1875: The Steakhouse

Our server was attentive and kind. Our dinner this visit was mediocre at best. I definitely feel we could have spent $500 elsewhere. We visit French Lick annually so we will try again but this visit was subpar. If you read my reviews they are very detailed but I just didn't have much to share for this visit.

Snagged a last minute reservation while visiting French Lick for a work trip. We started off at the bar with some cocktails which were okay, not fantastic. Especially given the $26 cost for an old fashioned. Once seated, we were served by Mimi, who was amazing! We were sat in the back room "wine cellar" away from the main dining room with only one other table but she made sure we were taken care of all evening. The food from the shrimp cocktail to the filet, to cheesecake all tasted delicious. This is a great option for dinner while in the area as long as you're willing to pay top dollar for a meal.

Our dinner experience at 1875 was fine. I think I should have ordered what the people who gave this place four and five stars ordered.Although, I will say right off the bat: the meatballs with ricotta are great. I got them with a glass of wine and a Caesar salad, and by far, the meatballs where the best part of the meal. I highly recommend this appetizer (which I didn't eat as an appetizer but as part of my main meal).The Caesar salad tasted like it was made with mayo instead of Caesar dressing. It came with a single crostini on it that tasted hard and stale. It was an underwhelming Caesar salad, for sure.We also got a filet mignon, which is served all by its lonesome, unless you order a side. My children also each ordered from the kids menu: mac and cheese (the white cheese spiral kind) and salmon with mashed potatoes. They liked their food a lot. Rolls come complimentary, and my children really liked these. They do taste very sweet, though, which could explain why they liked them. They're served with a plate of butter that's swirled on the plate all fancy. Also complimentary is a single shooter of tomato juice, which is the "thing" here. French Lick Springs Hotel is apparently the birthplace of tomato juice first served as a beverage in 1917 by Louis Perrin, a chef at the resort.The service is very efficient and friendly, and there were lots of people bustling around the dining room working. We visited for dinner shortly after it opened (I believe around 5 p.m.), and by 6 p.m. the place was packed. If you're an early-bird diner, it might be worth it to get an early reservation. Oh, and yes, you do need a reservation.

Our dinner experience at 1875 was barely average. Our service was fine - nothing extraordinary, but the drinks and food was just subpar. I tried to get a glass of the Clark and Telephone Pinot Noir but they were out of it and then settled for the SeaSun (which I've had before). However, the SeaSun just didn't taste right. My husband got the Lemon Drop Martini and the first few sips were fine, but then didn't like it after a while.For food - to me that was the most disappointing. I started with the Potato and Chorizo soup - which was good. Very flavorful and hot - not spicy. My husband got the Caesar Salad and it was huge. Certainly - not a starter portion. But the crazy part is that it was $5 more IF we wanted to split the salad.For entrees, I got the Filet and he got the NY Strip. I was going to get a sauce to accompany my steak, but the waiter said it was came with a demi glaze. I should have gotten a sauce b/c the demi glaze was non-existent. It was cooked correctly (medium) but very non-flavorful. I saw another customer put butter on top (that came with the bread) and I tried that - hoping to add flavor - it did not work. Needless to say - we didn't get dessert. Our bill came to $235 for a very unflavorful experience. Certainly - not a place I would recommend or return to.

This is a nice steakhouse located within the French Lick Resort. They have a decent cocktail list, a few whiskeys (not as many as I would've expected), and a good wine selection. I opted for the French Lick Manhattan which uses amaretto instead of vermouth. It was pretty tasty! The service was top notch. Our servers were knowledgeable and always around. The ambiance was meh. We were sat near the kitchen and the windows caused the sun to shine directly in half our parties eyes. Not great.The food is good, probably a little overpriced, but as expected for a "resort" hotel. Would I go back, sure, so long as I wasn't paying.

TLDR: Entrees were great but a few small things keep this from being a 5 star experience.Seated at 9pm in the area furthest away from the kitchen. The kitchen here is pretty much an open kitchen, and when I walked to that end it was very, very noisy. There are some private dining areas over there with doors you can close, but may want to keep this in mind if you're asking for specific seats.Started with a salad that my wife and I split. It was okay, dressing had a good light anchovy taste to it. The lone crostini was not worth the plate space it took up. Some fresh croutons would have made this better.I also had a bowl of the potato and chorizo soup. Southern Indiana isn't exactly known for its spices so having this after being in the area for a couple days was a welcome change to my taste buds. Honestly this was great, and I'd order this again. I went with the pork chops and they were tasty and filling, glaze added to it while not overpowering. My wife ordered the ribeye, medium rare, and I think she ordered the better dish. The cut of her ribeye was high quality and it was cooked perfectly. Practically melts in your mouth like butter.We also ordered a side of garlic mashed potatoes. Normally with steakhouses, you order a side and its enough for two or maybe even three people. Not so much here. It was a very small portion. I don't know why they cheeped out on a dish like this, but some more potatoes would have been nice.Chocolate torte was good, but the raspberry glaze was a bit overpowering. Honestly would've been better without it.Prices were honestly on par with your typical downtown steakhouse, maybe a tad higher because you're a bit of a captive audience.Overall I think this is a solid steakhouse experience with a little bit that could push it up to 5 stars

