The Tree Steakhouse and Oak Bar

After what I thought was an adequate time for things to settle down after the ownership change, we tried them recently. Big disappointment. My wife’s trout was very unappetizing looking, very black and mushy. My grilled Caesar Salad was terrible, and the spinach side that we shared tasted like pure garlic. The two undercooked rolls offered for bread were «Sister Schubert’s» I am pretty sure. Miss the old salad bar. I wouldn’t mind the price increase if the quality had been the same as in the past. Won’t try again until I hear rumors of a change…

Outstanding! It was our first time to the Tree Steakhouse and we left very impressed and eager to plan our next date there. Let me start by saying that our server Michael was amazing. Very polite and informative. We learned so much about the restaurant. It recent change management and had a whole in house remodel. There are family ties associated with the restaurant that give it such a personal flare in its presentation.
We started our dinner with the Red White and Blue appetizer which was an amazing combination of sliced medium NY strip, blue cheese and white CHOCOLATE. So unique and genius! Would have it again in a heartbeat. Our salads were already chopped up for us. The house dressing was delicious and the grilled cesar was creatively tasty. All their dressings are made in house which we both loved.
Everything had just a great flow. Our server was above par in timing along with conversation. I had the special of the red snapper and jimmy had the steakhouse meatloaf. Both were excellently prepared. We were so full by the end that we had to take home boxes. But that meant a splendid meal for the next day.
We will be back here for a date night soon. Very impressed!

Wife and I went to The Tree last Thursday night and sad to say we both were very disappointed. We didn’t know the ownership had changed, we had visited The Tree in Mandarin pretty much since they opened. One of the main attractions, the salad bar, is now gone but the biggest disappointments were the extremely high prices, poor service, and average (at best) food. Wife had the trout but the awful looking skin was on top, when she peeled it back the fish was an unpleasant grey color, she said it didn’t taste that bad however. I had the catch of the day which was swordfish. The server told me it was 8 0z but the filet was 4 oz at best and it did not come with the wild rice pilaf as was stated on the menu. The side item which was an extra charge, steamed broccoli, was poorly prepared. It was so hard it was difficult to eat. The swordfish however was tasty. Our bill with 2 drinks each and tip was $ 115, for 2 people. As a side note, 2 people in adjacent tables had to send their steak back because it was poorly prepared. One of the patrons said he didn’t have time to wait, so he nibbled on this wife’s meal. Although 2 of the servers were trying their best, they had to assure us several times that our meals were on the way. The best part of the evening was the hot rolls and the upbeat new age are music playing. Unfortunately we will not be returning to The Tree. I hope they survive but in Jacksonville with overpriced food, poorly prepared, and lackluster service, that usually spells the kiss of death.

My wife and I chose the Tree to celebrate our wedding anniversary, I have loved this restaurant for years. Under new ownership, however, things have changed for the worse.
Our table was not ready at our reserved time. Once finally seated it took 3 times for us to get a glass of ice water. Bread plates were served, but we were never offered bread. Tables around us seemed to get basket after basket. My wife ordered the wedge salad and I ordered the lobster bisque. Both were awful. How do you mess up a salad? By having lettuce that was obviously soaked with another salad dressing on the same plate. The soup tasted like it came from a can, with no detectable lobster taste or meat. Our steaks were brought out, without steak knives. This, even though the same waitress made the same mistake at the table right next to us! My wife’s filet, Oscar style, was extremely under cooked and the crab meat looked as if it came from a can. I ordered steak fries, and what I got were extremely burnt, inedible potato wedges. After several requests we finally received some steak sauce out of the kitchen — «chef’s recipe.» Tasted like molasses. Not appetizing.
We would have ordered prime rib but were told they were out. Not good for a steakhouse that is known for its prime rib to run out on a Friday night!
The prices are outrageous. 2 glasses of wine, 2 entrees with potatoes, 1 salad and 1 soup, our bill was $ 150 with tip. To top it all off my wife has emailed the restaurant twice asking to remedy our horrible experience, with no reply. This is not the Tree Steakhouse you used to know and love.

Absolutely amazing under new ownership is really impressive and glad we came back to give it another try. Bartenders Tosha and Sean were incredible. Food was delightful. This may be our go to place!

Loved the tree for many years however it’s not near the same restaurant today. No longer do you select your steak, no salad bar, the bread loaf and butter have disappeared and the baby grand has been removed from the piano bar. The prices are also quite a bit higher as sides are ordered separate. And to top it off service was lackluster. On the good side my steak was cooked to perfection.

I visited The Tree many years ago with my family and went in just a few days ago. As I understand, the Jacksonville staple is under new ownership and just underwent a remodel. After my visit, if I had to break down my rating I would give it 5 stars for service, 4 stars for food and 3 stars for atmosphere.
To start with service — our waitress was an absolute delight. She was extremely knowledgeable about the menu, wasn’t afraid to make suggestions and was very patient and friendly with us. It’s hard to find really good service and I think it can make or break an experience, and it would make me return or not return to an establishment. Even the hostess was accommodating when we wanted a booth and she gave us a two minute warning in the bar for our table being ready to give us time to cash out (which they ended up just transferring to our table). These little details make for a more enjoyable experience.
While the menu has changed and the salad bar eliminated I will say that my entire family agreed that the food is better. They’ve added new sides (yay brussel sprouts!) and the steak seemed to be cooked better than I remember. The lobster Mac n Cheese is also a MUST. The key lime pie for dessert was great for sharing and tart as it should be. The kitchen staff has stepped it up I must say. We were there on a Monday and have already agreed we’d go back for the Monday steak special. My only negative on the food is the bread. It’s pretty obvious it was prepackaged and frozen, just to be popped in the oven. For this caliber of restaurant, they need to step up their bread game!
The atmosphere is lacking. While they did just go through a remodel it feels a little stuffy, tired and outdated. It’s also very bright in there. It may be that they didn’t want to make drastic changes from the original restaurant but the atmosphere definitely can’t compete with restaurants like III Forks. It would appear they cater to an older and family crowd more than the trendsetters hanging out at the chain steakhouses though!