AJ's Steakhouse (Altoona, IA) Review - The Food and Drink Guy

3.5* (out of 5)

Food: 3*

Atmosphere: 4*

Value: 4*

Service: 3*

03/09/2024 AJ’s Steakhouse (515) 957-3535

My wife and I had both heard good things about this place, so had been wanting to give it a try and check out the Casino. We had the opportunity when friends were in town and an 80’s group was playing in the Casino, so we decided to start the evening with dinner at AJ’s Steakhouse then attend the concert.

While we had to walk around an escalator that was out of service, the entrance area of AJ’s and the initial impression was quite positive (see pictures). The place was clean, modern and lively – giving off a classy aura. Once we were seated at our table, we were a little disappointed with the wobbly table and the delay in receiving our drinks – but the drinks were solid. My wife had the Grande Margarita (see picture) and I went with the Smoked Old Fashion (see picture) – both of which were very good and the prices were reasonable.

The food and service though is where AJ’s fell well short of my expectations for a place like this with so much promise. After waiting some time for our meals, our server stopped out to tell us that our meals would be delayed due to a large group ahead of us. This seemed a bit surprising, as we didn’t see any large groups in the restaurant, but what could we do? At one point after waiting over 30 minutes, I suggested to our server that “the manager will probably comp us a drink or dessert given the wait”…which received nothing more than a dismissive “maybe” and didn’t seem to be taken seriously.

Once our food was finally delivered, we were again left disappointed. My wife ordered the Top Sirloin (see picture) and I ordered the Salmon (see picture). While she ordered medium rare, the initial cut into the Top Sirloin was medium well and dry. A manager did come around to ask how things were, so we were open about it being overdone (other cuts later were closer to rare, so it was very inconsistent relative to other steaks at other steakhouses). She offered to exchange it, but given how long we had waited for our meal and the concert starting soon, we declined the offer. Again, given this situation and the fact that it was shared with the manager, we assumed a minimum of a complimentary dessert or a coupon to return another day…but received nothing. As for the Salmon (see picture) it was cooked well – very soft and juicy…but almost zero flavor.

A convenient stop at the casino with a classy first impression, but the food and service leave me unable to recommend AJ’s Steakhouse.

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