Hereford House

Everything was just delicious and service was even better! Started with the oysters, then Caesar salad which had an excellent tasting dressing. As our entrée we ordered and shared the 16oz prime rib which was served on two separate hot plates doused in au jus which was fabulous. The waitress was very attentive, kept our drinks full and was just so pleasant. Although we were quite full, she recommend the white chocolate bread pudding and wow did she not steer us wrong! Probably one of the best desserts I’ve eaten. This is definitely a place I will go back to.

First the good … which is everything. We got the dinner for 2, $ 75. Four courses with enough food that you cannot possibly eat it all … but you try anyways because it’s so good. Main course was the prime rib and full slab of ribs. Both were expertly prepared, garnished, and tasted fantastic! The salads, appetizer, and desert (carrot cake) were equally fantastic. Our waiter was Matt but I have to tell you it made little difference who took your order because all of them come over to either clear out plates or make sure you don’t need anything. We aren’t rich but we felt like millionaires after this dinner. It’s a «do not miss» event! Now the bad … which was nothing. While it’s a little pricey we felt like we definitely got our money’s worth.

I took my husband for his 40^th birthday. He is a steak lover so I figured this was the place to go. And YES… I was right. Our party of 7 was seated nicely in a private room and we were treated and served with the best of service. I cannot wait to go back!

Went here for lunch with my wife. I ordered the ribeye and she ordered the filet. I have never tasted a ribeye with no flavor but somehow they pulled it off. I also ordered it medium and it was well done. My wife’s filet was also flavorless and she had to use steak sauce to finish. I’ve never seen her use steak sauce on a steak. The service was awesome but that couldn’t make me feel better about leaving there with $ 100 less in my pocket. I never send a steak back or complain because I don’t want to think what the cook is doing to my food so I just deal with it. I will never be going back to this restaurant.

My ribeye came out with absolutely zero seasoning. I was able to add table salt to make it passable, but my friend had to request sauce for the top sirloin. I thought it was a bad omen that they market and bottle their own brand of steak sauce — steaks should never need sauce. We paid our $ 72 bill with a $ 100 bill and the server gave a twenty a five and 3 ones in change. I guess she only wanted an $ 8 tip, so that is what was left. The cheddar potatoes were the only high point of the meal.

AMENDED review from 8÷26÷15
8÷27÷15 Downgraded from 4 stars to 1 star-here’s why…
I was planning on enjoying the second of my twin medallions (filets) today. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT, again. Wrapped neatly in bacon was a very small bite of steak, grizzle/​sinew and silverskin.
So many concerns here, and like Jason M. stated, it has nothing to do with their suppliers. Being a steak restaurant, I find it hard to believe the staff isn’t trimming the tenderloins when they are delivered. Trimming 101– REMOVE THE INEDIBLE PARTS. Or, if Hereford House has gone ‘all Applebees’ and IS buying prepackaged and portioned beef filets, it shows how much they have declined since they were a respected steak house.
In either case, there is NO possible way someone in the kitchen didn’t know they were sending out an inedible piece of meat. It is not a reflection on my server Matthew, or whoever was checking the orders before they left the kitchen. Because, as stated earlier, it looked okay wrapped neatly in a strip of bacon. But whoever trimmed the tenderloin & wrapped it certainly knew they were sending out an inferior/​inedbile piece of meat. Just like they did with Jason M. Inexcusable!
If just two of us Unilocalers experienced this in one week, I wonder how many others had a similar experience? There is a very big problem here folks.
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8÷26÷15− Gave 4 stars (proof that I was willing to be completely fair)
After my last experience here, I didn’t really have high expectations. Nevertheless, I had a groupon to use and was tired, so I stopped by. My server, Matthew, was one of the most professional and attentive servers I had in a long time. My courses didn’t come out on top of each other. The sea hogs are always great & last night was no exception. Twin small fillets cooked to a perfect medium rare and the green beans were cooked, crunchy & flavorful. Matthew kept an eye on me and, without rushing me, offered to remove empty plates & box leftovers. Even though he had other tables in his area, he seemed capable of keeping up with who needed what and when. And he stopped to verify my meal was cooked exactly as I’d ordered it. It was. Very refreshing surprise and big improvement over my last time here. Well done Matthew!

