Wild Horse Grill

Somehow we get coupons on our birthdays from local establishments. We rarely get around to making use of them, but this year, I sorted out Wild Horse Grill and Stefanina's because these are places we like and we made an effort to use them.

It had been over a year since we were at WHG. This is one of those places in the Valley, like Filippo's that we like and need to frequent more. We went on a Friday evening, a little early, 6:00pm and the crowd was light at that time. We probably did not need the reservations, but I guess I would not take the risk. We did not take wine, but just for reference, I learned that corkage is a very fair $10. Also, WHG participates in AAdvantage Dining.

We are becoming fans of Wild Horse Grill. We have had two very nice dinners in a row, well prepared and well-seasoned. As always, we ordered their fried calamari. This is tender and mild and delicious. You could make a good meal out of this and a salad or bowl of soup. The condiments were the same as we had before, chipotle aioli and sweet chile sauce. I kind of mix them. I had noted before the batter was heavy, but this time it did not seem overly so. I do love this style; strips cut from large calamari.

Ms T ordered Grouper Tacos which came with a choice of sides. She had a fresh fruit salad. The tacos were served in a folded fried pita, which looks like Navajo fry bread. The use of a pita is a little thick for this purpose and does tend to be a little greasy. I guess I can't fault them for needing a shortcut, rather than making their own fry bread and then not selling enough of it. The two fillets of grouper in each taco were topped with a mayo based slaw with dill and remarkably little onion. The grouper was fried in a light coating and was mild and moist. Ms T enjoyed one taco and took one home for lunch the next day. She rated these a re-order and a solid three stars.

Again, I ended up with seabass. This time with a southwestern flair, a little spicy, well seasoned and bronzed. The salt level and seasoning was perfect and the bronze crust was well done. The fish was delicious, eaten with the bed of black bean/mango salsa on which it was served and accompanied by guacamole. The guacamole was to my taste, with enough salt and enough lime to be balanced out and have some depth. Because the guac includes onion, I also had Ms T's serving that came with her tacos. I must say, I really enjoyed this meal. The portion was very good and I ate every flake and bean. My slight wish for improvement would be to halve the onion in the salsa, but even though I am not a raw onion eater, I must say, the salsa did benefit from its inclusion. Overall this was 4-1/2 stars for me.

Wildhorse Grill should not be overlooked. I know they have a new chef since ~September 2013. We certainly need to be back before another year passes and bring our bottle of Herman Story. We need to keep places like this going in far West County.

Wow...I was going to write a review of my pleasant experience at Wild Horse Grill this past Friday. But after reading Mr. A.V. "Tony"'s 7/25/12 response to Mark S's 7/16/12 review, I have to stop and take issue with some of A.V.'s derogatory comments toward Yelpers. I doubt that this will matter much to A.V., but I have to penalize Wild Horse Grill one star for his response. Still, the place will get a good overall review from me.

Based on A.V.'s version of the events, A.V. (apparently the son of the Grill's owner) is justifiably upset with Mark S's review and comments. However, A.V. doesn't help his case any by starting out with "Normally I wouldn't even give Yelp the time of day, since this is mainly a site/forum for whiny people to gripe and complain." And to then include a litany of disparaging comments back at Mark S only seems to indicate that perhaps Mark S's characterizations of A.V.'s demeanor were not totally off the mark. Man...sometimes you just gotta take your licks. Correct the inaccuracies, yes - but personally attack your customer base, uhhh no. Thicken up that skin a bit. Take a look at the different reviews. There are many positive reviews for Wild Horse Grill, too. It's not like Open Table, which you recommend people use instead, doesn't also have negative reviews of Wild Horse Grill.

Regardless, at least my dining experiences at Wild Horse grill have been enjoyable. We have been there probably a half dozen times in the past couple years. This past Friday, we got there at 6 pm. The greeter asked if we had a reservation, which we did not. I know the place gets pretty busy with reservations, but I also knew I was early enough that it shouldn't be an issue. And it wasn't. I overheard her tell the seater to show us table 1, or we could be put at a table on the other side (of the restaurant). Table 1 is the first table by the entrance. Since the seater asked us if this would be okay, I took the opportunity to ask to see the other side. She was fine with it, perhaps a bit surprised when I said that I had heard the greeter offer that option, and placed us at a nice table on the side where they tend to put large groups.

