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Let's be honest.
There are places where you just pay more for the "experience." You pay more because they're local. You pay more because they are "clean" or "natural" or "organic" or they use locally sourced ingredients. You pay more because they are part of your community.
You simply pay more.
I don't mind paying more. I really don't. I love supporting local and healthy and community involvement. I love supporting companies that have a mission beyond the almighty dollar.
I just want the food to live up to that idea of "paying more." I want the service to actually "feel" local. I want to feel welcomed and I want to leave with plans to return in the near future.
For whatever reason, I seldom have these kinds of experiences at Martha Hoover's restaurants that include the Patachou family, Napolese, Public Greens, One Fourteen, and the newbie - Crispy Bird.
Truthfully, I was hoping to try out Crispy Bird tonight as I head into a holiday weekend with very little planned. However, unbeknownst to me Crispy Bird isn't open on Mondays and when I arrived at about 4:40pm even Napolese had not yet opened.
While I contemplated a trip to Noble Romans across the street, I was in the mood for good service and had actually never tried this Napolese location. So, after confirming that they open at 5pm I hung around the neighborhood for a few minutes and parked myself in front of their entrance for a 5pm arrival.
Napolese offers a small concrete ramp that ensures solid accessibility, a definite plus in a neighborhood where that's not always true. They have a private room and a two-sided main dining room that is set up with 2 and 4-top tables. I also noticed that they offer an accessible door handle on the way out - that's also quite nice.
As noted, I was the first customer in and surprisingly was taken to a 4-top. This was a great choice as most of the 2-tops are near the window and someone in a wheelchair could easily get blocked in. However, this is a rather small restaurant and I was a little surprised they gave up a 4-top.
I was seated and rather quickly Miguel came by to tell me he was my server. He poured my glass of water, which they always provide, and took my usual unsweetened iced tea order. He explained the day's special and went on. About five minutes later, Sam came by and told me he would actually be my server and would be right back to explain the specials.
Can you see my eyes rolling?
After about 5-10 minutes, I noted that Sam was spending quite a bit of time with a 4-person party including explaining specials and taking their order. As I'd been the first to arrive, I sort of expected to be served first.
Ya know?
However, at the tail end of that 10 minutes good ole' Miguel, who was perfectly friendly, came back and informed me that he would be my server after all. He also had a young woman he was training. I'm hoping she has a better sense of timing.
The menu at Napolese is pretty much artisanal pizzas, salads, appetizers, and a couple sandwiches. They have an extensive wine menu. As is usual for the stone hearth baked pizzas, they're all one size with the price range starting at $12 and going up. This typically includes six slices - depending on your party, this may or may not feed 1-2 people. I ordered a "classic," essentially a pepperoni pizza. They also include complimentary olives on the table.
My meal ran about $17 without a tip - not overly excessive, especially given the area, but it's still the kind of price where I expect a better pizza and better service to go with it.
The pizza? Good. That's it. Just good. It was a little less done than I usually like from stone-baked pizzas. I mean those slightly burnt crispy spots are half the fun. This was on the lighter end and that led to toppings not always staying on the slices. I also thought the toppings were a tad sparse, essentially one "slice" of pepperoni on each slice with two on maybe one slice.
My iced tea was refilled once along with my water, though the water is left on the table and easily accessible.
Service was fine, but a tad slow until it came time to pay. Then, there was no messing around. It wasn't bad. It wasn't great. It was just fine.
Overall, I left somewhat disappointed. I'd really hoped for a better experience and really wanted to give a rave here. I just can't. This was a decent meal at a price where one should expect no less than "good."
Will I be back? Probably not. I've had better experiences at the Keystone at the Crossing spot and there was nothing about this experience that truly said "Please come back." While I still plan to try Crispy Bird, I think this was a one and done for this location of Napolese. | 1neutral
| 855 |
Decided to try the Cooper House with some friends tonight and was excited to see what they had in store. As a local, I've watched the many phases of that building and always thought it was a shame that a great property in a pretty location was such a mess. I have to say, though, it was disappointing. Reading the other reviews, mine is on par with the other 2 and 3 star reviews.
Started in the Beer Garden and had a peach-mango sangria which was tasty. This was probably the highlight of the night.
Moved to the other deck for dinner. Started with a few apps: the wings (Vietnamese style) I did not try, but my husband said they were "good." Deviled eggs, which I also did not try, but they looked tasty enough and my friend seemed to enjoy them. Also got the house pickled garden veggies which were tasty. A little spicier than I expected but not *too* spicy.
Entrees: I got the roasted cauliflower tacos. They weren't bad, but they weren't anything to write home about either. The menu says that it is served with "chickpea puree, salsa verde, white onion and cilantro." They were, as described, pretty bland. Cilantro is one of my favorite herbs and I didn't taste any of it. I didn't really taste much of anything. It was served with a side of some type of spicy red sauce (not listed on the menu) and that was about the only flavor on the tacos, but I can't really tell you what that flavor was. It was spicy, but the spice sort of overtook whatever other flavors were in there. My husband got the fish tacos, as did our friends. He said the flavor was good but the fish was a little tough. My issue with them was that for $14.50, you'd expect the standard serving of 3 tacos. 3 tacos is pretty standard, am I right? But you only get 2. $14.50 for 2 average sized, average tasting fish tacos is a little steep. As my husband said, he has had better fish tacos for less money. My cauliflower tacos were $13 and although I DID get the standard 3 taco serving, it seems weird to only be paying $1.50 less for vegetables than fish.
Dessert: I got the "Kandy Kake" dessert, which was actually very good but didn't taste very much like a "Kandy Kake." No worries, it was still enjoyable. My husband and friends got the ice cream cookie sundae. Basically, it was two decent sized chocolate chip cookies with a surprisingly small amount of strawberry ice cream in the middle, and set on top of some kind of berry compote. Our friends seemed to like it but it was not what my husband was expecting and it was not really how it was described. When you hear the word "sundae" something very specific comes to mind and what was served was not that. The desserts were not printed on paper, so we relied on the description from our server, who was very nice, but didn't really give us the goods on the ice cream cookie sundae. My husband wasn't a fan and maybe part of his issue was that he was expecting one thing but got another.
Two of us ordered coffee. Our server comes out to tell us they were out of creamer and that his manager "ran to the store" to get some more (this was after two of us ordered the Kandy Kake and then were told there was only one left. No biggie, we shared). Okay, it happens, right? I've worked in restaurants and catering, I get it. However, the creamer never made it to the table. I'll drink black coffee if it's good. BUT the coffee itself wasn't particularly good. IN THIS INSTANCE, the coffees should have been comped. It's only few bucks off the bill but it literally costs the restaurant nothing to do, and it makes a good impression. I'm not looking for free stuff, but I also didn't get what I wanted, which was a cup of coffee with cream. I'm also not one to send something back or complain unless it's REALLY bad. But as a former waitress, I would have approached the management and been like "yo, can we take these coffees off their bill? They never got their creamer." And as a former front end manager, I would have been like "yes, absolutely." Instead, I paid $2.50 for a cup of cream-less, mediocre coffee. $2.50 is not a lot of money, but for a crappy cup of coffee, it is. I could have spoken up, but the restaurant should be more attentive to something like that.
I REALLY REALLY want to like this place. I do. The renovations are BEAUTIFUL and the location is scenic. I'm so excited to see something happening there. We could have sat on the deck all night and just enjoyed the beautiful evening on the river. But they really need to revisit their menu. Our half of the bill came to over $60 with tip (and that's without any alcohol on the tab) and my husband just said to me he's "still hungry" (we just got home less than an hour ago). I'm going to keep an eye on the reviews and see what happens and I'd like to give it a second chance. But aside from having a few at the Beer Garden or just ordering some apps on the deck, I don't see us going back for dinner any time soon. | 0negative
| 930 |
I'll start off by saying I'm fully prepared for a rude and demeaning response by the owner, as, according to Yelp, Google, and our in-person experience last night, this is his common interaction with customers who have criticisms of him or his restaurant. He is verbally abusive and should never own/operate an establishment with interaction with customers.
Last night myself, and 2 of my girlfriends wanted to enjoy a nice, sit-down dinner. We hadn't heard of this restaurant, however, it was just outside the movie theater we'd just left; it looked cute and inviting so we decided to try it out! Worst decision ever.
First, they attempted to sit us directly in front of the entrance, being that it's 30 degrees outside and there were many empty tables we asked to sit near the rear, I think that innocent request set the bizarre tone for the night.
We ordered a bottle of wine and caprese salad to start; followed by 3 wood fired pizzas (we never got). The Asian woman who took our order (who I later learned is the owner's wife) lacked any customer service skills, and then attempted to "upsell" us for a caprese salad that was off the menu and was trying to charge $3.00 more. I insisted that I just wanted the "normal" caprese salad listed in the menu for $13.**. In 40 years (and living in many states and Europe) I've NEVER had a restaurant try to upsell on an appetizer, and then get an attitude when I wanted what was listed on the menu. It was so bizarre and left us shaking our heads in confusion. It then took 40 minutes to get the caprese appetizer, which looked nothing like any caprese we've ever had and was a chopped salad sitting in an inch of liquid (sad, because it's one of my all-time favorite things to eat).
An hour and 7 minutes later.....we still didn't have our 3 pizzas so we asked the sweet young male server (who was the ONLY redeeming quality in this place) what the status was. He immediately responded "they are going in the oven now". He could tell we were shocked so he said he would "go check". Meanwhile, the Italian owner came to our table and kept insisting we ordered "4 pizzas" (weird, there are only 3 of us at the table), and we weren't sure what he was trying to communicate. The young server came back and said "she says they are almost done". Between the weird experience we were already having, the 40 minute wait for an appetizer, the tables around us with no food, and the over-an-hour wait for pizza we were over it and mutually decided we didn't have enough time to wait for the pizzas to cook, or to stay longer to eat them; we asked the young server for our check (for the caprese salad and wine) and that's when things took a VERY bad turn.
The owner (Italian husband) came to our table and verbally attacked us claiming he makes things fresh, we don't know fresh, and that we were forcing HIM to eat the pizza now. He also insisted we take the pizzas in "to-go" boxes (if we wanted take-out we would have gone to Dominos, not a nice sit-down Italian restaurant). Then he loudly told us never to return to his restaurant again, and that he didn't want us there. He did this in front of all the other tables of people waiting for their food. My friends and I were stunned and appalled at his behavior toward us, as we are literally 3 quiet, 40 year old moms who simply wanted a nice dinner to catch up. We were polite, kind, and simply explained we needed to get home to our families and kids after being there over an hour with no food. If this man treats customers this way, I can't even imagine how he treats his poor wife at home, or his innocent young employees.
We paid the bill (over $50 for a bottle of wine and caprese salad), and left a generous cash tip for the poor young server who, sadly, doesn't likely have the experience to know he is working in an abusive environment. At no time were apologies made for the wait, for no food arriving, for the late appetizer, or for the owner's behavior toward us.
This restaurant has HUGE potential to be a great spot, if BOTH owners remove themselves from the front-end operations and become hands-off owners. Otherwise, I see the end of this place close in sight. This man cannot get away with this type of customer mistreatment (and from reading other reviews it's clear to see this is NOT a one-time occurrence)
Save yourself the wait and abuse. Boise is known for it's amazing food, customer service, kindness and people-skills....this place is NOT it.
To the young staff working here, please, for the love of everything, go find new jobs where you'll be respected, allowed to do your job, and spoken to like the hard working humans you are! | 0negative
| 851 |
Because of our crazy schedules my girlfriend and I celebrated New Years a bit after the fact this year, but I promised her that we'd do something very special to make up for the change in dates. I was planning to pick up some fresh seafood to grill, and was considering a nice fruit and cheese plate to serve after dinner. I had thought about stopping at one of the fancy grocery stores in town and trying my luck at selecting a few different cheeses, but one of my Yelp friends thankfully steered me to the Cheese Please shop instead.
Cheese Please is located in a strip mall along S. MacDill Avenue, and you'll find this retail establishment in the same shopping center as Pane Rustica and Redneck Wine. They are south of the Selmon Expressway and before you get to El Prado. The storefront looks small from the outside, but you'll quickly discover that it's actually very spacious inside.
The front third of the store is the retail cheese shop, and you'll find several large refrigerated cases displaying the various gourmet cheeses and charcuterie. This is where I met Michael, one of the owners, and a very delightful and energetic guy. I explained my dilemma, and he started asking me questions about the type of food that I'd be serving, my choice of wines, and what I liked about various styles of cheese. Michael is clearly a master at his craft, and you should seek out his recommendations and listen to his advice.
He suggested that I try one goat's milk cheese, one sheep's milk cheese, and a cow's milk cheese to start the process. The goat's milk cheese that he helped me select was called "Purple Haze" from California, and no -- this had nothing to do with Jimi Hendrix or flowering buds of cannabis. Nope, this was a smooth and creamy cheese, with a slightly acidic tang, that was flavored with wild fennel and lavender pollen. It spread easily onto crackers, and was very delicious with slices of Honeycrisp apples.
My second cheese selection was a young Manchego sheep's cheese. Manchego is a famous style of Spanish cheese, and in this case Michael suggested a semi curado that had only been aged about four months. The Manchego had a fruity scent, with flavors of grass and hay, along with a milder tangy finish. I had some seedless red grapes to pair with this cheese, and that was a good mix.
For the final cheese Michael suggested a big bold cow's milk cheddar, and I went with Beehive Big John Cajun Cheddar from Utah. The flavor of the cheddar was outstanding, although the rind had been hand-rubbed with Cajun spices, and Brittany found that a bit strong for her tastes. So I compromised and sliced the rind off her little wedge and she was much happier.
Michael suggested a small charcuterie pairing, and after trying a few different styles, we agreed on a Loukanika - dry Greek salami. This sausage had a mild seasoning and a bit of a lip-smacking fattiness that cut through the heat of the Cajun cheddar. Very nice!
Michael then walked me back to the center of the shop which has been turned into Clooney's Wine Bar, and is the perfect place to sample their selection of reds, whites, and sparkling wines by the glass, as well as their craft beers. He highly recommended the 2012 Chardonnay from Souverain Vineyards of Napa Valley, California. This wine had a citrusy scent and blended perfectly with the pairing of cheeses and charcuterie. I had a small taste and gave this wine an enthusiastic two thumbs up!
Finally, the very back of the Cheese Please store has been built out as their special events room for cheese and wine tasting parties which are held on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. Check the schedule on their website to see what is planned for the next week.
With my purchases in hand, we walked back up to the front of the store. The three cheeses (roughly 4 - 5 ounces of each type), plus the Greek salami, plus the Chardonnay wine ran about $40. Michael told me about the cheese tasting event for this coming Friday, which will be "French Cheeses" - A celebration of the classic French cheeses: triple creme Bries, earthy Comte, the best Blues, among others. It sounded like a fun time, and well worth the $30 fee, so I've signed up to give it a try.
If you'd like to learn more about cheese, and you're willing to look beyond those yellow slices individually wrapped in plastic, then this South Tampa cheese store is definitely for you. I will definitely be back to try some different wines and cheeses. | 2positive
| 794 |
Sakana opened earlier this year and described themselves as the first authentic omakase sushi restaurant in Philadelphia (not sure if this is true). Having experienced omakase in Japan, Hong Kong and NYC, I was really excited to try my first Philadelphia Omakasè. Walked in and got a decent vibe. It had wooden interior, dim lighting and soft asian instrumental music playing in the back ground. We made reservation online for the sushi bar to experience the full Omakasè experience. They sat us down on time, but not at the sushi bar! Confused since we specifically asked for the bar, we quickly asked the waitress why we were not seated at the bar. She said there will be a long wait, but if we like we can wait for it. This place only has about 12 seats at the sushi bar. Noticing people seated at the bar wont be leaving soon, and confirming this with the host, we agreed to the table. I wished we didn't because by the time the food came, which was a bit of a wait for an omakase... seats freed up at the bar and she didn't let us change seats. Even though the seating arrangement isn't what I hoped, I kept my hope up for the sushi!
Food: We ordered two signature omakase (12 pieces $58 each), one premier omakase (15 pieces with other dishes $108) and a wagyu sandwich ($15)
.
The quality of the fish was definitely above the avg from the standard Japanese restaurants Philadelphia. The scallop really stood out from the batch, as it went well with the sauce and ingredient on top. The sea urchin was fresh. The tuna was a bit off, probably because it was not fresh?
The assembly and presentation was not well done. One sushi was stuck on another piece of sushi's seaweed. And when I picked it up it fell apart. Why did they put them together like that?! Also one of sushi that came in the premier set, the fish was almost broken in half. it was still slightly connected. This was so shocking, I don't think this ever happen to me even at lower end sushi places. The chef should of saw this and made another one.
We also ordered the wagyu sandwich. The toast was huge and done well, in between were tiny pieces of wagyu. the huge toast bland out the wagyu taste and I was unable to taste the wagyu . It was hard to judge the quality of the wagyu when I couldn't really taste it. I don't recommend getting this especially when it cost 15$.
Service: The waitresses were nice, but got impatient with me when I asked for more information on the types of fish we get in the two sets. I think it's because she was stressed by the number was people waiting and trying to keep them happy / she didn't know the menu well. The way she responded to my types of fish question was by pointing to a la carte sushi listing on the menu and then threw out a couple of fish names in a way you can tell she was just naming things and not knowing whats in the sets. Then after naming 4/5 type of fish, she stopped herself and ended her response with "its chefs choice". Omakase does mean chefs choice, but she could of said that nicely. The bill came out to be around $75 a head, I thought it made sense to know what i am getting and if there as a difference in the two sets other than three more pieces plus side dishes. She could of ask the chef and came back with a proper response instead of throwing a tiny minor fit.
Also, it was bit chaotic in there at times. One waitress would be heading over to tell me something, another waitress pull her abruptly to the side to tell her something. It made more sense to let her finish before just pulling her away.
We also didnt get the ginger until we asked for it, which people at the sushi bar got right away and hand towels. Also some people got their jackets hung automatically by the host/waitress. No one offered that service to us. The sushi bar vs table got very different treatments. Please make sure to sit at the sushi bar if you go.
Overall: This place earned two stars because the quality of the fish is fresh/decent, but you can't just have fresh fish. There is more to that, the techniques in cutting the fish, assembly, the aromas must be well balanced etc. In an omakase "each bite is made to eaten immediately". I don't think I experienced that tonight.
The sushi chef (owner i think) realized we weren't too happy and provide each of us with one of his signature dish and one extra dessert. Thank you! | 0negative
| 819 |
So I went to d&b for the first time last night for my 25th birthday with my boyfriend and a bunch of my friends. We had a good time, but only because we were all together and took advantage of the arcade until they closed.
To start off, I called at 10am to make reservations, because we had a baby and we had a pretty large group, so the less time we had to wait the better. When I called and asked to make a reservation, the lady first put me on hold, then came back and asked how many.. when I told her 10-15, she laughed at me and said I didn't need to make a reservation for THAT many people. Ok..? Fine. So we get there around 8, and they tell us it's going to be a 25-35 minute wait because we had such a large party... that would have been the point of me trying to make a reservation! UGH. When I mentioned to the host about my irritation because of that (also did let her know that I knew it wasnt her fault and was by no means trying to be rude to her), she then informed me that they don't even take reservations. SO WHICH IS IT? If that's the case, I'm not sure why the lady on the phone didn't just say THAT when I told her why I was calling.. and if they do, which I'm pretty sure that they do, why did the host tell us they didn't?? I'm so confused....... After she told us about the wait, she just turned out around and walked away. No names, no pagers, no apologies, nothing. Just walked away. So we stood there for a few minutes and when she came back I finally asked her if she wanted our name and she told us No, that she would just remember. We all kinda looked at her like, are you serious right now.. I told her we we going to go downstairs and try to keep the baby occupied while we were waiting and asked how she wanted us to know when our table was ready, so she then grabbed a pager and asked what my name was. Now was that so hard? Except then when she handed us the pager, asked the guy next to her if HE knew how to use "those things, because she didn't"... he said nope. So we decided it would be better to just stay close, you know, incase she didn't remember us.
So an hour and 15 minutes later we finally get a table (NOT 25-35 minutes). Our server was really nice, patient, and attentive, until the end of the meal. When she greeted our table she informed us that she was really tired and it had been a long night, which, we thought was kind of unprofessional- we don't really care, after all- but understood and weren't going to hold it against her.... until she told us about 3 or 4 more times through the meal. My friend asked if they did anything for birthday's (not knowing that I overheard ha..), and she told her that they only did if we ordered dessert. Then she never offered us dessert. She brought our checks before we even had a chance to look. We asked her if we were supposed to buy our game cards from her, and she told us that we could, but she was really exhausted so we could just buy them from the front. ARE YOU SERIOUS? I laughed and told her ok, that was fine... We were trying to help her out by adding more to our bill to add to her gratuity that we were leaving (which we were NOT informed was automatically added to our bills), and trying to help ourselves out by only having to pay ONCE. But ok, she was too tired.. we got it. She then got offended when we asked someone else to take a group picture for us, came back to our table and said "you know, you could have just asked me.. I would have taken it. You didn't have to bother other people." Good thing we already paid because at that point, I would have told her to take off the gratuity she added without letting us know, we would have paid for our bill (which was very high) and that would have been IT. Each one of us have or currently do work in the restaurant business, and that is not how you deal with tables. Not if you're trying to make money, anyway. The food was good and we had fun otherwise, but wow.... the people that work there are rude and unprofessional.. not to mention i got the feeling it was EVERYBODY'S first day. | 1neutral
| 802 |
When I was in my early 20's I used to stay at a few different Hotels in Reno @ once a month. (Circus Circus, Sundowner, Nugget & Pioneer).
Every time I would go up there would always be one of them that had a $16-$19 special for Sunday-Thursday. It was like a ritual each time I would go. First I go to Cal-Neva and have the $.99 ham & eggs, then check into wherever I'm staying. Right before I leave town I stop at Cal-Neva again to finish it off.
Well over the years a few things have changed in Reno. Pioneer was torn to the ground and the Sundowner is now condos. (The old Holiday Inn is condos too). The Silver Legacy was built between Circus Circus and El Dorado and they put in the indoor promenade connecting all three. This is especially nice when it is cold outside and you don't want to walk/drive to another casino.
I have usually stay at Silver Legacy, Peppermill or Atlantis over the last 15-18 years. Circus Circus really went down hill staring in the early 90's. I stayed at Circus Circus @ 2003 and I think that was at the height of their funk.
My mom came from out of state and she wanted to go to Reno. I was checking for room rates and Circus Circus kept popping up on all the searches at the top. (I was going to book at Silver Legacy because of 2 reasons. They had their suites on sale from $199 down to $79.99 a night. The suites come with a hot tub was number two. The problem was that the suites only come with one King bed. I would have had to get two of them to fit all of us. (Me, my wife, 2 1/2 yr old, 6 month old and my mom.)
That is when I took a closer look at Circus Circus. I looked at their rates for the Mini-Suites. They had the same deal that Silver Legacy does. (Not surprising since MGM owns all three properties.) The big difference was that Circus Circus doesn't have a hot tub in the room. What they do have though is a sofa sleeper in the living room area. This is also a big difference from the other hotels. The Mini-Suites are exactly that, a suite, meaning TWO rooms and not just one over-sized room.
I next looked at the reviews over the past year or so on different sites for Circus Circus. (Yelp only had a few reviews and I wanted a much bigger sampling before committing to a polished turd of a Hotel.) Yahoo had over 140 reviews 30 or so were in the past 3 months. Some other site had about the same number of reviews.
(I just need to share this nugget of information I read from one review. This guys entire review was about how he "burned his head in not only one but three places with the hair dryer in the bathroom at Circus Circus. He says he called down to complain and fill out an incident report so he could "follow up on this incident". He went on and on for 7-8 paragraphs explaining how the Hotel would not respond to him and how they were not taking his injuries serious, their negligence and so on. There are two major problems with his review. First, he not once said one word about the price or quality of the room, the casino and/or the restaurants. Second, he is complaining about a MANUAL hairdryer that he holds in his own hand to dry his hair. He controls the distance the dryer is from his head. After he got burned the first time, he did it to himself two more times and says it is the Hotels fault.)
I digress. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the room/mini-suite at Circus Circus. It was large, very clean, smelled nice, the shower was strong and hot and had a coffee maker and mini fridge in the room. The entire floor was nonsmoking and it didn't smell like smoke at all in the halls or the elevators. (I smoke but my family doesn't.)
The only reason that I didn't give 5 stars is for two reasons. First, they need better ventilation in the casino. The ceiling is low and the entire place reeks of cigarettes. (If you stay in the Main Tower, you must walk through the casino to get to restaurants, the Midway or the promenade to the two other casinos.) The second was that the maids were watching too close. I couldn't steal any extra coffee or shampoo from the carts. | 2positive
| 782 |
Shout-out to the Cuban sista/ server who dropped mad knowledge about her people's food. Cuban pizza? Cuban spaghetti? Cuban sweet and sour soup? Yah, according to her, they exist. (OK, maybe not the last one.) Girl, I still think you ain't right like the winner for Best Picture at this year's Oscars, but what do I know? I'm Asian.
The traditional Acro-Iris does not have these Frankenstein eats, though. (Find them at their sister restaurant.) Instead, you'll discover familiar apps, soups, and plated entrees with any desired meat or seafood. The reason for visiting?
My boss, who's a depressed Cleveland Indians fan, still felt the devastating effects of his team's terribly tragic and historically embarrassing loss to the Chicago Cubs (extra innings in Game 7, nonetheless) and needed a pick-me-up. Usually, he asks our crew of six to share a meager Lean Cuisine pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but that day he needed company and happiness in his life and generously took me out to lunch. I almost wet my pants with excitement.
Upon entering, a waft of Cuban authenticity smacked me in the face. It's the cacophony of Hispanic children screaming and their parents yelling at them in Spanish, the espresso maker humming constantly with an "errrrrrrrrrrrr", and the beautiful sizzle of meat entrees. Have your pants tented yet? No? Well, it will at Arco.
We sat in a booth by the door, near the electronic TV ad signs, and I sunk into the foam. He loomed over me, locked eyes, and sternly said, "AREN'T YOU A MAN? YOU'RE GONNA EAT THE STEAK, BOY." So he ordered Churrasco--a charbroiled skirt steak with chimichurri sauce at $19.95-- with a side of rice and plantains. I wanted a shrimp entree, but I didn't dare ask. I sank deeper into my foam seat as he grew to seven feet tall.
The awkward silence during our wait reminded me of Mariah Carey's trainwreck that was her lip-synced New Year's Eve performance. Just uncomfortable. I asked him, "How are you doing?" He replied, "Don't ever speak to me." Ten minutes seemed like ten to the power of ten minutes.
When our meals arrived, I happy cried because I no longer had to hear about how LeBron James is the second coming of Christ. (I argued that today's Christ would not have a receding hairline, and he got mad.) I have to admit, though, the steak didn't look great. With the juices already bleeding out, I had concerns about the flavor. I took my knife and fork (at the objection of my boss who insisted I eat it with my hands), cut a piece, and stuck it in my mouth (that's what she said).
The fattiness of the butter and umami from the steak made that boner grow even more. It also helped that the hunk of meat wore a nice char. #charlyfe. The deliciousness became even more enhanced with the oil-y, succulent, and almost nuclear MSG-like bombs of the chimichurri that I unabashedly used to douse my entree. (Like how Brett would make cash rain on strippers.) More fat. More umami. More oil on my shirt obtained from my previous Lean Cuisine pizza breakfast. So much yes.
As I scarfed down my meat, I also admired the heap of cumin-colored rice topped with peas and caramelized plantains. The rice had a nice savoriness. The sweet plantains -- not cloying, though -- balanced the saltiness of the meat and chimichurri. Fantastic sides. Of course, my taste is based on the leftovers from his plate since he said I didn't deserve my own.
To wash everything down, I indulged in beautiful Cuban espresso. The sweet and Hulk-strong cup woke me up from the dream I had free of my boss. It brought me back to reality -- an awkward meal and conversation where I sank deeper in my foam seat with every passing minute.
After we had finished, we started chatting to our server about Cuban food. She insisted the cuisine consisted, too, of pizza and spaghetti. We decided to use one of our lifelines and phoned our friend/ co-worker/ Cuban food expert, Blue A. He said she was lying. She fervently argued that as a native born Cuban, he didn't know anything. I tried stabbing her with a knife. She put me in a headlock.
More awkwardness ensued.
Overall, the math on our bill didn't make much sense (far less than what we thought), but Cuban pizza doesn't either, so.... yeah.
Would I return for more awkward conversation, splatters of oil on my shirt, and delicious food and drink? All of the above. My visit to Arco-Iris served as an educational and first-ever Tampa restaurant stop. Thanks for the wonderful time. | 2positive
| 787 |
Where to start. First and foremost the food scene in Tampa is growing leaps and bounds. In some restaurants there is "smart" growth and in some there is not. Not so with Oak and Ola. This establishment is poised to rule the food scene and quickly. Last evening was in one word "magnificent". From the decor, to the service, to the food, we were treated like royalty from the moment we stepped foot in the door.
We were seated in what I would like to refer to as the "orchestra" section of this restaurant "theatre". A perfect view of the kitchen, and all of the organized hustle and bustle that there is to create delicious masterpieces.
My husband and I were greeted by Kylie, a truly wonderful and caring server, and were taken care of by Lord knows how many people. Never once was my water glass a half inch empty without it suddenly being filled by an able server. Even once I dropped my napkin on the floor and I swear before it hit, it was scooped up and another fresh one was placed in my lap. Kylie explained in great detail, the menu, the atmosphere and the intentions of Chef Anne Kearney to create a sharing experience for diners. The menu is clean, crisp and clear. We started with the Cheese Board and Wilted Brussel Sprouts and 2 cocktails that were simply divine, innovative and unique. To start, the cheese board is simply fabulous...filled with Pierre Robert, Iberico, Idiazabal D.O.P. and Caprizola Dolce accompanied by julienne apple, Clearwater honeycomb and a delightful cranberry walnut bread. Whats more- the board is accompanied by a lovely printed card that explains (in great detail) each cheese! WELL HOW'S ABOUT THAT??? Finally a restaurant that helps its diner understand what they are eating when it comes to cheese. With as many varieties that exist in this world, no normal human can keep up...so this is a welcomed addition to the experience. I now know which I liked the most and could actually search out and purchase from a local store- genius! Each cheese was delightful and the accompanying parings just made the flavors even more wonderful. The brussel sprouts were tasty and leave you wanting more. I could literally have eaten a feed trough full, but gluttony ain't pretty. You really are treated to an amazing carousel of flavors in Chef Anne's dishes, and you can decipher each ingredient as you savor them. Next we ordered the Garnet Red Wine Spaghetti. The key ingredient to this dish are beets and their flavor infusion into the pasta. GOOD LORD...this dish was unreal. I cannot tell you how many Beet Believers Chef Anne made out of her staff...they all told us so. The re-occurring proclamation "I never liked beets until I tasted this dish thanks to Chef Anne" burst forth from at least 4 servers that visited our table. The flavor combination of fresh mint, ricotta salada and pistachio was to die for. So fresh and so perfect. For once a pasta dish not smothered in some form of sauce. Our next dish on the "playbill" was the Onglet Hanger Steak that we ordered medium. Cooked to perfection and strategically placed above golden beets and sprinkled with pea shoots. This dish was heavenly. The steak could be cut with a fork, it was that tender and delicious. Savoring the meat was a treat, gosh I could go on. Just when we thought that the highlight of the night was the food (and everything else) we were greeted by James Beard Award Winning Chef Anne Kearney. She is a delight. Lovely, keen, brilliant, and an amazing conversationalist this lady has created a virtual masterpiece of an establishment right here in Tampa. We could have chatted with her all night. You realize very quickly just how amazingly experienced, talented and genuine this lady is. All the while she was with us, her eagle eyes were on the kitchen. Throughout the night we watched her interact with the kitchen staff, and the restaurant staff and if there is one word that I could use to describe what we witnessed from afar...LOVE. This lady loves what she does and there is no doubt. WE DO TOO! Chef Anne had to get back to work, and the final dish of the night was about to make its appearance. A lemon cake with fresh lemon curd, cherries and creme fraiche! MY GOD, GOOD LORD, HOLY COW...lets just say if there had not been witnesses I would have licked the plate clean. I am a lemon crazy person, I love it...but man oh man...this desert is heaven on earth. I could go on and on, because our evening was just that perfect. We have already booked another dinner with friends. We cannot wait to return and we are so excited for this new restaurant. Hats off to Chef Anne, Vicente, Parvez. Kylie, Stephanie and the entire staff, investors and designers. Well done!! (just not my steak, please LOLOL) | 2positive
| 837 |
The dinner I had at Will last night was one of the best I've ever had the pleasure of consuming. You know it's good when all you and your dining partner can talk about is the food in front of you! The whole experience here was excellent.
