I need a really nice restaurant to take my lady to when she gets back from America (she's been away for a month).

Budget max is bout £150 for the 2 of us.

Any help is muchly appreciated...I don't really do this much so i'm kinda stuck :thumbsup:

The Dore Grill Restaurant is nice in Dore Village. You don't get the modern fancy stuff, its very traditional but one thing is for sure - you can always count on very good service in there.

www.thewalnutclub.co.uk

Give boho a go! ;)

Marco's at milanos on Archer Rd or Thyme at Crosspool are both excellent

thyme got mentioned to me before...i'll look into that

do u have to book there?

i wanted somewhere where you can dress up fancy really...do these places get dressed up?

Take her to Leeds & go to Simply Heathcotes (www.heathcotes.co.uk) - it's a watered-down version of his Mitchelin Star restaurant 'The Longridge' but the food is still amazing and you'll easily fill your faces well within your budget. I had a roast lamb dish with pomegranite juice/seeds on it. It's sounds weird as hell but tasted out of this world. Will leave you change for a trek round the bars and then it's all the fun of the last train home!

Try The Old Vicarage at Ridgeway. Previously discussed here (http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49414&highlight=old+vicarage)

Originally posted by advenutrer
The Dore Grill Restaurant is nice in Dore Village.

Yeah, if your taking your Gran out for her birthday dinner.

I'd take her to 543 Ecclesall Road - they now take bookings and I had a fabulous meal there a few weeks back.

Not sure how dressy it is but you wouldn't feel out of place if you did dress up a bit.

i believe Boho is a great place .... newly open and has a great atmosphere with jazz music.

If you don't mind a drive try www.fischers-baslowhall.co.uk

Originally posted by the_rudeboy
Marco's at milanos on Archer Rd or Thyme at Crosspool are both excellent

I'd go for Milano's out of the two.

I found Thyme a little too on top of each other, which is awkward when you want to have an intimate chat.

I know people like to slag Crystal off, but every meal we've had there has been absolutely superb! and we have high standards. I like how it's laid out too, much more of an 'open' feel than the others mentioned.

Originally posted by Unisol
I know people like to slag Crystal off, but every meal we've had there has been absolutely superb! and we have high standards. I like how it's laid out too, much more of an 'open' feel than the others mentioned.

True, the ambience of the restaurant in Crystal is terrific. Great lighting and use of space. Not overly sure about the food though, they seemed to be trying a little too hard to be hip and trendy.

Personally I think Thyme is over-rated - it's the only place i've ever sent food back. We've never had bad food at Chez Lahlou (small, french, comparatively cheap - on commonside), and the atmosphere is great.

Originally posted by Unisol
I'd go for Milano's out of the two.


I found Milanos to be seriously overpriced and pretentious also a bit like eating in a conservatory showroom.

The little Italian on the corner near there is ok though.

What about Greenhead House at Chapeltown? Always been highly rated. Booking well in advance is a must though....or at least it used to be.

Originally posted by babychickens
Personally I think Thyme is over-rated - it's the only place i've ever sent food back.

Why did you send it back, out of interest?

I quite like Thyme, good food and a pretty warm atmosphere. The Thyme Café is even better, judging by the last visit.

Marco @ Milano every time! Always special, service second to none, you can not fail to impress!

Originally posted by babychickens
Personally I think Thyme is over-rated - it's the only place i've ever sent food back. We've never had bad food at Chez Lahlou (small, french, comparatively cheap - on commonside), and the atmosphere is great.

Chez Lahlou......Used to be nice but has lost it's way a bit,the whole place needs decorating and a refurb,especially the toilets,the whole place seemed dirty when i last went in May,from the windows to the canopy and the broken brass lamps and dirty broken tiled floor.The food was average as well,but you still get loads and loads which isn't always what you want,quality not quantity.

Originally posted by SheffBloke
Chez Lahlou......Used to be nice but has lost it's way a bit,the whole place needs decorating and a refurb,especially the toilets,the whole place seemed dirty when i last went in May,from the windows to the canopy and the broken brass lamps and dirty broken tiled floor.The food was average as well,but you still get loads and loads which isn't always what you want,quality not quantity.

Just what i thought TBH.

And the table behind us were so close everyone's heads were kinda interwoven.