One of the specials was caprese salad (in lieu of the dinner or spinach side salad. My wife and I both ordered that. It was only $1 more than the $6 spinach side. Of course you don't know that until you get the bill (Or, I guess, unless you ask first). Overall, the flavor was very good. Firm, red tomatoes; fresh, pleasant tasting basil; flavorful mozzarella - my only critique is that the cheese was a little too firm for the salad. I don't know if that is how they normally serve it, or if the mozzarella had perhaps set up.

My wife's entree was the 6 oz filet mignon w/mushroom risotto & green beans. She requested it medium well, and the server asked if the cooks might be allowed to butterfly the filet to make sure it was fully cooked in the middle, explaining that sometimes when they are busy it helps to speed the process. Two positives - one, she asked permission; two, she explained why they would want to butterfly it. We were fine with it, but it wasn't butterflied when served (they weren't busy yet.) Plus, the food still came without undue delay, and the filet was not overcooked outside to remove the pink inside. Nice job. Risotto had a good mushroom flavor throughout, and was not too mushy (something we have dealt with at other places). My wife thought her green beans were a little tough, but I liked them. Perhaps she's just used to getting them more wilted.

I ordered another of the specials, a pecan encrusted halibut w/lobster-asparagus risotto. It was excellent. The halibut was thick, flaky, hot throughout, and well encrusted. The risotto was good, just like my wife's.

I did have some fun when the table near us filled up with the five couples that had reserved it. When their server (who was also ours), mentioned the specials, I had just received my entree. So I held it up for them all to see. Later, when one of them asked what the risotto was, I held my fork full of risotto in the air, and they all had another good chuckle. Plus, she now knew what it was.

Our server was prompt, pleasant, and attentive the entire evening. We ordered San Pellegrino for our drinks, so we weren't just plain water drinkers. Yet she quickly brought me a glass of plain water when I asked for it, and she kept it full for me. She also presented all options throughout the night in an informative manner that wasn't coercive.

I like the Wild Horse Grill. It's not a cheap steakhouse, but it also won't break my bank. The atmosphere is casual, yet refined - someplace I can both relax and enjoy myself while enjoying a good meal. I just thank God that I was fortunate enough to have no need to ask to speak to the manager. (It's a joke, A.V.! - and a little bit of a gig, just roll with it)

Just keep in mind that my overall rating reflects the one star penalty.

What a find and right in the neighborhood too!

I took my HS freshman daughter there for dinner last week to celebrate an A on a big test and we were both delighted with the place. Convenient to our house, beautiful decor amazing service and food that rivals what our private club in our last city put out.

Freshly baked rolls to start always sets a great tone for a meal. I had the duck breast and my daughter had the Kobe burger. Both were prepared exactly to the temperature we specified.

Mine was unlike any duck I've ever ordered anywhere else. It was butter-knife tender and absolutely delicious. Great pan sauce and the deep-fried bacon-cheddar mashed-potato ball thing was a new taste/texture combination to me. Green bean accompaniment was unannounced but quite good.

The kid's $17 burger may be the most expensive burger I've ever bought her but it was worth it based on the bite I swiped. It came with buffalo mozzarella and some pork (can't remember if it was pancetta or bacon) that added up to a fine meal on a bun.

We couldn't decide on which dessert to order so we went for the sampler. It was far more reasonably priced than most dessert samplers and had three of their house-made specialties. All were delicious.

We arrived for dinner at 5:00 pm, on a Thursday night. The only other occupied table in the room was a table for two people across the room, all the other tables were totally empty. Not an especially busy night for the kitchen or wait staff?

This was our very first visit there, so I was quite pleased to see one of my favorite entrées, "Braised Short Ribs" on the menu, not even as a special! However, my dinner arrived on a luke warm plate with luke-warm mashed potatoes. The "sauce" was so thin, much like Campbell's canned beef broth in consistancy and complexity. My wife's 6oz beef filet, (a whopping $32.00) per portion was accompanied by a baked potato that had cold spots in it (perhaps recently nuked in the microwave?).

