A woman went to the Culver Hotel in Los Angeles and ordered a Beef Wellington. However, she can’t believe what the waiter brought out.
In a video with over 2 million views, TikToker Comfy with Kerry (@comfywith_kerry) sits at fine dining restaurant Culver Hotel, lamenting that her entree was the “scam of the night.”
Kerry explains that she ordered a Beef Wellington, a steak wrapped in a pastry coating, expecting to receive the full item. However, she holds up a single slice of the meat.
“I’m not happy,” she says. On-screen text reads, “If I wanted a sad slice of beef, I would have gone to a deli.”
She continues in the caption, “$140 Beef Wellington shouldn’t look like a Lean Cuisine. LA fine dining is charging luxury prices for mid food and hoping the ambiance distracts you!”
Did She Bring Up The Issue To Restaurant Staff?
In a follow-up video, Kerry jokes to her server, “We’re ready for our next slice of Beef Wellington. They really get you with the portion sizes here.”
The server chuckles and explains that the full Beef Wellington is quite large, which is why they cut it. The item is also a holiday-exclusive menu item.
As the server walks away, another guest tells Kerry, “I loved your comment.”
Kerry responds, “I’m a New Yorker. We say it how it is.”
However, the Beef Wellington wasn’t the only item she was disappointed with. She says the Culver Hotel served them two Christmas cookies as dessert in a third video.
The caption reads, “I wouldn’t even serve these cookies to my dog! The audacity to serve this as a dessert when your customers are dropping $300+ on a prefix menu. ONE garbage cookie per person on a pretty platter?”
She also posts a video sharing the “sides for two” she received—a small bowl of mashed potatoes and a plate of green beans. Kerry says the small “Trader Joe’s pre-made”-like salad was the highlight of the meal.
How Bad Is Fine Dining In Los Angeles?
Kerry isn’t the only foodie to take issue with Los Angeles‘ fine dining scene.
On the r/AskLosAngeles subreddit, others share disappointing experiences with upscale restaurants all over the city. They cite issues like cramped seating, subpar food, poor service, and sneaky charges.
“Dining in is literally a waste of money now. Everything to go and eat in the parking lot on the top of your trunk. Take me back to those wonder years,” one laments.
Another writes, “As someone who has traveled to about 8-9 states (and big cities like NYC, Miami, Chi), it exists in other states/cities but not as bad as LA. It’s very clear LA is taking way too much advantage of the pity party inflation card, and uses it as an excuse for business owners to line their pockets.”
Do Viewers Agree With Her?
In the comments on Kerry’s videos, many viewers agree that the Beef Wellington entrée was misleading.
“$140 for literally $5 worth of ingredients presented like an $8 steak at some hole in the wall,” a commenter remarked.
A second said, “I wouldn’t have paid for that…like I try NOT to be a difficult person, but if I am spending $140 for a meal, I expect it to be a MEAL. not a slice. it isnt a pizza parlor.”
Another wrote, “Paying $140 for extremely dry and overcooked roast beef is crazy work. Yea they’d have to take that back and I’d order a fish/shellfish dish so I’d know it was super fresh.”
However, some suggested she direct her feedback to a manager or the chef instead of the server.
“Give this energy to the manager or chef.. servers just show up to work! We don’t know why they serve what they serve girl,” one suggested.
“The most appropriate time for ‘can I speak to your manager?’ Because the waiter is not who I’m bringing this complaint to,” another commented.
@comfywith_kerry $140 Beef Wellington shouldn’t look like a Lean Cuisine. LA fine dining is charging luxury prices for mid food and hoping the ambiance distracts you! #la #lafood #foodreview #restaurantreview #finedining
BroBible reached out to Kerry and to the Culver Hotel via email for further comment.