoning was nice, but was put on a bit too strong covering the taste of the meat too much.
  
  During the meal I would have given my kingdom for a drink refill. They serve the sodas in small chimney-type glasses and water in these very ridiculous goblets that they also sell in the gift-shops. Neither holds much content, and the long delays between visits from our server meant I went most of the meal with nothing to drink.
  
  Lastly, when it came to dessert the place was out of nearly everything on their dessert menu. All that was left was a few cake selections and ice cream. My father attempted to order a piece of Neapolitan cake and was denied.
  
  Its difficult and awkward sitting through a meal that someone else has paid for (my parent's invited us as a gift) when you aren't enjoying the food. You don't want to complain too much, because you don't want to hurt your hosts' feelings. Its not my parents fault this place was horrible. We had a fun night as a family despite this place, but certainly not because of it. If my parents ever read this, I hope they know how much my wife and I appreciated the gift and how much we love them.
  
  In conclusion, barring some extreme circumstance, I will never eat at this place again. I think there was a Tahoe Joe's down the street that would have given me a better steak meal for half the price - I'd suggest people staying at the Madonna Inn go there instead. I'm guessing the Madonna Gold Rush Steak House will stay in business just because of its proximity to the Inn, but it is not a good place to eat.
  May 15, 2017
• 5 / 5

  By bryan wunsch
  Madonna Inn is a special place... If you haven't been there, do yourself and check it out. Grab a steak in the Gold Rush Steakhouse. Tour the property... such a cool place
  September 27, 2016
• 2 / 5

  By Ronnie Chapple
  Don't come here if you are looking for high end cooking. For a $50 steak about $20 is for the actual food and the rest you are paying for the privilege to be in their restaurant. It felt like the chef hadn't changed his cooking since the 70's. I would say come here and have a beer and enjoy the amazing decor, but don't come thinking you're gonna have a meal worth $50. The steak was ok, however my girlfriend asked for medium rear and got a very tough medium well. The second steak was better. You only get 2 very average sides. The string beans were boiled within an inch of their life and the jacket potato was just a jacket potato. Don't get me wrong, for a side of the road, mom and pop steak house this place would be great, but no where near worth $50.
  September 17, 2016