When you pay PRIME prices you expect PRIME service and PRIME food. This was at least our fifth visit to PRIME and very likely our last.\n\nWe have celebrated birthdays and anniversaries at PRIME and on December 23, 2010 were looking for a quiet getaway and a splurge on dinner with perfect service as we had enjoyed in the past. We arrived at our reservation time. Our prior request for a table by the window was not honored but it was a nice table and we were happy when we were seated. In all past visits I would have given PRIME a five star rating. We ordered drinks and appetizers. We soon noticed that the highly attentive, though not imposing service we have come to love and expect at PRIME was not present. Drinks took over 10 minutes and bread took 20. The shrimp cocktail was amazing as usual, keeping in mind that 4 shrimp for $20 ought to be amazing. \n\nWe each ordered the Baby Iceberg Lettuce with Crispy Bacon & Maytag Bleu Cheese Dressing. This was served about 30 minutes into our visit. (By then my husband was ready for another drink and started trying to catch someone's eye to request one. Our waiter was occupied with the table of 5 seated next to us. Finally my husband asked someone else for another drink. It took at least 15-20 more minutes for the drink to arrive and the person who brought it was not our waiter and not until after we had complained to the manager.) For $18 each you might expect some interesting salad presentation. I enjoyed eating the salad but not the fact that I had to cut the lettuce myself. It looked like they had just cut a center slice of the baby lettuce head and plopped it on a plate. My husband thought the salad was too rich as there were blue cheese chunks and heavy blue cheese dressing along with very thick bacon. \n\nFor the main course we each ordered the small filet mignon $44 for 8oz. These don't come with any side dishes so we also ordered sides of potatoes and mushrooms to share. We had been there about an hour by now and my drink was empty, our waters were empty and our waiter was now taking an order at a third table. I asked a staff member passing by if I could please speak to a manager. The General Manager came right to our table. I told her we were sad that the service was so poor and that our waiter seemed not to have time for us. My husband still did not have the second drink. The Manager was extremely polite and said she was very sorry and that she would take care of things. This did get things going -- though we did not like to have to complain to get decent service. My husband's second drink came a minute after she walked away. Then the filet were served but again not by our waiter. I suspect they had been sitting \""up\"" for a while. The filet were cold to the touch but each had two small charred green chili peppers sizzling next to them. The charred pepper smell was overpowering to the point that it hit the sinus right as they lifted off the silver cover.  Within that same minute sides were delivered. We got the mushrooms but instead of potatoes, we got creamed spinach. \n\nThat was it. The dinner we had been looking forward to for months was ruined. Since neither of us like hot peppers or spinach, we decided to leave. I asked for the manager again and told her that we needed to leave as the wrong side and hot peppers along with the poor service had ruined our dinner. I asked her to please charge what we had eaten up to that point to our room, but she declined to do so. She was very empathetic and offered to reseat us and start over or send whatever we wanted back to our room. This was a kind offer but we were just not up for either as our experience was ruined. By then it was around 9pm and we were just tired of trying to beg for service in what is supposed to be a four star place. \n\nAfter many good dinners and fond memories of the exceptionally fine service, superior food and decor as well as the beautiful view of the fountains, I don't think we will go back. This awful experience has ruined it for us. Given that this hotel opened in 1998, we both wondered whether the waiters we had so very much enjoyed in prior visits had moved on to newer places or were just not working.