The waitress was poor at her job too. She was struggling to find space to stand the dishes (and dishes) of veg when she could clearly see about 30 glasses in the way which we clearly weren't using.

I was told it was excellent, but was grossly dissapointed.

i would definetly reccomemd crystal in town, its opposite flares, had several lovely meals there and the bar for before dinner is great and you can always go back there when u have finished your dinner. Preferable to book as friday and saturday usually sell out.

RIP OFF ALERT

Would not recommend Crystal Bar Restaurant unless you really have more money than sense, enjoy being patronised and love terrible disinterested service.

We booked for a quite large party to celebrate three birthdays recently.

The first people to arrive were hassled to find out from those still to arrive what they wanted to eat while still in their respective taxis.

Once we were all actually in the restaurant, not once did any of the adolescent serving staff offer anyone a drink, which had to be fetched ourselves from the bar downstairs, or we had to collar and force a "waitress" to get a bottle of wine, one of which wound up being dropped on to a guest (the wine was not replaced).

Starters were OK, but still pricey. Main meals arrived, and without a word were whipped away again because the staff had brought them to the wrong table.

Also, anyone still thinking of going must remember that this is one of those lousy mean and tightfisted restaurants which does not serve any vegetables with the main meal unless ordered separately. And its £3 for a fairly meagre bowl of chips. Not that the staff bothered to tell us - it was up to us to take the chance. So on top of £15 for a steak, unless you're psychic enough to read the minds of staff, you'll get steak and not much else.

For at least half of us, the food was barely edible. My wife's steak was so salty it was foul. The pork was covered in an unpleasantly bitter sauce. The lamb was in some cases cold and undercooked. My gnocchi was the sort of pre-packaged stuff you can pick up in Tesco for a couple of quid.

The staff were surly, unhelpful, unapologetic and just wanted to sling out mediocre food for big prices.

To top it all the maitre d', or manager, was a condescending buffoon whose only smile came on taking our money.

When a party is paying several hundred pounds for a meal, you would expect some attention to detail and service, but it appears that this place is no better than any of the other clip joints in town centres, and should be avoided at all costs.

In fact, while we're having a go about restaurants/bars to be avoided, I'd also warn against Iguana.

That place has the worst food I have ever had in Sheffield, and I've been to Balti King!

Very very slow, food obviously microwaved (badly - rice nicely crisped) meat more gristly than I thought possible.

Service was, to be fair, good, but obviously focussed more on serving cocktails than food.

Our few visits to Crystal were totally opposite to Archadvocate's experience.

The food has always been top notch and perfect service - attentive when necessary, good timing, polite and well spoken. The waitress in the upstairs bar was also extremely good.

The last time we went we took my brother and his french girlfriend (who live in Switzerland and have dined at good restaurants all around the world) - they reckoned Crystal was one of the best - probably on par with 'Zebra' in Monaco.

We consider ourselves to have high standard when dining out and have not been able to find fault with Crystal so far.

Can't wait to go again!

Just wanted to back up what people have said about Crystal. I have been their a few times now and every single time it has been fantastic.

I like the bit where you sit in the bar having a drink before you go through into the restaurant and the food is really, really good. To be fair I think the desserts could be better though!

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this place! :clap: :thumbsup: :clap:

Rarely in my experience does a large group eat at a quality restaurant without at least a few sticking points. I think in some ways you have to expect it.

I agree with the point about having to pay extra for vegetables though. This seems to be a growing trend and it's out of order as far as I'm concerned, as much as including the service charge in the final bill is.

Originally posted by carole58
Marco @ Milano every time! Always special, service second to none, you can not fail to impress!

Marco@s@milanos is definitely one of my favorite choices too.Fabulous food and great service,a purfect place to take your special lady

www.soulphisticated.net

Originally posted by Greenback
Rarely in my experience does a large group eat at a quality restaurant without at least a few sticking points. I think in some ways you have to expect it.

Sadly this is true. It's simply physically impossible for a kitchen serving complicated food to get everything out at the same time and for it all it be perfect.

If I'm ever in a party of 8+ I fully expect some timing and temperature problems.

I can't believe no one has mention it yet but you have to try The Blue Room Brasserie on Chesterfield Road (Woodseats).

It is Superb, not cheap but within your budget for two.
Gets booked up fairly quick so get em phoned.