Dinner was delicious! Our waiter was knowledgeable and efficient. I really appreciate good service- I can prepare a pretty good meal at home, so I am hyper critical of food and the overall experience is important to me. I really like taking the night off! The shrimp cocktail was delicious- truly giant prawns! The cocktail sauce was just spicy enough without ruining your tastebuds for the meal. It was enough for 3 people to each have a giant shrimp. My husband had the sirloin special and said it was very good- high praise because 1) he isn't really a steak fan and 2) he orders it well done (there's one in every group. SMH) my friend and I both had the ribeye. Perfectly cooked MR and rare to our tastes. The Henry Bain's like glaze is pretty good. The baked potato was really big enough for 3 people. We also had the creamed spinach and artichoke. I thought it was very similar to the KT's s&a dip from years ago. I really wouldn't have served it as a side, but maybe added crostini and moved it to appetizer status- it was still good. The event of the evening though is the bananas foster and cherries jubilee. They are prepared table side and it quite the production! The ice cream used in the dish comes from a local creamery and is just fabulous- has the really vanilla flavor I remember from my childhood. I've been here twice and both times the food was good, the service was impeccable and we felt as if we'd stepped back in time for a bit. Love the cloth tablecloths. The quieter dining with a lack of screaming children (I get it- I had one once as well, but it's nice to go somewhere sometimes that's not a chicken nugget and Mac n cheese place), comfortable seating and such a grand entrance with valet parking is a nice experience. Add a carriage ride, or take the free trolley, to the West Baden hotel for a night cap and listen to the piano in the dome. All in all I find it romantic in a Titanic sort of way. Definitely worth a drive from Louisville on a beautiful day.

Food, drinks, service, atmosphere... outstanding. This was one of the best meals I've had in recent memory. My son and I dined here while staying at partnering hotel West Baden, and truly enjoyed the whole experience. Our server was lovely, great pacing, never made us feel rushed, capably explained the menu and answered our questions. I'm a bourbon girl, and the French Lick Manhattan with a crushed candied almond rim was delicious. We debated sharing the porterhouse, but my son likes his steak a little less done than I do. He LOVED his medium rare ribeye, declaring it perfectly cooked. My flat iron steak/shrimp surf and turf was likewise fantastic. We also shared the garlic mashed potatoes, sauteed mushrooms and horseradish butter. Between the two of us, we pretty much devoured everything. I was just sad we were too full to try a dessert - the choices looked amazing. This is a high-end, fine-dining experience for sure, but if you're staying at the hotel and in the mood for a splurge, make a reservation and ENJOY. We did.p.s. If you can visit French Lick/West Baden during the holidays, even better. They are both gorgeous when decorated accordingly.

This is not the first time I've been to this restaurant and was looking forward to my return visit. I will say it was disappointing. I sat at the bar and ordered a drink and the bartender was amazing! She is why it's a 3 star review and not two. After looking over the menu and already knowing I wanted the French Onion Soup I decided on the Lobster Mac and Cheese. The soup came out and after two bites I was done. The cheese was lack of any, the bread was hard and the worst part was the taste of the soup itself. I mean it was bad. I'm not sure if it was the wine they used in it or what it it over powered the whole flavor. I remember when they put it in an actual onion and it was amazing. Needless to say it was disappointing. The Lobster Mac was made with spiral pasta with what I would say little lobster. It reminded me more of a tuna noodle casserole than it did a true lobster Mac. There should have been lumps of lobster meat in it and it seriously looked like tuna. I'm not sure I would return after the experience I had. Like I said though the service was amazing!

This is your class is 5 star experience. The service was impeccable, the steaks were as good as we've all ever had, wine was great and all of the sides and apps we ordered were delicious. We all thought the total bill was much cheaper than we would have expected for the overall experience. It's a 5 star and literally 4.9 star wouldn't do it justice. There would be nothing to improve on here