For appetizers, my dude and I ordered the Chilled Jersey Corn Bisque and the Spanish Rock Octopus (for all the courses, we would try each other's dishes and switch). The Corn Bisque was my pick, so it was the first thing I tasted...I think we quickly realized at that point how great the rest of the meal was going to be! What I loved most about the Corn Bisque was the silky texture of the bisque itself; if they ran out of the scallop boudin, black garlic or corn shoots, this was wonderful in itself! Everything above complimented this and themselves all together. Dragging my spoon through the black garlic and then picking up other ingredients within the bowl really took the flavor to a special place. The Octopus was also quite good. Sometimes, I can feel a little grossed out by all the little legs, but it was prepared so well, I didn't even give them a second thought! The method in which the octopus itself was cooked gave it a wonderful flavor. The thing I enjoyed about it the most was the green sauce that I believe was the "green tomato" part. I was beginning to notice the theme of a little extra something-somethin' flavor on the side of the dishes at this point. So many opportunities for flavor for one fork!
The main course for us was the Brook Trout and the Red Drum. Although tempted by two very amazing-sounding vegetarian options, it is difficult for me to pass up an opportunity to try fish when it sounds like it's going to be delightful: it was! My first time trying a red drum fish was a hit! Upon hitting my fork and knife, the fish fell apart in a wonderful way. The vegetables were young, fresh, and I loved the way the squash mingled with the sauce provençale, which was rich in a not-super overwhelming way. The Brook Trout was amazing. I love that they are extending fava beans into late summer! My favorite part of this dish is something I decided would be called "flavor bombs": arranged over top of the trout among the beans, pine nuts, and tomato confit was something that looked like half of a thin bean membrane with a tasty chilled creme substance injected into it. Make sure to have a piece of fish on your fork when you encounter this, woo! So good.
At this point in our dinner, the nice couple seated next to us chatted us up about what we ordered and how much they enjoyed their meals. We learned that they had selected the exact same dishes as we did, swap the Bisque for the Heirloom Tomato Salad (which is what I almost ordered). We raved on with them for a few minutes. Although dude and I are not big "desert people", they said that it was not to be missed.
So, we went with the Lemon-Olive Oil Financier and the Pot de Crème, the Pot de Crème being so well liked here on yelp that I definitely made sure that this was something we tried. Hello! That is a wonderful little desert. It wasn't overly sweet, which I like, and every component of banana, salted rum caramel, and walnut had an equal presence in the combination.
It was the Lemon-Olive Oil Financier that did it for me -- I may be a little biased because I am always trying to get lavender to work in food, and the folks at Will are doing it really well here. The whole process of having it served and consuming it was even engaging. One minute, our server was talking about it and placing it on the table, and the next, the big dollop of lavender-infused creme sitting atop of the financier had deflated and distributed itself within the other parts of the desert (I had to ask our server about how the lavender had been integrated into the dollop. He said it had something to do with liquid nitrogen? Don't quote me on this, it was a very interesting and complex answer and I had just split a bottle of wine). The cake itself was amazing, as was the cheese-like stuff next to it, as was the corn ice cream, as was the blueberry compote-type stuff. I wish that I could talk about this one more, but between the two of us, it was not on my plate for very long. It was the best desert I've ever had! I will certain return for this and update this portion in a more articulate way.
Everything else: the service was super professional. The decor is minimal, which is actually kind of nice for a smaller space like that. That said, I felt like I had enough personal bubble to myself.
And we left feeling insanely full. Whoever complains about the small portions here must have two stomaches. Because we also had delicious bread with arugula butter and the yummy complimentary cookies did us in at the end (we went home to digest and couldn't even watch Bob's Burgers on Netflix).
Congratulations to my new favorite restaurant in Philly on their one year anniversary! BRB ASAP OK? | 2positive
| 912 |
My eternal quest for a BBQ joint that i can frequent and that, of course has great BBQ and good service
took me to Santa Barbara and to the Wildwood Kitchen in an area known as the Mill.
The physical space from the entrance is narrow but there is a patio that draws you towards the back and towards the light. The patio is much roomier than is the interior space.
Parking was i thought only on the street but our server stated that there is a lot behind the restaurant.
I corralled some SB friends and family for a trek here as i wanted to try as many items as possible.
Upon entering we were greeted by Miss Ginger who took us to a table, gave us menus and asked for drink orders. So far so good. The general feel of this place (and maybe, of course it was because it was Friday ) was upbeat and jovial not frantic nor loud.The order of the day was chill and cool. We sat way in the back across from the bar and near the patio so as to be near the liquor and the beautiful SB weather.
From my less than stellar experience at Gus's in South Pas i figured that we should try items on their own and not as part of a combo plate though the photos of the combo plates of Ribs, Beef and Sausages looked tempting. But no, we stuck to our plan of ordering meat/bbq items on their own.
We ordered:
(and yes this sounds like and was indeed a motley group of food items which points to the fact that my lunch companions were likewise...motley).
Asparagus Toast
Kale Salad
Potato Salad
Pork Ribs
Banana Cream Pie
Starwberry Cheesecake
Grilled Ciabatta Bread
Jalapeno Corn Bread
Ordering a "Toast" at lunch is a little odd in that we here in So/Cal are used to ordering it at Breakfast but this variety was right on as a lunch appetizer: Artichoke Hearts, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Spinach, Parmesan was what i remember but i also tasted garlic. we ate half of this at the restaurant but i devoured the rest of it, room temp at home later. Pretty special item i would say. I mean this topping combination would make a superb grilled flat bread.
The Ribs were smoked and "falling off the bone" and jam packed with pork flesh . We asked for the ribs to be barely sauced because we like to taste the meat flavor and use the sauce for dipping. Ginger brought us several sauces and we tasted all but, except for the Jalapeno they went from super to ok.
The sauce we mostly used was the Jalapeno BBQ Sauce. These Pork Ribs were a very good item and therefore opens the door for us to try Brisket, etc next time. Btw: the Bread and Butter pickles served with the Ribs were primo. Home-made here. Yum.
The only way that i can describe the Kale Salad is u n b e l i e v a b l e. Seriously when my friend wanted to order anything with Kale (isn't Kale so 2008??) we all groaned but this preparation was very terrific: Tuscan Kale, Dried Cherries, Crispy Onions, Toasted Almonds, Goat Cheese, Mustard Vinaigrette.
The Savior here is the Tuscan Kale which is a tender, more tasty less smelly cousin of what we usually see used in restaurants. And it really makes a difference in this preparation. Dried cherries and crispy onions dressed with a mustard vinaigrette? C-mon!
After all of that BBQ Pork and luscious Kale, the Jalapeno cornbread was a letdown: too sweet, not "corny" enough not chili hot enough. Our portion was obviously microwaved for service but it was over mic'd because it was dry and burnt around the edges. When my friend pointed the burnt edges out to another waiter (not Ginger) this waiter said: "all the pieces are like that." He never offered to take the plate away or offered a remedy. in fact he merely turned and walked away. This dude needs re-training because all of his Wildwood brethren were spot on as far as service is concerned. Ginger took it away and off our check.
Potato Salad is such a personal item for Americans in that we all refer back to our Moms for the ultimate mix of components. This Wildwood version included Red Onion, Hard Cooked Egg, Pickles, Dill. All acceptable ingredients but my portion was ok yet oddly too wet: and not wet from mayonnaise but from water or?? Hmmm.Curious.
The desserts were very good with the Banana Cream being the star of these two that we ordered though the pastry was dry yet the banana cream was rich, creamy and banana-ish.
Ginger was fun and knowledgeable and gave us good suggestions. Everyone seemed in a good mood except as noted above.which translated to those in my party being likewise.
I liked the Wildwood very much. Every restaurant has its own personality and the Wildwood's was cool and friendly. Good Show, Wildwood Kitchen! | 2positive
| 847 |
Tucanos ~ the Golden Corral of Brazilian Grills!
The salad bar is the only thing I can recommend. But wait; at 16 dollars a head for salad, I can't even recommend that. So I take that back.
I was in a party of 3 at 7:45 on a Wednesday night and there was a line. I thought that was a good sign. I was wrong.
We got seated about 15 minutes later. The seater-lady took our drink orders and told us how the system works. When your wooden token is 'Green up' a meat carver will come and serve you steak. Turn the token 'red up' and that means we don't want any more steak for a while. I've been to a few $80/person similar Brazil/Argentina steak place and always had a great meal. This costs less that have that but we were all anticipating getting a week's worth of meat in one setting.
We all then got a salad, from a very well stocked salad bar. About 10 minutes later, as we were just finishing our salads, the drinks finally showed up and simultaneously the first meat guy appears. On the skewers, were chicken hearts. Little tiny, greasy-looking chicken hearts. Now I'm a southerner. Many of the people I love the most eat organ meat. I, however, give it to my dog. None us us wanted any.
He left briskly and we waited, and waited. We began to think we did something wrong by not accepting the offering of greasy little chicken hearts. About 5 minutes later a guy shows up with what appears to be Hillshire Farms kielbasa on a skewer. He says they are Brazilian gaucho sausages. We didn't want to offend a second server so we obliged. The server carved off about two bites of sausage for each of us and left as if he were late for a important appointment. Here is something interesting: Brazilian gaucho sausage tastes exactly like Hillshire Farm kielbasa. Exactly! }
None of us finished our second bite.
A few minutes later a guy shows up with a big chunk of grilled pineapple asking if we wanted a slice. I like grilled pineapple but I had steak on the brain and so I declined. Poof - he was gone.
A few minutes later a guy shows up (I think it was the chicken heart guy) with a bowl of brown pot roast looking stuff that he says is barbecue. Maybe it was, but we all said no. He left in a huff.
A few minutes later a guy show up with a stick of chicken thighs. I said no thanks and asked where as the sirloin and filet that is shown in the posters all over the walls? He replied he'd send some over.....
Oh! Evidently you're suppose to "ask" for the steak.... That would have been some useful information the seater-lady could have shared.
Sure enough, in a few minutes a guy comes over with a stick of meat that he says is sirloin. I held out my plate and he shaved off about a 2" by 2" slice of well done steak. It was just a little bit thicker than deli sliced, all-in-all about one medium sized bite for the whole slice.
The the server gave the other two at the table a single bite of well done meat and then left; evidently also late for a critical appointment. After that bite we all waited literally 4 or 5 more minutes and the same guy comes back with a stick of what he said was Brazilian beef roast. Only I said "okay" (it looked like little chunks of coal) and he pushed off a single bite of what proved to be very well done and well dried out chuck roast. I needed some water to get it down but the person who brought our cocktails never brought us any water; and we all had nothing but empty cocktail glasses in front of us.
Before he scooted off, I asked him if we could get some more steak and steak that wasn't well done. Rare or at least medium rare would be nice. He said, "sure".
Alone again at the table, we formed a plan that if any of the servers came back with meat that looked actually like the posters on the wall, one of us would physically hold on to him until we all got a real serving. We realized there was some risk to our safety since they all carry long carving knives and they are all late for critical appointments, but we'd been there 45 minute or so and have only eaten one bite of kielbasa (gaucho sausage) and one bite of over-done sirloin. The risk, clearly worth it.
A minute or two later a guy shows up with a stick of chicken hearts! Then a few minutes later the gaucho sausage guy comes again. Then the pineapple guy; then the chicken thigh guy! By now the place was thinning out and and most of the tables were empty. You'd think that the servers would start coming more frequently but you'd be wrong to think that.
Finally about 15 minute since our first bite of sirloin, a guy came back with a stick of very well done meat, he said was sirloin. It wasn't worth grabbing him for well done meat so I spoke up and said, "we had asked for rare or at least medium rare." He said, "no problem" and then took his stick of overcooked meat to another table and eventually disappeared.
So did we. | 0negative
| 932 |
Wow where do i start with this 4 star hotel, I forget how many diamonds it is rated.
From the time you pull up at the hotel you know you are in for something special. The valet parking attendant immediately met us at our car and asked us to assist with retrieving our bag from the car which he also laid out carefully on a rolling cart and took into the Hotel when we walked in the door we were greeted by the front desk receptionist who took our names and within 30 seconds personally escorted us to our room. Not before offering us a glass of wine!! By far the most convenient and fastest check in by far at any hotel I have stayed at. Once we arrived in the room the staff took our luggage off the rack and asked where we would like them to be placed. He went though the room and explained briefly the amenities of the room and how the Hotel Operated. He immediately exited the room after orientating us to the hotel. I had to stop him to give him a tip which he was reluctant to accept.
The room:
This by far had to be the best room I have stayed in, and trust me I have stayed in some very nice hotels. Some I have even stayed on their executive floors and this room was better. The room was luxurious to say the least but it had a sort of modern urban chic feel to it. It definitely fit the Culinary style of the Hotel. The cabinetry in the room as explained by the staff was was butcher block style and the doors were made locally by hand from reclaimed wood. The bed was super soft and comfortable and this coming from someone who loves a firm bed. I told my wife I felt like I was sleeping on a cloud. The room has an in-room pantry with complimentary wifi. One of the best features in the room for me was the rain shower head in the spacious showers. Very interesting feature was the switch on the inside the door that you can press one button for privacy and other for the staff to make up the room. Depending on the switch you press on the inside it will light up the button on the outside the room above your room number either red or green. Red to indicate privacy or green to alert the staff to clean the room while you are out. Now this was the kicker the button on the outside doubles as a doorbell (yes a doorbell so cool).
The Edge Bar:
Please do not skip on having a drink at this very nice bar with a great view of the city scapes. Not only is this a nice space with great views but the drink are very good and the bartenders are very knowledgeable and professional. my wife wanted to try something different and the Bartender made her a lemon drop with a twist to it which she enjoyed immensely.
Elevage Resturant:
While we did not get an opportunity to dine at this restaurant we were able to see it in action. The staff was very efficient and food that we saw looked very good and elegantly plated.
The Hotel also has what they call the Culinary Theater where they hold culinary/wine classes and coking demos for guest at an additional cost. Time got away from me and I was not able to attend the Sunday Caribbean class which I considered a fair price of $75 a person.
The customer service at the Epicurean is above board. The staff is very attentive to guest needs in every aspect. All staffed is well trained and willing to go the extra mile to make the guest stay special. My wife and I were staying for our One Year Anniversary and had our top tier of wedding cake we had saved to cut on our anniversary (10/18/15). I realized I did not have a knife, so when upon leaving the hotel to take a walk I ask the Front Desk Receptionist to could he get a knife for us to cut the cake. Upon our return back to the Hotel I stopped by the front desk and was informed by the same staff to please give them about 15 minutes they have something special for us. Within 10 minutes we received a knock at the door and a staff member from the Elevage had a cart with two plates, a knife, two forks, napkins two wines glasses and complimentary wine. To top it off they gave us a hand written card congratulating us on our one year anniversary. Trust me I can go on, and on about this hotel. I highly recommend this hotel to all foodies and wine aficionados alike.
Also if you are staying at this hotel you have to make a reservation to Bern's Steakhouse which is literally across the street from the hotel. Reservations are a must especially for the weekend try to book as far out as possible. For large parties (8 or more) you must do reservations 4-6 weeks in advance.
Another must is to stop by Chocolate Pi dessert shop at the Hotel. I wrote a review on for them this place is the real deal. | 2positive
| 894 |
Just beyond the Alberta Legislature Building behind the High Level Bridge is Ledgeview Centre, home to The Butternut Tree. Floor to ceiling windows offer unobstructed views of the Legislature grounds and the river valley, which provide the beautiful backdrop to Edmonton's newest restaurant.
The Butternut Tree could easily be named one of the most beautiful restaurants in the city. This open-concept 58 seat restaurant with high ceilings and rustic wooden accents offers panoramic views and the perfect setting for intimate dinners. The glass-enclosed kitchen offers transparency and allows diners to get a closer look on how the dishes are prepared. For larger groups, a private dining room complete with a fireplace and a private entrance seats up to 12.
I was lucky to find myself dining in the private room amongst friends and fellow bloggers on media night for The Butternut Tree. Our dinner started off with an amuse bouche of salt-cured halibut dressed lightly with juniper oil, chives, apple, and marigold. The one bite was fresh and pleasing to the palate, setting the bar high for the dishes to come.
The menu at The Butternut Tree is a great representation of seasonal, Canadian ingredients. The menu is thoughtful, concise, and brings together unique ingredients in combinations that you may have never seen before. I found it difficult to choose my dishes for the evening since everything sounded so interesting, but I was also happy to see many vegetable-forward dishes.
The Broccoli ($16) brings together roasted pork belly, pickled garlic scapes, cereal grains, and a leek ash dusted soft boiled duck egg. Cutting into the duck egg made it apparent that it was the star of the dish, with the oozing, rich yolk bringing all the components together. The pickled scapes brought the perfect contrast against the richness of the yolk, and I quite enjoyed the texture of the cereal grains lining the plate. This dish was a unanimous table favourite.
The Grilled Bannock ($14) is a fantastic sharing appetizer, served as four individual portions. With a crispy exterior and tender centre, the bannock merries it's smokiness with the umami of wild mushrooms, winged kelp, berries, and pumpkin seeds. It's a dish I would easily order again and consider having all to myself.
The Crab Tart ($14) was arguably the most beautiful dish of the night, almost too pretty to eat with the garnishing of herbs and edible flowers. The crispy rye tart held a generous portion of flaked crab meat, herbs, smoked creme fraiche and thinly sliced unripe crab apples.
Moving onto the main courses I opted for seafood, as all the options at The Butternut Tree are Oceanwise certified. The Miss Tatum Rockfish ($36), caught off the BC Coast, is plated with Saskatchewan wild rice, herbs, and a mixture of dragons tongue, fava, and green beans. The dish is finished with a light kelp broth poured tableside, giving this dish an A+ for presentation. The herbs in this dish are quite prominent, giving each bite layers of flavour, but personally I did find one to have a bit of a bitter aftertaste that didn't quite suit my palate.
My fiance ordered the Bentley Bison Duo ($44) with a juniper butter brushed striploin cooked medium rare, and a fork tender braised bison short rib. The protein was accompanied by lentils, carrots, cauliflower and Saskatoon Berry jus, all which gave a nice contrast to the perfectly cooked bison.
The Butternut Tree offers two desserts on their menu to end the evening on a sweet note. The Plum ($10) is lightly sweet with it's milk ice cream, honey meringue and oat crumble. Reminiscent of a fruit and granola parfait for breakfast, this dessert was right up my alley with the different textures and subtle sweetness.
The other option is the Ployes Cake ($12) where thin buckwheat pancakes are stacked and layered with black currant jam and finished with maple butter, whipped cream, Alberta rose petals and berries. Like the plum dessert, the ployes cake could also pass as a breakfast dish. Although dense, the cake was not overly rich and heavy like some desserts can be.
From the moment we ordered our drinks to the last bite of dessert, the we all had a wonderful evening of good food and hospitality. The Butternut Tree currently offers dinner service with a la carte plates or a tasting menu (5 course $90, $75 for vegetarian), with plans for weekend brunch in the works. Given the location and atmosphere, the restaurant does feel more upscale and is the perfect setting for an intimate meal. The use of local, seasonal ingredients also lends to a higher price point, making it a restaurant I would reserve for special occasions. With Winter around the corner, I'm looking forward to a return visit to see what Chef Downey puts on the next iteration of the menu. | 2positive
| 808 |
Congratulations, Harvest. You have inspired me to create a Yelp account just to post a review, so you know it will be a good one. I have visited this location three times and felt inclined to post this after trying the food, witnessing some absurdities and then doing light research on the owners of this company.
TL;DR version:
Eh. Okay food. Redundant concept. Over-priced. Bad location. Much better options not far away and in much nicer neighborhoods. It is a sad joke which universally characterizes Dave Magrogan (Group) restaurants. If interested in trying it, I would recommend doing it soon because I doubt this place will last much longer.
Details
Food:
They promote their healthy, under-500 calorie menu. This is a joke and a marketing ploy to disguise small portions for high prices. How did I come to this conclusion? It is a Dave Magrogan Group restaurant which does anything but care about the health of their consumers. If they did, then they would not force their seemingly indentured servers to try to sell you multiple items from the menu and create a sub-par tasting, 2,000 calorie meal. They also would probably promote this concept at their other locations if they cared so much, but I do not think Kildaire's "loaded fries" are doctor recommended. But, who cares? It is a business, right?
Some things are actually flavorful, like the braised rib an salmon. However, I am a person who feels a certain way about paying high prices for mediocre food.
Drinks:
Decent selection of wine and the servers and bartenders are generally helpful in allowing you to taste things. The cocktails (I only tried a few to be honest) are eh. Not good enough to bring me back solely for the booze.
Service:
I am an altruistic person and that may be the reason that I feel exceptionally bad for the servers here. Two of the three I had were genuinely nice and polite, the third was a bit...dense and rude. They seem to be forced to give a stupid explanation of the restaurant to everyone who sits down every time. Managers, understand this, I (and most of your customers who will pay $40+ for their meals) are not ignorant people. We can read the menus. If I do not know what one of your cleverly-named-but-actually-very-simple ingredients is, then I will use my phone to look it up or ask. Do not waste my time, the time of your staff and that of your other patrons by forcing us to listen to this. I paid particular attention to the expressions of other guests during my third time in the restaurant. The looks of genuine lethargy are almost universal. Drop the act and quit your needless self-promotion.
Location:
I could honestly see how this place is so popular in their other location (Glen Mills). It is suburbia there! 40th and Walnut is not suburbia. People have been shot and robbed there (Sorry if this sounds like fear-mongering). It does not fit there. Whatever business consultant advised that this would be a worthwhile investment should be sued. I do not enjoy leaving my $100+ meal with my wife and being concerned for our well-being as neighborhood crowds flush out of the theater and drunken college students almost get hit by cars. One time you offered me valet parking. Really? Really, Harvest? This is not Center City. Get over yourselves.
Other:
Now, this is a big reason why I felt so inclined to post a review. Two times I have witnessed a tool'ish manager and an obesely overweight chef reprimanding their staff in clear view of the guests in a very degrading fashion. Doing it in front of us is one thing, but doing it all in the manner which I saw is a whole other issue. What I saw physically disgusted me..or maybe it was the stale dessert. I saw one manager try to express his Napoleon complex by berating a busy server for not bringing me their tray of desserts even though I explicitly said I was not interested. I know I should not attack the chef for being so overweight, even though it is a bit ironic that he is part of a place which promotes healthy lifestyles and who I have seen once bring a bag of McDonald's inside the restaurant. However, when I saw him physically slap a staff member multiple times on the arm in a very not-joking way, then I decided that this walking pile of cholesterol deserved to be publicly called-out on both his lack of intelligence and professionalism.
Patrons, if you have any reason to be in this neighborhood then it might be worth checking out, but approach it as you would a standard Hollywood movie. Far too familiar and only mildly satisfying.
Harvest, Dave Magrogan Group, you have been lucky with some of your locations, this one not so much. | 0negative
| 818 |
*****UPDATED REVIEW*****
We went back and service/food was beyond incredible. We had a party of 12 and each dish of the custom made menu was on point. Service was also superb. New favorite restaurant in Philly!!! Give it a try, you won't be a disappointed!
*****
SYNOPSIS: For the price, Laurel lacks creativity and fails to achieve the same culinary punch as the chef once had at Le Bec Fin. If you are looking for fine dining French that will deliver consistently solid dishes without any duds, I would recomme
To begin, it took the waitress about 15 minutes to come over to our table and ask what we would like to drink. We ordered wine, but it took us ~27 minutes (I timed it) to get our wine after we had ordered it. By that time, we had already finished a mouse and our first course. Our waitress was also rather gauche and
The first course was Raw Spanish Mackerel with a green spice and thin crispy chip that contained the only flavor on this otherwise bland dish. However, it was not just the lack of flavor that made this dish unspectacular: rather, one piece of the Mackerel itself tasted fishy while the other piece, though not fishy, had either been cut improperly or was just unbearably sinewy.
The second course was the hand torn scallops served over some sort of white French mother sauce and accompanied by assorted vegetables. This dish was pretty good in terms of the actual flavor profiles, textures, and the scallops themselves were absolutely delectable. For me, the problem is that the scallop should have been the hero on the plate -- however, it was torn to shreds quite literally to the point where each remnant of what used to be a scallop was too small and allowed the other components of the dish to overwhelm it.
The third course of snails was by far the most creative in my mind. The snails were served in a diaphanous white foam -- quite literally submerged in it as taking a bath. To contrast the overall soft texture of the dish, it came with a delicious preserved chip that provided the right texture and flavor contrast to give the dish a memorable burst. No complaints here!
Next, we had ordered the ricotta gnocchi for $55 more (which is supposedly what they are known for). As both an Italian citizen and someone who has worked in the kitchen at a fine dining Italian restaurant, this dish was quite simply poorly executed. I will give them credit for the house made gnocchi themselves which were delectably light but that would, unfortunately, not be enough to salvage this dish from the heavy hand of the chef. The white cheese sauce was just far too powerful for this dish (or any for that matter) with an acidic aftertaste that easily overwhelmed the thinly shaved truffles --- in fact, you could barely taste any truffles in the dish as a result of the sauce!! If it were a plate in the tasting menu, I would have been disappointed. At $55 more-a-pop, it felt like a ripoff.
For the fifth course, it was an Arctic char in a Bechemal sauce with an almond butter and crispy chips. While I am not a fan of Arctic char, the dish is sure to please those who like it as my girlfriend was a big fan. Even I could appreciate the flavor combinations here which were unique and complemented the fish nicely.
For the sixth course came the Chicken. The chicken was excellent. It is hard to WOW with chicken but theirs was cooked impeccably and served with a natural jous that gave it the flavor it often lacks in other restaurants and when we cook it at home.
As the final course, we were served the venison which was good but not great. While cooked properly, it simply lacked flavor. Perhaps the sauce it came with would have made it better, but I would not know there was only a tiny drop of it on the plate, barely enough to wet your tongue.
No matter, we ordered the wagyu beef for an additional $55 that came out with this course. This was the highlight of the meal in my opinion. I have had real Kobe and Wagyu at many places -- this chef, unlike many, did it justice. The wagyu was cooked to perfection with an amazing, crispy sear on the outside while preserving the juices and rareness of the inside. Think of very well done "Pittsburgh rare" without any discernible burnt flavor on the outside.
The deserts provided an underwhelming finish to the meal. There were several small bites. One was an lemon ice cream which was for too citrusy for my liking and another a chocolate mousse with caramel which was too sweet to take more than a lick before setting it aside. In addition, they brought out marshmallows and toasted them in front of us for a few second as if that would make an underwhelming marshmallow delicious --- it does not.
All in all, we did damage of ~$400. For that price, we should have had the meal of our lives. Unfortunately, this is not even in the top 5 meals I have had in Philadelphia.
For the price, you are better doing the tasting menu at Lacroix for $105 a person or perhaps even Vetri for $155 a per | 2positive
| 910 |
Me and the bf went for a belated birthday celebration dinner for me since I have been wanting to go out. We had been here maybe 2 or 3 years ago with my dad and remember not being too impressed except for sushi... Anyways roll back to the present, we were very undecided but eventually settled on this because we wanted a little sushi and maybe some steamer clams, unfortunately we didnt look at the menu before hand (we saw they closed at 9:30 and it was going on to 8:30 already) and they only had steamer clams with a MP seafood dinner thing. I wonder out loud if we asked though if they would have made an appetizer of steamer clams or not?
The decor is yes, very over the top, and so over the top its funny. It does remind you of Disneyland or something. We like the decor at the Nugget's Oyster Bar more with the ship theme. Anyways there was technically at 10-15 minute wait but the host guy was super nice and seated us within 5 minutes actually. We took a long time to decide but I started with the Strawberry Lemonaide cocktail ($10.25!!) and it was pretty good but I wouldn't get it again. So finally we decided and had to wait a bit b/c after telling the server (Tomas from somewhere near Poland, nice guy) that we weren't ready he had some other tables to close up and attend to first, but you get like a half roll of sourdough bread (yum) so we were occupied with food while we waited. So we ordered:
a godzilla sushi roll ($9)
a crab cocktail ($15!!)
a combination pan roast ($22) and
swordfish dinner with fresh vegetables and roasted potatoes ($24)
The godzilla takes extra prep time so we ended up waiting for at least 10 minutes for appetizer-ish things ( it felt like more so I'm conservatively guesttimating it was probably only 10). We loved the godzilla (definately hit the spot), its always one of our favorites anywhere we go and we just wanted a small fix of sushi and werent necessarily in the mood for all you can eat. The crab cocktail was pretty good and pretty fresh (but I think its not necessarily crab season), I guess for the price it was an okay amount because there were quite a few leg pieces. Oh and it comes with 3 sauces: a regular cocktail sauce, a whtie creamy horseradishy sauce, and a weird green spicy sauce. I forgot to take pictures of these, the godzilla was pretty. The combination pan roast doesnt compare to the Nugget's oyster bar (but we already knew that), the bf thought it was really sweet while I thought it was still pretty good. There is definately more broth here because at the Nugget's its like loaded with seafood. The swordfish comes with a sauce selection and I was pretty unknowlegdable on what to choose. I asked the server for recommendation and he said for him he liked butter and garlic but it didnt sell me because I wanted to know what would be best for flavor with the swordfish. The bf and I agreed to the bernaise sauce. The vegetables were very yummy, you know how most of the time they vegetables taste like wax? Here the squashes and peas and carrots had no trace of waxiness! The roast potatoes were sweet and flavorful (even without gravy :) ) the swordfish wasnt at first what I expected... I thought it was maybe a little dry but it is very smokey flavored from the fiery wood grill, but with lemon (that had a seed catcher, cool) and dabs of the bernaise sauce I found it to be really good. We actually ended up taking most of the entrees home and the server offered to pour the pan roast in the cup for us. Then I had to try the creme brulee ($7) and it was very delicious and cool presentation (pictures will be uploaded). Oh lastly I got a pepsi later on with the entrees and it was $3!! I thought it might not have been added considering I did order a drink before hand (Some times I've noticed if you get a cocktail or something some places dont charge for a soda).
So the overall impression was, we have lived in Nevada all our lives so totally used to cheesy, over the top decor and themes, but considering we paid $120 with a very generous tip of almost $20 we will probably go to the Nugget's Oyster Bar if craving some pan roast and a regular sushi place for a quick sushi fix. Its just hard to justify coming back when I compare that in another review of mine for the Pine Lodge in Lamoille, NV that we paid $100 for a filet mignon and snow crab and prime rib and creme brulee so it feels like we spent a lot of money for not so much in food.
Update: Later that night I ate some our left overs and during the middle of th night came real close to puking, but didnt. Talked to the bf the next morning and he said he almost got sick as well that night... we think it was the pan roast and something was just off kilter... regardless emphasized the fact we wont be returning. Keeping 3 stars for the service. | 1neutral
| 909 |
I was unsure how many stars to give this pizzeria.
Previous to last night's experience, I'd have given them 5 stars. The best pizza that I had tried in Philly out of probably a dozen different places. The hand-tossed dough is thick and doughy toward the outside, thin and crispy toward the inside (and that's a good thing, believe me). The sauce is sweet and tangy with minimal savory spices. Which is exactly how I enjoy my sauce, though that's more a personal opinion. And a medium-lightish layer of high-quality mozz.
But last night, I called ahead to order a half plain, half hawaiian pizza for my girlfriend and I. They said the pizza would be done in 10 or so minutes. I was wondering how on earth they could make a pizza in that amount of time, but I wasn't going to complain.
I go in and get the pizza approx. 12 minutes after making the call (I'll explain why this is important later). I go to pay for the pizza and they tell me its 22 dollars and change. I think to myself that that's outrageously expensive for a pie that is half plain, but its a huge box and I know that the pizza is delicious so I don't think too much of it.
I get into the car where my girlfriend is waiting, and we both notice an odd cinnamon smell. We open the pizza box a little bit to peak inside and make sure we have the correct pizza, and sure enough, we see a pizza -- half plain and half pineapples and ham. So we figure we're just being crazy.
We get home about 20 minutes later, and get inside. We open the pizza box fully now, in the light of our apartment, and we are bewildered when we see that the hawaiian half of the pizza is, in fact, covered in cinnamon.
It is also tiny. This place has never been particularly consistent with sizing (something I accepted as a lesser of two evils, since it is hand tossed). But this pizza was closest to the average medium size pizza that I have gotten from them in the past.
And in what is possibly the worst transgression of all, the cheese is burnt in some parts, and barely melted on a few circular areas on the pie. What does this tell me? They took an old pie that was already cooked, threw on a couple toppings, sprinkled some cheese on top, and threw it back in the oven. The middle of the pie, which is thinner than the outside is now burnt and crumbling due to it being baked TWICE. They gave me an OLD PIE. This could perhaps be excusable if I ordered a slice. But a pizza place should NEVER reheat an old pizza when someone orders a whole, new pizza.
(Ignoring my various other complaints for now) I call the place to ask if cinnamon comes standard on their hawaiian pizza, and the guy on the phone is like "WTF of course not?" He hands the phone over to the other employee, and this employee apologizes and says that he made the mistake looking at two orders at the same time and putting a topping on the wrong pizza.