Excellent service, excellent food and excellent surroundings... seriously top drawer :thumbsup:

Hmmm, the Blue Room isn't for me DB.

I can't think of a restaurant with less atmosphere and weirder decor. What's that B&Q water feature about in the lobby, and the table with limo hire cards that greets you in the entrance.

It feels like you're in the basement of an old cinema. Funny that eh? ;)

Originally posted by Tony
Hmmm, the Blue Room isn't for me DB.

I can't think of a restaurant with less atmosphere and weirder decor. What's that B&Q water feature about in the lobby, and the table with limo hire cards that greets you in the entrance.

It feels like you're in the basement of an old cinema. Funny that eh? ;)
I can't believe you don't like the decor or atmosphere, it's amazing.

You are an old fart though so I guess you'd be happier at a Toby Carvery :P

Been to Blue Room once with a group.

Quite enjoyed it!

Well set out, good service and above average food - opens late too which is always a good thing.

Err, I'm hardly an old fart DB, it just looks as though it was put together by somebodies wife at the weekend rather than a proper designer.

The food that I've had has been nice enough, but it's nothing special - apart from the price.

Originally posted by Tony
Err, I'm hardly an old fart DB, it just looks as though it was put together by somebodies wife at the weekend rather than a proper designer.

The food that I've had has been nice enough, but it's nothing special - apart from the price.
Ya tell us owt :P

Oh well, can't please everyone I guess, but personally I thought it was a fantastic restaurant, nice decor, and great food.

Just my 2 penneth ;)

Nope, you're right DB, you can't please everyone. It wouldn't do if we all liked the same things, and the Blue Room isn't for me. It's very overrated these days IMO, but that's IMO.

For the very top of the fancy tree there is only Fischer's, but be prepared to let your wallet leak until it bleeds. I've never ever come away feeling anything less than pleased there though.

The Cavendish's Garden Room (also at Baslow) makes a nice compromise. Not daft prices on either food or wine, but a great place to spend an evening with a couple of friends. I wouldn't bother with the main dining room unless you're wearing a twin set and want of listen to conversations about 'the youth of today - we need a war'. ;)

Talking of fancy restaurants has anyone tried Crystals restaurant?

sorry just read the page before and saw the mixed reviews.

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Rafters in Hangingwater - always superb.

543 - food OK, but too bustling. Not ideal for an intimate dinner for two.

Thyme - ditto.

Blue Room - went there a couple of weeks ago. My lobster ravioli was a travesty, and the less said about my wife's gnocchi the better. Chef's night off?

Fischers - always fantastic. The absolute best for food and service. Unfortunately it costs a fortune and it's in the back of beyond.

Ye Olde Vicarage - food on a par with Rafters, but last time we went we had to wait nearly two hours before we were seated - we booked weeks in advance.

Chez Lahlou - for the real trencherman. I've never seen so much food in my life. The appetisers are bigger than some main courses.

Others - I quite like the Siam Inter on London Road. Sheikhs on West Street is OK, especially the mezze.

So if I were you, I'd go to Fischer's, but don't expect any change out of your £150.

i'd say Rafters Restaurant was one of the best meals i've ever had. And my ex used to work there!(so got it for nowt!) yay!:clap:

I've been to Crystal and at Lunchtime you cannot fault the place, absolutely lovely deli food, a great space and very relaxed. I would go there above anywhere else in Sheffield for lunch.

But - in the evening: - I had an evening meal there last week and in lots of ways it was really good.

The good

1) We weren't intending to go out for a meal and looked really scruffy compared to the other customers but the waitresses & the female maitre'd were very attentive and friendly.

2) We both decided to have 2 starters rather than one main meal and that was no problem. My pork dish was fantastic - one of the best I've had in Sheffield - my husband had two veggie dishes and he loved them.

The bad

1) To start off gentley the food we had from the usual menu was really good, but the one dish I ordered off menu was pigeon which was truly awful.

2) They charged 10% service on the credit card bill, this means they can use it to make up staff payments to the minmum wage, whereas cash tips cannot and must be given to the staff. This really pees me off as I will have to leave an extra tip for the staff if their service has been good (as it was) to make sure they get their fair payment.

3) The food didn't arrive together, we ordered 2 starters each and we had 1 each then quite a pause. Our vegetables didn't arrive until we had nearly finished our dishes.