Our waiter never stopped by our table to ask how our meal was so I had to call him over. When I pointed out our concerns about temperature(s) he then offered to replace them. I declined due to our time constraints. Soon after, the owner(?) stopped by to offer us free desserts. Again, we declined.

Please, just do it right the first time. I wasn't asking for free stuff.

Since when does the customer have to be the one to tell the kitchen their food is being delivered cold?

The Ceasar salad was pretty good. The dinner rolls were good. However, my one glass of wine was filled 3/4 inch lower than my wife's glass. Hmmm...

Including tip, the dinner was $120.00 Our dining experience was less than okay.

We have received birthday discount coupons from this place for several years. This was our first and certainly our last visit.

Unbelievable... This dining experience was a joke.

Groupon led us here but the mediocrity of the food will not have us back.

The interior is like a chalet if it was designed by Denny's. The server was pretty friendly. We began with the French Onion soup which had a pretty good flavor but lacked in the broth to onion ratio. The salad we ordered was decently proportioned and had fresh vegetables. The seafood pasta we ordered was the killer. First thing you notice is that the noodles were swimming in a very thin sauce (maybe this was the missing broth from the French onion from earlier? :) The overall flavor was something that reminded me of vinegar. The scallops, clams, and shrimp in this pasta was some of the worst I've had. Rubbery texture, very fishy, and microscopic in size. Considering the pricing, one would expect rich & velvety texture, not here. If you want good seafood pasta in St. Louis, go to Spiro's.

PS This place seems more of a steak-centered establishment, so it may be worth it for you carnivores....

The Positives:
Service:
What great service! More specifically Dena, the bartender, was our server as we sat at a booth near the bar. What a great person to talk to let alone wait on you. I wouldn't mind going back to relax to have some wine at their nice square wood bar. The hostess was genuine and nice also. A very pleasant experience.

Wine:
The house Cabernet was good.

Dessert:
"Chocolate Truffle
Flourless chocolate cake made with caramel topping"
A good flourless chocolate torte!

The Negatives:
Everything on the menu came with gravy, butter, fried, or with sauce on it. lol.
Not counting the steaks. It took me a very long time to order and I finally did only because it was either that or leave. Had a groupon so there ya go. :p
(They do have a Chef Salad but I wasn't in a salad mood, as usual. heh)
Everything on the menu looked like it would lay heavy in the stomach and certainly does now. My husband and I both groaned walking out as we felt bloated and unsatisfied with the exception of dessert.

Appetizer:
Baked Asiago Cheese Dip. Ugh. Creamy, puffy, warm cheese that tasted bland. :( Like it was whipped up with cottage cheese and then heated up. Very strange consistency. WHEN does ANYONE stop eating cheese?! That is as crazy as not finishing bacon! So unnatural *shudder.*

Dinner:
Sunday Fried Chicken Dinner: My husband had it and he thought it was "ok."

I had the Veal Piccata, "Tender veal medallions, sautéed with garlic, shallots, capers, artichoke hearts, and portabella mushrooms in a lemon, white wine butter sauce. Served with Linguini pasta."
The Veal was tender except where it was uncooked...as in raw.
I was cutting, and cutting, and cutting, zoning out a bit.. and... I look down and I was like OH it's raw under all that cream sauce. *That* is why I can't cut that piece? ICK. Fat stringy raw meat doesn't cut well with a butter knife. Did I mention ICK? YUCK?!

I didn't mention it to the manager or the waitress because what could be said? I was so weighed down from the rest of meal so I knew I was not going to eat that half of my meal anyways.

TLDR:
Service: Dena (bartender/waitress) was GREAT, House Cab: very pleasant, Veal: so raw and stringy that my knife couldn't cut it, Gravy/Butter/Grease on most items, Good/Tasty Chocolate flourless torte. Go for a nice drink and relax at the bar but then go eat some where else. We both have stomach aches.



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There are two business entries for the same business.. only different by spelling. The other business entry has lower reviews.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/wild-horse-grill-chesterfield
http://www.yelp.com/biz/wildhorse-grill-chesterfield
Same address.. just the space between wild and horse. Going to forward to Abby.

If I could give Wild Horse Grill 3.5 stars, that would have been a more appropriate rating due to the poor service. However, the food was amazing!