So it becomes clear to me now that this employee was fully aware that he completely ruined my pizza, and gave it to me anyway, hoping I wouldn't call back.
They offered to make another pizza, but I told them that I was not about to make a 40 minute round trip drive to fix their mistake. Then he says the driver can drop it off with me. But when I tell him I live near Temple, he says that's too far. Next he tells me that he remembers my name and if I call back another time, I can get a free pizza.
I tell him that I'm only in that part of the city every other week for a therapy appointment, and that I seriously doubt I'm going to get a free pizza when I call 2 weeks from now and say "Hi my name is Cody, can I have a free pizza please?".
At this point I hang up. Now, I'm questioning everything. So I look up their menu online. I see that they have a "Large" and an "Extra Large" option for their pies. So I think, "Oh, maybe they gave me the large pie and not the extra large, and that explains why the pie is so small. But the prices for the large size pies were far below the $23 that I paid in the store. Then I think "Wow, they charged me for an extra large pie, and only gave me a large. What scumbags." So next I look into the prices for the extra large pies.
Get this. The price that I paid for my Half Plain/Half Hawaiian Large pizza, was MORE MONEY than they list their EXTRA LARGE FULL HAWAIIAN PIZZA on their web site.
So I paid MORE than what they charge for the full specialty pie, for a size-down half-specialty pie.
I'm beyond words.
So ultimately, I decided that the fair thing to do is to give them 3 stars. If you go there, you'll probably get an incredible pie. But there is a slim chance that you will OVERpay for a terrible, terrible, pie.
I haven't decided if I'm going to go back yet. | 1neutral
| 915 |
The experience happened on Tuesday, July 3rd, 2018. We arrived at close to 6pm and there was a wait for a table...maybe 10 minutes. Not too shabby. The host was little more than a teenager. Asked how many and asked for a name. No clue uttered as to how long the wait will be or that he was sorry there was a wait to start with. Not a huge deal but I notice details.
We were seated in the very center of the restaurant just next to a huge fountain that had no water in it. We sat there surrounded by 3 empty tables wondering why there had been a 10 minute wait if there are empty tables. Found out later. We continued to sit there for another 15 minutes before a rather harried waitress with a very soft voice came over to ask about drinks. We had to ask her to repeat everything. I ordered a sweet tea and water. My honey ordered water. We also placed our order before she ran off because we feared if we said we needed more time she would not come around for another 15 minutes. After we placed our order we noticed the same waitress took orders from 3 other tables before ever heading towards the kitchen to put our orders in.
We got our drinks and salsa and chips within 5 minutes. And then we waited another 35-40 minutes for our food to arrive.the water was tap water. Disgusting. The waitress did not check on us or come to tell us what the hold up was. We noticed that people who ordered after us got their food while we still waited for ours. We had a nice conversation going so it wasn't a huge deal.. but again I notice details. At one point my honey wanted a margarita that he saw on one of the TVs. We had to flag her down as she ran around the restaurant. Eventually the food arrived and we got a refill of the sweet tea and my honey got his margarita.
I ordered mushroom tacos no sour cream and a cheesy chile relleno. My honey ordered steak tacos and he too got a chile relleno.
When the food came my tacos had sour cream and the waitress took them back. She returned with my plate quickly.
Reactions? The chile relleno had the distinct flavor of freezer burn. It wasn't awful but it sort of felt sub-par after that. I would not recommend it even though the parts that were not freezer burned tasted nice. The dish was pretty cold by the time I cut into it. Parts of the breading were cold and biting into it i felt like biting into a sponge and cold melt water squirted into my mouth. A bad experience. Do not order the chile relleno. Sad face
The mushroom tacos, although equally cool in temperature, tasted very nice. The mushrooms were grilled and the flavors nice. Fresh sliced avocados made it creamy and gave the tacos a delicious flavor. Fresh pico really made it lovely. There was a rounded pile of reddish rice to one side of the plate which I did not feel belonged with this dish. The rice was cold and firm as if it had been sitting on that plate for a long while. It did not really have much of a taste but made the plate look fuller. The lettuce that came with the dish was very wet too. Obviously cleaned but left wet. No bueno.
My honey loved the steak tacos. The biggest issue for him was that we waited so long for our food that we filled up on chips and salsa and were not able to finish everything on our plates.
We did not see the waitress again after she dropped off the food till we flagged her down about the bill. The entire visit was close to 2 hours and the service was soooo bad. While we understand that 1 waitress serving half the restaurant due to understaffing is not the waitresses fault... the experience that she and the customers have suffers terribly. And while the restaurants understaffing issue isn't her fault, the fact that we barely saw a smile and did not feel very welcome by her at all was indeed her area.
The food had the potential for excellence. The 3 stars in this review is for the food. The lack of 2 extra stars is for the shit service.
Summary? Avoid the chile relleno, order the steak tacos and sweet tea. Mushroom tacos with only the pico and nothing else on the plate.
Food was decent. Service was crap.
Thanks. | 1neutral
| 781 |
I'm really torn with this rating. Since it's possible I may not be hungry in this area to visit Sea Hut again, I'll round up. While the food was quite delicious, with large portions, disappointing service is the main reason I can't award 5 stars. And because of this experience, I would not make a special trip just to dine here
We arrived around 2:55pm on Superbowl Sunday, after checking Yelp for open restaurants near the southern end of the Sunshine Skyway. A sign outside the entrance doors advised that the restaurant would be closing at 4pm for the Superbowl. Since none of us were starving, an hour seemed to be a reasonable amount of time, & the restaurant was not busy.
A couple of people in our party of five requested to be seated at a table, instead of at a large booth (which looked to seat 6 comfortably), after the host offered us the choice. The host left but when he returned to walk us to our table, he still seemed a bit undecided as to where he was seating us. We were finally led to a quiet room with no other diners. After a solid five minutes, a waitress approached, visibly confused as to why we were there & for how long we had been waiting. She then suggested we move to a booth in another room, but we reiterated that we preferred the table with chairs. She immediately took our drink order & returned with our drinks in record-time, ready to take our food order. I personally wish I'd had longer to browse the expansive menu, but everyone else had decided.
In spite of her obvious expeditiousness, our waitress was incredibly helpful in suggesting I choose the single crabcake entree for $2 more than the appetizer version, because the entree included two sides. She was also very helpful in answering my sister's questions about different items' preparation & ingredients. Our plates came out quickly, though not all at once. This actually gave me time for food pics so we could start eating once we had all been served! But, in her haste to serve our food, our waitress hadn't brought us silverware, so we had to wait.
My sister's grilled flounder sandwich had so much meat that a large piece hung over the side of the plate. Unfortunately, our waitress was in such a hurry to serve us that she set down the plate ON TOP of this piece of fish. While our waitress was still standing there, trying to explain that they were out of baked potatoes because they were closing early (?), my mom removed the now-soiled portion, set it on the table & waited, in vain, for the waitress to apologize or even react. That aside, my sister said the flounder was very tasty. She chose carrots as her replacement side, but couldn't eat them because they were not warm, as if served right out of the can.
My crabcake had a light breading; it was very good & chunky with meat. I loved my fried okra as well! The macaroni & cheese was just OK, though not bad at all. I'd also ordered the Lobster Salad Cold Plate & it was amazing! The lobster pieces were HUGE, mixed with a creamy sauce that wasn't overly tangy or sweet, which was perfect to not overpower the lobster meat. The large pile of lobster salad was served on a bed of lettuce leaves along with two hard-boiled egg halves, sliced beets & tomato wedges, plus soda crackers. The cold plate also included a bowl of cole slaw or cottage cheese; since I don't care for either, I asked hubs for his preference & he chose cottage cheese. Alas, a bowl of slaw was served to me, but since our waitress was already flustered & clearly ready to call it a day, I said nothing. And, hubs said the cole slaw was quite good as he finished every bite.
Our waitress returned less than 20 minutes after all of us were finally able to start eating, but not to offer needed refills (nor did we receive any) - she asked if we wanted boxes for our food. Though none of us had finished yet, we agreed, knowing we would have leftovers anyway. She offered to bring me a selection of small container cups with lids for my various items, and a large box for hubs' leftover sandwich & fries. She also brought the other guests one large box each. However, when my mom saw the handy small cups I'd received, she asked for one for her cole slaw. The waitress bruskly informed her that she had given me the last two & offered no alternative. Since I'd also received a larger plastic soup-style container, Mom asked if she could have one like that instead. The waitress said, "well, that will have to do" and rushed off. When she returned, magically with the styrofoam cup my mom had initially requested, she brought our checks with her. We vacated the table at 3:47pm, & I watched the host turn away an older couple arriving to eat as we left.
Maybe Sea Hut had a private party planned, or was simply giving staff time off for the Superbowl. Regardless, as a customer, I felt the execution of closing early was awkward & uncomfortable. The food was quite good, & I'd probably return if I'm in the area, but wouldn't make the drive from Tampa. | 2positive
| 916 |
We, heathens and Jews, drove around the No Libs/ Fishtown/ Fairmount area , in search of dinner on this holiest of Resurrection Eves. We had passed on the allure of "Philly's Best Tater Tots" at North Bowl, in favor of a highly touted Burger at Sketch. Sadly, Sketch was closed for the week, and a Mexican spot in Fairmount also proved to be run by devout catholics. When Silk City was mentioned, my ears perked up, as it was something I had heard of here on Yelp, and was interested to try it.
We found free and nearby parking and headed over. It wasnt super packed, but just busy enough to hand us a half hour wait. This wasnt so bad, however we had arrived hungrier than a pothead at a Phish concert. The smells wafting from the dining area, and the sights of steaming food arriving at tables made the wait seem even longer.
Ill explain Lemming mentality. We were 4 people standing in line. The 2 in back not paying attention to the 2 in front. When the 2 in front decided to use the bathroom, the 2 in back followed, thinking we were being sat. I cant even begin to explain how disappointing it is, to think you are about to sit and eat, only to be standing in front of a bathroom. I didnt even have to go, so my other Lemming friend and I took the walk of shame, back to the waiting area.
Finally, it was time for us to be sat for real, however this time I made sure the long walk was not in vain, before leaving my spot. Silk is a cute little diner area. For our purposes tonight, we steered clear of the bar and dance area, in favor of the food.
There was no real uniform, the servers all wore what was comfortable, and as a former server, I appreciated this. I did have a small comic fantasy of just walking up to a table and beginning to serve someone. The pitfalls when the staff blends in with the masses. Our particular server was great. She got our food to us quickly (a godsend in our famished state) and checked back on us often. She answered our questions like a sport, and we had quite a few.
As I stated ad nauseum, we were hungry and came for the food. Even though, in this state, a hot dog would have tasted like filet mignon,
we were impressed on how good the food was.Id give the food 5 stars, I only take off a star because we didnt get the whole Silk City experience yet.
I started with a Pear Cider, which I had heard about and was curious to try. It tasted like sweettarts, which isnt really my thing but was refreshing on a spring evening. We ordered 2 plates of wings, one Thai Chili and one Buffalo. These may be the best wings id ever had. They were well done, crisp and the sauce was perfect (not dry or dripping). It was a tough call, but id say I liked the Thai ones better. I may come here just for those wings and the next time a "Best Wings?" thread pops up, Im typing 2 words...Silk City.
Thinking I would be eating at Sketch, I had a taste for a burger, and the one at Silk looked good, but my eyes kept drifting towards another item. Ive mentioned before, that I love meatloaf. Actually, when Im in an unfamiliar diner, I usually go for the Loafed meat. Its simple comfort food, and its hard to mess up, although some are better than others. Silk impressed me again here. The key ingredient here was bacon. Its so simple, I dont know why ive never thought of it before. They wrapped a slice of bacon around the meatloaf. Genius, and added great flavor to an already tasty meat loaf, not to mention a bangin' mushroom gravy and Mashed potatoes and peas. It was top notch. My only complaint was too many peas. I like peas but even with giving each thing on my plate , steady fork rotation, there was a whole cans worth of peas left on my plate. Still, that is my only problem and its petty and minor.
As diners go, the menu wasnt that large and ecclectic, but with the quality of food we got (oh yeah, everyone else liked their food too, I think, I was too deep into my food nirvana to notice.) its OK by me. They could cut the menu down to just the 2 items that I tried and Id still be back and Id still recommend Silk to others. For a few wonderful hours, I got to feel like Guy Fiere from "Diners, Driveins and Dives" getting superior food and diner service, but without the sting of his peroxide. Well Done Silk City! | 2positive
| 823 |
The first time that we were in Philly we had to try one of the big tourist attractions Pat's or Geno's (we went with Pat's which I loved), but one of our friends who had lived in Philly was a big advocate for Ishkabibble's so we made a mental note of it to try the next time we were in town. Fast forward a couple months and we're back and ready to try Ishkabibble's. We went on a Saturday for lunch and arrived around 12-12:15 and the place was completely empty which made me a little skeptical, but as soon as we ordered and sat down a group of 12 people came in to order and then maybe 3-4 separate groups of people after them. The food came out fairly quick, but that could be due to the lack of customers when we had gotten there. It was nice to see the meat freshly cooked right in front of you. We had looked up reviews of Ishkabibble's before coming to see what it was like and what to expect. Some were saying that the roll was too chewy which really didn't seem like a problem to me because I love chewy bread, so I was actually looking forward to the roll.
We both ordered a philly cheesesteak with onions and whiz and a side of small cheese fries.
We got our food and it was just piping hot, but I could not wait to dig in and after the first bite I just wanted to keep going. I really liked the meat, I never felt that it was ever dry and it was flavorful against the strong flavor of the cheese. I actually really enjoyed the size of the onions, it is chopped up a little more finely than most people prefer, but I liked it and I thought it integrated nicely in the sandwich. I saw the woman putting the whiz on our sandwiches... 3 full pumps of whiz! She did it so carefully it made me really appreciate it because the whiz was distributed equally through the entire length of the sandwich. I've seen places that just carelessly get whiz on a sandwich as fast as possible and it's not even covering the entire sandwich, but here it was just perfect. Believe me when I say that I NEVER thought I would say this, but it was almost too much whiz... gasp.. I know, how is that possible? Don't get me wrong, the sandwich was delicious, but it was a tad on the salty side. Towards the end of my sandwich I felt like it was getting to be a little too much. The roll was chewy, but i LOVED it. Because we ate it right away, it never got soggy, but I can't testify to if would get really soggy if you got take-out.
Something my husband and I were both pleasantly surprised by was the quality of the fries... they're just regular fries, but whoever is working the fryer is honestly the champ. Even though we got cheese fries, every fry was crispy and really enjoyable to eat including the ones that were literally covered in cheese whiz. It sounds silly, but I would give the fries a try to go along with your sandwich, the small is a pretty good size to share among two people as a side.
The woman there was super nice and friendly as soon as we came in and gave us menus and was pleasant to interact with. I could tell that she really cares about what she does (ESP. with the way that she put the cheese whiz on our sandwiches). We didn't interact with the man, cook, or fryer at all, but you could see that they were doing their jobs to the best of their ability. The man was taking orders at the register right next to us and he was very respectful to every customer and it made me feel better about supporting their business.
The only thing I would say I wasn't a huge fan of was the price. Among the places that we had seen it was the highest in price. I don't really know if this is the norm now, but it was $10 for a cheesesteak whereas I know some other surrounding places were less than $10 (around $8-$9.75, not a huge difference, but there's something about getting into the double digits). That's just a small factor, but I guess for the amount they charge you, they make up for it in cheese whiz.
Definitely would want to come back! | 2positive
| 768 |
To be fair, if there was a 1/2 star ability, I would give it 3 & 1/2 stars. I was there at the last few days of January just to get away and it was snowing there on the strip. (Yeah!) The check-in was easy enough, as reservations were made through an external company. You know, I walked through the lobby, did the tourist look-see around & noticed that the ONLY thing in the entire lobby area (or anywhere else for that matter) that was actually SILVER in colour were the trash cans!!!! Everything else was brass....hmmm. Wouldn't you think they'd continue with the "Silver" theme?........
I went with mom & we got a bedroom with 2 queen beds on the 33rd floor. (It actually snowed UP our window! That was kewl!) However, the room was a bit average, as many other postings have noted. The El Dorado that I stayed at in December was a lot more put together and current that this hotel & go figure that they're linked together! I'm not a big gambler, but I do rather enjoy the *click*, *whir*, *clink, clink*, *ding, ding, ding, ding* sounds when I play the slots. I came out even...so does that mean I WON? The slots were fun here, but I thoroughly enjoyed Harrah's slots more so.
Okay, so this is where I bitch about a variety of things that just annoyed me or pissed me off, so bare with me!
"Cafe Sedona"...sounds nice in an Arizona escape kinda way, right?... Hahaha! Would you believe that I got the Hong Kong Special Chow Mein! It was really fresh food (shrimp, scallops, chicken, pork, fresh veggies). The bitch-out part was that it took 10 minutes to get water, an extra 15 minutes for someone to finally take my order and and extra 1 hour to FINALLY get my food! I really wish I was exaggerating, but I'm not. The harshest part of it all was that it was my first night there & I just got off of an 11 hour train ride!! I was a huuuuuuuungry bunny!! I scarfed that faster than I should have. But then I hit the bar across the way to make it all better! hehehe
"Sips Coffee & Tea"...aaahhh, I was so looking forward to starting my first full day with their advertised, "Dark Mocha". I was excited till it touched my palate. Ugh! WAY to sweet! Where was the bitter "dark" chocolate that I was soooo looking forward to?...That creamy rich mocha that I was anticipating left me disappointed, as it just WASN'T as advertised. I drank it out of obligation more than anything. I'm not a Starbucks girl and this was way to close to the evil green company's drinks. Needless to say, I went to the El Dorado Coffee Company in The El Dorado later on. That made up for the utter disappointment that morning.
Flavors! The Buffet was open till "Close" as they put it. Their version of "Close" was 9pm!!! WTF!!! We all know that you can lose yourself completely in any gambling areas, especially cuz there are no clocks. So my question is WHY?!
The most annoying was their "Aura Ultra Lounge". OMG.....WHAT?!!! That place ULTRA SUCKED!...It ULTRA BLEW!...It was an ULTRA RIP-OFF!! The ULTRA sad wanna-be acrobatic cocktail servers might have put an ounce of alcohol in my Cosmo...perhaps waved the Kahlua over the Kahlua & Creme. But, that was it!!! And do you know the guy was trying to tell my that my sad & pathetic Cosmo was $12.00 & it wasn't even in a "regulation" size glass! UGH! Soooo ULTRA PISSED OFF!!!
**********But there's a SILVER lining************
To make up for this ULTRA pathetic drink, we went to Rum Bullions!! DAMN! Talk about having a HEAVY HANDED POUR!!! Man, when we left this bar (after only paying $7.50 per drink that actually had alcohol galore in it), we were having a ball, laughing our asses off & somehow the only part of the conversation that I remember having by the time we left that bar was something having to do with GAY PORN & NACHOS! ....uuuhhh...I dunno.....don't ask...I still haven't figured it out!....
So go figure that my favorite part of The Silver Legacy was the bar, Rum Bullions......Does that make me discerning, or simply a lush?
I won't be lining up to go here again as far as staying over, but now I can say that I tried it on for size & that at least Rum Bullions fit me juuuuuuust right! | 1neutral
| 759 |
I'd pondered stopping in to Kinsey's Italian Cafe on many occasions while serving a church in Hagerstown, Indiana. Every weekend for several months, I'd drive by Kinsey's and find myself intrigued by its sign decorated in the colors of the Italian flag. I'd think to myself "This seems like a unique restaurant for tiny McCordsville, Indiana" and then I'd continue on my merry way.
Today, a holiday for state employees, I took the time to drive out to McCordsville, a small town on the border of the Marion/Hancock County line, and I decided to finally visit Kinsey's Italian Cafe.
Kinsey's is located in a small strip building right on W. Broadway in McCordsville. For Indy residents and the directionally challenged, Pendleton Pike in Indy turns into Broadway in McCordsville. There's only one accessible parking spot, not truly ADA compliant, but workable. There's several other parking spots and it is not really that difficult to find a spot that will work for a chair.
The front entrance has one fairly light door going in, though it's a pull-out door rather than a "push." The spring on the door isn't the greatest, so I had to stretch a bit to get it to close.
Once you go in, you're smack dab in the middle of a modestly sized, simply decorated dining room with light Italian touches, white walls, and a smalltown Indiana feel. I instantly found it comfortable. There was a "please seat yourself" sign out, but the only server working, Mickie, was at a table nearby and instantly started serving up hospitality. She allowed me my pick of tables and moved an appropriate chair to accommodate the wheelchair. In what had to be a weird occurrence for Kinsey's, about five minutes after my arrival another couple arrived and one of the two adults also was in a wheelchair.
Mickie took my drink order, the usual unsweetened iced tea, while I browsed the menu. It was clear, and later affirmed, that they are consciously expanding their menu beyond the already comprehensive Italian fare they offer. While the menu had dinner prices, Kinsey's also offers smaller luncheon fare that are lower price. The luncheon specials include a side salad and garlic knots. I will admit I sort of compromised my crave - I was actually in the mood for Italian, but when I spied a tenderloin on the menu I instantly wanted to try it. A friend of mine is The Tenderloin Connoisseur and I'm always trying to steer him to a new place. Mickie also informed me that they'd only recently started hand-breading their tenderloin and already made their own breads. To summarize their menu, they serve up appetizers, salads, pizzas, calzones, Italian specialty dinners, subs, a variety of sandwiches, desserts, and more. They have daily lunch specials in the $6-8 range, though dinner prices are in the more moderate range (think in the teens).
They offer dine-in, carry-out and catering.
While there was no question that the tenderloin was truly hand-breaded and served as ordered, I must admit that I was quickly disappointed with this selection. It wasn't bad. It wasn't good. It was simply a hand-breaded tenderloin. I appreciated that the thickness was consistent and the texture was consistent, but I found the meat itself to be too chewy and the overall flavor to be somewhat bland. I was glad I'd ordered mayo, which I don't usually do, because that eased the the texture issue quite a bit. Still, it's not something I would order again. It came with chips, though you could upgrade to fries or onion rings - I upgraded to fries for $1.75. They were good - lightly browned and slightly crispy. The serving size for both items was quite abundant and with a meal just over $11, you got a good amount of food for the price.
The iced tea was good and I received a "topping off," a refill, and one for the road. So, that was definitely awesome.
While I've seen several reviews mention teen servers, on this visit only Mickie was around and she was top notch throughout my visit. She was friendly, hospitable, and genuinely interested when I critiqued the tenderloin in a less than positive manner. I didn't ask for nor expect a refund/discount - again, it wasn't bad. It simply wasn't something I'd try again. Next time, I plan to hit their Italian menu.
So, if you're keeping score (and you should be), that's good access, average tenderloin, terrific service, and a pretty darn good value. I even listened to Mickie deal with a customer's order issue and resolve it without ever getting a "tone," not always easy when you're representing a smaller, local business. I also found Mickie's service of diversity worth mentioning - with only a few customers, this particular smalltown Indiana business had black, white, disabled, and a child all amongst their clientele. Mickie treated each person well and managed the dining room quite nicely the entire time. | 1neutral
| 831 |
It was my last night in town. It would be one thing if I had just looked up Brennan's in a tourist pamphlet or something, but, I was trying to recreate the joy that I had had as a child. My family and I used to come to New Orleans, and I remembered the warm and happy memories that we had dressing up and celebrating with bananas foster.
To start, we didn't have a reservation. So we sat in the lounge area. We were about to leave since it looked like a human version of Hitchcock's "The Birds", but, then found a table after two people abruptly got up from the lounge area and left. My friend moved over to the (now empty) table and then asked a man in a dress coat (who we later realized was the manager) if the table might be unoccupied since the people left so abruptly. His body language was interesting and he acted like the table was an attractive woman with whom his wife had seen him talking to; he kept denying that he knew ANYTHING about the table's occupancy... My friend went on to ask a waitress who soon glided into the lounge section about the occupancy and she looked on agape as my friend asked whether or not the table was occupied. She kept saying that she didnt know... like we were asking her for the answer to world peace or something.
I finally just sat down. Annoyed. Any way, we ended up ordering from our waiter and were given turtle soup- which was AMAZING and the creole ceasar salad-very good. The lounge atomosphere was upbeat, but, we couldn't help noting that our waiter kept being called away to handle other work related issues and there were a number of side heated conversations that the waiter had with the staff. We paid it no mind and went on to order our dessert-bananas foster.
Now, you have to understand that bananas foster is a legend in my mind. I remember having it as a little girl and delighted in its warm buttery sweetness. So, I was super excited to get bananas foster... and the evening went BANANAS. First, the waiter brought the portable flambé station over to a patron's table near us after we had ordered the dessert. He chatted them up and then served them bananas foster. Great, we're next right?
The waiter wheeled the the flambé station over to our table next and asked me to me over to the opposite side of the table (since he was setting up). I obliged and moved across the way. He set up the station and then went to another table to clear it. Then, some other waitress runs over to him in a panic, they discuss, and walk away. Our waiter then comes back 5-8 minutes later and wheels away the flambé station... no communication with us about what has happened. No eye contact. Nothing. NADA.
So, at this time, I'm pissed. I get up and talk with the manager and let him know that this experience has not really been great and he is super apologetic. He says that he will get the bananas foster right away and that the waiter "accidentally" moved the flambé station to us in error since two women at the bar were also going to get bananas foster. He also happens to state that the dessert was "on him".
We go back to the table and the manager sets up the bananas foster on another flambé station. He then tells us about the history of the creation of the bananas foster and serves us. It's delicious. He asks us if we would like anything else and we say that we would like another round of drinks. At this point, he also leans in and says that the drinks are "on him". Fine, great, thanks.
So, we finally get the bill and while the drinks were on him, he clarifies that the dessert being on him meant that he would prepare it quickly for us. We are physicians in town for a conference. My job is similar to the manager in that I am always having to put out fires and appease patient's concerns. At some point, there has to be some accounting for integrity and character. This sure wasn't it.
Brennan's rebooted restaurant pales in comparison to the old Brennan's largely because of haphazard management and crazy sporadic service. While the food is great, the night was a plethora of seeming musical chairs and resembled something out of a Seinfeld episode. I want my money back. | 0negative
| 770 |
Trader Joe's has finally come to Tampa, and after all of the waiting I can assure you that the store is worth the hype. Yeah, it's gonna be crazy crowded for the next several weeks, but once the initial frothing-at-the-mouth-must-have-cookie-butter mania subsides we still have a pretty phenomenal marketplace located a few blocks south of Kennedy off of Dale Mabry.
The store can be found about half a block off of Dale Mabry on Swann Avenue, in a refurbished space that used to house a health club. There is a small parking lot adjacent to the store that holds about 70 vehicles, and once that's full you're on your own to find a space. Many of the enterprising neighbors are renting parking space on their front lawns for $5, or you can park in the lot at the Christ the King Catholic Church about a block away and say a few "Hail Mary's" as you walk back towards Trader Joe's. I would imagine that the parking issue will settle down in a few weeks, and it'll be just like any other business in south Tampa.
You'll feel the vibe as soon as you walk through the front doors at Trader Joe's. There are a lot of staff members roaming the aisles, restocking the shelves, answering questions, and helping people find various items -- and they are all laughing, joking, and having a great time. In addition to everything else, this is a FUN place to shop!
Down the right side of the store is the produce section with lots of all-natural and organic fruits and vegetables. I picked up a bag of kale greens for $1.99, along with an assortment of mushrooms, leeks, and peppers before moving down to the back right corner. Today they were demo'ing how they manufacture Speculoos cookie butter which is an insanely delicious spread made from crushed cookie biscuits that tastes just like gingerbread. I forced myself to have a sample so I could report on the creamy texture to my good friend, Chris W. After one small spoonful I was saying "OMFG!!!!!" (which means "Goodness but that is mighty tasty, I think I shall have another sample just to be sure")
Around the corner and along the back wall are the deli meats, cheeses, dairy, seafood and butcher cases, and after that you start weaving up and down the aisles -- just like a trip to IKEA. You'll find cereals, grains, nuts, breads, pastas, tomato sauces, salsas, chips, cleaning and health & beauty items, pet foods, a big assortment of wines, and their legendary collection of canned, boxed, and frozen entrees. Here are a few examples from today's shopping trip:
TJ's brand organic marinara sauce @ $2.29
Frozen entrée - Indian Paneer Tikka Masala @ $2.99
Frozen entrée - Lamb Vindaloo @ $3.99
Frozen fried Japanese-style vegetarian rice with tofu @ $2.99
Frozen box of wild salmon burgers (4-count) @ $5.99
Frozen Thai Shrimp & Vegetable Gyoza @ $4.79
Add to that their legendary Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc wines (better known as Two Buck Chuck) @ $2.99 each, some natural cleaning supplies, and a few cartons of their TJ-labeled soup, and I was out the door for under $70.
Insanely good prices on lots of healthy food options. Most everything carries their private Trader Joe's label, so don't expect to find the big name brands. You're not paying for brand-name advertising, and so you'll find items that are a lot less expensive. Based on a quick reading of the food labels, they have minimal hidden sugars, salts, preservatives, and other experiments-gone-wrong from your sophomore Organic Chemistry class.
The folks working the registers knew that the place was mobbed today, and they helped make the best out of an agonizing situation. One of the cashiers climbed up on a ladder and hollered out "Hey look everyone I can see the end of the line! Wave to me if you're paying attention!!!" and other sorts of silliness. Everyone was so gosh darned friendly that it was tough to feel frustrated even when you stood in line for so long.
One word of caution, if you're not fond of screaming children then I would suggest going in the middle of the weekday when the little bambinos are locked away in school and the aisles are cleared of double-wide strollers. Oh, and watch out for roaming food bloggers who feel the need to artfully arrange the products so they can get a better photo while rudely holding up everyone else. Grrrrrrr!!!
Bring lots of patience and have fun at Trader Joe's. | 2positive
| 766 |
A friend and I came here for dinner last night. First things first, there is NO ENTRANCE to the parking lot off Meridian. If you are in the right lane north of 96th street you'll end up getting on 465 East and will need to go around to Keystone and come back on 86th up College to 96th like I did! The entrance is just east of the restaurant on 96th near the Drury Inn Hotel (behind the restaurant). The main door to the restaurant does face Meridian with the bulk of parking behind the restaurant. OK, now that everyone knows how to get there...
We had reservations for 6:45 and were seated promptly; there was a decent wait for tables for those without reservations, so I'd definitely suggest making a reservation for weekend nights!
Our server was friendly, and pointed us to the wine selection side of the menu as we sat down. She then returned to see if were interested in ordering any wine. We weren't offered a cocktail menu, and there was absolutely no mention of cocktails...this was actually OK with me; I was on the fence about whether I wanted a glass of wine or a cocktail, but am wondering if the bar was backed up and the servers were asked to not mention cocktails unless asked? Yes, I know I could have asked about cocktails, but it just seemed a little unusual that we'd have to do so with the big vodka pineapple dispenser sitting right there and all the colorful bottles on the big wall behind the bar.
The wine list features a really nice and reasonably priced selection of reds and whites by the glass and bottle. They offer both 5oz and 8oz pours on the glasses which is nice!
The atmosphere in the restaurant is quite pleasant; lots of booths which keeps the dining area from feeling overcrowded even when full. The wine bottle wall is a nice touch as well! The smoky aroma from the grill is pleasant and not too strong. Noise is not an issue even when all tables are filled as they were last night.
We ordered our entrees and added on salads. We were asked if we wanted our salads before our entrees, which we kind of chuckled about; we weren't aware there was a trend toward having salads with the meal rather than as a first course and that before the meal was a special request?
Our salads came out quickly. I had the mixed greens salad which, sadly, was mostly iceberg lettuce (see the photo I uploaded). The dressing, which is house made was good, but unfortunately, the lettuce was pretty wet, which seemed to dilute the dressing and keep it from adhering to the lettuce. There are so many places in the area that make really good starter salads with fresh, delicious greens and other ingredients. Firebirds is facing some stiff competition here, and I'm hoping they can step things up a bit in the salad department!
We finished our salads, and our server came over after a bit to apologize for the wait on entrees. We said it was fine since we were enjoying visiting and not in rush...she then came over again to apologize for a further delay...and again...I wasn't closely watching the time, but would estimate it was about 45 minutes to an hour from the time we ordered our entrees until they were served. There was clearly a backlog in the kitchen and it was definitely making our very nice server nervous...
I had the chili rubbed Delmonico steak for my entree and chose the baked potato with everything (butter, sour cream, cheese, bacon and green onions) as my side. I ordered the steak medium rare, and it was cooked correctly which was a plus! The flavor of the steak was good, and the chili seasoning was subtle, but was there. The problem was, that there were a lot of large chunks of fat and gristle throughout the steak. This was definitely beyond marbling. I had a decent pile left on my plate at the end of the meal. The parts that were edible were very good, which is why I didn't attempt to send it back, but the quality was not what I expect for a mid-priced place such as this; it was more on par with economy steak houses.