4) Most importantly the male Maitre D was a buffoon. There is a bar upstairs reserved only for diners, in which you can smoke (the dining room is no smoking). When we finished our meal we asked if we could order some desserts then pay the full whack and have our desserts delivered to us in the bar (two steps from the restuarant) so we could smoke. The Maitre d' said no. So we went downstairs and finished our drinks in the half empty bar without desserts but still used the table which meant his bosses lost out on money. Add to this he was wearing an ill fitting suit which made him look like a sixteen year old salesman in Dixons. I wouldn't normally mind but if you're going to be snotty you should dress the part.

I should also add that although they have sports screens on behind the bar the staff aren't allowed to look at them. If you had rubbish bar staff who would lounge on the counter watching sport instead of serving, fair enough, but the staff at Crystal are really good and I like to see the staff in places I go being treated with a bit of respect.

Don't let this put you off, Crystal is a great place to go. But it is new and I hope they iron out these problems as I like the place but I want to love it.

Oooh, plus Tequila is very nice but quite loud. I went in there recently and without being told the Maitre'd noticed I hadn't eaten much of a dish and knocked it off the bill. They also have great service there too.

The Lion's Lair has really good food but service which can be either amazing or appalling depending on which night you go. I've had the best and the worst service in Sheffield on there on different nights.

Originally posted by SallyLaLaLa

2) They charged 10% service on the credit card bill, this means they can use it to make up staff payments to the minmum wage, whereas cash tips cannot and must be given to the staff. This really pees me off as I will have to leave an extra tip for the staff if their service has been good (as it was) to make sure they get their fair payment.

Did you ask the staff that or are you making assumptions? Nearly every customer at every place I've ever worked at ask "if we leave a credit card tip, do you get it?" and the answer is always Yes, no matter where I've worked.

People don't seem to comprehend that you put the credit card chit into the till and take the tip cash out and put it in your pocket/jar and so the urban myth has developed that credit card tips make up wages. It's certainly never been an experience in my working life although I'm sure there are places that keep tips, but they're more likely to keep ALL tips rather than just ones off the credit card.

Maybe sally lalala should have enquired about the tipping system at crystal. We also questioned the tipping system and the maitre d that she appears to so dislike, could not have been any more helpful. He explained that all the tips go back to the staff including the kitchen and that should we prefer to leave cash, though it is dealt with in the same way he would have been more than happy to remove it and let us leave what we wanted. It is not used to make up pay and is used as a bonus scheme.

Also who smokes during a meal!! That is only an insult to who ever is cooking and shows utter lack of appreciation for the chefs and people that try to take time and care to cook your food. I expect also you would have liked him to bring a TV for you to watch while you smoked and ate !!
We have been many times before and shall definetly be returning soon.

Originally posted by Hook
Did you ask the staff that or are you making assumptions? Nearly every customer at every place I've ever worked at ask "if we leave a credit card tip, do you get it?" and the answer is always Yes, no matter where I've worked.

People don't seem to comprehend that you put the credit card chit into the till and take the tip cash out and put it in your pocket/jar and so the urban myth has developed that credit card tips make up wages. It's certainly never been an experience in my working life although I'm sure there are places that keep tips, but they're more likely to keep ALL tips rather than just ones off the credit card.

This ISN'T an urban myth, there was a very big very well publicised court case a few years back involving a restaurant called 'Paradiso e Inferno' on the Strand in London. Details of which can be found here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2279353.stm

As the article says it is perfectly legal for restaurants to keep tips made by credit card and cheque to make up wages to the minimum wage, thereby paying less themselves staff will also have tax and national insurance deducted from these tips, your employers may well be breaking the law by not doing that. Cash tips however must be given to staff directly in addition to their salary.

That's why people ask and that is why many people prefer to give cash tips. Even though the places you work are kind enough to let you have the tips in cash many restaurants aren't - so annoying as you may find it they're actually trying to do you a favour. Also a friend of mine worked at Paradiso and Inferno so it is something that gets up my nose quite a bit.

Originally posted by aeinstein199
Maybe sally lalala should have enquired about the tipping system at crystal. We also questioned the tipping system and the maitre d that she appears to so dislike, could not have been any more helpful. He explained that all the tips go back to the staff including the kitchen and that should we prefer to leave cash, though it is dealt with in the same way he would have been more than happy to remove it and let us leave what we wanted. It is not used to make up pay and is used as a bonus scheme.

