Address: | 503 Westbury Dr #1, Iowa City, IA 52245, USA |
Phone: | +1 319-338-1770 |
Site: | blackstone-ic.com |
Rating: | 4.2 |
Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–1AM 11AM–1AM 10AM–10PM |
MA
Matt Uhlman
Weve been hearing about Blackstone for quite some time and finally made it for dinner. Im goint to have to disagree with some of my compatriots here whove had less than good experiences as ours was pretty legit. We arrived and while we found it to be quite busy, we found a booth in the bar quickly. The servers were very attentive and made some solid drink recommendations including a delicious dark belgian beer and, for me lady, the half price martinis! The appetizers were solid ranging from the standard calamari and sliders to the one tried - The Saganaki. A spectacular piece of kasseri cheese flamed with brandy! It was not only awesome to watch them flambe, but was one of the better appetizers weve had in the area. Prices were $5-12. The variety of entrees was impressive. They had everything from burgers and flatbreads to pastas and steaks. Very reminiscent of Mondos with a more extensive selection of sandwiches. We shared a burger and it was a 8 of 10 burger. The true magic however was the side of chips that came with it. Seriously, they figured out how to infuse them with cocaine - they were radness in chip form! Finally, for dessert we had a couple sweet shots - one cherry cheesecake and one brownie. They were awesome little shot glasses with the aforementioned cakes, some custard and some delicious sauce on top. Just the right size to end the night with some sweet, but not get overly full. Overall, Blackstone was a solid 4 of 5. Good food, friendly service and they did well even when really busy. Food is on par with Reds or Mondos as a good spot to get a mix of things that range from cheap to pricey and where the quality is solid. The beer selection in the top quarter of places and the martini selection is excellent for the ladies. The bar was loud, but there was ample seating for groups and couples alike. It doesnt quite get the 5 star nod, but its a solid 4 and a good place to go when youre in the mood for something a few steps up from TGI Fridays and a beer you cant buy at 7-11.
TE
Teresa Volk
Went for Sunday brunch today, which in the past has been wonderful. Found out when we arrived that they no longer have the delicious buffet but now a "brunch" menu with roughly 12 choices of breakfast meals and about 15 lunch choices. There was no veriance or substitution from the items, you could only have your food as listed on the menu. No ala carte sides of anything. My meal consisted of 2 eggs, bacon and toast. I wanted an order of breakfast potatoes that was listed on another menu item but was told they couldnt do that. Eventually the waitress asked management and he said they could work something out. Very disappointed because"brunch" was not a brunch at all because unless you ordered 2 meals, you had to choose to either eat breakfast food or lunch food. Service was not very good either. Waited 30 minutes for something that would have taken me 5 minutes to cook at home. The restaurant was pretty empty. The buffet was always packed. Guess other people had already found out about the new menu and quit coming. I know we wont be returning.
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Zach Monroe
Came here on a Saturday night with 4 adults and 2 kids. Ive worked in restaurants for years, so I understand that if 6 people show up on a Saturday night, they may have to wait a little bit. Not a big deal. We walk in and after asking us how many we have, the hostess walks back to talk to a manager to see if they can accommodate us. Keep in mind, there are a few open 4 tops and no one waiting to be seated. The hostess comes back and says, "yeah, its going to be an hour wait, maybe longer". I said, why? You can even split us up if you want. She says, no theres not enough tables and youd still have to wait. I looked at her dumfounded. I said, we can wait a little bit. If you split us up are we still going to have to wait an hour? She just sort of looked back at me and shrugged her shoulders. This is the second time Ive been here and I had bad service the first time and couldnt even get into the restaurant, while no one was waiting, this time. Some people here rave about this place. I dont get it.
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Mary Weigel
Our food was great and our drinks were also very good. We had the skewers and onion strings as appetizers and both were very good, the skewers are more than enough for 2 people to share as we almost filled up on those alone, but they were also a good opportunity to preview the meat of the restaurant, all of which was really good. I ordered the salmon with fries, and was extremely impressed with both. The salmon was very moist and just lightly seasoned so I could still enjoy the natural flavor. The fries were also very good, they werent salted, but they were great without it which I consider to be a rare feature. My fiance ordered a burger (I think it was called the Murray) and he was very happy with it. We both agreed the food was very good for the price and the portions were appropriate. The drinks were a little on the pricey side, but not too expensive to make me regret my mojito. Service was quick and efficient. I think we found a new spot to celebrate at.
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Mohamed Othman
Service: The guy who served us was very friendly and nice but the girl who meet as at the door was not. She told us the kitchen was closed it was 9:10 pm I told her but how come your website says you guys close at 10:00, and the restaurant location is remote, and we had to drive up all the way. She went to ask, and the manger came and he was also very nice, he said yes we are open come in, but to be honest this incident made me lose interest. But I had promised my wife to take her out this night so I kind of HAD to go through with it. Food: All our food was Cold, I think they cook the food and just warm it up when they get a customer. Specially late at night. To be honest I never accept cold/ warmed up food like this, but again I didnt want to spoil the night after I had promised my wife to go out. The Calamari was cold, so was the ribeye, the pasta, the mashed potatoes. Really didnt like the food.
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Jamie Bakeris
My group had a reservation in the Club Room (not the main restaurant) for 12:00. We got there at 11:50 and didnt get seated until 12:45. We watched the group before us sit and talk with no effort from staff to ask them to leave. The wait staff was well aware of the problem as we talked to them multiple times while waiting. Food was ok but not good enough for 45 minutes past our reservation. After raising a concern on their Facebook page, their responses were extremely unprofessional and downright embarrassing. Overall, food was average (not worth $20) and the staff was horrible. Service might be better if they were focused on customers instead of responding to Facebook.
TH
The Burger Guide
The Bacon Cheddar Burger at Blackstone is an American Classic with a touch of bacon. A sesame seed bun, seasoned beef, applewood smoked bacon, melted cheddar, lettuce, tomato, and red onion make up this burger. I added some ketchup and mustard to keep this burger a classic. Although I enjoyed the burger nothing stood out. With a gourmet bun or beef I believe the burger would be on the next level of taste. However, given its reasonable pricetag its a value if you are in Iowa City and looking for a good bite. The fries on the side and the atmosphere of the bar are also an added bonus that make Blackstone definitely worth a visit.