We had a group of 4 and they sat us in a private area the was just big enough for 1 table. I thought it was a great setup for a more intimate setting. We started off with some bottles of wine, and their selection was decent. There were much more high end bottles than reasonably priced ones, but I was not surprised based on the area of town we were in.

The asiago cheese app was very yummy! You can tell it is the real thing, not processed asiago, and serving it with mini pita bread slices was perfect! For dinner, I had the crab stuffed veal chop and it was AMAZING! Perfectly cooked with warm crab and parmesan in the middle. If I was not in such a classy place I would have chewed on the bone! The veggies and mashed potatoes on the side were also great, but how can you really mess those up? We splurged and got dessert, the apple fritters with ice cream, and that was also fabulous!

The service was pretty slow. We were not in a big hurry, but I still expected better service for such an expensive/fancy restaurant. Our server seemed to focus most of her attention on the giant party of 20 or so next to us, and we waited well over an hour after we ordered for our meals to be delivered.

Overall a very nice dinner, but I think it was a one time visit for me. Although their patio looked appealing for a summer night out! Hmm...maybe I will be back.

I really like the Wildhorse Grill! We held our rehearsal dinner here, and had a very good experience overall. Even though this was an aspect of wedding planning that I didn't have one-on-one contact with the vendors, I think they were very cooperative with our families.

For an event like this, you are able to choose certain menu items (about 7-9 entrees), soup, salads, and desserts and they create a personalized menu for you that night. We had the whole side room, and my only complaint is that some of the tables are inside these kind of french door walls, so they are separated a bit from the rest of the party. This would be great for a romantic dinner, just not ideal for a party.

Some of our favorite entrees were the pistachio-encrusted halibut, and the Steak Torino with a porcini mushroom sauce. The service was great, and most of the entrees in our party of 40-something guests arrived at the same time.

They were accommodating when we needed to set up a projector and video, and I think the owner even went out and bought a projector screen since they didn't have one on hand! I know a few of our guests got a little rowdy from behind the french door partition, and the server was very obliging in bringing them "purple hooter" shots.

Overall, it was a night to remember, with great food, and great company!

Nice place inside with that famous "West County Attitide".

It is expensive but the food is good.

I had a very enjoyable first visit to Wild Horse Grill. I started with the French onion soup, which was really flavorful. It had a little different seasoning than your typical FOS - more rosemary and black peppercorns, but it was really nice. If we're taking my passionate love of cheese into account, I would've liked a little more cheese on top, but I didn't feel cheated or anything. It was still one of the best bowls of FOS I've ever had.

For my entrée, I had the Boneless Roasted Half Chicken, which came with wild mushroom risotto. The description of the chicken stated that it was marinated with rosemary, citrus and garlic. I didn't get any hint of those flavors, which was kind of disappointing. However, the chicken was nice and crispy-seared on the outside, and really juicy and succulent on the inside. Although the mushroom risotto stole the show. It was so flavorful, earthy and comforting. I would definitely go back to Wild Horse Grill just for this risotto. Although there were many other entrees on the menu I'd like to try, so I plan to go back for those as well!

The other entrees ordered by our group were the Pistachio Encrusted Alaskan Halibut and the Kobe Burger, both of which were immensely enjoyed. I didn't personally try the halibut, but my mom had really great things to say about it and practically licked the plate clean of the asparagus-lobster risotto that came with it. I had a bite of the Kobe burger, which was awesome! It came with these thick-cut tempura zucchini fries that tasted really good when dipped in the accompanying mango ketchup.

For dessert, my husband had the New York-style cheesecake, which was pretty OK. It wasn't bad by any means, but I've had way tastier cheesecakes before. I had the flourless chocolate truffle cake, which was fudgy, decadent and really tasty. The raspberry sauce drizzled atop it complimented the chocolate nicely.

Overall, a very enjoyable dining experience! Service was helpful, attentive, and extremely pleasant. Our evening was really enjoyable and relaxing because our server let us enjoy it at the pace we wanted. She didn't rush us along or keep checking back too many times. Not to mention, it's really nice to have a non-chain restaurant in Chesterfield Valley that serves quality food.