We had dinner there last night for a rehearsal dinner. It was my first time dining at Hereford House, but I had heard good things so I was excited to see what the hype was. I told my wife we should be having a great meal. The service was good, and we had a pre determined limited menu of 2 items to choose from since our party was about 20 people. I chose the twin medallions of beef tenderloin wrapped in bacon. I asked for them to be rare to mid rare. I was informed that the chef would be cooking them all to medium because it was a big party. When my plate arrived, the plate was boring to say the least. 2 bacon wrapped medallions some piped whipped potatoes and some streamed hari coverts. The beans were my favorite part after I seasoned them. The whipped potatoes came in second with a little seasoning and butter added as well. The sad part is that I am a true carnivore and the medallions came in DEAD last. For a place known for their beef or so I thought from their namesake Hereford (a type of cattle, right?). Medallions they were not. They were the trim pieces from the tail of tenderloins put together and wrapped in bacon. Medium would have been a welcome site even though I tried to order mine rare to medium rare. Instead my tenderloin puzzle pieces they call medallions were medium well to well done there was no Demi glacé, no compound butter, just dry over cooked beef nuggets… I choked down 2 bites, cut up the rest to make it look like I had attempted to eat, and it all went back to the dish room where it should have gone in the first place to save the waiter steps on bringing it out. As an executive chef for over 20 years, I can say that this was a big disappointment. I had high hopes and I left with the belief that you could get a better plate with more love in the food almost anywhere… We came from St. Louis, and were hoping to experience some great food experiences in the Kansas City Area, but we wasted one of those opportunities last night. Let’s see what today brings…
Jason McGraw
I received a response from Hereford house. I appreciate that you responded. I am glad you are sharing it with your staff as it should be. As far as speaking with your suppliers, I really do not know what this has to do with them. The raw ingredients were fine. It is what was done or wasn’t done with them in the preparation of the dishes that was lacking. I wouldn’t waste your time barking up that tree, and just concentrate on the seasoning and preparation coming from the kitchen. I could get the same plate garnishment and originality at my grandmother’s house, but it would be better seasoned and there would be more love in it. If you are going to do medallions, do medallions, not tenderloin tips which are better suited for a stroganoff, upscale chili, ground for tar tare, kabobs, etc. As a steak house, one should know that by using multiple pieces bound together by bacon, that only part of the edges get seared. The basic concept of grilling a steak is to sear the outside to seal the moisture in. This allows the molecules inside to move around at a higher rate of speed with out losing them. This is also why we let the meat rest after the cooking process so that the molecules can settle down before we break that seal by cutting the steak. If you do not. The moisture runs out. By putting multiple pieces in there, there is only a partial seal, and the moisture seeps out. Not to mention that the parts are not equal size, so they cook at a different speed. This gives an inconsistent temperature through the faux medallion. I can only hope this is not what you normally do in your restaurant, but I will never find out. If this was done to cut costs, to do a special deal, etc. Just remember that every meal you serve represents your reputation. If you are cutting somebody a deal, or doing a big party, don’t cut corners. It is better to take a smaller profit on an event and maintain your standards and reputation of consistency. My meal did not measure up to the reputation I had heard.

My family and I went to Hereford House in Independence for Christmas Eve dinner, and overall, I’d say it was an average place with average food. Nothing special, but nothing totally bad.
For Christmas Eve, it wasn’t as packed as you would think. We arrived and were seated promptly, so I guess that means they didn’t have too many reservations either.
For what you get, the prices of the food are rather expensive. Some people had the coconut shrimp, which was a bit expensive at $ 26, and the coconut on the shrimp wasn’t as flavorful as I’m used to. I’d say the shrimp came right from the freezer already breaded with coconut. That’s a disappointment.
My partner and I opted for the set menu for two for $ 65, which, based on the prices for the individual dishes themselves, was a good deal. The shrimp appetizer was actually nicely displayed on two chunks of ice, and while I was rather impressed with the first dish, the further dishes were a bit of a disappointment. I had the Caesar salad, which was fine, but my partner’s steak soup came out cold, and he switched it out for a salad.
The Kansas City strip was fine, but being in Kansas City, fine is just not okay. The prime rib that my partner had was a disappointment, and came overcooked and wasn’t seasoned at all. It just wasn’t that appetizing to look at, to be honest. The cheesecake dessert came right from the freezer, as was to be expected by this point in the meal.
Overall, I was say there is nothing special about Hereford House, and I wouldn’t recommend a visit here. The service was adequate, but also, just like the food, nothing special.