The baked potato was excellent! Fluffy interior, and a salt-crusted skin. Toppings were tasty and in just the right amounts in my opinion!
I'd like to give this place another try at some point since it is conveniently located and seems to have potential. I'm hoping that after more time, I realize they have been open less than 2 months, the glitches will get worked out and quality control will improve. | 1neutral
| 802 |
This is a small restaurant located right off Fairview. They do have good signage, which is probably a life saver for them. When I was growing up, my parents were pretty poor.
No matter how little we had though, dad always came up with a summer vacation for us. We often went to these very small little towns. The sort of places, that if you blinked, you would miss it.
Romios is a little like, but all the worse on Sundays. They are usually closed on Sunday, but today was Mothers day, so they were actually open. From the outside, they looked closed and we almost kept on driving.
And we were not the only ones that had this dilemma. Our table was near the window, so I saw several people that looked and looked to make sure this place was open before trying the door.
Even though they were making a special effort to serve on Mothers day, there was no decorations inside or out to show this.
Our waitress was not knowledgable at all on the menu. A few times, we had questions, and she had to go talk to the cook. She did apologize and said she was new which I completely understand, but this is one of those other pet peeves of mine.
Waiters and Waitresses should not be released to the take orders until the know the menu inside and out. Or at the very least, have a seasoned person to work along side with them.
Ok, so lets move onto the food. My pet peeve is water. I know this is a very small thing, but there are several places, mainly in Meridian, that have awful water. Why these places with bad water, dont spend a few bucks on a water filter, I have no clue. The water here is good.
We started with the meatballs. I did like the flavor of them, but they are very small. About the size of an ice cream scoop. They were served in Marinara sauce. For me, the sauce was way too sweet and too tomotoeeeee. The garlic bread that came with us was also small and not garlicy at all.
For my main dish, I had a combo platter because I wanted to try as many things as possible. I chose the falafel and the gyro meat. The Falafel was described in the menu as patties. What I got was small balls, about the save size as the meatballs I had earlier.
Now I like my balls as much as they next guy, but this was just too much of the same. How about a change to patties that the menu said I was gonna get?
I had never had Falafels before, and I have to say that I was very impressed. The closest thing I can think of to describe them as is Hush Puppies on Steroids. Not sure I can describe the actual flavor. At the end of the flavor, there was a bite. For me, as a Texan that loves heat, this bit at the end was the best bite of the meal.
I would have Falafels again, but since I have not had these before, I cant compare them to anyone else's.
On my combo plate was rice. The waitress said it was some sort of lemony rice. My wife said she tasted the lemon, but I could not. The rice was fluffy and tender, so I did like it even though I could not identify the flavor.
My wife had a Chicken salad. She said it was just ok. She said it tasted like it was from a bag. Enough said on that one.
The Gryo meat was nice and tender and garlicy. If you like Garlic, you will love these.
If you like Gyros, this is the place. As for the other places in town that claim to have the best Gyros, forget about it!
The ones here are the best I have found in town. If Romios just did a little work to the inside, some work to the outside, and tweaked a few things on their menu, I think this placed would be a hit and could double their business.
And dont get me started on the Death by Chocolate cake. It was the best I have had.
So the bottom line here is that Romios has a lot hits and misses. The misses are huge misses.
The outside is a huge miss. The inside is a close runner up to that miss. The Italian portion of the menu needs work. The salad was a huge miss. I have yet to try their pizza here, but it looks good. The greek portion of the menu was good, especially if you like Gyros!! | 2positive
| 794 |
Where should I start with you Laurel? Or maybe I should call you Yanni? :)
Laurel was as good as advertised. Everyone works there are super friendly, attentive and accommodating. I believe they had 5-6 people serving 8 tables. Meaning top notch service was on the top of their list. The restaurant was cozy although nicely decorated and great use of minimal space. When I walked in, I literally thought I was back in Bordeaux, France.
I came here with my wife for a date night and we waited a good 3 months for this night because that's how long it takes for you to reserve a table at Laurel.
We were seated right away and our waitress began reciting what we should expect for our experience. I call it an experience because this is not a place for you to stuff yourself, you are literally eating art and going through a food journey that's one of a kind that the chef prepared for the night. Laurel serves up price fixe menu with 7 courses. They had an add on of wagyu beef last night from Japan where we gladly added to be part of our night. We also opted in for wine pairing for each course to get the full experience. Below are my opinion for each of the courses.
1. Kombu-brined cobia, calamansi broth, caviar, dill - this was the perfect first course, light with the perfect balance of lemon flavor. The cobia had a great texture. With each bite, you want to go back for more
2. Braised burgundy snails, Pennsylvania polenta, shiitake mushrooms, truffle, hominy - if you are not big fan of snails, not to worry. The snail was flavorful with the combination of polenta, mushrooms and truffle. The hominy provided the crunch that's needed for this dish. So far so good.
3. Frozen foie gras tarte, blueberry vinegar, hibiscus - my wife doesn't like foie gras, so I ate her share as well. Never had foie gras served this way before, and I truly enjoy the bite. Having foie gras frozen provided a texture that I didn't expect. It was tasty and it melted in your mouth and the foie gras flavor slowly release into your taste bud. Ymmm
4. Jumbo white asparagus, stinging nettle, frog leg confit, jalapeño - my wife was a little skeptical about the frog legs. Although the frog legs in this dish had the consistency of crab. I never had frog legs tasting like this before. It was very tasty. The white asparagus was crisp and lightly salted. Good balance for the rest of the dish
5. Slow roasted Tasmanian trout, broccoli, turnip, mushroom, chicken dashi - the trout here is like butter, you can separated with your folk. The flavor was delightful. The chicken dashi was the perfect compliment. The chef also provide a piece of the trout belly with this dish where you can taste the difference in texture from the same fish.
6. Roasted heritage chicken, haircot vert, baby romaine, grains of paradise - this might look simple, and the chicken was amazing delicious. Both my wife and I agreed that this piece of chicken is very 'chickenly'. Full of chicken flavor. The piece of chicken was soft and moist. The flavor was full from top to bottom.
7. Venison, fingerling potatoes, green onion, green pepper corn. Wagyu beef addition was also served during this course - I was looking forward to this course all night. The Venison was perfectly cook for me. Bright red in the middle that you can cut it with your spoon. The venison was slightly over salted for my taste, although I still enjoy it.
ON to the wagyu. I was so glad we added this to our tasting menu. You get two slices cooked perfectly to medium rare per chefs recommendations. Outside had an amazing smokey flavor with inside literally melting in your mouth. This has to be one of the best tasting thing (not just beef, but thing) I had in a LONG time. I was so sad when the plate was empty because I can definitely use another one
Dessert - kaffir line, white chocolate pudding, almond, lemon grass cookie and milk, paw paw marshmallow, Buddha hand gummy bear, lemon curd, creme fraiche, puffed rice, blood orange pate Du fruit - I am not a big fan of dessert anyway, although my wife was enjoying every bite of the dessert.
Overall, Laurel delivered a great experience for our dinner last night. The menu was full of flavor and creativity. I can't wait to go back and try another menu when they change them. Two thumbs up. | 2positive
| 778 |
I took my wife and two friends here last night for Valentine's, making it our third "special occason" trip to Kayne Prime. The food, service, atmosphere were yet again superb, with a few reservations (below). Here is our evening:
The amuse-bouche was some sort of lobster in crispy wonton-type wrappers, and as our previous Kayne amuse-bouches, absolutely astonishing. Somehow, the combination of ingredients in the lobster mixture popped our taste buds wide open and started us salivating, literally. I'd love to know how the chef managed that without going into over-kill.
Instead of the Wagyu carpaccio, which we've had twice before, my wife and I decided to experiment. Sine so many reviews mentioned it, I ordered the homemade bacon with cotton candy. I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of fat, and while the combination was interesting, I wouldn't order this again. I suppose every good restaurant needs one dish people will always talk about, that's unusual and not replicated elsewhere, but we found it too fatty to compensate. Our table mates had the carpaccio, and while they had their doubts about "eating raw beef", they didn't regret it for an instant. That dish is superlative!
We followed it with two black olive Caesers, dressing on the side, split amongst us. As before, the dish was gorgeous. My wife ordered the fish, some sort of sea bass, and I got the sous vide New Zealand ribeye. Our companions ordered the bone-in ribeye, and the filet mignon.
The sea bass was perfect, as their fish has been the past two trips - and I am not a fish lover! Our guest was kind enough to allow us each a taste of the bone-in ribeye, which was mouth-watering. His wife loved her filet.
I will note that this was my first experience with sous vide, and while my steak was cooked absolutely perfectly - just past rare, a bit of crunch on the outside - I found it (as strange as this will sound) almost too tender for a ribeye. I'm not sure if this is a sous vide issue, but when I bit into my friend's bone-in ribeye, it exploded on my tongue, the act of chewing releasing a stupendous melange of flavors that permeated my mouth. (Forgive the pretentious-sounding language, but this really does describe what I felt.) There was enough "give" to the meat that it was beautifully tender, but enough firmness that my jaw, teeth, tongue felt satisfied. The sous vide steak, on the other hand, was tasty, tender, but missing what I associate with a good steak - everything the bone-in had.
We all shared the potatoes au gratin, beautiful as always, and the charred broccoli, which I'd highly recommend.
For desert, we tried the toasted banana bread with hot toffee sauce and mascarpone gelato, which was very good but not something I'd order again - how I wish this restaurant had the type of small sorbet plate combinations Spaggia has! Their coffee is delicious - I'm not sure how they brew it, but making strong coffee that isn't bitter was a welcome change from the local Starbucks.
For drinks, the designated driver (me) had their filtered water, our friends had a nice Syrah, and my wife had two dry Grey Goose martinis, with olives in each. Which brings me to the odd extra charge. For this area and this restaurant, the martinis were priced fairly reasonably - $12.50 or $12.75. What shocked us was the upcharge for the blue cheese stuffed olives - 50 cents apiece!! This was the first time in our lives we've been charged for olives in a martini, and given the restaurant's overall pricing, no warning from the bartender (where we started the evening) and no indication of this on the menu, we found it annoyingly petty, if not downright greedy. It was a disappointing realization at the end of an otherwise fabulous evening.
Two other minor details, admittedly small and personal. It was Valentine's Day; I'd have liked music commensurate with a slightly more important occasion than the regular blend of hip hop and pseudo-modern music Kayne normally plays. Classical would have been lovely. And while it was pouring rain outside, and we'd arrived five minutes before opening so the lot wasn't busy, the valet parking attendant had no umbrella for any of us. Not in keeping with this restaurant's reputation or standard..
But yet again, this is a wonderful place for any sort of celebratory occasion, and I'd still recommend it without hesitation. | 2positive
| 756 |
I have noticed this place next to Ben's a few times and thought it was only a soda fountain. I hadn't heard of the Tahoe restaurant. My friend recently told me it was really good and to go check it out. My boyfriend and I found ourselves in the area last Sunday morning and decided to give it a try.
When we walked in, we were a bit confused as to where we were supposed to go. There was no sign indicating to "wait here" and there was a jumble of people. There was a lady at a cash register talking to a customer, a handful of people shopping in the small shop, and then a few other people who also looked lost. I finally saw the hostess and got on the list. She was friendly and showed us to the waiting area. We didn't have to wait long.
We also didn't wait long for someone to come over and take our drink order. A young, tall, dark haired man came by and asked quietly, with no greeting or smile, what we would like to drink. Almost immediately after that, a smiley, bearded man came and asked the same question. We thought that was odd and immediately voiced to my boyfriend that I hoped the bearded guy was our waiter and that the other guy was just doing drinks. Sadly, that was not the case. When the dark haired young man returned, he asked if we were ready to order with a tired sounding, "So are you guys ready?" and we said "Not yet, sorry." . He just gave me this exasperated look and walked away without saying anything (we are very friendly and smile often at servers, so don't think this guy is playing off of our attitudes).
When he did take our orders, he was again short and unfriendly. He was also hard to hear. He spoke in a low tone, under his breath and barely even finished his sentences. He seemed miserable to be serving us and we were miserable to be served by him. Once, the woman we had seen at the cash register came by to refill my coffee. She was extremely friendly. The bearded guy also came by again to ask what kind of bagel my boyfriend had wanted with his meal. Apparently our server had neglected to ask. I had a sense that our meals were ready to be delivered and that the bagel situation was holding it up, but that was OK. We hadn't waited long. The server brought our food out and also delivered some hot sauce after my boyfriend asked. Then he never came back except to drop off our check, which he did by reaching over my shoulder and dropping it on the table without a word. We had to ask the bearded guy as he passed if we were supposed to pay up front. Our server never smiled, never thanked us for coming in, and never seemed at all friendly or welcoming. Our busser came by to take our plates when we were done, smiled, and asked us how everything was. Among all the other friendly people we had dealt with, our server really stuck out like a sore thumb. I wish he had been wearing a name tag because I would put his name in here. He does not deserve to be there. Promote the busser. He's better! I would not be surprised if I never saw that server there again. His bad attitude is so noticeable, especially among the other friendly employees. If I do see him next time, I might specifically ask not to sit in his section.
Anyway, the food was good. Standard hashbrowns and scrambled eggs. My boyfriend said his omelet was great. My biscuit with gravy was top notch. I am a bit of a biscuits and gravy connoisseur and it was up there. My boyfriend said the iced tea was bitter and "not good at all", but that was the extent of the food and drink complaints. I never got another refill on my coffee, which was OK, but I would have expected to be asked. I'm not sure if the cash register lady is the one who does that normally or if my server should have done that. I just know when I go to a place like Peg's, my cup is never even half empty. Next time I go, I will try the waffles. They look really good. I'm also sure we'll hit the soda fountain/ice cream bar sometime. My boyfriend was all googly-eyed over the sundae menu. | 1neutral
| 769 |
Over the past decade or so microbreweries have exploded. These days you can find one on almost every street corner. The thing that I like about these indie brews is that they usually take some risks and tend to put out some pretty interesting products. Just off Whyte Ave, Old Strathcona's (technically Strathcona Junction) Situation Brewing is just such a place. VUE Weekly voted them #1 Best Brew Pub 2018 and and it makes sense because the location is great (it used to be a bookstore) and they offer food, beer, tours, and a lively atmosphere. You can't mistake their large corner building and turquoise signage. I visited on a Saturday evening and right away enjoyed seeing the glass-encased room full of tanks where the brewing magic happens. While this is a common sight on the microbrew scene, I enjoy Situation's minimalistic yet refined approach when it comes to their beer production. The dining area itself is very industrial but also rustic. There's a lot of exposed brick and barn wood treatments, creating an overall feeling of a current and popular esthetic. Our server was friendly and seated us by a window - of which there are plenty considering that the space occupies a corner lot. Naturally, the first thing to think about is what to drink. Situation brews all of their beer right there, so it's only traveling a few feet to get to your glass. They usually have about seven of their beers on tap and they also rotate some guests on tap as well. Surprising no one, ordering a beer flight is one of the most popular things to do. It's a great way to sample a bunch of what they're brewing! I'm not much of a beer drinker myself and I thought that it was really cool that they offer a cocktail section where the drinks are made using their own beer varieties. This is such an excellent idea because not everyone loves beer (me) and it's still a way to try what they're brewing (with a few more flavours added). The descriptions of the cocktails are also very funny. I liked that one of them is made with "your parents' disappointment." I ordered the Awkward Silence (2oz of sweet gin and fruit punch blended with our Berry Whyte Gose wants to give you what you love - $13.00) because it sounded pretty fun and fruity. The beer itself sounded really good because it's a fruited sour made with raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, and cherries. Plus you throw in some gin and actual fruit punch? Sounds perfect. I enjoyed this drink because it was light and refreshing. The fun fruitiness was ideal and it gave me exactly what I wanted, which was a beer experience without having a beer experience. Bravo! They do make an Afternooner Tea Saison beer which seems really special. The tea and fruit combination in this beer changes seasonally and it truly sounds lovely. From the Small & Shareables section, I liked seeing Zwick's pretzels making an appearance. However, I was incredibly intrigued by the Potato & Parsnip Spring Rolls (Beer cheese, pepper & garlic aioli - $11.00) which sounded very unique. Unique indeed, these were likely my favourite dish of the meal. What an interesting combination! Golden crispy spring roll wrappers created piping hot little packages containing a creamy, mashed potato-like mixture. I've never seen anything like this before. Imagine a spring roll meeting a perogy and having a weird (yet delicious) baby. Plus the addition of parsnip really completed the flavour profile, adding an earthiness that reminded me of a comforting vegetable stew. I almost don't know how to describe these because they were so different, yet they were delicious and I loved them. The pepper and garlic aioli was my favourite to dip into. The main dishes cover a surprisingly wide range of cuisines; from burgers, to a bánh mì, to peri-peri chicken, to mussels. Part of me worries that they've bitten off more than they can chew attempting to offer so many iconic and worldly flavours. Is it possible to succeed at all of them? I was interested in the Nashville Hot Fish Tacos (Pacific cod, honey dijon aioli, coleslaw, pickled onion - $18.00 for three), another curious flavour collab. This dish takes a familiar fish taco and twists it with the big and spicy flavours of Nashville hot fried, which is normally used on chicken. I found this to be a decently executed dish. The generous portion of fish was moist and meaty on the inside, while maintaining a crispy exterior that was full of bold spice. The heat was not held back, which I appreciate. The rest of the taco was fairly standard with a plain flour tortilla, a nice fresh mix of vegetable components, and a great pickled onion for acidity. I've certainly had better fish tacos in my life but I did enjoy the interesting idea behind this one. Lastly, the dessert feature sounded really good because it was supposed to be a Tuxedo Lava Cake ($10.00). We ordered the dessert and then waited an exceedingly long time to receive it. Our server was apologetic but it took at least half an | 1neutral
| 868 |
I toyed with the idea of a 2 star review because Gran Caffe is a very spacious and impeccably clean restaurant in a nice area of Philly with very good service but in good conscious I couldn't give them any more than 1 star for the food they subjected us to. Gran has a few levels (the front of the street level is their coffee shop and gelato counter). There's a good chance if you're just coming here for gelato or espresso that you may get something of quality but that certainly doesn't carry over to their food. The fact that their prices are as high as they are just put the nail on the coffin for my wife and I who both agreed our meal here was one of the worst we've ever had, anywhere. Top 3 bad in fact (probably top 1 for her). It's also worth mentioning that the place also just feels like a large chain restaurant right down to the uniforms, borderline costumes, that the wait staff is forced to wear.
For drinks she ordered a $12 cocktail called Sgroppino (lemon sorbet, processco, lemoncino vodka, fresh mint). This ended up being an incredibly weak and disgustingly sweet drink that she couldn't finish. Most of the beers were $7-10 but some as low as $5 or as high as $14 for a 12oz Italian beer with a 5% abv. I went with a $5 Peroni. For a starter we ordered their arancini ($10). This came presented beautifully and the texture was right but we both agreed it tasted a bit like soap and there was something definitely off with them.
For a meal I had the Pappardelle Al Ragu Aquilano ($16.50) which is a wide ribbon pasta with slow cooked pork, veal, lamb, and chicken in a tomato based sauce. The meat had been pulverized to the point where it wasn't recognizable and the sauce was the worst tomato sauce I've ever had. It was the same tomato sauce that the aranacini came on and tasted like it came right out of a can of Ragu from the super market. I've had a lot of red sauce over the years and I don't hesitate to say that this was the worst and most store bought tasting I've ever had at a restaurant before. It was so disappointing that I have no doubt that I could have had a better plate of pasta from Olive Garden.
As disappointing as my meal was, it was still edible which is more than I can say about my wife's dish. I felt so bad for her that I traded plates with her and couldn't even muster a second bite of her food after tasting it. To this day we both feel like gagging thinking about her dish and joke about how bad it was. She ordered the Agnoletti Al Tartufo ($19) which was ravioli stuffed with veal, pork, onion & herbs, topped with a butter-sage sauce and a little block of the chef's truffle gelato creation. The waitress assured us that the gelato wouldn't actually cool down the dish at all and would just melt over the dish infusing an extra flavor to it. Well this pretentious little gimmick did in fact cool down the entire dish to barely over room temperature and what it added to the dish was a disgusting overpowering truffle flavor that even a truffle lover like my wife couldn't stand. The ravioli's filling wasn't meaty either which was a big draw to the veal and pork stuffing. The mushy filling paired with this incredibly overpowered truffle flavoring, lowered temperature, butter sauce, and mediocre noodles just made this meal completely inedible.
I've never been so disappointed not only in a restaurant but in Yelp's overwhelming praise for such a horrible Italian restaurant. Shame on you all for not knowing what good Italian food should taste like.
UPDATE:
I received one of the least professional business responses to this review where the manager Darren writes in part: "I believe the problem is that you have been subjected to so much Olive Garden style food over the years, that YOU in fact don't know what true, authentic Italian flavor is supposed to be."
Instead of engaging this guy privately I figured I'd just respond here. First of all I've only eaten at Olive Garden once in my life.
Secondly, as far as my track record goes, with over 2,150 reviews on Yelp, only about 1% of those reviews are for 1 star so you can see I very rarely slam a place for being bad. Of those 23 one star reviews, only 8 of them are to food related businesses and half of those places have since gone out of business. About 40% of the restaurant's I've written 2 star reviews for have also gone under which is a stark difference from only about 12% of the restaurants I've written 5 star reviews for. With nearly 1,000 restaurant reviews and living not only in a mostly Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn but the area of the country with the most Italian-Americans and Italian restaurants I've eaten at more than my fair share of high quality Italian restaurants.
Thirdly and most importantly when I visited, it was only 2 months after coming back from my two week honeymoon in Italy where my wife and I traveled all around the country searching out the best food possible. My taste in Italian food is clearly not the problem here. | 0negative
| 917 |
Thomas Edison said, "I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that won't work." This of course was in reference to his 10,000 attempts to create a light bulb that failed before it was successful. It is appropriate that the Edison light bulb is the symbol of this restaurant. For every success there are 10,000 glaring failures. The problem is that in the fine dining world, failures are not an option.
My party and I were excited to eat at Edison Food+Drink Lab. We are a group of foodies and the idea of an avant garde restaurant that serves rare ingredients in cutting edge ways really got our juices flowing. We were also celebrating our friend Alec who was leaving for Afghanistan. Therefore this meal was important. And with veteran Chef Jeannie Pierola at the helm there was no way that we would be disappointed. Or so we thought.
We arrived at Edison Food+Drink Lab at 8:25 PM Saturday evening with a party of six. It was raining so we were pleased to be able to check our umbrellas. But we weren't pleased to find that they had no real room for groups to wait because the entrance of the restaurant was packed to out the door. Oddly they have another space next door and to serve that space they have to go out the front door, which means that servers with hot plates jostle the waiting customers.
Then there is the bar. Now I love food but I LOVE creating cocktails. And they don't have any one. Not one. So how is this a "Drink Lab"? Seriously? In New York, Chicago, or Miami, the cocktails are an integral part of the experience. Here they left that part out. And considering that Tampa is full of world class mixologists, they really missed an opportunity. They do have some very decent beer and wine though.
The décor is minimalist with exposed Edison bulb lighting. We all liked it and it allowed us to focus on the food and experience. The only drawback is that it was very loud and when the server was speaking the far end of our table had trouble hearing her.
But what about the food? In a word... Lacking. Our server has a disturbing habit of walking away in midsentence or while we were talking. We ALL found this extremely RUDE! In addition, we had a very difficult time getting her attention to order our first round of drinks, order food, or get refills. She even walked away in the middle of my friend placing his order to talk to another table. We were just staring at her slack jawed like "did she really just do that?" Now once the owner or manager started working with out table she was very, very nice but we should not have to complain to get good service.
Then the food was a let down. Every one of us thought that it was mediocre. And it took us 1 hour and 45 minutes to get our appetizers. Our total mealtime was over 3 hours and we declined desert, coffee and after dinner drinks. We had to wait because they over booked the restaurant with a large group and couldn't juggle the load and so when we did get out food it was sporadic and not all at once. For example five of the entrees came out at one time but my wife's entrée didn't come out 25 minutes later, which meant that all the rest of our food was cold and dry.
Our apps were steak tartare, foie gras, and conch and bacon fritters. The tartare was good but was supposed to come with a quail's egg and they ran out so they put a regular egg on it. That was a let down. The foie gras was well cooked but they forgot to include stuff to put it on. The conch fritters were undercooked, lacked any hint of bacon, the conch was overly chewy and didn't have enough mustard flavor in the honey mustard sauce to cut the sweet.
Each entree had one or two primary items that create the flavor profile. These here high quality and fresh. They are supplemented by a host of unusual ingredients from around the world. I really loved the internationalness of the ingredients. But each thing that we ordered had problems. It started with the oysters. Our oyster fans were surprised to see that it only came with six oysters when the standard is one dozen for that price point. The oysters that they did get were small and overpowered by vinegar.
The entrees were similar. They had one great item and the rest didn't mesh. The halibut was fresh but dry from sitting, the bone marrow was tasty but sparse, the fresh vegetables were good but the rice was too sweet. The arctic char was fresh but unremarkable and the little neck clams imparted a clam boil flavor to the fish. The filet had amazing escargot but was otherwise mediocre. And the side of kale, which my friends said were the best kale that they had ever tasted, outshined the remaining dishes.
The only saving grace was that the manager was so nice and the ingredients were fresh. But we we left without trying their cool coffee or waiting for the complimentary deserts. We then went straight to The Pub because we were still hungry.
Edison, time to go back to the drawing board! | 0negative
| 913 |
This one hurt. I really had high hopes for this place, I made reservations over a week in advance, it was for a special occasion dinner, but in the end I truly regretting this selection. I thought this was going to be a gem, it turned out to be a fail. All the things that looks promising and led me to believe that out of the three options this was the place to go with were basically all that the place had to offer. PA6 is a cute spot, the lay out is interesting and pleasing to the eyes. We walked in, the host was seating another party, and were seated on the second floor along the back wall, so I had a full view of the floor. The host provided us with the menus and told us Oysters were a buck, score. Our waitress came a few minutes later asking about drinks I asked for a drink menu but asked for some water in the meanwhile. She came back with waters no drink menu, We ordered some oysters, and reminded her of the drink menu, my boyfriend could tell I was getting irritated, esp when I asked since I couldn't see the drink menu could I just have a pomegranate martini and she said no... that was it, no alternative, just no we don't make those. Let me clarify, that the place was not crowded, she was not the only waitress on our floor or between floor, the issue is that she was more concerned with her phone than her patrons. I knew this was going to continue to be an issue which is why I should have went with my instincts then and just cut it at the oysters and went elsewhere. The oysters were delicious, although I was only able to pair it with water at that moment -_-
I mulled over the menu, I knew I wanted to try the duck fat fries.. that and the oysters I knew were must haves.. I opted for the mini lobster rolls which came with a side of fries. He was not interested in giving duck fat fries a chance and asked our waitress what comes on the salad, she answered lettuce, carrots, very simple he says perfect thats all I want on it with shrimp. She doesn't write it down and I cringe when I notice she heads to the cabinet and opens the drawer to get her phone rather than put our order in.. long sigh. Oh we finally get the drink menu, I just ordered a beer, so we are chatting it up drink our beverages, the host comes up with our meals, he asks about the lobster roll, I say me, and he places a plate with chicken and salad in front of him, I say, didn't you order shrimp, he says yes, the host looks uncomfortable and takes up the plate and says he will have the correct salad out in a few minutes, and he says is that cheese on the salad proudly the host says yes, he's says please do not put it on the next one. Now here is what pisses me off, he says well it's on the menu that it's in the salad. Now first of all, he did not take the order so he has no idea what the conversation was with the waitress, but even still she already messed up the order and gave chicken instead of shrimp and no apology was given you want to talk about what's on the menu. Woosah! so I calmly but sternly advise him that that that is not how it was ordered just like it wasn't ordered with chicken. So instead of him asking what the order was, he walks off, I'm sure you all are wondering where our waitress is, since she was obviously too busy to find out what the issue was, oh yes she was definitely busy, busy on her phone not attending to her other tables.
At this point I lost my appetite, so I couldn't tell you how the duck fries were or the mini lobster rolls, I will tell you that when his order came out it was still wrong. We didn't eat and it took about 25 minutes before our waitress bothered to come check on us.. again the place had not developed a crowd while we were there.. not surprised... the other waitress on our floor, was awesome, I wished we had her, I'm sure it would have been a different experience entirely. There were two empty tables to the right of us and a party of three they had the same waitress as us, they had an issue with something on their bill, something to do with happy hour wine and her response was no, we don't do that. When we finally got our bill although he ate nothing off of his plate after it was incorrect again.. and I barely touched mine, there was no concern on Ms. Telephone's part nor any comps or apologies on our bill. It's a shame, I would never come back here nor recommend this place. The 1 star is for the design of the place, everything else is a fail. | 0negative
| 876 |
New experience... went here a 3rd time despite some earlier bad experience because was invited to a lovely party here and it had been 2 years so... let's give it another chance.
Actually, some real nice stuff was improved so kudos.... but... still can't recommend this place at all due to some serious problems:
IMPROVED:
***The hostess and the servers. Everyone was friendly, helpful, unobtrusive but always available. Front of house is much much improved.
NOT IMPROVED:
***The food. Seven people ate seven meals and none were exceptionally good. And one was bad. The mussels were bad. (smelled bad at the time, ate only a few, got sick). We didn't complain cause was a party and....
***The "rules/process". VERY weird. They charge a "plate sharing fee" of $6 if you don't order an entree... but... we ordered lots of appetizers for the table AND that person who didn't order an entree ordered a separate appetizer and a veg-side for herself... so.. REALLY? I get that it's a rule on the menu, and they are free to do what they want, but that is unacceptable to me.
***The "disclosure of prices".... they choose not tell tell you how much any of the specials cost. They need to start saying that if the appetizer OR the entree is significantly more than the rest of the items (and it was... they charged $25 for an app special when all other apps were $15 or less .... yeah yeah... they probably figure it's a big app (I saw the managers attempt to justify it in a review I just read) but it's unacceptable: Why not disclose prices clearly if they vary from the norm, they can charge what they want but sneaky isn't nice).
Anyway... there is something wrong with this place, not sure why... they have access to great seafood and a nice location and some good people but someone behind the scenes has a problem.
oh well. 3rd time shame on me.
=============BELOW IS REVIEW FROM 2014 after SECOND attempt)
Sorry Charlie,
No no no.
We've been twice.
First time was bad food.
2nd time was bad service.
You don't get a 3rd shot, sorry.
First time was about 3 weeks after the restaurant opened. Food was mediocre to poor. Bread was good. Octopus salad was inedible. But.. hey.. they had just opened so kinda unfair to post a yelp review. Let it go! Also, they seemed to have a great pedigree with access to great seafood so.... let's cross our fingers and try again later.
Yesterday heard from a friend: Food pretty good!
Nowhere else to go right now... need to kill some time... let's try it again.
So... off the two of us go. Make reservation on OpenTable. Walk over (yes, it is just a 15 minute walk and so it would really be GREAT if the restaurant was good)... but...
Just terrible service. My guess, the manager in the front-of-house is a relative of the owner and so doesn't understand customer service: I am guessing, it could just be bad with no excuse... it is just that my experience is that people would be fired if they weren't related but who knows. We actually got our menus, were told it was restaurant week, specials were explained, and then.... we placed our orders and were told, after the fact, that our menu selections were not allowed (per some policy not written down or explained...details below if you want to be bored)... so we stood up, finished our wine, and left the restaurant. No apology, no explanations, no food... just a silly silly place that won't survive.
DETAILS:
I wanted the mussels appetizer and then scallops.
Wife wanted the bass or maybe the mussels, and maybe some broccoli?
anyway... then we were told it was "restaurant week" so...
I choose the hot links and scallops
wife chooses the mussels and a side of broccoli rabe
and we're told NOPE. that doesn't work. it is some mix of restaurant week items and regular items we don't allow.
HUH? We weren't even thinking about price. We weren't trying to get any deal... we didn't even know it was restaurant week! we just wanted to order what we wanted to order from their menu... no specials... just food... whatever the price.
SO... when they said NOPE. I said ... hmmm... perhaps check with the manager? and they did.. and came back and said NOPE. but not a nice no... not a manager coming over with a nice explanation and apology... not an accomdation OR an explanation... just a no. essentially "go away".
TOTALLY WEIRD. We live a mile away and could be great customers and great word-of-mouth. very very strange.
Ahhh well.
RECOMMENDATION: Go to Ryan Christopher's BYOB about 2 miles down the road for great food great service.
NOTICE MY PATTERN OF REVIEWS. MOST ARE FAVORABLE. THIS IS A WEIRD EXCEPTION. | 0negative
| 818 |
So before I begin writing my review, I notice that Mikado has an average of 3.5 stars. If things remain as they currently are, I'm afraid it's not going to get any better than that.
