Touch

10 Reviews on “Touch”

• Terry Thompson

  Extremely Disappointed in Food Preparation & Owners & Managers ResponseBe very cautious in choosing to dine at the CHAR Steakhouse & Oyster Bar. Management doesn’t want to or care to know when things are not going well. Here’s my experience…including SIX attempts to meet with the owner after dining there.On 2/21/2019, we were trying to decide between the always consistent and excellent Jimms Steakhouse and the new and unknown CHAR Steakhouse & Oyster Bar. We knew the former restaurant, TOUCH, had closed in this location on 12/31/2018 to make way for this new Mike Jalili (owner of the former Touch Restaurant, and the current Flame Steakhouse & Wine Bar, CHAR, and Black Sheep Burger) CHAR Steakhouse & Oyster Bar restaurant concepta southside version of the downtown Flame Steakhouse & Wine Bar with a few remnants from the former TOUCH concept. It opened just two weeks after TOUCH closed with a new sign, renovated interior, and a pricier menu than the former TOUCH restaurant. We had our first experience at CHAR on 2/7/2019. The dinner for two was $190; the steaks were wonderfully prepared to order and the service was good. Just two weeks later we returned choosing CHAR Steakhouse & Oyster Bar over Jimms Steakhouse for a celebratory evening out. What a mistake!6:45 pm–called for reservationshostess said they had nothing available for a party of two. Asked to speak to manager. After being passed from one manager to another, the Acting General Manager, Matt, said he could certainly seat a party of two and we should come right on in.7:15 pm–arrived and was promptly seated. There were approximately six open tables in the main dining room when we arrived and no guests followed after us for some time. 7:20-ordered drinks and appetizers: 1) 12 bacon-wrapped stuffed dates at $1.50 each ($18 total)look out, they have changed the item so it is now filled with plain cream cheese instead of the traditional and more tasty goat cheese. Jared, our server, offered to bring out new ones with the traditional goat cheese and adjusted our bill $6 for the four dates we ate with the plain cream cheesethanks Jared! 2) shrimp cocktail ($16); excellent shrimp but served with little cocktail sauce and it took the waiter, Jared, a long time to get more cocktail sauce to the table. It took nearly 45 minutes to get the appetizers so we were eating our appetizers at 8:00 pm.8:05 pm–ordered entrees: 1) Grilled Caesar Salad. The grilled Caesar salad (which was a part of the former TOUCH menu and was not on the menu but the manager said they could make it), was great! My guest was served salad at 8:20 pm and was finished with dinner at 8:40 pm. 2) 8 oz Filet Mignon ($35) medium well with potatoes and mushrooms. The steak had to be prepared FOUR TIMES for the kitchen to get it right. First attempt was rare! Second attempt was the same steak warmed to medium rare and re-served. I asked to speak to manager, Matt, and clarified I wanted the non-butterflied steak prepared to medium well with a thin line of pink in the center of the steak. Third attempt was a new steak prepared overcooked well done. The manager agreed it was over-cooked and didnt seem to know how to fix the problem and asked what I wanted. I told him I wanted a medium well filet cooked to 152-154 degrees internally and then allowed to rest before serving it and expecting me to slice into it. FINALLY, on the FOURTH attempt Matt, the acting GM, who said he personally prepared the steak, got it rightat 9:35 pm (nearly 2 hours after we arrived). I finished the dinner an hour and fifteen minutes after my guest finished the salad. We checked out at 9:50 pm being served a check for the full amount of the dinner ($80 + tax = $86.48). No apologies, no credit, nothing. I went ahead and paid the bill and left a $18.52 (23%) tip for our server and said I was shocked and disappointed the manager didnt attempt to make the billing right for the nearly 3 hour dinner, delay of my meal in comparison to my guests meal, and the FOUR attempts for a steakhouse to properly prepare an 8 oz filet mignon to medium well done. I asked for the ownerI was told he had left the evening. I then asked again for the manager, Matt. The manager never came out to discuss how he chose to handle the billinghe was busy checking staff out for the evening according to our server; instead he had the server, Jared, present a new bill for $41.08. I had already paid the $86.48 bill and the server had collected the bill already; I was so frustrated that the manager didnt come to the table that I asked for the owners business card and told our server I would personally visit with Mike Jalili, the restaurant owner, and address the whole situationHE could make the billing adjustment when we met. 9:50 pm–received and paid full amount of check; asked for manager after paying bill.10:15 pm–left restaurant (after unsuccessfully trying to talk with manager or owner)THREE HOUR DINING EXPERIENCE for appetizers, salad, and an entree that had to be prepared FOUR TIMES before it was prepared to order.I went home and emailed Mike Jalili the next day (2/22/2019) requesting to meet with him personally about my horrendous experience at his restaurantI asked for him to set a time and place we could discuss my experience. No response at all. I emailed Mike Jalili again four days later (2/26/2019) asking to meet with him to discuss my dining experience at CHAR. Again, no response. I emailed Mike Jalili again the next day (2/27/2019) mentioning I would post a formal review online if I did not receive follow-up by 2/28/2019. Finally, he responded via email and apologized saying my cook messed up, but he did not offer to meet me so I could share the breadth of my dining experienceall he heard was they had to prepare the steak three times (actually it was four!); he was not told the rest of the story. Again, I sent him an email later on 2/27/2019 after receiving his response and noted that I wanted to discuss much more than steak preparation with him; namely, reservations, server, managers, management response, billing, re-billing, final financial actions, owners responsiveness. I again asked for a face-to-face meeting4th attempt! On 3/1/2019, he emailed me stating I will be happy to meet never stating when or where. On 3/2/2019, I responded with an email stating I would come by his office on Monday. On 3/2/2019, he responded via email stating I am always in and out of the officeso its better to set up a time and place to meet. On 3/4/2019, I emailed him for a sixth time now asking him if the afternoon of 3/7/2019 sometime between 2 pm and 5 pm could work. He never responded to that sixth email or contacted me via phone. He has had my phone number since the first email.I am very disappointed in the food preparation and management response from CHAR. I would encourage you to be cautious about planning dinner parties theremanagement (from the Acting GM up to the owner) does not seem to know how to address or resolve issues with restaurant patrons. They dont seem to want to receive constructive feedback. It has been one full month since I initiated attempts to meet with Mr. Jalili and he has never responded to my email of 3/4/2019 asking to meet him on 3/7/2019. I can only assume he has no interest.At the very least, I have felt very disrespected by Mike Jalili, the owner, as a long-time patron of TOUCHnow CHAR, The FLAME Steakhouse, and Black Sheep Burger through Mr. Jalilis utter dismissal of my request to meet with him personally and address my dining experience. Again, beware of what can happen if you dont have a good dining experience.

  June 23, 2019, 12:40 am

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• Extra4417

  Just Average at Best. My husband and I have been here several times and find their menu very limited. They do not have any vegetarian/vegan dishes other than salad. So when you have family or guests that need special menus, they do not accommodate. We even tried to get a margarita pizza once and they couldn’t help us (even though they serve pizza). It seems to be a place thats time has come and gone; even the decor is getting very old and run down.

  May 2, 2015, 5:10 am

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• Hillary

  Shrimp & Grits–the best I’ve ever had, take it from a major foodie!! I would recommend that dish to anyone. The ANDYS FROZEN CUSTARD dipped fried lobster and homemade hush puppies are like nothing I’ve had before, Amazing!!

  February 27, 2015, 3:12 am

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