Sam and Harry's

I'm pushing it to award three stars here. I wanted to only give two stars.

I dined here for dinner twice, lunched once, and had breakfast once. Food quality was 2.5 stars. Service was 2.5 stars. Value was 3 stars.

Two chicken dinners were very good!!! So much so, it was ordered a 2nd time, and enjoyed again. One steak dinner was abysmal, and had to be sent back. Should have been sent back a 3rd time, but I was with business associates, and didn't want to make a further scene. Lunch salad was very good. Breakfast buffet was pretty good. HOWEVER, service on each occasion dining, was fair at best. VERY surprising, at a quality hotel such as Marriott!!!

Want to take someone special to dinner or lunch? do you like MEAT? do you have a soft spot for CRABCAKE? this is your place! here's why!

my boyfriend researched a bunch of places [that's what he told me]. we both like meat! and for valentines day yesterday he took me here to have dinner. apparently he called around many places last the week prior and sam & harry's had spaces for reservation after 8. our reservation was for 815. we got there early and they were nice enough to seat us early.

we decided to not do the valentines prix fixe dinner because we didnt want any salad or soup. so we ordered off the regular menu. we ordered jumbo lump crab cakes [2 4 oz. crab cakes; $30], u.s.d.a. prime aged delmonico [22 oz ribeye; $42], and filet mignon, sauteed mushrooms [$6], and lobster tail [5 oz. center cut filet with 6 oz lobster tail; $46].

crabcake was very tasty just make sure you ask for extra lemon. that thing was one of the best i've had! they were big, enough to share for two. when you place your fork in it the crab starts to fall apart. that's because its real crab meat!

the delmonico actually had more flavor than the filet mignon. however the filet mignon was more tender. both were perfectly cooked medium. now of course mastros steakhouse has more flavor in their meat but i would say sam and harry's so far is pretty much up there. it's definitely better than morton's, flemings, ruth chris, and cut. my boyfriend loved the mushrooms. he said that they were very juicy and rich in flavor. mastros mushrooms are thinly sliced whereas at sam & harrys they are like cut in half. so its bigger.

lobster tail!! for only being 6 oz. that thing was one of the best i've had.i can't even begin to tell you why. i squirted lemon and dipped each piece in the little bowl of butter. i was totally speechless and fell in heaven! i wished there was more lobster! that was the first thing to go off my plate!

hint: its located inside of the newport marriott hotel. make sure its literally next to fashion island. because we went to the other one first and that was not the correct one. they also validate your parking ticket. [self park]; valet is also available to those of you who likes to wait for your car door to be opened, to have to have small talk with someone you probably wouldn't talk to again, to have to pay tip, risking the chance that you might lose something, risk of having someone dent your car, and to have to wait for them to drive it to you; then i say go for it!. [no offense... i do get my car valet when i have to but i just don't like to wait for my car to come. i rather just get it on my own]

service was okay. i think we got helped from the other staff more often than our waiter himself. our waiter only took our order and checked up on us once. they weren't really super busy for dinner time. there's a nice view of the horizon for those of you who like to do outdoor dining. however it hard to see that at night time.

my gripe: please provide proper steak knives. our knives were very hard to cut through.

brownie points: they gave every girl last night a red rose for joining them for valentines dinner. that was super nice of them! totally placed a big grin on my face.

Stayed at the hotel and complimentary breakfast came with our package. We got the breakfast buffet which came with all the breakfast fixin's you could think of and not think of.

There's a freesh juicer with fresh cut fruits for you to concoct your own juice, fresh fruit, breakfast "dessert" (fruit parfait), fresh fruit, pastries, and the best part they have someone who will cook your omelette just the way you like. Side note, I think there should be a tip jar for the cook because he was working his ass off behind the stove. The waiters serve you your beverage of choice *hint* pineapple juice.

When the receipt came breakfast for two people came out to $46! So breakfast buffet is $23/person...way over priced. But good thing we didn't pay that out of pocket and our package came with breakfast.

This place is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Basically your only option for dining at this hotel. Stayed here sometime last year for a weekend getaway. The hotel is situated on nice grounds with relaxing views. One of the nights we decided to try this place out. For a so called steakhouse they were out of all steaks except for the 16oz Cajun Ribeye. That was a little disappointing but the place was pretty empty. So keeping different steaks on hand probably a wise choice on their part. The steak was mediocre at best. Our server was friendly and apologetic, not his fault. Fairly priced and decent service all around.

I would have to say the real winner here was the breakfast. Unlimited style buffet, omelet stations, bacon, sausages, home style potatoes, cereals, breads and desserts. Don't forget the do it yourself freshly squeezed juices. Overall decent quality and food. If you don't feel like venturing out, then its worth a try.

We showed up around early lunchtime and, except for the hostess, no one was in sight. We were seated inside, and waited for a server. Cricket, cricket...several minutes went by. Eventually, we snagged someone walking past and asked where our server was. She volunteered to take our order...
I got the Mediterranean Chicken Salad, which had a nice flavor, but the chicken was dry. Fresh baked blueberry bread on the side, however, was delicious. It was convenient, but not extraordinary.