I dined at Mikado last night with my partner, John. We live just down the road and watched the transformation from the outside. Both of us love sushi and Japanese and Chinese cuisine so last night we dove in.
Upon entering the restaurant you notice that the place is very cool in it's design. A lot of thought and money went into the transformation although I admit I had never been inside the place prior to re-opening. However, you can still tell that it was an expensive and well-done remodel but I'm afraid that at some key points, they put form before function.
I like to base my reviews on atmosphere, staff, food and price/quality so I'll take it in that order.
The interior of the restaurant is designed with dark, horizontal wooden panels with white grout. It's visually stunning! But, here's the drawback...the atmosphere was LOUD! I mean, crazy-loud! There was no music at all but the wooden walls amplified the chatter inside the restaurant by ten fold. It was difficult to not be distracted by this and to be honest, I've never experienced anything like this in any restaurant. What made it even worse was a staff member who recognized a "good" client and he and another staff member carried on like old drinking buddies at a frat party with this gentleman! One of the things I like about Asian restaurants is how professional the staff tends to be. If you notice in most every Chinese/Japanese restaurant, you will hear very little conversation between staff members that is not work-related and even then, it is kept to a minimum. This was not the case at Mikado.
Staff: There were new staff being trained last night. Not that it's a bad thing because everyone needs to be trained in their duties but this particular trainee was as nervous as a nun at a prison rodeo! At 830PM, she told John and I to have a great afternoon. Oops. But oh well.
Our "real" server approached our table with a complimentary rice noodle sampling, took our drink order and then left us for longer than I expected. He failed to offer any suggestions or to mention any specials that might interest us. He almost seemed annoyed; not overly friendly as if he was trying to make a great first impression but not to the point of being rude either. Just not what I would have expected from a newly opened restaurant trying to groom it's clientele. And what's up with Korean staff at a Japanese restaurant anyway? And our trainee was definitely a Cherry Hill girl, big hair and all the glory and tackiness that the area women offer! I'm not sure how she even pulled that "Jersey-girl" look while wearing all black and a bistro apron but she still managed to do it.
Food: OK. We began with the hamachi kama and the tempura. Both were excellent and I'd recommend either. I was in the mood for sushi (well, what day am I NOT in the mood for sushi!) but I've been dieting and trying to avoid rice more often than not, so I ordered the combination sushi/sashimi. The menu was inaccurate by listing that it came with "6 sushi, 10 sushi and a California roll". I assumed it was to state that the sushi/sashimi combination came with 6 sushi, 10 sashimi and a California roll. When my platter arrived, I had enough sashimi to feed a small third world country! There were no less than 6 different styles of sashimi, each with 5-6 portions and another 6-8 sushi along with a smaller wrapped California roll (about the diameter of a quarter). What disappointed me most was not so much the amount of food that was presented in "overkill" but that the sushi was a direct copy of the sashimi. There was zero variety with the exception of one eel skin sushi. The quality of the fish was OK but it tasted watery as if it had been previously frozen. The portions were overly generous, almost to a fault and the value was good as long as you like to waste food, which I do NOT. If this were an item for one person to dine on, I'd hate to see what they provide for the Combination Sushi/Sashimi for Two! This was truly enough food for 3 people and I'm not one to share my sushi too often!
I'll let John review his own meal but I did sample it and it was tasty but nothing spectacular.
Price: In my opinion, high. It was an $80 meal for the two of us including gratuity, no drinks and no dessert.
My overall reaction to Mikado...eh.
For my money, I'm still going to hang onto Chow's in Collingswood. It's a bit of a dive and uninviting as you pass by but the quality of food and excellent service far outshine Mikado. So in a side-by-side comparison of the two, I'd say Mikado is like Chow's with lipstick. | 0negative
| 871 |
The number of poor decisions and cut corners through our pizza delivery and consumption process resulted in a calamitous event which I will now describe in excruciating detail.
The night started innocently enough when we had decided to order pizza for delivery. After much apathy and no definitive passions or preferences, someone just threw out the name "Papa Johns," so that's what we went with. Calling the store, tried placing an order which ran up a surprising amount. When asked for a breakdown, the employee responded very curtly and "as-a-matter-of-factly." But hey, it was 11pm on a Halloween night, so maybe the guy just wanted to go home?
We elected to place our order online. Our order was relatively simple: 2 large pizzas, an order of breadsticks with pizza dipping sauce, and a 2 liter container of mountain dew. 35-40 minutes later arrived one large pizza (with green peppers... who does that?), an order of chicken nuggets, and an order of cheesy bread. I had signed the correct receipt for the wrong order, so we ended up calling the place back.
And people, a green peppers-only pizza is not healthy. Like, if you're eating pizza, get pizza, not some weird imitation that makes you feel better.
Anyway, the delivery driver came back with the instructions from management not only to deliver the correct order, but to TAKE BACK the already-delivered faulty order. I know this because he didn't try very hard to get the other order back, and that he said he was "just doing what he was told." We kept both orders. We were honestly pretty stoked at the value of our transaction with Papa Johns, even if they screwed up the delivery. Eh, it happens.
But our 2 liter of Mountain Dew was still absent. So another phone call to Papa Johns.
15-20 minutes later the same driver came back, with a 2 liter of DIET Mountain Dew. We didn't have time to notice the disparity because he was trying to get in/get out as fast as possible.
We were in hysterics at this point. Nothing, and nobody was under control. Do we call them back? Do we just let it go? What if they were out of Mountain Dew? Was it deliberate because we didn't give back the other order?
In the end, we let it go, and consumed our pizza.
I ate one piece of the cheesy bread, and one piece of the pepperoni pizza. The cheesy bread itself was pretty good, would recommend. It's exactly what you'd expect ordering cheesy bread from a pizza chain: greasy, cheesy, bread.
The pizza itself, however, was off. Nothing worthwhile of putting it down and saying "hey I ain't eating this," but the cheese was at least slightly old, with subtle hints of an unwanted odor that you'd only notice once you've eaten half of your piece. So I kept my consumption to one piece.
And the way that one piece treated my digestive system is unforgivable.
Scene: 2:30AM on November 1st, 2015 (felt like 3:30, because daylight savings had taken effect). I awaken to an urgent sensation, and rush to the bathroom. Sitting on the ground, leaning over the toilet, I muster the courage to go through with what I have to do. I look in the bowl, and cough.
Lurching, wrenching, and heaving, I expel a pulpous brown fluid in a projectile fashion. We've all puked before. Let me just say that this was not a usual episode, as the potency was extreme. It took two barfs to feel better, then I went back to bed.
Scene: 3:47AM. Awaken to cramps. I try to fart it off, but it's no use: there's something larger at stake here. There's only one way I can describe what happened once I was positioned on my porcelain throne: if you've ever had to clear out your colon with prescription laxatives, it was exactly like that. The Papa Johns was pushing, forcing its way through my insides, and I sat there for half an hour constantly expelling fecal matter that gradually lost its form, and ultimately ended up as pure liquid.
So, in summary:
- We received tremendous value from our order (essentially a 2 for 1), even though we technically never received our order
- I lost 4 pounds after eating one slice of pizza and one piece of cheesy bread.
- If your goal is to get NOT what you ordered, to clear out your system, or to lose weight, I would recommend this Papa Johns. Otherwise, stay away. | 0negative
| 759 |
Located off Whyte Avenue next door to Choklat, Nongbu is a two storey Korean restaurant serving up small plates and a few bigger sharing dishes. A small menu of Korean snacks and street eats, fresh hand-cut noodles, and lettuce wraps are accompanied by popular Korean liquors, which is perfect for those looking for quick, late night eats. In talking with the restaurant owner, the menu will be changing frequently to reflect the seasons and current culinary trends in Korea.
Although the menu will change, the size will remain the same. The night started with the Mussel Kalguksu, which features fresh hand-cut noodles ($13). Our thickly sliced noodles were soft with a slight bite and sat in a seafood broth with mussels, spicy peppers, and a handful of herbs. The clear broth had a pleasant briny depth and a slight kick of heat which I enjoyed.
Next up was the BinDaeDduk ($8), a mung bean pancake with a medley of vegetables and kimchi cooked into it. I've never had this dish before, and the texture of it actually took me by surprise. I had expected the mungbeans to be ground into a fine flour to make the pancake, but it turns out the beans seemed to be lightly macerated, giving the pancake a crumbly texture. The flavours were there, but I didn't quite love the texture.
One of my favourite Korean street eats is Ddukbokki, a chewy rice cake in stick form. Nongbu gets their rice cakes daily from a local source to ensure that they are fresh and have the proper texture. If they aren't fresh, they won't be on the menu. Those of you who love them as much as me are in luck, because Nongbu serves them up three different ways! We first ordered the Fried version ($7.50) where the ddukbokki is cut in half, then fried and coated in a sweet and spicy sauce similar to gochujang. This was my favourite ddukbokki of the meal as it was flavourful and the outer skin was fried to a crisp, but the interior remained soft and chewy. Delicious!
The Royal Ddukbokki ($11) features long rice cakes cooked in a sweet and savoury sauce with slices of beef and vegetables such as carrots, onion, and shiitake mushroom. The sweet and salty sauce reminded me of the soy based sauce used to cook bulgogi beef. The rice cakes were tender and this was another great dish!
The next dish to the table was DwenJang Kalguksu ($11.50), another hand-cut noodle soup. This version utilized a Korean bean paste to make the broth, and the noodles were topped with ground pork, enoki mushrooms, and some chili peppers. The broth had the same nutty flavour and cloudy appearance you would find in a miso soup. I personally preferred the Mussel version, but both were tasty soups that will easily fill you up.
Nongbu offers a few different ssam (lettuce wrap) dishes, so of course we had to order one for the table. Three ssam options (Bo ssam, ddukgalbi ssam, tofu ssam) are available on the menu, all which come in individual or sharing portions. The dish is accompanied by a bowl of rice, a bowl of soup, and 5 banchan dishes on the side. It's definitely great value for what you get! We ordered the Ddukgalbi Ssam ($16 individual/$30 sharing) which featured two ribeye patties with rice cakes inside. The dish came with cucumber slices, jalapeno, garlic, spicy bean paste and both buttercrunch and red leaf lettuce for wrapping. The meat patties were so moist and flavourful, and the small ricecake pieces inside gave the wraps a chewy texture from time to time. I really enjoyed this one and would easily order it again.
Kimbap (Korean sushi rolls) is another one of my favourite Korean street eats, and Nongbu offers them as a plate of 5 on their menu ($6.25). Alternatively, you can add one kimbap to any snack order for an additional $1.25 if you don't want to tackle a plate of them. The kimbap on the menu can change daily depending on available ingredients, but it will always be a mix of vegetables and rice wrapped up in seaweed. Ours featured asparagus spears, pickled radish, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms served with a side of hot mustard sauce. The ingredients were fresh and the kimbap was a great snack to munch on.
The Gemma Roll ($7.50) reminded me of a gigantic springroll, as it is an eggroll with beef and vegetables wrapped up inside. It's bursting with ingredients and topped with a sweet and savoury sauce - you want to eat this one quick before it gets soggy!
The last dish of the evening was the third of the ddukbokki offerings: the spicy ddukbokki! Short, chewy pieces of rice cake were coated in a dark, spicy sauce and topped with pieces of fish cake. This version is what I think of when it comes to ddukbokki purchased on the streets of Korea, so this is the most authentic of the three varieties. This plate was also delicious, but if I had to rank the three duukobokki dishes we tried that evening, it would be: fried, spicy, then royal ddukbokki! | 2positive
| 866 |
Much more my husband's and my lane for ambiance and format than the Bodo-downtown location of mothership Bodovino, the primary drawback for us for this satellite is its' location in The Village. (Yes. I am one of 16 people in the Treasure Valley who don't 'get' this Meridian mall.) There is also wood to chop for food quality and correct wine service here. Yet, were this in our neighborhood with it's casually upscale and unpretentious vibe, it could be a regular stop for a glass of vino if not food. There is potential.
FEWER VINO MACHINES:
A concept I've never embraced, auto-wine-dispenser machines are here in about half the numbers as the Bodo mothership. (I am not alone in skepticism about Enomatic machines: here is a good article. http://www.eater.com/2012/11/15/6521867/rage-against-the-enomatic-wine-dispensing-machine ) As example, there was a problem one bank of machines when we were in and a Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir and Coppola Patagora, glasses from bottles held in the same machine bank, were far too warm and ruined. Nebbiolo from another bank was the right temp. (See Friendly Staff for outcome.)
OPTION TO ORDER OFF A WINE LIST:
One can also order off a well structured wine list, (Reds offered old world and new world, Whites offered foreign or domestic), if one prefers this over the machines. (We do.) List has options by bottle or glass. Good news for sparkling wine lovers, there are several choices by the glass. Prosecco pours were ample sized and perfectly chilled.
FULL BAR:
Cocktail options at full service bar. Coffee service is offered on menu but was unavailable when we ordered it at dessert.
TABLE SERVICE:
Unlike the "musical chairs" arrangement of downtown Bodovino (you get up to get another sample from the machines and your seat is snagged by another wino, umm...customer while you're away), this location has table service for libations and food. Sign at entry says "please wait to be seated". I like it.
FOOD:
Creative menu from a kitchen headed up by former staff from Brick 29 but execution is very poor. Menu includes several starters and contorni that can be put together to graze through a meal. Entree service is a la cart. Some entree pastas can be ordered in "side portions". Good concepts BUT fine tuning is needed for quality and many of our choices were a salt lick. Examples...
...goat cheese gnocchi was doughy with only a hint of goat cheese and SO over salted that we could not finish the very small portion.
...pork braciole was served uncut so resembled a turd on the plate; it should be sliced and fanned out for service.
...artichoke risotto was creamy and toothsome but far too salty to finish.
...wild mushroom saute was good but had clearly sat and cooled in kitchen waiting on risotto.
...cacio e pepe completely inedible due to salt was returned to kitchen, chef agreed and made again with better outcome.
...eggplant in the caponata was spongy-underdone and too sharp with vinegar to pair with wine.
All portions were quite small. A blessing given how over-salted all was.
VALUE:
Prices reflect The Village's high rent. With wine (two full pours, three half pours) and food, small plates for two without dessert clocked in at $85 after tax.
SEATING:
High perch seating at counter and some communal design tables (seating 10ish) in and out. (At least the high stools have backs.) Also some standard height tables in and out. On both visits, those were well used and almost no one using the high seating. Makes one wonder why so many places use so much of it.
FRIENDLY STAFF:
A warm welcome for guests. And when we reported to our server the too warm wine pours from one bank of wine machines, the manager appeared at our table to say sure enough, she found the machine in question out of order and "bottles are warm to the touch". She offered us additional glasses on the house. Nice of her, but we declined the free extras as we had enough to drink at that point and simply wanted her to be aware so she could have fixed what was broken.
ACCESSIBILITY:
More accessible than Bodo location for path of travel. Level in the door. Standard height seating options. Didn't check the loo. For winos on wheels, increasingly me these days as I've had MS for decades, heads up.
PARKING:
ARRRGGGHHH...The Village parking is always a challenge. Although less a challenge than downtown Boise, I guess.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING:
HH starts at 3:00. Some machine wines are 50% off and they have a HH plate or two. You need to time a visit carefully to avoid crowds even now and once folks figure out this is here, it should be even more bustling. No reservations taken. | 1neutral
| 798 |
Easy 5 stars. I don't even have to think about it, but I do have this burning need to let on to my fellow yelpers as to why Wayfare warrants such accolades!
Enter the warmly lit double storefront restaurant and order your food at the counter. Generally, I prefer getting full service where a server takes care of you from start to finish. But wait! This is not a criticism of Wayfare, because if every restaurant was able to handle the whole "order at the counter" thing with as much aplomb, I'd be more inclined to like it. They are fucking pros! You walk in, you're greeted. There's no lingering in the doorway, no searching for the hostess, waitress, bartender to lead the way (this actually happened to me a couple years ago in Lawrence, KS at a place where you had to have the bartender give you directions on how to find the counter where you placed your order).
We were asked if it was our first time there and were immediately shown the different menus with daily specials, cocktail menus and the chalkboard with all the regular menu items. While we read the menu items, Chef Kevin came out to talk about the restaurant's concept and also to answer any questions we might have. How awesome is that? I gather that this happened because we were Wayfare newbies, and I think it's a really nice touch. Everything on the menu sounds mouth-watering and vegetarians note that all selections that are for us are marked with a V. I believe I also saw some GF items, but even if that's not the case, they will take care of just about any dietary need, according to the Chef.
What especially caught my eye is that they make a special arancini daily. If you grew up in an Italian household, you know what these babies are: RICE BALLS!!! They have a special one every day and last night's came with a slightly sweet marinara sauce. Although the rice balls I'm used to are the size of a baseball, Wayfare's are a more manageable (and delectable) size of a ping pong ball. Perfectly fried, not at all greasy, filled with just the right amount of cheese. I don't use this word ever, but it's kind of justifiable here: amazeballs!
I also had a bruschetta app off the bar menu: one with hummus/chickpeas, one with blue cheese and a slight drizzle of honey and one with tomatoes and basil. This bruschetta blew mah mind, I tell ya!!! In fact, I'm still thinking about it and I may even been drooling on my keyboard as I type. The hummus/chickpeas is a delight, but the bleu cheese, which I've never had on bruschetta before, was the star of the trifecta. I don't know what kind of bleu cheese it was but it was divine-- just the right amount of semi-soft crumbles and the little bit of honey really brought out the tangy taste.
My guy had a sandwich that I am not going to bother to name, because he made so many changes to it, that it didn't resemble the original. I make mention of it only to note that they will gladly change ingredients for you to allow for you to have the sandwich of your dreams! This one was a take on a cubano, but my guy hates pickles and asked for them to be left out (I know, I know... Travesty). He also asked for Creole mustard instead of yellow (this, of course, makes sense). The sandwich came out and was made to his specifications, and according to him -not to mention his lack of talking for the entire duration of the time it took to eat the thing - it was extremely good. I had a bite of his side of mac and cheese and although M&C ain't my thing, this is as good as you're gonna get anywhere!
Finally, be sure and order yourself a cocktail or three off that creative list. I had a Pear 75 and it's as good as it sounds. I love pears. I love Champagne. Surely a no brainer there. They also have some kind of pork-infused bourbon drink that caught my eye because I have a friend or two that would die over such things.
I love what they did with the space, from the name in lights above meat hanging on hooks (OK that looks cooler than it sounds) to the natural wood accents and Edison bulbs hanging from the ceiling. There are hi tops and low tables alike, which makes the restaurant seem extremely spacious (a rarity in old cities like NOLA and NYC where space is a precious commodity). It's very welcoming and comfortable and I could easily spend hours here over small plates and cocktails. They will tend to your table and see if you need anything so that you don't have to go up to the counter again.
One final shout-out for the homemade habanero sauce!!! You can buy it by the bottle (I can probably consume it by the bucket). I think that almost every single condiment, garnish etc is made in-house. I even got to try some of the housemade pickles (and next time will get them on a sandwich, no doubt). You gotta appreciate all the attention that goes into what comes out of the kitchen. Major, major props to them
How much do I love Wayfare? Looks like I'll be spending a lot more time Uptown again. This place does it all right. Utter PERFECTION! | 2positive
| 930 |
I wish I could give this place more stars...and have stayed longer!!!
I stayed here one night in June and was thoroughly pleased ('wowed' might be a better word). In searching for a place to stay while in Tucson I knew I wanted something old/historic and/or romantic---no franchises or chains in either case---but had no idea what was available when a Google search led me to the Arizona Inn. I went straight to the horse's mouth, so to speak, reviewed their website and booked my stay directly with them (preferable to a hotel booking website). Since I was only staying one night and the price differences weren't drastic, I felt it appropriate to treat myself to a Deluxe Room. Their list of amenities is long in either case and I hoped that this inn would be everything it promised to be. The only thing I noticed was that my web and email confirmations failed to mention a check-in time. I may have overlooked this somewhere else on the website, but I feel like it was missing somehow. In any case, it didn't matter as I just phoned and asked.
The Inn is located down a quiet street and parking is in a lot across from the entrance, but easily accessible from the hotel entrance and the grounds. My companion and I walked in and went to the front desk where everything was handled efficiently. They offered the use of their bellhop but as we each only had an overnight bag he showed us around and led us through the property to our room, instead. We were in a first floor room off a corridor with one other room. I was pleasantly surprised to see the old charm of the place was complete with screen doors and croquet wickets on the lawn, a ping pong table available for use and lawns that had not been ripped up to accommodate automatic sprinklers.
Our room was spacious and every bit as described (though it had 2 queen beds instead of 1 king). The bathroom was immaculate and calming white with fresh flowers in a bud vase, lilac scented toiletries, and a window. The room itself was large and had a bar sink and mini fridge underneath, coffee maker and a tray of assorted coffees for the morning. There was a huge walk-in closet complete with extra blankets and pillows and 2 terry bathrobes, an ironing board and iron. There was also an iPod docking station located on the nightstand between the two beds so we could listen to our music, as well as excellent Wifi reception in the room. There was a flat screen TV off to the side, which we both noted, but did not care to use and appreciated that it wasn't the focal point of the room. Our room had another door which opened onto our very own private patio with a table, chairs, umbrella and also 2 cushioned lounge chairs. Upon looking around the room, my companion remarked how different this place was than a typical hotel stay and thanked me for finding such a lovely room.
After depositing our bags in our room, and declining turn-down service, we ventured out to look around the property a little more, stopping in at the piano bar (where we'd hoped to have a drink later that evening but unfortunately ran out of time), and also noting the dining room and wandering through the library (which we both enjoyed immensely). It was my understanding that the inn serves either complimentary tea or ice cream depending on the season and being June it was ice cream time. We spent some time paddling around the pool, where we enjoyed the beach towels available and the many toys floating around in the pool. Once we'd dried off and changed we decided to check out the ice cream (which seemed to be quite popular). Once we went I found out why! This was not in any way a skimpy ice cream that you would expect for being complimentary. There was in fact a full self serve ice cream bar complete with 4 or 5 different ice creams and as many toppings as you will find anywhere.
I noted that part of the documented history of the inn includes the promise of "privacy, quiet and sunshine" all of which were delivered fully. Many families with children were present as were older patrons and I was not disturbed by any of my neighbors. We spent our evening out on our patio (in our bathrobes) and enjoyed our night's sleep. In the morning I found a complimentary New York Times delivered to our doorstep and though we didn't have time we would have liked to have stopped for the complimentary coffee served in the library. Checking out was a breeze as well and I'm only too sorry that I didn't know of the Arizona Inn before now. | 2positive
| 818 |
BAR ITALIA IS A GEMSTONE! A VERY PRECIOUS GEMSTONE!
If I lived in St Louis I'd find a way to dine there weekly. Highly recommend this place to anyone...couples, families, large groups or even solo dining which sometimes is the best type of meal. I was visiting family in St Louis this past week from NY and Bar Italia helped to organize a dinner for a large party (15 people). We dined in their private room upstairs which was beautifully decorated. Everything from entry to exit exceeded expectations. Super-friendly host, servers and even the owner who came to greet us during dinner to make sure we were happy. They were all so gracious and warm which made the whole experience even better, there were instances where I would lean back and look around the room and it felt like home. There is life here! THERE IS SOUL IN THIS RESTAURANT! You know that certain element that restaurants try so hard to create and often fail, it just sort of happens here in the most comfortable/natural/organic way...so much laughter and wine and great food!
The most important thing...THE FOOD!!! I was in culinary heaven and so was everyone at the table. We were all mostly from out of town and visiting from cities that have a great food culture (NY, DC, LA etc) so really appreciated Bar Italia and everything it had to offer. We had a feast and each dish was remarkable in its own way. The menu is curated in a way that is so attractive and to state the obvious -- DELICIOUS! I will mention a few winners...eggplant caponata (glory in a bowl), bruschetta (obvious choice and you've had it a million times but you still need to try it), Goat Cheese (served with this killer shallot marmalade that made me want to bathe in it), salmon carpaccio (duh- just order it!), caprese salad (a slight twist to your typical/boring caprese...this was a plate of beautiful bold color and taste).
This was just the beginning!
We rolled into the pasta portion of the night and I am so sad I didn't get to try all of them bc what we did have was magical. Do not leave this place without trying the seafood linguini, the Bolognese made with homemade pasta (so good I almost cried), the risotto (perfection) and the tortellini (which was so effing good my uncle was eating it with his fingers, I know that's gross but I need you to envision it to understand how much we loved it).
Now remember this was a large group of people so we were passing the dishes around like hooligans bc we wanted to taste everything. It's possible someone was "accidentally" elbowed when 2 people reached for the same dish ;)
There's more...We haven't even hit the Entrées yet.
At 1 point there were pasta dishes lingering on the table still being attacked by us as we were simultaneously demolishing the entrées that were just served and I swear I thought to myself "is this what Jesus felt like during the last supper?" Probably not, different circumstances for that guy.
There was nothing but joy here.
We continued to order...
The lamb chops (do I even need to say why, be smart about it and just do it), salmon (for the good people fasting during lent), pork chops (for utter greed) and lastly this chicken dish I can't even remember the name but it's a must (it was a mix of mushrooms, veggies, raisins, pine nuts and was swimming in a sea of balsamic goodness).
Dessert -- TIRAMISU! Just do it! you might as well end your night the right way.
All along we were poured wine that paired so nicely with each bite. The suggestions we received were on point!
If you are ever in St Louis, make it a point to visit this diamond in Central West End. Hell if you are within an hours drive just go there. You will not be disappointed.
We laughed, we cried, we ate, we drank...hours passed by and never once were we rushed. For those of us who could find the energy, we ended our night at the bar with more great wine and a cocktail made of espresso and alcohol. Don't ask what kind of alcohol ...just drink it and accept that you are in a happy place and that your soul is full. Taking the last sip felt like putting some sort of completeness to what was a fantastic evening for us.
Dear Bar Italia - I loved every second and I can't wait to return! Please hold my seat. Xoxoxo | 2positive
| 774 |
I was torn on how many stars to give this review and decided it was a toss up between a 2+ and 3- because treating people rudely when they don't deserve it is never "ok" in my book...on to my review.
A foodie friend who periodically organizes dinners out at various restaurants heard about Bodhi and, after reading the excellent reviews, arranged for a group of us to visit on April 7, 2021 for drinks and dinner. Since no reservations are taken upon her arrival my friend advised the hostess that we were a party of 10 and being familiar with Covid restrictions she told the hostess we were more than willing to split up and maintain social distancing guidelines so we could be seated in the restaurant as it was early evening and a bit chilly out on the patio. (At that point, the restaurant was virtually empty.) Her request was denied and actually my friend was treated rudely enough by the hostess that when I pulled up, she was getting into her vehicle and driving away.
She explained later that the hostess insisted that if our group wanted to sit together we would have to be seated on the patio at one of their larger tables. When I arrived, I was led to our table by the hostess who greeted me pleasantly. Knowing we were going to be more than 6 I was confused by the seating arrangements because there was a different party of two at the end of that table and with the 6' between parties rule most of the table had to remain empty (expecting 10 and only room for 6). It made no sense for the hostess to have seated us there when there was a second large table right behind us that was empty of diners!!! Seems the hostess was more comfortable causing our party difficulties than ensuring we had a nice dining experience.
Everyone in our party witnessed the hostile attitude of the hostess because one of us arrived when she had apparently left the stand and finding nobody there, he came in, found us and sat down next to me (unfortunately for him in the "forbidden zone") and we started talking. Having been alerted an additional member of our group arrived, she hustled out there and rather than apologizing for the seating confusion and offering to move us to the larger table she chastised him at length over Covid restrictions. So, our party of 10 had now been pared down to 7 and that was only because we suggested moving the 7th person to the head of our table.
Having worked in customer service for many years this is not how you treat people if you want them to patronize your establishment. No one in our group appreciated this type of treatment. No, we were not arguing about Covid restrictions - our problem was with YOU insisting we sit on the patio then HASSLING us for sitting at the table YOU put us at after being told the size of our party and failing to simply move us to an empty, available table to maintain social distancing from another party...pretty simple solution, right?
The upside to our Bodhi dining experience is those that got their dishes made the way they ordered them had positive things to say. Personally, I had ordered the Chili & Basil stir fry mild and asked for some of the peppers to spice the dish to my liking which never made it to the table and it took real persistence on my part to get some to go so I could appropriately spice the dish at home. The crab puffs were crispy like normal crab rangoon, but the filling was extra creamy and delicious. The fruit salad dessert was tasty with a custard like bottom layer. The chef described how it was made when it was delivered to the table. It was clear that she really cared about the food she was preparing and that people unfamiliar with some of the ingredients used in Thai cooking were educated about them.
There were some issues with the spice levels of a couple of the dishes. One diner ordered the Chili & Basil stir fry at the 3-heat level, but her dish arrived mild and she was disappointed it was "bland". There was also an issue with the Sweet and Sour Chicken dish that was ordered mild (with some additional modifications) and ended up being so spicy she couldn't eat it. Although the dish was remade the replacement included the green peppers she originally requested be left out. She ate it anyway because her appetizer had been forgotten and she had to be very insistent with our waiter to get it delivered out to the table.
Apparently they are still working out the kinks on everything from where to seat people, how to get food out to diners at the same time (or at least close to the same time) and how to turn over tables quickly - we waited 15 minutes on our checks after we requested them, then had to flag down our waiter (who was less than attentive to our party - don't know whether they were understaffed that evening or what) to get them and had to tell him what we ordered because he "didn't remember who ordered what" which was a bad way to end the evening as it wasn't exactly sitting out on the patio weather to begin with. | 1neutral
| 916 |
After a lot of internal debate on whether or not to give Pattaya 3 or 4 stars, I've gone with 4 (can we get the damn half star option?). This is actually pretty unusual, because I'm a bit of a cynical asshole and I tend to round down when given the opportunity, so congrats to Pattaya for overcoming my pessimistic tendencies.
Starting with the aesthetic, I really enjoyed the simplicity of the whole place. The walls were not plastered with decor, but the pieces which were on display contributed a lot to the ambiance of tranquility. All of this combined with the calming music create a very enjoyable dining environment, and the overall atmosphere of Pattaya is something I think many restaurants should try to emulate. 4.5/5 for me, could not realistically be better given the space unless Elton John was playing on a Steinway in the corner and we were dining under original Monets.
Moving on to the service, my friend and I were greeted and seated immediately by a very friendly hostess. We were handed menus and offered water, which was brought to us quite swiftly. We ordered one appetizer, and two entrees. They arrived in perfect succession, the timing on the two dishes (which I will cover in depth later) could not have been better, the entrees came about one minute after finishing the appetizer. We were brought the check quickly, and the whole process was overall very smooth. The only cavil I have about the service is the lack of personability, of course not the worst thing. There was a very accepted dynamic, we were the diners, and they were serving us, sometimes I like to converse with staff, but the opportunity didn't present itself. Overall very good service, still. 4/5
Onto the food, my friend ordered a Thai iced tea, and a chicken curry dish, while I ordered pineapple fried rice with shrimp, and we shared an appetizer of spring rolls.
I will start with the iced tea, it was good, but nothing too distinguishable from others I've had. Perhaps it's unfair because there's a small place back home whose Thai iced tea I absolutely adore, and it's hard to match up to one of the few things I've described as ambrosia on earth. All of this aside, solid Thai iced tea, maybe I'll get one for myself next time.
Moving on to the spring rolls, they were served with plum sauce, a staple in Thai cuisine. The dish came with 5 spring rolls, but they were very small. I was actually very excited when I saw on the menu that their appetizer offered five whole spring rolls, for a very reasonable price. Not going to lie I was a little disappointed when I saw the size of them. That aside, the taste was decent, the rolls themselves were pretty average, but the plum sauce was excellent. I tried to save some for my entree because it was so good, it was sweet and heavenly.
The pineapple fried rice was served in a hollowed out pineapple, which was sort of cool, and wasn't as impractical as it might seem. It made it a bit hard to clean my "pineapple" but that wasn't an issue because the serving size was actually quite generous, especially in comparison to the entree. The taste was good, I won't say amazing because I've had a lot of fried rice in my lifetime and this dish wasn't special enough to write home about, but it was good. It was simple, I think the whole ingredients were pineapple, shrimp, and tofu, but it worked. My biggest complaint about the dish was the consistency of it all. My first scoop yielded three pieces of shrimp in the first 1/5 of the pineapple, which I was super excited for because I thought every scoop would yield 3 pieces of shrimp. This was not the case. There was a single piece of shrimp in the rest of my dish, again not the worst thing but I do wish it could've been mixed a little more. Back to the cleaning my pineapple thing, it was hard to get the last bits of rice without tearing into the rind of the pineapple, but just a minor inconvenience at worst.