Also who smokes during a meal!! That is only an insult to who ever is cooking and shows utter lack of appreciation for the chefs and people that try to take time and care to cook your food. I expect also you would have liked him to bring a TV for you to watch while you smoked and ate !!
We have been many times before and shall definetly be returning soon.

Actually I said quite a few nice things about it. We didn't smoke during our meal, we just wanted to smoke during dessert. Lots of people smoke during meals, that's why loads of restaurants have sections?? It's a matter of personal choice if the restaurant allow you. No need to get personal - that just shows a lack of wit or imagination.

Originally posted by SallyLaLaLa
Cash tips however must be given to staff directly in addition to their salary.

Fair enough, but that's one case compared to the hundreds of thousands of restaurants out there. If in doubt always ask, when I worked at Crystal staff kept their own tips, credit card or otherwise - that's only why I doubted your claim, and you still haven't said whether you asked or not. Whereas the poster above has clearly said she did ask and she says you're wrong - which is what I asked in the first place!

As for Cash Tips, my understanding is that ANY tip belongs to the restaurant/bar and they are under no obligation to keep them. Indeed at previous places I've worked we've fired staff for keeping their own tips rather than pooling them together as is written in the contract. I also know of places that contract the staff to £5.00 an hour, but state that the tips go into the company.

As long as you're aware of the situation when you take the job I don't personally see a problem with it, my only problem is the exorbitant amount of tax we have to pay!

well I still agree with the maitre d, if it is a no smoking restaurant, then he or she is under no obligation to serve you food in a smoking area, especially as when we have been there the bar upstairs can get quite busy, and what if everybody wanted to eat dessert there, smoking or not? There wouldn't be space for everybody.

Yes I agree that they aren't under obligation to serve you in a no smoking area, but they also have a smoking bar downstairs reserved for diners before and after their meals, we wanted to pay before we got them and it was pretty empty so common sense would have said 'okay, have it downstairs but it's just a one off'. If it had been rammed fair enough, but it was half empty.

As far as this being a one off in thousands of cases - it wasn't. It was a test case as the legality of the retaining of credit card tips wasn't yet established and it's outcome would have been binding for EVERY tip left in any restaurant in the UK. Part of the reason why I am unhappy just asking is that I know that nowadays the staff working at Paradiso e inferno have been told that if anyone asks if they will receive credit card tips they should say yes - because they are but in lieu of wages.

Has anyone tried the food at the Wig and Pen? I've heard it's supposed to be good, but not actually heard from anyone who has eaten there.

As for tips, hubby always add's it to his card bill, but I usually ask if the staff get's the tip.

I personally prefer to leave a cash tip.

I worked in one place where we each kept cash tips, but we never got anything that was put on card. The manager always said we would get it once the payment had gone through, but that never happened.

I know of one place that used to insist everyone added up their tips at the end of the night and paid the first £5 to the employer - to help cover the national minimum wage. I say 'used to' because I haven't spoke to anyone from there for over a year, so it may have changed.

I've eaten at the Wig and Pen several times but not for the last 3 months or so. So hope it's not gone downhill recently.

It is better than the average bar food. We haven't had any horrid food there and the service has been great too.

But I would not go for a special night out as it's really a posher pub. But a great place for meeting friends for a meal after work.

Tips - I worked as a waitress in the Summer months when a student and we kept our own tips which amounted to about £100 a shift if we worked hard. Great incentive to work hard. If I go out for a meal I will always pay my tips in cash and not credit card - those tend to get lost in the system and not get given to the actual waiting staff.

Definitely agree that Wig & Pen should be on your list.
They have a new dinner menu that started a few weeks ago.

I'vr eaten at the Wig and Pen too - it isn't really posh but the food was lovely.
Milano's, Nonna's or Thyme are much posher (and more expensive) if you want to dress up a bit.

I should also add that although they have sports screens on behind the bar the staff aren't allowed to look at them. If you had rubbish bar staff who would lounge on the counter watching sport instead of serving, fair enough, but the staff at Crystal are really good and I like to see the staff in places I go being treated with a bit of respect.

The staff are allowed to watch the tv as much as they like "WITHIN REASON"