This is the 6th time I've had to wait for my Togo order after calling ahead and ordering pickup. I recommend hiring a takeout host ...I get a simple dish one side chicken side veggies
I understand it gets busy and things happen but I can't ignore this anymore. I've only say for lunch inside the restaurant once and it was perfect! And cheaper than my Togo order !!! Waiting 20min fine . But going to pick up and waiting an additional 25 min... Since my order wasn't even placed until I came to pickup my order ... The manager said we are very "committed"I'm sorry... So your "committed" to everyone else besides takeout... Sounds like great service... 3 stars for the quality of the food. I love that my chicken breast is never pink and never has skin or fat!

We came for a birthday party. They provided a private room for a small group of 8 and let my friend decorate, which was nice. But here is the breakdown:

The restaurant: A pretty big restaurant set in the Newport Marriott. It's so quiet you can almost hear a pin drop and the lights are way too bright. I prefer a lively atmosphere, low lighting, and some background music. We were in a private room but I could see the common dining area and there weren't many people in there. Strange for a Saturday or normal b/c we were in a hotel restaurant?

The service: our waitress was very accommodating and helpful. They got everyone's order correct and were attentive throughout dinner.

Disclaimer: I am a vegetarian but I love steakhouses b/c I love their side dishes. Normally I can get a nice salad, a baked potato, and some other fabulous side dish with a glass of wine and I am a happy girl. But this place is not your typical steakhouse.

The menu: not your typical steakhouse menu but similar. No baked potatoes? A little disappointed but they offered garlic mashed and au gratin potatoes so I was looking forward to trying those. My friend said they had veggie options that were not on the menu, but she asked before hand and that is what they told her over the phone. I figured I would try the sides from the menu b/c like I wrote earlier, I like side dishes. The wine/beer menu was pretty standard: Stella on tap and some decent selections of wine by the glass.

The food: too heavy and in need of seasoning. I had the mac and cheese, which i had to add salt too b/c it was somewhat tasteless and was like a weight in my belly. I couldn't even eat half of this very huge "side" dish. The Bibb salad: the dressing was good but the salad was hard to eat b/c they put a half of a head of lettuce on a plate. The asparagus was good.

My husband had the salmon. He said it was OK but wasn't a fan of the 3 sauces on the side. It was kind of like an incomplete dish. The people that had the chicken liked it and I heard the steak was OK but no one was blown away. The side dishes, wich are normally my favorite at a steakhouse were much too heavy. The au gratin potatoes and creamed spinach weren't worth the calories. The bread, which again is usually pretty kick ass at a steakhouse, was just your average ordinary bread.

For the price, it was a disappointment. If my friend hadn't had a birthday party here, I would haven't chosen this place. If you are looking for a steakhouse, try Mastro's or even Morton's. If you like side dishes like me, Houston's and Bandera, which are part of Hillstone restaurant group are always consistently good.

It was my first night in Newport Beach and I was just too lazy to go anywhere, so I thought I'd try Sam & Harry's for convenience. Ok, I'm not a steak person, but they do have some pretty decent seafood selections, so I tried the pan fried and oven roasted salmon over a bed of grilled vegetables, and a glass of house merlot.

I started off with the seafood bisque which was absolutely delicious. However, I thought the serving was a bit small as I was craving more as I was scooping the last drops at the bottom of the bowl. As an entree I ordered the grilled salmon, minus the potatoes and just asked for extra grilled vegetables. I must say, this was one of the freshest and most perfectly cooked pieces of salmon I've ever tasted! Many other places I've tried over the years tend to overcook their salmon till it's dry and sometimes hard to swallow. However, this one was perfectly cooked with a thin crisp texture on the outside and very moist and tender on the inside...just the way I like it cooked!

Oh, I took the set dinner which included dessert.....I'll admit that I'm not much of dessert person, but the dinner included 3 mini desserts which were really yummy. A fruit tart, chocolate cake, and creme brulee. I'm glad they were just mini portions as I would have had to spend a few hours in the gym the next day! :)

The total bill just for me came to about $78 (gratuity included). Ok, more than I normally like to spend on a meal, but it was definitely worth the experience. I think if I were to ever come back to this restaurant I would do so with a date or a friend as it's nice and cozy and quiet.....not crowded at all. Oh, and the service was excellent!

Had a business lunch at the private room in the Marriott restaurant. They had and ahi tuna salad and a shrimp Niçoise salad. I asked to get the Niçoise salad with the ahi tuna. It was yummy although I wish I had one more piece of tuna. The tuna had a crust on it which was interesting.

Ok, so I've eaten at this place with some of my gal pals. Service was great and I agree with the other reviews, the food was ok. I ordered Beef tenderloins and it was lacking some flavor.

BUT my husband and I stayed at this Marriott recently and had their room service which is catered by Sam and Harry's. We were really hungry and were craving for steak. We ordered the 12 oz. rib-eye and I swear, this was the best steak we have ever had! The steak was tender and seasoned wonderfully. Mmmm. My mouth waters just thinking about it. The garlic mashed potatoes were great, but I guess only if you like garlic mashed potatoes. For me, it was just right.

Plus, the staff were attentive and courteous. What I don't get is why the room service food tasted better than the actual restaurant. Go figure. But for me, I would go there again. At least now I know what to order.