I had a bit of my friends chicken curry as well (over white rice). She ordered it "hot," which was the 4th hottest out of 5 levels of spiciness, the hottest being Thai spicy. I wish I got to try something there Thai spicy, because hot just wasn't hot. I will have to visit again and get a curry dish, so you may seem an update on this later. Anyways, the curry was good, I didn't get to eat it as a cohesive dish, but it was good.
Overall I would give the food dishes a 3.25.
In general I try to scope out the bathroom, which is weird I know, but this time I forgot. I would bet it was clean, given the thorough cleanliness of the restaurant.
Good restaurant, one of the better in Goleta, which is not exactly a haven for gourmet eats.
3.5/5, which I guess is 4 stars! Thank you Pattaya, I will be back. | 2positive
| 872 |
Okay... Before you read this, please understand this place has been open for about 3 weeks...
Quick Summary: This place has potential. Currently, the food is not that great, and the service is just below average. But, this is also the first month being in business, and we considered that when we went. Wait at least another 2-3 months before making the trip! They have a lot of bar-oriented food, but also have some entrees... However, if you want to ensure you get out in a reasonable amount of time - order the chicken fingers and fries, that only took about 20 minutes to come from the kitchen.
Long-winded summary:
Ah, the Grill at Fore, formally Tierra Mar Grille, is set at the Ingleside Golf Course. When you first approached the very bright-white exterior mansion, we were first confused if this place was actually open, there is no signage at the main enterance. There was a slot full of menus, very similar to those holsters containing MLS information for a house on sale.
When we enter the main dark foyer, we are greeted by the glow of an ATM machine and a hostess station. Currently it doesn't appear the upstairs is meant for seating, and you are immediately ushered to the left of the building.
Past the bar there are scattered tables until you get to a porch area containing two rows of additional tables.
Although there was one other table in the building for our 6pm reservation, the place gradually increased.
The server greeted us and took our drink orders, and becuase there is no liquor license, it is BYO, however - a complementary glass of Pabst Blue Ribbon was included in the meal; awesome.
The menu is mostly bar food, and while they do include some entrees you woudl expect, they also had Aligator sausage.
We started with the Fried Pickles, and like most places - they are usually sliced and fried and served with some spicy horseradish sauce. Not at this place! We were served four pickle spears with a crispy coating that fell apart. (See photos). There was no sauce, and the middle was extremely hot. This was definately not what I expected, it was similar to biting into a whole hot tomato... How often does that happen when you want fried tomatoes? The menu indicated the pickles included Thousand Island Dressing, however this was missed.
Next, the server gave us the one special for the evening, a cuban-style pulled pork sandwich with hamsteak, cheese, and pickles. He then proceeded to take our order. While my Mother in Law ordered the special and "the Blue Wedge" (A wedge of iceberg topped with blue cheese and covered with their own blue cheese dressing), my father in law ordered the Etouffee, my wife got a burger, I ordered the meatloaf with French Fries, and we got Chicken fingers with Fries for our daughter. It was about 15 minutes after we seated when the server took our order. (He did get us drinks, though).
At that time, additional customers started rolling in. There were enough servers to accomodate the flow, but when it wasn't until about 20 more minutes before the chicken fingers, and then another 10 before the blue wedge and pickles came out.. Are you keeping track? It is now 6:45pm...
We did see other guests sending food back, and it wasn't until about 7pm before we got our dinner. The sandwich special was a nightmare, according to my mother in law; there was very little pulled pork, the bread was greasy and the hamsteak dominated the sandwich. My Father in law's Etouffee was flavorless, it was spicy, though. Due to what's in Etouffee and my allergies, I stayed away from that.
My wife was okay with the burger; how can anyone mess up a burger? Although it was not messed up; Jake's Wayback Burger - just down the road - puts this place to shame.
And now the meatloaf... (See the photo)... It looked like somehting out of a cafeteria. Gray, warm, and covered with brown gravy and mushrooms, the meatloaf did not really taste like anything. The mashed potatoes that came with it (notice I orederd French Fries), tasted like hot potato salad, they were very lumpy and again, not what I expected.
By this time, 7:15, there were additional food runners coming out, wearing harley davidson t-shirts with their hats on Backwards. We were then approached by someone asking how was the food, I thought he was a worker, but apparently was the owner.
Overall, the experience at this place was like the food; not what we expected. And while we were understanding of that, since being in the business, the staff could have done more to ensure the customer experience was satisfactory, by informing us of what makes their cooking different from how we generally know how things are supposed to be cooked.
The only thing that was quick at this place was getting our bill and checking out! | 0negative
| 836 |
This was the worst Thanksgiving dinner I have ever had, and I've even had Thanksgiving in Nepal before.
Things started questionable when the salad was mediocre and the soup was awful, some part of it tasting like it came from a can. It had the texture and flavor profile of added cornstarch and industrial processing to it.
But the real horror came with the entrée. I had never been exposed to frankenturkey before. More on that in a second. The sweet potato was hard as a rock. The turkey gravy was weird and too dark, like it was a beef gravy that came from a powder mix. The cranberry sauce was overcooked. How that's possible I'm not sure, maybe it came from a jar, but despite that, the sweetness was necessary to help blunt the awfulness of the rest, so I asked for more because there was only a teaspoon of it on the plate. This was Thanksgiving and I was going to do what I had to to try to force myself to enjoy it.
But that turkey... what was going on with that turkey?? Somehow patches of dark meat had been combined with areas of white meat in each slice, two of which were on the plate. And everyone's plate in the restaurant had the identical two perfectly round slices, the same exact size. How was that possible? A turkey is a bunch of complicated shapes, you can't get slices off a bird like that. I was horrified but intrigued. I vowed to google this processed food invention the next day. It was clear it came from an industrial process; whatever it was was not homemade, that much was clear from the flavor and texture as well.
Meanwhile, my friend was freaking out over how bad the gravy was. The couple next to us overheard this and chimed in, he was a professional chef and we all commiserated over the horror of this meal. Which was $110 per person, not including drinks, by the way. I'm not a chef for a living but I did a whole culinary school program so am professionally trained. It was an entertaining conversation. They ended up walking out. We stayed for dessert. Thankfully the pastry chef didn't try to give us fake food and cared about their craft; the dessert was by far the best part of the meal.
So, my google search the next morning found that there is a thing that Butterball makes that is called something like "boneless turkey roast, white and dark meat combined". I can only imagine the machines that create this aberration. The photos showed this to be exactly like what we had received. I don't eat processed food, so this kind of thing is really creepy and gross to me. And who would want to pay hundreds of dollars for cheap processed food. At least I figured out what it was. The mystery was gone and I could put it behind me, never having to think about it again.
Until the next night, when we showed up at the dining room (we were staying in the hotel) for dessert (we ate dinner elsewhere of course!) and the chef appeared out of nowhere to confront us. In a bizarre passive aggressive way (read my review of the hotel for more on that), he queried me on where I was a chef (word apparently got back that a couple of chefs where criticizing him that night). He was quizzing me, it was weird. I explained my experience and interpretation of the dinner and he was very defensive. He said he didn't buy Butterball processed turkey and that the reason the gravy was so dark was because he "roasted the turkey bones a really long time". I just wanted him to go away so I didn't bother pointing out that you don't roast poultry bones, you roast beef bones for stock. Thanksgiving gravy is made with pan drippings and giblets because the bones are supposed to be IN the turkey. Nothing made sense. It was more Orwell double speak (again, see my hotel review). The whole thing was just bizarre. I've never had a chef passive aggressively attack me for criticizing their cooking. The hotel had comped the dinner, but money is not the point. Quality is the point. Care is the point. Effort is the point. Not BS and whoever we can't hoodwink we'll just comp and they'll go away quietly or we'll intimidate them into doing so.
I was planning on cooking a goose for Christmas, but it looks like I will be cooking a proper turkey instead, because I really missed having one for Thanksgiving. | 0negative
| 780 |
I've been to this location twice now, and had two very different experiences.
My first visit was some months ago; the restaurant was less than a quarter full and it was around 9:30 on a weekday morning.
The trouble began, quite literally, as I walked in. There was no hostess at the station, but one employee at the cash register. The employee at the register looked up at me; shrugged; said, "I have no idea where they are;" and proceeded to ignore me. Eventually a hostess did show up and directed me to a table. Another customer came in and was seated at the table next to me.
The server was friendly, took my order and that of the table next to me, brought our coffees . . . and disappeared.
A manager came around and chatted up the various customers in the dining room. I let him know it was my first visit and he replied that he would make certain I enjoyed my visit. I saw him walk up to someone I assume was the front of house manager and tell her to make certain I was taken care of.
I observed another incident in which a customer walked in to find no hostess and the employee at the cash register turned around to shout across the restaurant for someone to come up.
Still missing my server after half an hour, I flagged down another passing staff member to ask when I could expect to eat. Some time later, the same manager as before came out and served me, as well as that customer in the next booth. The other customer pointed out several mistakes, so he went to fix hers.
I had scrambled eggs, corned beef hash, hash browns, and pancakes. The eggs and hash browns were unseasoned and bland, while the corned beef hash was salty. In addition, the eggs were greasy, the hash browns were barely warm on top and nearly burnt on the bottom (as though the cook had simply dropped them on the flat top and not bothered to move them again), and the hash was merely warmed through, without the crispy bits one expects to have if fried on a griddle (I suspect they were microwaved).
After eating what I could of the above, I was ready to dive into my pancakes. I managed to get two bites of those down. They were flavorless and heavy, turning into a pasty, floury ball that sucked all the moisture out of my mouth and made it nearly impossible to choke down.
My server finally came back long enough to apologize because she'd been on break and to leave the check, then dashed off again. I never did see that wandering manager again.
When I got to the register, a new employee had replaced the earlier one who'd ignored me. I told her things hadn't been very good, and the front of house manager waved it off, telling her to comp me the meal, then went off to do something else.
I declined the offer of the comp, because neither the cashier nor the manager bothered to ask me what problems I'd had. They weren't interested in fixing the issues, only in buying me off. That was probably the most insulting part of the whole visit.
The entire episode left me with the impression they have issues with its management. First, the front of house manager wasn't watching the hostess station, allowed customers to be seated in a section where the server was due to go on break, and didn't ensure someone covered that missing server. My food should never have left the kitchen. The cook, the kitchen manager, and the manager who served the dishes failed to catch the problems. Upper management either failed to train them or else considers that to be acceptable. Then there was that final incident where I was brushed off with a comp; I didn't even get an apology. If the front of house manager, kitchen manager, and that wandering manager all failed to do their jobs, I have to assume the store's upper management doesn't care or doesn't know what to do.
That being said, I was convinced by several colleagues to give the Village Inn another shot. So here I am again, same time, same day.
I was seated promptly, and my server did not disappear after delivering my coffee.
I had over-medium eggs, turkey sausage, oatmeal, and an orange crepe. The eggs were cooked perfectly and not greasy, though they were still unseasoned--a dash of salt and pepper would do wonders, and adding seasoning after the fact isn't the same. The turkey sausage could have been cooked a little longer, until the casing started to crisp, but was pleasantly spicy. Unfortunately, they were also very small. The crepe was mixed, being very thick and doughy, but tasty, as were the filling and topping. The oatmeal was nearly inedible, overcooked and dense. It was almost more of an "oat pudding." I couldn't even stir in the brown sugar. I left most of my bowl uneaten.
I did hear the servers coordinating among themselves this time, and that showed in the quality of service received.
Between my visits, I'd currently rank this location 2.5 stars. Since Yelp doesn't let reviewers split stars, I'm rounding up to three given the improvement shown, and will be back to determine if the improvements continue. | 1neutral
| 903 |
Turkish cuisine might not be on the top of your list when it comes to deciding where to eat on a night out. It definitely wasn't on mine but a dinner at The Cellar at Sofra last week quickly changed that. A hidden gem, the three month old extension of Sofra in downtown's core is serving up authentic and traditional mezze (or meze), similar to the Spanish concept of tapas. As a big fan of tasting plates and small bites, this was right up my alley and thanks to my friend Lesley's suggestion, a group of us made a visit.
Sofra isn't new to Edmonton but their separate mezze menu and extensive selection of wines for their underground space is. Two distinct seating areas define The Cellar: tables amongst dimly lit mosaic lamps, creating an intimate and romantic dining experience; and the open, brightly lit area featuring none other than a set of 'sofra', low tables or trays for dining seated on the floor, with colourful seating cushions. Can you guess where we sat?
Crunchy coated peanuts started off the evening, an addictive snack that left all of us mindlessly snacking.
The Meze Tabagi: an assorted mere platter with yaprak karma, stuffed Turkish apricots, fried helm cheese, grilled black tiger prawns, and Bosnian sausage. The stuffed Turkish apricots were a favourite and I loved the smokiness of the prawns. An ideal plate for 2 - 4 diners, our group of 8 were left wanting more bites!
Lesley was our expert and guide for the night on Turkish cuisine seeing that she's been to Istanbul. We were able to order Lahmacun, a dish that wasn't on The Cellar at Sofra's menu but was available upstairs in the regular dining room. Chef and owner Yuksel Gultekin and the kitchen were so accommodating and made the dish for us. Absolutely loved the in-house flatbread and the spiced ground meat was delicious!
The Incik Kuzu, a lamb loin served on a bed of sautéed vegetables, in-house tomato basil sauce was cooked medium rare as per requested, and was very nicely done. I was expecting the spices to pack a punch, like a Moroccan lamb roast, and stronger notes of cumin but the dish didn't deliver that. Perhaps it wasn't meant to (I'm new to Turkish cuisine!) but we cleaned it up nevertheless.
My absolute favourite main dish of the night was the grilled beef meatballs served on a dollop of yogurt and topped with sautéed tomatoes, the Parmak Kofte. There's something about meatballs that's universal throughout all cuisines, a comforting dish and one that can please any palate. An absolute must order, the kofte were moist and flavourful! Mmm, I want more.
The Fume Ordek Beyti, a smoked duck breast, was cleverly plated to make a none other than, a flying bird. Paired with fresh herbs and rolled in phyllo pastry, the packages were lightly toasted in the pan and brushed with a cayenne butter mixture and cut into pieces to share. The phyllo pastry consistency was a little different from your typical phyllo dough and the bite really brought out textures that reminded me of green onion cakes, not a bad thing.
My least favourite dish was the halibut, wrapped in beef pastrami and baked with an accompanying tomato, pepper, and mushroom sauce. The Tranca Pastirimi fell flat for me compared to all the other dishes although I appreciate that there was a seafood option in the menu.
Desserts rounded out our meal, the baklava, a sweet layered pastry filled with walnuts, pistachios, and honey, were a hit for all and perfect for a sweet tooth. I absolutely loved my parfait of vanilla ice cream and caramelized figs, I could have eaten that all night!
Overall, I'm so happy to have found another small plate dining option in the downtown core! Even better, on Tuesdays any bottle of wine under $60 is half off, making that night's meal even more delightful. Good company, good food, and wine. I don't think I can ask for more. The Cellar at Sofra's strong points are I think what Turkish food would be known for, like the grilled meats, kofte, and pitas. I'm excited to come back to try the Kabak Dolma, zucchini halves filled with your choice of toppings and the Helim Peynir, thinly sliced grilled eggplant wrapped around some of that beautiful helm cheese.
Not only do I have to make another trip to The Cellar but the upstairs has a completely different menu and more catered to individual plates. So excited to have tried Sofra! Service was amazing and accommodating to all our needs. Absolutely loved the experience and can't wait to be back. | 2positive
| 780 |
My husband and I went to Bibou last night to celebrate our anniversary. I had booked the chef's tasting menu through City Eats weeks in advance for Sunday at 6pm, and when we arrived a few minutes early the small restaurant was PACKED, and only our two seats at the bar were empty.
We were greeted immediately by the lovely, friendly hostess and seated. We had forgotten a bottle of wine we planned on having with our courses, but in the end the seven course feast of delicious, rich French cuisine was more than enough to send us into a drunken-like state. All of the servers were nice, and each dish was described to us by a different server succinctly and beautifully.
We started with their homemade baguette and imported butter, both of which were surprisingly exceptional (I'm not a bread and butter person, but this was REALLY good). a roasted, smoky eggplant soup with a dollop of olive tapenade to add some necessary saltiness. The soup of velvety, and a fairly large portion to begin with compared to what the regular Sunday prix fixe soup serving was that I saw being served throughout the rest of the dining room. We then were served two different dishes: I had the tuna tartare, which was light, fresh and served with a raspberry coulis that was the perfect sweet-tart flavor to brighten up an otherwise standard appetizer. My husband was served the wild boar pate with an apricot-whole grain mustard sauce, which he loved and barely gave me a bite of!
Our next course was a small serving of the sea scallops, perfectly seared and fork tender, served atop a roasted beet puree (the chef told us he made it with coconut milk!) with toasted hazelnuts in brown butter, slices of green papaya and pea shoots. I wanted to lick that plate clean, the sweet and savory flavors just danced with each small bite. Then the true gluttony commenced: the foie gras plate! We each were served our own piece of foie gras atop their signature pumpkin bread with two balls of saffron spiced pear, and shared the foie gras creme brulee topped with pineapple rhubarb compote. The foie gras was perfectly seared and creamy, and paired incredibly well with the pumpkin bread underneath. The sweetness of the pineapple rhubarb was the perfect combination of sweet and salty. But so rich! We weren't sure if we would be able to eat any more food...but of course we did, it was all so delicious! While waiting for the next course, I was telling my husband about their notable menu items, particularly the bone marrow and how it's so popular they tend to run out later in the evening, and lo and behold what is our next course? Bone marrow! Tossed with bread crumbs, chanterelle mushrooms, herbs, and stuffed back in the bone before being roasted, it was still bubbling when it was placed on the counter. Super tasty, with pieces of roasted fingerling potatoes, and lightly dressed greens to cleanse the palate after such rich food. Our entree was a new addition to their menu - the filet mignon. A classic french dish served with the perfect stack of potato gratin (thin layers, crunchy and creamy at the same time), sauteed baby kale, and a red wine reduction - but this was better than any filet mignon either of us had ever had. EVER. EVER!!! The cut was so tender and perfectly cooked, I barely needed the steak knife to cut into it, my fork could pull it apart on it's own.
Dessert was the icing on the cake: pistachio creme brulee (perfect, of course) with a little shortbread cookie, their famous "Floating Island" meringue with goat cheese creme anglaise and almond croquant bits on top, and a little plate of coconut macaroons and meringues to go with our peppermint tea. Perfect? Oh indeed. And yes, Chef Ron Fougeray came out from the kitchen to speak with each and every table to ensure that they had enjoyed their experience that evening, and he was pleased to hear that his new filet mignon dish was in fact the best my husband had ever had in his life. He is a lovely, soft spoken, introverted chef, and it was so nice to speak with him for even a few minutes out of his busy schedule. Cash only - but at only $70pp for the tasting menu, it's a real deal since you get to try so many of their signature menu items. We will definitely be back - I didn't get to have the escargot yet! | 2positive
| 771 |
I was really curious to try this place that has attracted such national buzz since opening 2 1/2 yrs ago...to my great disappointment and dismay, however, I found out after arriving that the two opening chefs Erik Andersen and Josh Habiger left last year. The reins have been handed over to Chef Trevor Moran, an Irishman who served as Sous Chef at Copenhagen's Noma, variously ranked as the best restaurant in the world. The rest of his staff have some pretty serious experience as well, with other refugees from Noma, the French Laundry, and Alinea.
The first thought that came to mind when I saw the restaurant was that it was very similar in concept and appearance to L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon...except much smaller, friendlier, and on a budget. Now as far as the food goes, this was again a situation where I could appreciate the attention to detail and attempts to be inventive. However, some of the flavor combinations just did not work for me.
Our menu:
Cured sturgeon with potato "rice" "sushi style" and tea - not a fan...there was something offputting about the texture.
Raw spot prawn with pickled kohlrabi, grilled shrimp head - really not a fan. I was tempted to spit this one out. The raw shrimp were served lukewarm... towards the finish, the texture becomes gummy, pasty, and altogether unpleasant. I found the choice of spot prawns an interesting one...they are a West Coast species...to quote an LA times article, "Buying spot prawns while they are still alive and kicking is the key to quality. Almost immediately after they die, an enzyme in the prawn's head spreads through the body and starts to turn the flesh to mush." Well, that is what they tasted like. The decision to grill the heads was an interesting one as well...in amaebi sushi, the head is deep fried. As a result, the entire thing becomes edible. After grilling, it is tough and inedible...you are left to only suck out the contents of the head but can't eat it.
Pressed crispy pork "tail" with onion puree and pickled onions - this one was delicious...the pork was crispy and the onions a little sweet. The presentation could really use some work, however, as it was presented as two little wafers on toast on the plate.
"Salad" consisting of a tied bundle of romaine lettuce, mint, herbs, and edible flower wrapped around nuts and huckleberry jam - This was not good...there was not enough "jam" or "sauce" so in effect, you were taking a big bite of naked greens and herbs which turned out to be quite bitter. Tying it with a string was an affectation that served no purpose.
"Al dente" potato soup with yeast broth - Why did they think al dente (think half-raw) potatoes would be a good idea? Have you ever tasted raw potatoes? They make you want them cooked! The broth was quite nice...yeasty and rich with butter.
Butter-poached skate wing with rhubarb - This was pretty good, though again, presentation was evidently an afterthought. Two small pieces of poached skate in a bowl with a butter sauce drizzled with some sort of rhubarb sauce...it was rich and satisfying.
Dry-aged beef tenderloin tartare with roasted ancient grains, herb stems, lingonberries, etc - This one scared me but turned out to be my favorite dish of the evening. As a general rule, I am not a fan of beef tartare (doesn't anyone remember mad cow?). but this one tasted so good...it just the right balance of acid, herbaceousness, richness from the oil, and crunch. Again, though, couldn't they find a more imaginative way to serve it than to dump a whole pile on a plate with no garnish?
Aged duck breast, white asparagus, morels, green strawberries, white almonds - This was also a great dish. The duck breast was perfectly fried so that all the fat was rendered and the skin was nice and crispy, but the meat was still a rosey medium-rare. Wow...but come on guys...six thin slices to be shared by the two of us? Total was 1/4 of a duck breast...a bit stingy.
"Potato" chocolate eclair - I also enjoyed this...the eclair was in the shape of a potato and served in a small paper bag with cocoa nib dirt. Whimsical.
Marshmallow - Tasty but not particularly memorable.
Service was overall very friendly...most dishes (and accompanying explanations) were served by the chefs...though they were very busy, they were happy to chat with you about the food. The sommelier was also very nice, though I have to say I did not find the reserve wine tasting menu to be worth the considerable cost, as it was not timed to each course and often we were left without a drink as he was busy on the other side of the room. Dinner cost us over $400...pricey for the level of refinement. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable evening. | 1neutral
| 821 |
Ok so this is a difficult review to write. The reason this is so is because I have now been here 3 times and the first 2 times were pretty good the 3rd was atrocious. The first time I went it was to grab a quick bite with a girlfriend after our work out. We got the Edamame with the garlic lime topping as our appetizer and omg these are amazing!!! I highly recommend them. For my entree I chose the Buenos Aires bowl as it sounded as the most delicious to me and it did not have beans (which I am not a fan of). I instantly fell in love with this bowl! All the flavor! omg! I got it with the coconut avocado rice as my base and blackened chicken as my protein. After that first time I could not wait to go back and grab another bowl, so I did. I went back for a late lunch with another girlfriend on a Saturday afternoon at about 3pm. Again I had the edamame appetizer and I ordered the Buenos Aires bowl as my entree, this time I had a Michelob ultra with my meal (yes they have a beer selection + a craft soda machine). Again everything was great, food was delicious, service was fine, nothing crazy!
Well fast forward to this past weekend when I finally got honey to bring me to this establishment after raving about how great it was. We arrived on a Saturday afternoon and were promptly seated by the kind hostess. The restaurant was not too busy maybe about 6 or 7 tables and it seemed they had quite a bit of servers/staff. It just so happened we had made it in time for Happy hour, this meant discounts on bowls and drinks! Our server quickly came over, introduced herself and took our drink orders. Honey just ordered water and I got a white sangria. This is when thing started to go down hill. I am pretty sure I received a mimosa in a wine glass the way one would serve sangria, either that or there was a ton of orange juice in my white sangria. I let it slide... Our waitress is now ready to take our order, I excitedly state I would like the Buenos Aires bowl when she tells me they are out. I am very annoyed at this point because this bowl is honestly the only reason I chose to come to this establishment on a Saturday afternoon. I figured it's not the waitresses fault and just suck it up, happy I did because shortly after she stated a patron the day before was very upset they did not have the bowl. I then asked her to recommend another bowl that is similar, she recommended the fajita bowl stating it was basically the same and that they could provide the chimichurri sauce that comes with the Buenos Aires. After looking at the menu it is very apparent these bowls are not "basically the same bowl" and in fact this bowl contains beans, after expressing my disdain for beans she stated the can came sure to not include them. Great! This is not what came here for but heck I am trying something new. Honey ordered some other bowl which he did say he enjoyed. Well our bowls come out and wouldn't you know it mine is covered in beans. As I wait for our server to come back around (trying to make eye contact) I tell honey to go on and start eating his food, he wants to wait a bit. Our server comes over and i explain the issue, she apologizes and says they will remake it and it will be right out. Waiting, waiting, waiting... I tell honey to eat his food. He begins to eat and I can tell he is trying to take his time. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Honey is done with his dish. Waiting, waiting, waiting, hostess happens to be walking by and ask if everything is okay, at this point I tell her it is not and that we just want our check and we will be leaving. She noticed honey had finished his dish and we had finished our drink and I still did not have my food. Finally my dish appears as I am waiting for the check. I tell the person that brought it out that I am okay I will just take my check. At this point I had already decided and told honey I would just get a Chipotle bowl and eat it at home. Honey is very patient and was a server back in the day he was the reason I was patient so long--- but it got to the point where even he was like "this is ridiculous" and agreed I'm better off just grabbing a bowl at Chipotle. The only thing we can assume is that they put my ticket in for a new bowl as if a new customer had walked in?!?!?!?!? Why was my ticket not cut in line and my dish rectified in a more expedient manner? Beyond me! Anyhow they packaged my meal to go and out 2 cookies in the bag, I appreciated the gesture but I was so upset I was ready to get out of there and we did. We paid our tab and they had removed my bowl which was kind. When I got home and ate my bowl I was disappointed. It was not "basically the same bowl" very different and just not as good even with adding the chimichurri sauce they gave me on the side.
All in all many mistakes where made! How do you run out of the Buenos Aires bowl? How does it take longer to correct a bowl than it did to initially make it? Just make another! | 1neutral
| 977 |
Review posted on behalf of my brother in law's experience: We recently came to celebrate my 38th birthday at your establishment on Saturday January 18, 2020 . Your website proclaims to provide an award-winning divine culinary work of art, standing apart from other upscale eateries on Beach Drive. This dazzling menu, upscale charm and full bar of unique designed signature cocktails prompted me to be proactive and set a reservation for all my family and friends to experience such a masterpiece. On January 14th I called and spoke to a gentleman and scheduled my birthday celebration for 20 people at 6pm. This was several hours after you were scheduled to open.
When we arrived at your business we were told that we did not make a reservation. This created an inconvenience for myself, family, and friends who had to wait outside. It also inconvenienced the company I hired to bring and set up my cake.
Tables were available to accommodate our party and we decided to stay and allow your proclaims to win us back over. Your server started ordering drinks although some never made it back to the table. All parties that were ordering your culinary works of art were sitting eager to start their dinner after the delay. Food orders were not taken or were taken on only part of the table. By this time, guests were starting to order drinks from the bar because that is where the server was. My mother's order was taken by the server at the table but she left before my wife and children (at the same table) could order. My wife got up to ask if the server would please add to the order as the children were hungry. She was told that no more orders would be taken until everyone sat down because the kitchen staff was getting mad at her and she could not figure out the orders. We did have some guests standing at the tall tables, but those guests were not eating just trying to enjoy the signature cocktails. All guest ordering dinner were sitting and my 3 year old was upset because she was hungry and rightfully so. We were already delayed and the server would not take her order.
At this time I asked to speak to a manager several times with my requests going unanswered. Next, I requested for any orders that just went in to be cancelled and for existing bills to be totaled. While these requests were being made, many of my guests who were never served, left to find another establishment that could accommodate our party. We overheard your staff say to another staff member that they called the police. After several more requests for the bill the server put all orders on one bill. There were food items and drink items that had not come out and were not served to the guests. We paid the bill for food and drink we did not receive and gave a tip as well so that we could leave the establishment before it further ruined my birthday celebration. As we were about to exit the server placed food on tables that had been empty because their orders were canceled at least 20 minutes earlier. The server was crying, my children were hungry, and the police had now arrived.
Your manager did tell the police that we paid the bill. At this point, he also revealed that the reservation was in the system and was a mistake on their end. He also disclosed that they were short staffed. As a consumer celebrating my birthday this was unacceptable. I did everything possible to make a reservation for proper staffing and advanced accommodations to be met. If your staff could no longer accommodate our party, they should have been transparent, disclosed the information and allowed us to go elsewhere. In addition, the police presence was unnecessary and discriminatory in nature. Our conduct did not warrant such a call and I strongly believe it was based on my race. We took all proactive steps to make the best of the night. We sought out the manager and did not make a scene. The result of that was an unjust scene that attacked my character by making it seem as if I did something wrong. The increased police presence could have potentially created an encounter that was escalated against me with no real cause. This was a scary encounter for my family and a very negative birthday experience. I had reservations made for after dinner and this unfortunate and unjust experience ruined the rest of the evening. My children had to get fast food as they were crying that we had to leave the restaurant asking, "Why won't they let me eat?" How would you feel if this was your experience on your birthday? How would you feel if you had to give your child a subpar dinner because you needed something quick when they were supposed to have an award-winning meal? And how would you feel if you paid for it when some didn't even receive it?
This experience is far from the experience you are selling to your consumers online. It was an unconscionable experience. | 0negative
| 869 |
I love this place. My girl was out of town this past weekend and my buddy's girl is off at NYU so we decided at 6:30 on Friday to head to RENO!!!!!! Well, it being a holiday weekend (President's Day) we weren't able to book a room. No worries we figured, we'll think of something. So we roll into town around 11:30pm and park in the Eldorado Structure (free parking with validated ticket). It's nearly full but we find a spot. We pulled out our other buddy we brought on the trip, Johnny Walker (he was pissed having to ride in the trunk) and took a few sips of Black Label. Feeling like we can breathe fire, we head into the Eldorado.
After walking around and scoping the scene a bit, we hit up some little cafe in the Eldorado and have breakfast food and beer (amazing combo if you haven't tried it). We then set our sights on the single deck blackjack in the Eldorado Casino. After several hours at the same table, we make friends with three computer programmers from the Silicon Valley (think Office Space, I'm seriously; there were two white dudes and a really chill middle easterner). Us five are all doing pretty good, except some fella at the end of the table is spending hundreds like gambling is a tax write-off. We must have went through about six different dealers and four pit bosses (yes we had deep and intimate conversations with all of them) and we even group moved to another table. One of our pit bosses was named Shirley, a no-nonsense sweetheart who ran a tight ship (and yes we made the joke, "Shirley you can't be serious" a few times). At some point around 4:00am we were comped cigars because of horrible cocktail waitress service (they need more on the floor), and we all smoked them having a good time. Finally, around 6:00am we cashed out up a hundred or so bucks and took pictures with the 49er's back-up quarterback. A this point, hammered from all the Sapphire Tonics we were getting all night, we decided to sleep in my buddy's car
So we crashed in the Eldorado parking garage for a few hours, and used the cafe receipt to validate our parking ticket. We then drove over to the huge sporting goods store, Scheels. My buddy just got a Springfield XD .40 and wanted to get a holster. For several minutes we seriously contemplated hiding in one of the display tents and sleeping for a couple hours. We settled on some ammo and Togo's (horrible) sandwiches, then drove to the desert outside Reno and shot up some empty Gatorade and coffee cup targets. At this point it's sometime around noon, I think, and we headed back into town. We passed two cops hauling ass towards the place we were just shooting, so we may or may not be outlaws at this point.
By now we're working our phones like coffee shop employees trying to find a hotel room. There is absolutely nothing out there unless you want to pay $1200 for a lame room at Harrah's. Who pays $1200 for a hotel room in Reno? Not us. We finally locate an empty room at the Vagabond next to the Peppermill. We check in and my buddy is out cold. I shower up and crash for a few hours myself, then we hit up a brewery for some food. I think the place was called the Great Basin Brewing Company. Being our first time there, we didn't know what was good, however the sweet bartender gave us some samples (of beer). I decided on a Belgium White, my buddy on a Pale Ale. The fish and chips were good, took plenty back to the hotel.
