First off, this was a "special dinner" so perhaps it's unfair to use for a rating about this restaurant. On the other hand, when they charge $120+ tax and gratuity per person, it ought to be their BEST effort! We spent New Year's Eve at this renowned hotel dining room. The food was very uneven in execution, made all the more unforgiving by the price. That said, the staff and atmosphere were 100% in the positive side.
About the food: Appetizer of "porcini ravioli topped with poached lobster tail and drizzled with truffle oil and balsamic glaze". The one (!) ravioli was cold (it shouldn't have been), with a warm piece of lobster meat on top. An excellent "wild mushroom bisque" followed. After the ordinary salad, they served a raspberry sorbet before the entree--it was OK. We both chose beef tenderloin for our entree. The beef portion, though small, was tasty and tender, but on the side was absolutely cold wild rice. Clearly, this kitchen had trouble throughout trying to serve hot things hot, and cold things cold. The dessert was the biggest disappointment: we chose one of each offering. The "crepe cake garnished with a melange of berries" was one of those Knox gelatin inventions from the 1950s, with a sticky syrup poured over. Beautiful to look at, but inedible. The other was called "Black and White--Chocolate mousse cake served with raspberry sorbet". The "cake" wasn't cake at all, but a scoop of ordinary chocolate mousse, and the sorbet was the very same thing they served before the entree! I expressed surprise about the "cake" to the waiter, who said, "Oh! Does the menu say cake? That's wrong."
The hotel did do a wonderful job of decorating the room for this special event--lots of lights, plus hats and tiaras and noisemakers for guests. A nice DJ in the lobby for dancing, and balloon drop at midnight. Very friendly and warm staff. My only conclusion is that Xanterra doesn't care about maintaining high food quality, even in it's top-end resorts. We have eaten a fair amount at National Park venues throughout the West, and there is a clear pattern: Of those managed by the 2 big concessionaires, those run by Delaware North--e.g., in Yosemite--are consistently high in quality, even in the snack bars; whereas those run by Xanterra--Zion, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Crater Lake--are consistently lower in quality.

A little pricey for what you get, but good. Not a lot of other choices. When we got done, we said, OK. It was fine.

Four of us went for what we thought would be a good dinner. The wait was long enough for us to order a second bottle of wine. When the food came, the pastas were cold, the steaks overcooked. We sent them back. The second time, steaks came out cold - good meat but cold. The pastas had been microwaved. Waiter was friendly, brought the manager, who acted like he couldn't care less. Several hundred dollars wiser, we will not return. The cafe 49er down the road was a relief.

The dining room is wonderful and our server is very attentive. The preparation of the food was excellent but typical of every Xanterra restaurant was the fact they simply skimp on the ingredients. My steak while wonderfully prepared was still not a good cut of meat. They need spend a little more charge me the extra 5 bucks.