Once we changed into some nightlife garb, we walked over to the Peppermill and had tried to find a spark at the black jack table. I'll be honest with you, we just weren't feeling it. A cab ride later we were right back over to the Eldorado. As soon as we walked in we felt at home, and excited. We found ourselves right back at the same table we were at the night before and back at it with a Sapphire Tonic next to our chips! We settled into a groove with a few other fellas, and before long, we were taking a table shot of Jameson. With most of us playing smart, we were working pretty well together as a table. We had a good dealer who was busting all over the place (the only situation I don't mind a guy busting in front of me) and things were rolling right along. Then we got a new dealer, and she just wasn't any fun. We decided to cash out while we were ahead, and so we did.
A half hour later we were passed out in our hotel room. Even though we didn't get to stay at the Eldorado, it was overall a great experience spending most our time there. Really the only complaint I have is the cocktail service; there needs to be more on the floor. Also, order a drink where you can taste the quality of alcohol, it seemed like every time we had a new waitress I could tell the gin was not Bombay Sapphire. With a friendly direct request for Bombay (and maybe a tip), they make sure to bring you what you want. | 2positive
| 913 |
If only I could give 0 stars. We went on Sunday, March 12, around 3:30, and they were on a 15-20 minute wait for 3 of us. I went to the restroom and saw that most of the tables were empty, and the ones that were seated were eating -curious they were on a wait. People came in and said they were going to sit at the bar, and the hostess said they couldn't eat there, they still had to wait. This was not looking good.
Closer to 30 minutes we were finally seated, and our server was fairly prompt. My husband and mother-in-law ordered margaritas and off she went. My mother-in-law is living in assisted living and this was to be a special treat for her, especially because she likes the baby back ribs here ( at a different location). The server came back with my water, and said the drinks were on the way, and took our order. My MIL ordered the ribs, and they were OUT. We needed more time with the menu. She came back with the drinks, and MIL ordered the steak, my husband ordered a burger and I ordered the chopped Cobb salad. And then we waited. And waited. And waited.
There was a busser/host (not sure exactly what he was) strolling around with a rag in his hand, but the tables were all dirty and covered in crumbs, but he just kept on strolling fixing his hair. I only mention it because he must have passed by our table 20 times and the table right next ours was dirty. There seemed to be plenty of servers working working, so the wait seemed much longer than it should have been.
We saw a server bring biscuits to a table that was seated long after we were, and another do the same. When our server finally came out from wherever she was hiding, we asked about biscuits for us, and she said there weren't any and they are still cooking. After nearly 15 minutes my MIL received her Caesar salad. And we waited. And waited. And waited.
Other tables that were again seated long after we were, were getting their appetizers, and we were still waiting. I then heard the manager at a table near us say that they were out of romaine for salads and they had kale and some other greens. I had ordered a salad, and did not want just kale and some greens. When the server reappeared from her hiding spot I told her exactly that, and she said she would send the manager over. Eventually the manager, Amber, came by, and explained the situation, asked if I wanted something else. We had already been there close to an hour, and there was no way I was going to order something else and wait any longer. We told her the food was taking a very long time, she said the server was holding it because I asked to speak to the manager. Sigh. What about the other 30 minutes we had been waiting?
My husband split his burger with me, with the server watching him cut it and put it on a napkin for me. The manager came by, asked if everything was ok, the server came by and asked as well. Not once did either ask if I wanted a plate. The manager asked if my husband wanted another margarita, and he said it was not good, very metallic and sour, and she said that's just how they are. Surprisingly, considering how the visit was going, the burger and the steak were well cooked.
Amber the manager brought us our check and she "did take off" the salad! and the burger. The reason she took off the burger...burgers were buy one get one, and since we only got one and not the other and shared it, she took it off. At the very end of the meal and we now hear that there is a burger special?!
We were there nearly an hour and a half. The only redeeming part of the experience was that my mother-in-law enjoyed her steak.
Our receipt had a survey at the bottom, which Amber pointed out, and asked us to complete, which I did. Even the experience with the survey was unpleasant. It does not ask for contact information, so if it s bad survey the company can't contact you directly to discuss, and you have to be fast or it will time-out! So don't waste time thinking about how you're going to answer.
I get coupons regularly in the mail for Ruby Tuesday's, and I work very close by, but I never go there for lunch because I know it takes too long. And after this experience I will never go there again. | 0negative
| 800 |
Was doing some wedding planning with my step sis (with my mom in tow) today... met with the caterer who suggested including brisket. But she had no idea what is was. Happened upon this place in route to Kennrick Meats to see if they had any on hand (because that's who supplies the caterer). Apparently is a fairly new place--Google still shows it as the car wash that used to be at Gravois and Seibert.
Figured when I heard the name they'd be sure to have some sort of brisket. It's named Sharp Shooters I guess since it directly next to a new shooting range and directly across the street from the 7-11 turned ammo store. First word of caution, if you park at one of the 2 spots facing Gravois and Seibert or down the hill and behind the building, there is a steep glob of asphalt formed into a weird rectangle that goes from wide base to skinner (but ample foot width wide) rectangle. If you have trouble with steps, or other ada walking issues, park down by the range and walk down.
Next prepare yourself to serenaded with heavy metal and an industrial ambiance. The place is clean, 6 regular tables covered with plastic check and oversized and tall tables. (Again, an issue if all the regular height tables are taken.) TVs galore, so would be a fab place to catch an afternoon game... there are 4 or 5 outdoor picnic tables with out umbrellas. So yes, it was delightful getting my 71 year old mother in the building and seated in a tall chair. (Actually, it did amuse the 3 of us..she was fine once up there!)
Menu board is clear n easy to read. Of course, since we were on a brisket quest, we went for the platter--that included meat and 2 sides. SIdes are applesauce potato salad. slaw, or green beans. Fries are not side choice but can be had for an upcharge of 1.25. First thing that rankled me was the tip jar--clearly a server/bus yourself place, I know is the trend, but really it's kinda ballsy and well quite frankly, tacky to ask me for extra money before I have had service. Sodas are pure profit at 2.25 each (but you can have refills of the 32 oz cups).
When food is ready, a kitchen person comes round yelling someone's name till they claim their order. He's kinda a quiet fella, so if you are in a conversation at the table, you have to keep stopping to make sure your food isn't returned for non-claim.
Food served barbq place style in a paper lined basket. I had fries and slaw...way more fries than should be a normal serving, but I guess they figure, for an upcharge, give ya the money's worth. Along with the generous pile of meat, you get toastcut in nice neat triangles, a good deli pickle spear. The regular sides were probably just the right amount, but crammed into serving cups makes it look stingy.
The brisket was cut in thin slices and had an ok overall flavor. I don't think it was a true pit slow prepared brisket as it was a touch over cooked and not fall apart n buttery like a great brisket should be. Found it a little on the salty side too. But overall it was just ok--it didn't need to be hidden with sauce. (Wasn't too impressed with their sauce--again just ok for a sauce, one was heavy handed on paprika and chili powder.)
Overall, I think this place might have some potential--first pay attention to your diners!! Mixed family and ages, some just in from the church across the street don't necessarily care to be full on serenaded with head banging music. (Fab acoustics since the building innards are exposed and there is no drop ceiling....change or seriously lower the music.) I kinda felt the pricing was a little high for a Sunday lunch--15 bucks a person and you wait on yourself n bus yourself....actually for just ok, over cooked brisket, high.
I would also like to know where their meat comes from since there are no pits or smokers on lot, nor no overwhelming delish smokey scent of q'ued smoked meats. I did see plenty of industrial ovens... so the food is either oven cooked (and a brisket can be done well in an oven if the cooks are experienced) or done off site and served reheated (which would explain the touch of overcooking I experienced).. | 0negative
| 755 |
I'm a 50-year-old male, a longtime widow who is, for the most part, a serious, dignified human being.
But, I'm not gonna' lie. I can't even say "Mimi Blue Meatballs" without doing that teenage schoolboy snicker.
You could consider this a sign that I'm just a dirty ole' man who still thinks such silly jokes are still funny or, alternately, you could assume that about the closest I get to naughty is an occasional joke that is so obvious that you wouldn't dare make it in the restaurant because you know they've probably heard it plenty of times already.
Sigh. Let's face it. I'm probably hopeless.
Fortunately, what's not hopeless is Mimi Blue Meatballs, a 3-location Indianapolis-based, locally owned restaurant group that was started in memory of Mildred "Mimi" Bluestein Kosene, a member of the Kosene family who passed away in 2011 at the age of 91. The restaurant is a tribute to the kinds of foods that she used to love to make her family, while the restaurant's decor is meant to represent the kinds of settings she most loved.
I happened to visit this Mass Avenue location, the original, on the same day that the Fashion Mall's location was opened - I had to laugh considering I had been holding out for that spot to open, but I got tired of waiting. I guess I should have just asked.
This spot is, of course, along Mass Avenue and while wheelchair access can be an issue on Mass Avenue I can say good things about Mimi Blue. Parking is metered until 8pm on weekdays, a slight deterrent for cheapskates like me, but Mass Avenue has so much you can do that it's easy to pay a couple bucks for parking and grab a meal and do some shopping at local spots including HomeSpun right across the street.
The front door is older, wooden with a glass center, but fairly workable (slightly heavy). You enter to a hosting area, a bar on your right and dining area to your left that is sort of cordoned off by wood dividing 1/2 walls that adds to a feeling that you can have some conversation while in Mimi Blue.
The atmosphere is intimate, there's a television toward the bar but I barely noticed it. My server, Robert, was top notch. Of course, I started just by being impressed that he could explain 4-balls and 3-balls without losing his composure - I mean, I'm laughing now. There's zero possibility I could ever be a server at Mimi Blue.
The menu is pretty basic and, as you should probably guess, centered around meatballs - six different kinds with a handful of sauces that you can mix and match. They also have slider options, starters, a small salad menu, a handful of sandwiches, desserts, and they do serve chili.
Sliders start at $3.50 - most prices for "main course" type items are in the $8-10 range. I can't really imagine eating for less than the $15-20 range if you include drinks. They also have some sides, though it's worth noting they are extra - the meatball dishes do come with baguette. They also serve water at the table, individually bottled (think Napolese), and they also have your usual other drinks including my always desired unsweetened iced tea (that is served in a really fancy schmantzy glass that made me smile). They have a Sunday brunch and offer catering.
I ordered two of their classic meatballs and two beef meatballs, all four with marinara sauce because I'm basically boring. The balls are 2" (I'm snickering again) and they were absolutely rock stars. I loved them. The baguettes worked nicely with the meatballs - while it wasn't a gargantuan meal, it was satisfying and got me ready to head over to the Yelp IMAX event.
Robert's service was stellar the entire time I was there. In what i thought was an excellent touch, he was going to bring me my check - I made a statement that I planned to linger for a few minutes (it was early in the dinner hour, not crowded). I expected he would just drop the check, but actually didn't do so until he knew I was ready to go. I really liked that touch - it made me feel welcome.
The servers all dress nicely and the entire atmosphere has a sort of business casual feeling to it. The restaurant has multiple places where a wheelchair would easily work including table/booth combos and traditional tables. Robert wasn't intimidated by the wheelchair - he moved a chair at the table and you could just sense his comfort.
Overall, this was a truly enjoyable experience. While it's not likely a place I'd dine regularly, going back to that whole cheapskate thing, when I'm in the mood to spoil myself it's a fairly priced, high quality meal and offered me great service. I wasn't sure what to expect and I was incredibly happy. I can't wait to try the Fashion Mall location next. They also have a Carmel location on Old Meridian Road.
While I'm not quite ready to fork over the fifth star, I am really, really close and this is an easy 4-star experience. There's no doubt I'll be back. | 2positive
| 877 |
*NOTE- Please read all reviews before making the decision to come here... Yelpers are not lying about their experience here.
For a Sunday I decided to scroll down Groupon for something to try out and found Mongolie Grill has a deal for $30 but you pay $17 one visit. I have been here 2x before, 12 years ago at the downtown location and 7 years ago at this location. Both times were just "meh".
I thought to myself why not? I purchased the groupon and met my sister there in 20 mins. The place was almost empty on Sunday around 6pm, which is understandable because its Sunday. We were greeted by a young girl who looks like she was dressed for a night club (that could be the look now a days). While walking down I noticed the crowd, one guy was in a torn tank top? (my goodness). We got sat at the edge of the back, when there was lots of room by the windows or some place that would be a lot more open and more pleasant to have a meal. I should have said something but decided not to, it didn't matter.
Our server came to take our drink order, I had a pineapple juice and my sister had a glass of white wine.
Ok if you have not been here before the process starts with the server handing you a bowl and you have to go up and put whatever you want in it to be cooked on a huge stir fry.
We walked up to the veggies portion and half of the veggies containers were empty or close to it, plus it was all scattered around. For example there was pineapple in the tofu, broccoli in all containers and that was least of my worries because I saw peanuts right in front of it all (I have severe allergy to peanuts). I took the veggies far away from the peanuts and that is in plain view of not being contaminated.
Now to the protein, the beef looked off. The top of the beef was dark and the rest on the bottom was frozen and thick with frozen water. I just put in a few pieces of chicken and pork I think? The labels were a bit confusing because where it had octopus it looked like meat so I'm not so sure.
The Noodles looked scary and that is all I can say.
The sauce area was a nightmare for me because there was peanut sauce and it looked like a mess. I had to put the ginger, coconut, and teriyaki sauce which is so far away from the peanut sauce. For each I put 3 scoops, I wanted to be sure I had enough flavor but I was afraid of the weight it was getting pretty heavy. The total came to around $24 and I asked for coconut rice.
I had to make sure that the chef knew of my allergy which he was very nice and understanding.
Our food came out and with my epi pen on my lap I dug in. My meal look dull and what I mean by dull is that the color looked almost grey brown. My sisters meal looked decent, it had vibrant colors. I took a bite of my sad looking dish and it tasted how it looked, the flavors I was hoping for was not there. It was almost as if they had watered down the sauces??? I was not alone in this thought because my sister was having the same feelings with her meal.
The manager came and asked us how was our meal and I hesitated thinking should I tell her the truth and make a scene or should I just say fine and never come back. I choose the non-confrontational way out and said it was ok while I put on a plastic smile (my sister did the same).
O to make it even more difficult for us to swallow... they started putting newer vegetables out.
We wanted to have some kind of redemption so we wanted to try their desserts. We ordered a banana type wrap( I took pictures because I forgot the name) and my sister had a coffee while I just stayed with my water. Our server came with one side plate, 1 napkin, 2 forks and 1 knife.
Our dessert came out and it looked pretty good! We looked down and found some problems with having only 1 side plate and 1 knife. My sister took the plate while I took the napkin and she had to cut up the pieces for bite size for me and her. This was very inconvenient and our server had not check on us so I can ask for more side utensils so we made do. My side of the dessert was great but my sister bit into a really cold banana lol.
It was time for the bill, she came out with bill and I mentioned my groupon I just bought today and she told me I cannot use it because it will not process if bought on the same day. She also said it states that on the fine print but I checked and it does not. Talk about being Choked!
So I paid about $80 for an unsatisfied meal that I cannot take back.
I drove home asap so I can get a refund on that Groupon because My goodness will I Never step foot in that restaurant again!
I do not recommend coming to this restaurant, save your money and go to a nicer place.
I got burned for being cheap and using a groupon, don't make the same mistake like I did. | 0negative
| 954 |
So, this seems to be another "better than fast food" burger place, which have gotten pretty popular here over the last couple of years.
The place definitely has a chain restaurant feel--a notch or two above a fast food joint, in terms of atmosphere and service.
Honestly, I'd say the biggest difference between Shake Shake and say...Mooyah...is BEER. And that's a plus.
So I've been twice. The first time, the 3 of us decided to use one of the kiosks to order so we could take our time learning the menu. The place was very slow, so we could stand there and pick and choose without holding anyone up.
Easy enough ordering process, until....I picked my beer (they have good local beers, by the way). When I ordered my NOLA Revivalists, I got a pop-up saying someone would come verify my age and enter a code. I looked around and there was no staff on our side of the counter. I waited a moment and then went to the counter, holding up my driver's license. Behind the counter were 3 or 4 staff. One was pumping cheese-like material onto some fries (my excitement about the bacon cheese fries that I just ordered dipped when I saw the cheez), one was taking an order, one was doing busy work, and one was talking to them. At least one or two of them saw, and ignored, the man standing there holding up his driver's license with a look of 'can you help me'? So...I went back to the kiosk and canceled my beer and got a soft drink. It's really not nice to separate me from my beer, especially when it's with a burger, but I endured.
The three of us all liked our burgers. In fact, on this first visit, my burger was great. It's in the realm of a Mooyah burger, but this one was definitely better than Mooyah. The bacon/cheez whiz fries were good-ish. The bacon was good. The cheez was sloppy and eventually got clumpy and cheezwhizy.
By the way, as I ate, I did see the girl who looked at me and ignored me earlier go over to a kiosk to help someone, and I'm thinking that was the beer process actually working. So it just wasn't my day, I guess.
Overall, we loved our burgers, but didn't really like the place that much.
So, I did a Yelp review. And they followed up very quickly with a very nice apology and an e-gift card, asking for a second chance. I was impressed enough to take down my review and go back. Clean slate.
So...I go back and go to the counter. I had my e-card displayed on my phone and asked first if they could use it. The cashier didn't know, so she asked the lady next to her, who very flatly and matter-of-factly said "no, our scanner won't read those." When I asked if they could manually enter the digits, she said no, again, very flatly and unapologetically. The cashier did seem very disappointed and definitely apologized. I went ahead and ordered anyhow, and the cashier was again, very apologetic.
So, I paid $17 for a burger, fries (no cheez), and a beer (which I got!).
The beer was really good. The fries were okay-ish. And this burger just wasn't as good as the last. This was the Smoke Shack burger by the way, and it's good, but my second impression of the burger was not nearly as good as my first.
So...because of a service issue on my first visit, they got me back with a gift card for a second visit, and that didn't work. Then I paid $17 for a 'better-than-fast-food' burger, beer and fries, and it was very underwhelming.
And by the way, I am certain I could go to one of my 2 or 3 "quality burger" places and get a true gourmet burger (with a side) and a beer, for roughly the same price.
So...not sure if I need to go back, but I end with this:
It's a chain "convenience" restaurant, which means different expectations. It's semi-fast. It's not bad. That's why I'm giving 3 stars even with my complaints. And they do have beer. So...I may drop in spontaneously one day when I'm craving a simple burger and beer.
Maybe.
--quick post-review follow up: As I mention above, I was impressed when Shake Shake replied very quickly to my first review. "Jake" sent a sincere apology. Within minutes of posting this new review, "Jake" sent me that same exact, verbatim, message. "Jake" works a lot and is very fast!!! | 1neutral
| 772 |
So Strange Donuts did a GREAT job of marketing. Announce you are opening, make people wait over a year until you actually DO open, all the while pumping out donuts at festivals and tastings while building a strong media following. Darn good strategy.
I also love that they are open late.
So, now they they are open, it's time to finally review them.
I stopped by to pick up 2 dozen to take to the office. I asked the guy to give me a little of everything, and only as I was rung up did I notice that he only gave me the "crazy" donuts (that cost $2 each) and none of the "regular" donuts (that cost $1). So, I had a slight bit of sticker shock, but that was mostly my fault for not specifying.
On to the taste....
Overall, the donuts were.....donuts.
Of the dozen, I tried quite a few of them, and most disappointed to be honest.
The gooey butter donut really was a let down. The base donut, a simply cake donut, was actually really good. It had a great crust, with a wonderfully spongy center. That is where the good stopped. The glaze on the donut was just a glaze, nothing special. The topping, the part that was supposed to make it "gooey butter" was where the letdown really took shape. Instead of actually using yellow cake flavoring, or cream cheese or powdered sugar like a regular GB cake, it seemed the used a fake butter flavoring to try and create the effect, which ended up making something that tasted more like buttered popcorn, or FAKE buttered popcorn.
The Bart's Revenge Donut (chocolate with butterfinger) featured a boring chocolate cake donut that lacked the same crunch and sponginess of the gooey butter donut. The butterfinger topping was more of a butterfinger dust, which makes it awfully hard to be crunchy, the main draw of a butterfinger.
The dreamsicle donut was interesting. The guy at he counter asked if I wanted to add one to my dozens, as they were fresh and not yet on sale, so I would be the FIRST to try one. So of course i said SURE. It was basically a custard filled long john with white glaze that had been died slightly orange, and had a dusting of something on it that was indistinguishable from the rest of the donut. Not a single orange flavor in the donut, a major letdown. Now, had the donut been just labeled as a custard filled long john, I would have been more satisfied. This one failed simply for not meeting expectations.
The m&m donut just looked like an iced cake donut with ground up m&ms on it. Nothing too strange about that.
Overall, i really enjoy the concept of strange donuts, but I feel that they are trying too hard to be "strange" instead of actually focusing on making good tasting donuts. I've had many odd, and wonderfully tasty donuts in my days. These were simply strange, and were missing the wonderfully tasty part.
I have yet to try their late night donuts, like chicken and waffles. Maybe they can redeem themselves then, and if so, I will update my review accordingly.
UPDATE- I have been back a few more times now because I really want to like this place, but I'm still really let down. Some recent attempts...
The Fat Elvis- Great concept, PB, chocolate, and banana? Sounds strange, and had the potential to be great. This donut failed, like the gooey butter donut, due to artificial flavor. The outside was OK, the peanut butter glaze was good, not great, but the banana custard in the middle was horrible. The used artificial banana flavoring. It tasked like a bad piece of banana candy. If I am going to pay $2 for donut, I expect some real banana to be used.
Red Velvet- Boring. Luckily there was a bit of cream cheese flavor in the icing, but it couldn't save the dry boring red cake donut.
SMOA- I guess it was supposed to be a take on a girl scout samoa. This cake donut was a little more moist, but all it had was a couple of drips of chocolate frosting, and a dozen or so flakes of coconut on top. For $2? I don't think so.
Mexican Hot Chocolate- The chocolate dusting on top was kind of tasty. But again, super boring dry chocolate cake donut.
I've come to the realization that they just don't use good ingredients. Lots of artificial flavors, lots of dry/stale like cake donuts. I think the donut concepts have promise, but for $2 a donut, I expect a little more craftsmanship and quality. Right now, they are just focusing on being gimmicky. | 0negative
| 794 |
Oasis Shisha Lounge....What can I say about this place? I've been here about five times, counting tonight. I am a very moderate person to please. Meaning, if something is said I can usually be okay with it, but if it comes down to me, I can be quite picky with certain things. I work in the service industry for over two years now, and when I can be wowed, I show my appreciation and love with a review.
First off, seeing the first two reviews sparked my interest in this place. I like to believe I am a connoisseur in shisha/hookah bars. I've been to Central Cafe and BBC Cafe and Bar in Central West End, Double Apple on Olive, Puzzles and Ranoush/Ranoush Nights in the Loop, and I own a hookah myself. So yes, I love hookah. I think it's a great activity to do with friends, or my boyfriend to chill or even "turn up." I've been a long time customer of Ranoush, and I still love them to death. So frankly said, I am fairly close with them, but I enjoy venturing into other places. Others would say they are too faithful to one place, and don't want to try it, but I STRONGLY urge you to try this place.
Oasis' seating is different, and I actually like it because of the coziness and the amount of space. On the weekends, the lights go out, and there are blacklights, and it's just the coolest thing! My neon shoes were glowing, and it was really cool. They also have nice cozy booths which smaller groups can take part in for a more intimate feel. I've sat on the main floor, to the booths, to the back room (Xhale Room) and I like all of them. So for atmosphere and setting, it is definitely one of my pluses.
Another part of Oasis is the fact that they are also a restaurant, which is amazing! I love food, especially Middle Eastern food. The first and second time I was there, my boyfriend and I got hummus, falafal, chicken kebab, samosas, and gyros. My boyfriend LOVES the gyro, and I don't normally like lamb, but I actually liked the taste of the gyro. The falafal was yummy, and I love the hummus, it was definitely different from other places I've ordered hummus from. The chicken kebabs were sooooo tender, and I ate that plate clean. The first time I had the samosas, they were amazing, and they were pretty huge too. I wish I had more. But the second time I went it, it wasn't the same. They were small, like finger food, and didn't taste the same, in fact, they tasted like they had been frozen and were just deep fried. Three fourths of mine were cold in the center too. I'm not saying that the change from the size is a big issue, but to be a good restaurant, there needs to be consistency, and I can understand a bad night, but I just wasn't happy at all that night with my food. They don't have to be huge like the first time, but they can at least be hot, ya' know? But besides that time, the mastermind behind the rest of the food has my kudos. You, my lady, are amazing at what you do.
So after that whole essay, I've come to the hookah part. One of my favorite aspects of this place is that they have Starbuzz shisha, which I love and wish I was able to get more often at my places to smoke at. They have a bunch of flavors at Oasis to let anyone enjoy whatever the mood is, and so that is definitely a plus. I also love that they use coconut coals, which I am just way too impatient to light at home though it is oh so much better, so it's nice to see a place go for it and use these.
And to my final point and concluding thoughts (I won't have you reading for long, sorry for the major essay!) the service. ...This is a touchy subject for me, because I do serve, and I do know the lengths and limitations of serving, and understand the difficulties with it. But to be in a successful business, you need A. good service, B. good product, and C. good communication. For a while now, I find myself okay with going to Oasis once in a while, but I cannot see myself always going in like how I would always go to my usual spots, and it's mainly because every time I go, I am rarely satisfied with the service I get. Don't get me wrong, the majority of the staff is BEYOND nice and friendly, but I feel like there is no, or lack there of, with communication. Like, I understand you're busy, no problem, but don't forget about me! There's been a few times where I've asked for a pair of tongs so I could move my coals, or asked for some new coals, or even just for a drink, and I've had to get up and remind someone I needed something.
Frankly, to get to my point, I like this place, and I am a definite fan. I will be coming back, but there are some obvious changes that need to be dealt with. Communication is key here, and I hope that this helps. The place is great, so I strongly urge you guys to try it! If you have a problem with it, talk to one of the staff or the owner, it will all work out. | 1neutral
| 940 |
Every time I've been to Atlantis I end up in the Sky Terrace area smelling the enticing aroma that emanates from the Oyster Bar while I gamble. My mouth waters every time, but I'm not that big on oysters so I hadn't ever tried it. Recently the bf got online and started looking at their menu and got it in his head that he MUST try one of the pan roasts. So we decided that on our next trip to Reno we would try it out.
They were open later than any of the other places we wanted to eat at, which was a plus right away. We took a little time to gamble in the immediate area until we were hungry, which didn't take long thanks to the mouthwatering scent of pan roasts. We walked over & sat at the bar right in front of where they make the pan roasts so we could watch them being prepared. Knowing the combo pan roast bf ordered would be big, I decided to get clam chowder in a bread bowl so I could help him eat his dinner lol. We talked to the chef & he prepared the pan roast for us & he told about the kettle bells that they use to cook the pan roasts in. I haven't ever seen these used & they are pretty cool, but he told us how hot they are if you touch the outside & I was a little concerned that they are totally within easy reach of patrons sitting at the bar. Shouldn't you at least have a sign warning people? A lot of people are lacking common sense & I can only imagine how many people have burned their fingers on these things.
After the mound of mixed seafood he threw in there simmered for a bit, he dished it up, but wasn't allowed to hand it to us even though we were right there. He had to set it in the window for our waiter to come get it, which was totally fine because it was piping hot & not cooling down any time soon. Soon enough our waiter brought the pan roast & the clam chowder out. The clam chowder was a pretty small portion, I almost feel like a cup would probably give you more chowder because the hollow in the bread wasn't very big. It was tasty enough, but not really impressive. The bread to chowder ratio was not ideal, way too much bread. I used the excess to dip in the pan roast. We have never eaten a pan roast & the flavor was different than what we were expecting. The creamy, tomato base was pretty sweet. We thought it would be more savory. It tasted alright though & I ate a few bites with the scallop, shrimp, & lobster. I wasn't brave enough to try the mussels or oysters (I'm slowly working my way up to it lol) & was surprised that bf wanted them in his pan roast, because he's usually chicken too. He ate some, but then he got weirded out & didn't really want to eat any more of them. He ate a final bite & got a big piece of sand & he was over it.
While we waited for our bill one of the servers started freaking out on the manager right behind us. He was wanting extra tip money & was rather insistent about it, dropping all kinds of f-bombs very loudly. This went on for way too long & I started getting worried he was really going to freak out & get violent or something but he thankfully left. The manager didn't even acknowledge us after it happened, even though we were clearly within earshot, literally 4 feet away. I had to say something about how uncomfortable the whole scenario was so I got her attention & she told me she called security & kind of tried to laugh it off. Another waitress joined in & kind of brushed it off as well. Despite the attempts to downplay it, his outburst was very unprofessional & borderline scary. I'm sure he no longer has a job there, but I was disappointed that the manager let it escalate until he was practically yelling obscenities in front of customers. Then she didn't even make an attempt to apologize until I said something.
The food was ok, but I don't think I'd come back for it. Sadly, the food didn't taste as good as it smelled. We were disappointed. The server incident topped the experience off. We'll try somewhere else next time. | 0negative
| 770 |
I have definitely had better, and don't know if I will be traveling back to Azian any time soon. My husband decided to surprise me with a spontaneous dinner on a Wednesday night, and I was actually really excited that we ended up at Azian. I love sushi, so I thought this was going to be a perfect trip for us. It wasn't.
We ordered three appetizers. The edamame was good, but I noticed that all of the salt had been poured on the bowl that you throw the discarded pods in. There was barely any salt on the actual bowl of edamame--it seemed like when they shook salt on top they missed the beans and just got the discard bowl. Not the biggest complaint in the world, mind you, but something interesting to note.
The crab puff appetizers were flawed. The crab puffs had been put in the fryer too long and even had some charred parts on a few. If this were my restaurant, I would not let me servers bring our nearly-burnt items to customers. The inside filling was good, but completely overshadowed by burned exteriors. Ended up being unable to eat lots of the exterior. And the sweet and sour sauce was the most disgusting sweet and sour sauce I have ever had. The color seemed off, the taste was off--not sure if this is how they do it at Azian, but I definitely did not enjoy it.
My husband ordered some calamari to share as well. Again, avoided the sweet and sour sauce. The calamari itself seemed like it had been frozen at one point. Not even close to some of the best that I've had at other places. Would not recommend.
For entrees, my husband ordered a plate of sesame chicken and a bulgogi beef. The beef was okay, and there was a large portion of it (but the price of this plate is steep, so at least they give you a large portion). The sesame chicken though was interesting--I've never seen a sesame chicken served without sesame seeds on top. It was just so-so and the sauce was not the best but also wasn't bad. It was just middle of the road. But again, at least my husband has leftovers.
His big entree also came with a complimentary bowl of miso soup and a house salad. The miso was ok. His favorite part of his entire meal was actually his free house salad. When you go out for a special meal, you would hope that the complimentary salad is not your favorite part of the meal. But... that was his favorite part.
I decided to order sushi. I looked over their menu and decided there were a few different things I would be interested in trying, and most of the sushi rolls come in 4 pieces. This allows you to try some new things. But all in all, this was a miss. The rolls themselves are extremely small--4 pieces of a decent sized roll would be fine, but they really portion these as small as possible so that you barely get anything.
I ordered an Aloha, which was interesting because it had chicken and pineapple in a deep fried roll. This was my experimental roll. I am not a fan. The chicken inside is some unidentifiable cut, one of which even had a piece of gristle on it. Bleh. It was a deep fried roll and the outside was hot, but the chicken and interior contents were cold--why would the chicken be cold? Cooked, but cold, means they probably have chicken sitting around and didn't make these pieces fresh.
I also ordered a Gambler and a Casino. Again, small size. One had slices of tuna and avocado on top but the tuna was the thinnest slice of tuna I have ever seen! I'm surprised that a good sushi chef has the ability to even get the slice so thin. Good for their skills--bad for me, who wanted to actually taste some tuna on the roll. Oh, and they don't de-vein the shrimp, so be prepared to clean the last big piece of shrimp in your roll (or not, up to you) if you want them to be cleaned.
The Crabby roll was okay. Again, a bit small, but it had a lot of good flavors. If I ever come back, this is one that I would consider ordering again. The three above, however, I wouldn't take the "gamble" on again because the "casino" clearly has the upper hand.
I always order a Vegas wherever I go. It is my go to roll. Even if everything else is bad, I can always count on a Vegas. Theirs is just ok. Again, so small that there is barely even any fish hidden in the roll. Such a disappointment.
All in all, the bill was almost $60 and only a few items that we ordered were even worth that. I give them two stars because (1) there were a few items that were average, so they each collectively get a star and (2) our waiter was actually pretty good, very friendly, checked in on us a lot, and overall did a good job of giving us service. I give him a star because it isn't his fault the food was less than so-so at best.
May give them another chance in the future. But with so many other places that offer better sized portions (of sushi) this place may be one that I just write off. | 0negative
| 920 |
Dark and foreboding interior - which is understandable given there are no windows anywhere in the building - in spite of remodel by new owners in 2015. A menu that seems frozen in time from circa 1970's and food that is hit and miss. One and done, we won't return on our own and if someone else suggested it, we'd try to talk them off the ledge. This is one of those experiences where we couldn't believe we were in the same place as those who left rave reviews. Different strokes for different folks.
MENU & FOOD
I took photos of the menu to avoid a lot of text to describe it. But in "all is not a total loss" comment, I'll offer that the menu provides a range of options from $32 for 3 broiled lamb chops with mint jelly (how's that for old time focus) to about the same price for prime rib and prawns to $14 for Teriyaki chicken breast to things burgers and turkey sandwiches for about $11 and entrée salads (with American cheese as an ingredient no less - hello 1969) for about the same price. Lots of menu options are fried; Halibut "chunks", shrimp and chicken as example.
Pan fried oysters (also as option for deep fried if wanted) were passable and not a bad price at $14 for a handful or so of the oysters but they didn't taste fresh. (Looking for fresh oysters, try Reel Foods downtown Boise.)
Entrees, like this one, come with a salad, which was largely chopped iceberg lettuce, with a choice of house made dressing. The menu promised real Roquefort cheese in the one I chose, but it lacked the flavor of that distinctive French cheese. While plain old blue cheese is good too, it is not what was advertised on menu.
Entrees also come with one side dish from a range of options...think fries and coleslaw quality choices. The coleslaw I ordered was pretty darned good and the highlight of the meal. Knowing this place has reputation as a steakhouse and steakhouses can have some delicious options as sides even for those of us who don't eat steak, I was both disappointed and surprised to see such ho-hum alternatives here.
The dinner rolls about which some make much are brown-and-serve type sourdough.
HAPPY HOUR
The sign in front advertises happy hour from 3 - 6. That means a buck off of cocktails but no food specials. We made the happy hour window and ate in the bar (where the banquette booth tufted black 'pleather' seats are really comfy by the way), so don't know if it also applies to restaurant seating. Ask for the house cocktail list, if our experience was typical it won't be offered otherwise. Cocktails here are inexpensive compared to other joints and use good liquor as the basis, example about $8 or $9 for a Manhattan made with Bullet Rye or an Old Fashioned made with Marker's Mark.And noting the bar tenders free poured the libations, I'll offer that the drinks can be pretty hefty. Not that I'm complaining, but I was glad I wasn't driving after my single libation.
SERVICE
Cordial and efficient. We were not offered dessert before being delivered the tab which always feels a bit like "bum's rush" to me and it was not that the place was busy for our booth needed for others. Maybe it was that we left our meal uneaten that the server assumed we were full.
LOCAL OWNER
I think the folks that own this include the owner of Goldy's in downtown Boise.
PARKING
Private lot which seems often full of vehicles.
ACCESSIBILITY
In spite of total remodel here in 2015 and what seems like an even more recent parking lot refinish and restripe, they fail to meet the 27 year old parking requirements of ADA law and Idaho building code for both scope and design for accessible parking. Two makeshift 'marked' spots in front, neither code compliant. The law requires this be done for remodel / alternations. It is not optional. No accessible loo. See the following from a Yelp reviewer and wheelchair user whose 1-star review is parked behind the filter: "The restaurant is not wheel chair accessible. The lead at the restaurant ask my wife and I to leave... She suggested we go done to the redline to use the rest room..." If the restaurant staff told a minority customer to leave the place because bathrooms were off limits, how would you respond to that? Exactly the same issue. Note: Prior to my review, the Yelp page here said "Wheelchair Accessible - Yes". Since my review the Yelp Page has changed to "No" for wheelchair accessible. That doesn't fix the problems. | 0negative
| 790 |
My husband and I stayed here for a quick babymoon before the birth of our second child. I will not say it was a horrible experience; however, we had a good time IN SPITE of our stay at the Opryland Hotel and certainly not because of it.
Pros: The scenery is lovely. We enjoyed chatting by the waterfalls and exploring the conservatories. The cleaning service was impeccable. The beds were comfortable. The shops were charming. Because I was quite pregnant at the time, it was convenient to be able to stay at the hotel the entire time and still have plenty to see and do.
Cons: Unfortunately, the cons far outweigh the pros and I certainly wish I would have done a little more research before settling on this "resort" for our last vacation before the baby's arrival.
The costumer service left much to be desired. When we pulled in, my husband went to drop me off at the door. We were barked at by a parking attendant and sent to a Self-Pay lot near the Cascades canopy. This put me still having to walk from that entrance to the hotel check-in which is what my husband had been attempting to avoid. It then took over a half an hour to check in as there were only two employees at the counter checking in a HUGE line of guests at the beginning of a holiday weekend. On the second day of our stay, we got turned around and ended up in the "Water's Edge" area, which was being set up for one of the Dreamworks events. We were yelled at to get out of the area, which we had not meant to enter in the first place and could not find our way out of because we needed a handicap entrance (I was in a wheelchair), rather than helped politely as a guest should be. The employees at Christi's Cookies as well as The Conservatory Cafe were also rather short with guests. It was disappointing.
The food is mediocre and overpriced. We ate at FUSE the first evening and we were not impressed. The food was alright but certainly did not justify the inflated prices. The next morning we paid $15.00 for two small breakfast sandwiches and a cup of coffee and were appalled as we watched the employee pull two frozen sandwiches out of a box and microwave them. A fresh breakfast is certainly not too much to ask for that price, in my opinion.
Finally, the fees are astronomical and uncalled for. There is an $18 a day room fee for bottled water and access to the pool and fitness center (neither of which we were able to utilize). My husband and I always make it a point to stay in luxury hotels when we go on vacation because we feel that the experience is worth it, and this is the first time that such basic amenities were not included in the price of the room. I could understand the fees if they included something above and beyond the average experience but they did not. You are paying for Wi-Fi and use of the hotel phone for local calls; things that should absolutely be included in your stay. There is also a $20 a day parking fee, in spite of the fact that the hotel is not located in a downtown area and has ample parking. It is simply how high these fees are that I find so ridiculous about them.
Finally, and most appalling, in my opinion, was the wheelchair rental fee. My pregnancy is high-risk and I am unable to walk much. In order to enjoy the hotel at all, I needed a wheelchair. On our first evening, we just wanted to go to dinner in another area of the hotel so my husband ran down to get what we assumed would be a complimentary wheelchair to get from our room to the restaurant. He was informed that even to rent the wheelchair for one hour, he would have to pay $20. He was told that wheelchairs and scooters were controlled by a 3rd party and there was nothing that could be done to accommodate us. In my personal opinion, you can not say that customer service is a priority when you have a guest that will not be able to comfortably enjoy your resort without the use of a wheelchair and then charge such a high fee for the privilege of mobility. Perhaps a $10 fee would have been sufficient for a daily rental but considering that I have never been charged for a wheelchair in any other situation, including other hotel stays, I would have found even that frustrating.
Basically, we paid a large amount of money for the "privilege" of staying in what amounted to a basic hotel room (we have enjoyed much more impressive accommodations at other hotels) and then walk out with a bill for over $100 in extra fees, not including the restaurant bills for the below average food and a bad taste in our mouths from the lack of costumer service to make the price feel worth it. Thank goodness we enjoy each other's company and were simply happy to have a weekend to ourselves or the experience would have ruined our vacation. We will never stay here again. | 0negative
| 890 |
Ahh, finally we get around to getting over to King Dough! The place is absolutely buzzing with excitement as you are walking in. I get to the hostess stand and we are told that it is going to be around 1 hour to a hour and half before we can be seated. I thought that was odd, as the place was packed, but there was NOBODY standing around for a table. There was 1 person behind me, and a friend of her's came up and said, we are on the list and next. Having just came from the rib fest downtown, we didn't feel like standing around and being in everybody's way for that long, so we elected to order a pie for take out. They have a bench over in the corner next to the restrooms for waiting for the to go orders. We put our order in, and are told that it will take 30-35 mins before it will be ready. I decide to get some drinks at the bar while we wait. I ordered a Bloody Mary, and one of the daily/weekly specials that they had. The mary was one of the worst versions I have ever had in my life. It was like sucking on a straight sugar tomato lollypop! WOW! One of the girls that worked over by the bar saw me when I started to drink and she came over and asked what I thought, so I told her. She then said, "yeah, i'm trying to figure that out to make it perfect and I had it just right and another manager said it needed sugar so they dumped in a bunch of sugar, sorry about that" Sugar has ZERO place in a bloody mary, NONE. 5-6 ingredients and vodka and you should be set. $12.00 for that was NOT worth it! The drink only took me about 5 min's to drink and about 10 to get. I then noticed that our pizza was done and somebody had put it into a holder next to the kitchen. The pie was done in under 20 minutes! (Not the 30+ mins we were told) I see the guy that helped up with our order and asked for it and I was now waiting on her to finnish her drink which was a frozen wine freeze. The girl from the front comes over to me at this point and says, "well we have plenty of tables if you would like to sit and eat you can" (about 8-10 tables had left during our wait and guess what, NOBODY on that hour and half waiting list were around so they were all left empty!!! (image my shock and amazement over this!) So we take a table that the hostess suggested and started to enjoy our pizza. Not once in the 20 minutes that we were there did somebody come over to see if we wanted to get another drink. I was parched, and would have had some beers and another specialty drink, but they (waitstaff) every single one of them just walked by and looked at us and went on their way. (I made sure to make direct eye contact with every one of them and they would look away or smile and just walk right by us!) Thankfully I had napkins in my pocket from the rib fest or we wouldn't have had anything to wipe our hands on.
Now to The pizza, the "STAR" of the place. Well that left a little to be desired. We had the "DESTROYER" and it sounds like it's going to be a great pizza. The sauce and crust are good, as is the cheese, but the sausage on the pie, while full of flavor only had about 2 little balls per piece. There was supposed to have a hot honey drizzle on the top, and there was none on ours, ours missed the quality control. Overall was not felt welcomed or wanted here. (except for the bar manager that sought me out about the drink and did apologize for it not being up to the quality that she wanted, however if you know something isn't good, THEN DON'T OFFER IT, pull it or fix it! A sugary blood mary was just disgusting) They were on FOX59 with the dine for $25.00 (you buy one gift certificate and you get one so you get $50.00 for the $25 price) so we will have to come back to spend those before they expire, hopefully the wait list issue will be addressed. I believe if you are not going to WAIT for your name to be called, you should inform the hostess and then if there is somebody there that is willing to wait, they get to get a seat, that was just unbelievable! I have never seen anything like that in my life! Also hope that we will get to enjoy some drinks while at our table. If the next time is anything like this, i'll just give the other gift cert away. We shall see.
They have 2 tv's on the wall. I thought we could watch a game or something however the history channel was on the 1st tv and the show was about Adolf Hitler and the 3rd Reich. Now I love history and watching program's about the war, (seen that very one many times) I'm very happy about my family members that fought and came home, however seeing concentration camp people walk around while trying to eat wasn't all that appealing. I also suspect the Jewish people close to the tv didn't appreciate the program. (Maybe why they left mid meal) Just a suggestion, maybe put on sports or the news, watching Nazis run around on tv for 2 hours we can all do in the comfort of our own home. | 0negative
| 973 |
See this review is a bit tricky for me because the food was incredible and worth 5 stars just on taste alone but the service and wait time really lowered the amount of stars I want to give this restaurant. We drive from Philly to Jersey to try this place- my sister in law suggested it due to some Vlogger who did a video on it. So we made the drive- we flew over the Bristol bridge and it wasn't too bad to get to the spot. There were a ton of people standing outside already which was a good sign that this place is popular and was going to be packed with people.
We entered the building and told the hostess we wanted to dine in--- she told my sister in law it'll be a few minutes before we were seated. Okay cool- so I thought- a few minutes wouldn't be too bad. I came with my sister in law my niece who's a teen and my nephew who is 3 years old--- so if the wait was much longer I knew it would be difficult and he'd go nuts! Well we waited a few minutes and the few minutes turned into a half an hour- I mentioned to my sister in law to maybe check to see if they forgot about us... but she said no it's just crowded let's wait a bit more. An hour pasts and we are still waiting to be seated- all the while there are at least 4 empty tables in the front not being used!! Wtf! An hour wait! I was beginning to get furious-- because I already wasted an hour of my life waiting to eat when I was already so ready to eat. It smelled amazing in there and the longer I sat the more hungry I had become.
So as people are walking up to get takeout- the hostess looks over at me and my sis and asks if we are being helped!!? Like wtf! I said we have been sitting here for over an hour and were told we'd get a table! She called over some other girl and they were talking amongst themselves saying they are no longer taking dine ins! They were even sending people away! I saw about 20 people walk out the door because they didn't want take out and wanted to eat in with their families. So i overhear the one girl say oh they must have just come in-/- and I responded no we have been here and were told we'd be seated- by this point you could tell I was annoyed and was about to go off on the workers cause I was hangry. So the one girl walked to the back and was clearing a table off- thank God for us to sit. So this was about an hour and twenty minutes just to be seated after they had forgotten about us and made it seem like we just walked in. Okay so we sit down and I already know what I want because that hour gave me a lot of time to think about it. It takes another twenty minutes for someone to come help us and take our order. This was the dinner from hell! My 3 year old nephew was getting antsy, my sister in law was annoyed and hungry and I was feeling the same way. We finally order and it takes about another 25 mins for the food to come out- all the while I see a bunch of people waiting for take out and some of them must've been waiting for about an hour just to get their food. The waitress apologized for not seating us right away and basically blamed being short staffed as the reason we were overlooked. Okay whatever I'm glad we finally sat down, but the wait to order and get our food was worse. So I ordered two apps. A corn bread basket and crispy fried flounder strips--- and guess what I have a waitress come over with the corn bread about 20 mins after and they forgot my fish. My entree came before my app did. And when I got my food my sister in law, nephew and niece were still waiting for theirs. Theirs came out one by one at various times- so we spent a total of about 4 hours trying to eat a late lunch/early dinner. The while waiting experience turned me off and made me angry.
So I decided to start digging in and eating, I ordered the pineapple jerk chicken, baked Mac and cheese, candied yams, and potato salad. My first bite was so good. The food was scrumptious and filling. This soul food was authentic and tastes so good. My stomach and taste buds were so happy once I finally dug in and had my food. The fish came about ten minutes after I got my entree and the fish was so fresh, the breading was crispy and I honestly feel like the fish would've been enough as a meal alone- but by the time we sat down I was ravenous and ordered too much food cause I was so hungry! The food alone I'd say is 5 stars but for the fact the service was horrible I lowered it. A plus was that Ms. Nancy I guess who is the owner cake out and apologized again for the wait and gave us free brownies to share at our table. She was really nice and that was cool that she came and talked to us-- but they need to step up their game on service. I'm really torn on my review for the fact that the service killed it for me. | 1neutral
| 959 |
What on Earth can I write about Commander's Palace that hasn't already been written?
I suppose I can say my friend ate his meal, said he didn't like it, began to profusely throw up and then died. That would be a lie though. That did not happen. It could never happen. Because no one could be dissatisfied with their meal at Commander's Palace, even if it killed them. I can see someone having a severe food allergy, get sick and die, but they would love every second of it. I'm positive of that. And some people here have had to consider eating stuff they knew that they were deadly allergic too. If I was deadly allergic to anything and I had to have a last meal while I was on death row, it would be whatever I was severely allergic to from Commander's Palace. And I suppose someone could be so amazed with their meal, that it could potentially kill them. Though once again, no one is dying unsatisfied.
Now that I'm done with that tangent, I'll explain why I feel this way.
I arrived with a bachelor party, thirteen deep. We were sent to a special private room with our own special menu. It would be a five course meal. I knew to save room, so I only had a milkshake, a giant brunch, tons of drinks, but no skittles on that boat ride.
Started the night off with a sazerac. A sazerac isn't usually my jam, but it only felt proper while in Commanders. It paired well with our first dish turtle soup. Now I can write an obvious Shredder joke from TMNT here, but I already did that on my Instagram account. It may have been one of the best soups I ever had. I must say though, I didn't care for the sherry they put in. I would recommend not getting it, it took away from the soup.
Next was Commander's Romaine Salad. Now you don't make friends with salad, but you are not Commander's Palace. This salad has egg, that's like a chicken zygote, and it has bacon. That's badass. All piled on crisp lettuce. It's the way god intended.
By then I was thirsty and got my next cocktail, a Manhattan. That night was about indulgence. One of my favorite drinks and it was very spirit forward. It came just in time for my first entree, the Pecan Crusted Fish. It doesn't sound like they should go together, but if it's wrong I don't ever want to be right. It was so tender and cooked oh so right.
Then came the Tournedos of Black Angus Beef. It's black angus beef, with whiskey smoked onions. How can I not love this dish? This was a classy establishment and I seriously was considering licking my plate clean. I figured i was already slurring my words upon entering and wrapped a napkin around my face, so strike three would of been it. I couldn't let that happen! I still needed to try the dessert. Then I could get kicked out.
Creole Bread Pudding Souffle! Now here's what I don't get. The only thing that I didn't care for the whole night, was the sherry. Yet they came over and just dropped it into my soup. Now when the bread pudding comes around, there's whiskey sauce. Yes, that's right. Sauce made from the holiness that is whiskey and they give me the option of whether or not I want it in my bread pudding? Of course I want it in my bread pudding. I want the bread pudding in my whiskey sauce is more like it. Oh so light, airy and whiskey. Loved it. It was to die for. Literally, I think it can kill you. There has to be lots of cholesterol in that bad boy. I'd tell you to be careful, but once again let me reiterate, it's worth it.
I don't regret the price this meal paid on my body. It was worth it. Every year it may have taken off. In reflection, it didn't cost me a thing. Except the actual price, that was expensive. Real expensive, but worth it. Once again, very worth it. Every cent.
If you find yourself looking for a great meal in New Orleans, you don't need to read my review to tell you to try Commander's Palace.
Though if you're reading this, you just did read it and may have wasted your time, but I hope you enjoyed doing so. Now please, go to Commander's ASAP. | 2positive
| 758 |
Giving this place one star is generous!
If you don't want to read my whole review here is the overall:
Food: You are better off buying a freezer meal from your local grocery store
Atmosphere: Techo style loud music, freezing, too dark in the afternoon, no other diners
Wait staff: Our waitress was rude and non attentive
Let us start at the beginning, my mom was visiting from Seattle and after having some incredible meals at other establishments we were looking for an upscale and scrumptious lunch out! We both love seafood and after reviewing the menu online felt satisfied that this would meet out expectations, the descriptions were innovative and the prices were high, leading us to believe that this was a fine dining establishment and the meals would be made with exceptional ingredients.
We walked in and were not instantly greeted, ironic as there was only 1 table of other diners and one single person at the bar, who the bartender/host/waitress was enjoying a long conversation with. We finally were seated, our waitress left as fast as she seated us, without asking if we wanted anything to drink. After quite awhile we were brought waters and again our waitress did a quick disappearing act, my mom and I were both craving a glass of white wine and had no opportunity to even ask for it! I can't imagine why a waitress would not want to sell us a drink, it would only increase her tip and sales.....so we remained with only water.
There were 5-6 tables in the dining room that were filled with dirty plates and clearly no one had been there in quite some time, what was this waitress doing?!
Again after a great deal of time (at this point we are the only people dining and there is still one person sitting at the bar having a drink), our waitress came back, I ordered the bruschetta and my mom inquired on any specials they may have, the waitress rolled her eyes and said that they were having a post valentines day dinner that evening and of course they don't have lunch specials when they have an event that night. We inquired on the event and she said we could look it up.... SERIOUSLY!!!
Our waters were empty, we were still waiting on bruschetta and the waitress had not come back to take our meal orders yet. My mom went to the restroom and the waitress who was at the bar directly behind us, came over to take our orders (why she waited until my mom was gone and could not order for herself is beyond me), I tell her that I am not sure what my mom would want, and she says that I need to order because the kitchen will be closing soon (it was nearing 2:00pm and they close from 2-4). I am forced to order something for my mom. We had honestly been sitting at our table for 20 minutes with the waitress directly behind us at the bar the whole time leading up to her forcefully requiring me to order for my mom.
I ordered the shrimp scampi as it is their featured dish and got the pasta bolognese for my mom.
My mom came back from the bathroom and told me that there was not hand towels available, only one wash cloth placed between both sinks, first this is not sanitary at all, second it was very tacky and classless. This is supposed to be a nice restaurant....
Our bruschetta finally arrives, it is 4 very small pieces of bread drenched in olive oil and only a small amount of bruschetta on top. It was flavorless ( the bruschetta burger at Red Robin has more flavor, and I am not a fan of chain restaurants!) Overall this dish was VERY disappointing.
Again another long wait with empty water glasses our waitress finally goes to check on our meals. She brings us back our dishes and before she can quickly run away as she has each previous visit to our table I request more water. It took her a good 10 minutes to finally bring us water (still only 1 person at the bar and NO other diners in the place).
My shrimp scampi had 4 pieces of shrimp and a large pile bland pasta. It was the worst scampi I have ever had (the box you can by of frozen scampi at Costco bats a 10 to this pathetic joke of a meal). It honestly had no flavor at all, I may have been able to get over the lack of shrimp if the pasta was great, and honestly it can' be that hard to make a good scampi, but mine had no color, no flavor and hardly any shrimp, oh and it COST $18!!!!! I was sick over the whole ordeal, passed my plate to my mom who was shocked that the signature dish was such a bland disaster. It still makes me upset thinking about it.
My mom's dish had some flavor, I have made bolognese and it lacked many of the key flavors in a good bolognese. It was not a $14 dish, I think they might use a can of sauce and add a little meat.
The whole experience was the MOST HORRIBLE find dining experience I have ever had. It is no wonder that there was no one else in there, if you have any sense at all DO NOT GO HERE!!!!! You will pay way too much for flavorless food, have terrible wait staff and wait for a very long time for your food. | 0negative
| 940 |
It has been almost years of anticipation wanting to go to Brennan's in NOLA. I've heard so many great things about it and after tasting my boss' version of Bananas Foster, I've been intrigued to taste it from where it originated. Unfortunately, every time we go to NOLA, there usually no reservations available. This past weekend, my friends and I stayed at the Big easy and I finally got us a reservation on a Saturday night. Our reservation was for 8:30 pm, granted it was a busy night but it went all downhill from there. They told us that we won't be sitting at the time reserved because they were running behind. It may be around 15-20 minutes AFTER our reservation time. They told us to go to the bar or wait in the walkway which was crowded. They didn't ask for a number or gave us a pager. I asked how do we know it's our turn, they told us "Oh we know who you are, we'll call you." So, 30 minutes past our reservation, we were finally called and sat by one older server, introduce himself and took our drink order seemed to be welcoming but that was pretty much the end of him. After thinking he was our server, a very timid (can barely hear her talk) young lady came to our table and asked if we were ready to order, and also dumbfounded I thought we had a server already mind you this is supposed to be an upscale restaurant and this young lady never explained to us what's on the menu, we ALL picked what we thought was the best route, PRIME RIB! After 20-30 minutes or so, we got our food served by another man (thinking he could be a food runner). The older man and the young lady NEVER came back to check on us. I won't even get to details on the food, I was so disappointed that my steak was already cut up when it got to my table. I ordered a prime rib, it was not specified that it will be served cut up! About 20 minutes after we were done, we were anticipating the finale, bananas foster, but the servers were around other tables busy with other customers. We stacked our plates together maybe the servers will notice that we needed to be tended to. But the only person that budge was the man that served our food. I made a funny/sarcastic comment to him and asked: "Did our server leave for the day?" He apologized and asked if we would like desserts, of course, we told him it is the reason why we came for. He came back and gave us the dessert menu and took our order. Then moments later here comes the young voiceless server with the cart to make bananas foster, by this time seeing it flambeed table side didn't make me anticipate or excited anymore. While the lady was trying to make it, she was mumbling things we couldn't even hear and she maybe did the whole presentation less than 3 minutes. I instantly knew it wasn't going to taste like how my boss did it. The bananas were still a bit hard and no caramel stuck on it, served with a spoon, yes a spoon (not a scoop) of ice cream. I took a bite and instantly regretted ordering it! It was disgusting and to think I've waited years for it was very disappointing. I was also embarrassed that I pumped my friends up to come with us for dinner and had them spend money that they could've easily gone to a better restaurant. I do not recommend this place, I know that they have a reputation in NOLA but the service and the food do not uphold their standards. It's not worth the money, that prime rib? $43 per entree, it does not include anything else, we got drinks, appetizers, side dishes, entrees, and desserts. Do the math, it wasn't cheap and I can't believe I drag my friends to having dinner here. We probably could have better food and service somewhere else for the same or maybe less expensive price. And remember the old man from the beginning? As soon as we got up and left our check, he grabbed it like there's no tomorrow and told us "Thank you and have a great night!" Like, really? you never checked on us all night but you have the audacity to grab the check from that table that fast? You may need to retrain your staff, Brennan's, this review probably will not hurt your business since you're pretty popular. But for damn sure none of my family and friends will step foot in your restaurant again. I had better food in the hood for $15. | 0negative
| 803 |
Napa Sonoma has always conjured up images of an influential lifestyle that is out of the reach of a UNR salary. That is true of the geological location of Napa but this new restaurant is not out of reach of most Yelper's salary.
The outside of of this place still looks familiar. That's where it ends. As soon as you open the door, the first thing I was expecting was the old wood stove/oven... It's not there, I exclaimed in my own head. But, kept my composure as I looked throughout the rest of the establishment.
Wow, a lot of changes. And, these were good changes!
The brewery and tanks were gone and in its place was a very nice dining area and wine room.
Ironically, breakfast didn't start out so well. We were greeted promptly and seated in the back (north) end of eating area. Still, that area, looks just as good as the other areas. My dad made a joke with the hostess who seated us and said everything is great but she didn't bring the coffee. Well, that went over like a lead balloon. But, we shouldn't judge a restaurant by its humor.
The waitress came by and took our drink order. It took a longer time than I would have expected for the coffee to arrive. Perhaps a new pot was brewing or maybe they were allowing the coffee to age to perfection.
AHHH, HOT COFFEE. I could see the steam rise from the cups as they were being carried to the table. And, the cups looked good too! Wait a minute, one of those cups were too colorful. Yes, lipstick. Before the cup was put down, I made the joke that it wasn't my shade and she looked at the cup in disbelief. Ironically, my dad's cup didn't have lipstick but there was some schmutz (Yiddish word meaning dirt) on it and he requested a different and cleaner cup.
We decided on breakfast and now we were waiting for the coffee and to put in our order.
AHHH, HOT COFFEE. I could see the steam rise from the cups as they were being carried to the table. And, the cups looked good. Clean too! The coffee tasted good and yes, it was hot.
We ordered our breakfast at this time. All the while, the service was good and pleasant.
My dad noticed a gentleman walking around the restaurant and looking under the tables. He called to him, making a joke and this person came over, sat down and that's all it took. The owner of the restaurant was now joking around with my dad and myself.
He's a nice person, apparently he does, in fact, care about the food he serves and the service that is provided. It was then we found out why his restaurant looked as good as it does. He's the owner of an established construction company in town. Let's just call him DB.
Mr. DB is grounded in reality and has a fantastic sense of humor. Though, he claims that his wife doesn't appreciate his humor. :)
Our breakfast arrived just after we were joking around with Mr. DB.
It was served hot and in a timely manner.
But, my dad noticed something. In the menu, it stated that the egg breakfast he ordered came with 4 sausage links whereas his plate was accompanied by only 3 sausage links.
Hmm, we both thought and didn't think too much of it until Mr. DB walked by asking us how we were enjoying our breakfast.
My dad said "Good" and he didn't want to complain, but pointed out that the menu stated 4 links.
Mr. DB sat down and told us that it cost a fair amount of money to reprint menus and when they were getting ready to open for business, the health department didn't give the OK until just three days prior to opening. So, they didn't have enough time to test the food and one thing they found was the sausage links they were using at first, wasn't as good as the ones they currently are serving. These current links are larger and tasted better. So, they opted for the better ones and the menu will be updated on the next printing.
Mr. DB stated that if a customer wants an extra link, it would be no problem since the menu does state 4.
My dad didn't pursue the issue and was satisfied by the explanation.
At the time of our arriving, This location was open for just two weeks.
----------------------
Bottom Line
Would I go back there? YES!
I am impressed with the service and care that the owner (Mr. DB) has for his customers.
The service from the wait person was very good.
The food was very good.
Pricing for a 2 egg breakfast is about $9.00. Which is a bit higher than what we usually go for, but compared to California pricing, it's on the low side.
Food quality is good and justifies the pricing.
Environment is nice and cozy.
I tip my proverbial hat to Mr. DB. He has done what I would love to do. Open a restaurant that I know will be successful. | 2positive
| 869 |
I travel a lot for business and in my personal life. Ive been a Hilton Honors member for several years. That being said, I can say that I've had mostly phenomenal experiences at Hilton properties...until now.
On arrival, the desk attendant was very curt and unfriendly, not at all offering any additional information regarding breakfast, pool, etc., no smile or any warmth whatsoever. Answered my questions with one word answers. Saw me looking for the elevator, no "Elevators are over there" directions. Nothing. I'm not a needy person, trust me, but some common courtesy would is always appreciated. I get up to my room. My room is nice, 2 rooms, nice view. The pool is beautiful and open late, which is nice. These are, unfortunately, the only 2 nice things I can say about this stay.
After a day of travel, I was hungry, so I went down to the restaurant for dinner and wait to be seated...and wait...and wait... as 4 workers look over at me and continue chatting near the bar. There were only 3 or so tables seated in the restaurant, so it wasn't as if they were hopping busy. Finally, a gentleman comes over and seats me in the corner, puts a menu down and walks away without saying a single word. Ok. I wait...and wait... and wait...TEN minutes go by. Not one person approaches me. Am I invisible? Finally, I book a downtowner ride and leave to go to a restaurant offsite because its been a long day and I'm hungry and could get no service.
In the morning I go down to breakfast and am stopped by a gentleman who asks me for my breakfast ticket. I asked"what breakfast ticket?" He condescendingly says "Uh the breakfast ticket that looks like THIS" as he shows me one. I said "well, THAT is in my room. No one told me I needed it to get breakfast." He asks "Are you a paying guest??" "Yes, it's in my room." He then proceeds to tell me he can look me up by my last name, but next time I need to bring my ticket. It wasn't so much WHAT he said, but the tone in which he spoke to me, the guest. Condescending as if I was an idiot for not bringing my breakfast ticket. My husband is joining me on Thursday, there's only 1 ticket, so we will see if the front desk will provide a ticket for him also since no one asked me how many keys of tickets I needed when I checked in.
After breakfast I go to get my car out of the valet. Again, a lack of hospitality and another lecture that I HAVE to have the valet ticket to get my car (which i had) even when I provide the valet ticket number, my room number and my last name.
To top things off, I have two of my coworkers flying in at different times. One landed at 0830 and came straight to the hospital to work. We left the hospital about 4:30pm and grabbed as bite to eat near the hotel, at which time she receives a phone call from the hotel telling her that her that they were cancelling her reservation because her credit card didn't go through for some reason. She offered a secondary credit card and they would not take her other credit card and allow her to check in when we finished dinner (we were 10 minutes away or she could have checked in online.) Being witness to the entire conversation, the woman on the phone was rude and unsympathetic. She told my coworker she had the right to cancel her reservation and offered nothing when my coworker attempted to resolve the issue. They cancelled her reservation and we had to find her a new hotel for the night and remaining week. My second coworkers flight landed at 6:30pm and she arrived straight to the hotel and was informed that her reservation had also been cancelled, but no one called to notify her. She, in turn, was late, arriving to the hospital for work since she had to locate a new hotel also, not to mention we were planning to ride share our rented vehicle since we would be working different shifts. Now, my coworkers will get the added challenge of cabbing to/from the hospital. All this being said, the Hilton Vision statement reads: "To fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality - by delivering exceptional experiences, every hotel, every guest, every time." While I never understand people's need to be rude or condescending or difficult, I certainly understand that sometimes reservations get cancelled and such, but this is more about how those things are handled. It can be done nicely, apologetically even, while still conveying a difficult message. We spend significant time working in Tampa and we will not be staying here again nor will be recommending this property to others. | 0negative
| 829 |
BEWARE!!! RACIST ESTABLISHMENT!!!
First and foremost, the owner of this establishment is a RACIST.
Secondly, the restaurant is disgusting, dirty and should be featured on Kitchen nightmare!
My husband and I was celebrating our wedding anniversary in New Orleans and happened to come across this restaurant in the French quarter. We were hungry and it did not have a line like the majority of the restaurants. This unfortunately was a sign.
When we walked in, the host led us up some very dirty carpeted stairs to a second floor seating area that looked like it was from a third world country. The tables were covered in dirty vinyl table coverings and the floors looked like they hadn't been mopped in years. As we begin to question our decision to eat here, the waiter led us out towards the rooftop deck. We noticed there was literally broken glass (a huge hazard)on the floor from where glass had been broken from the door leading out to the deck.
There were two other couples sitting out on the deck so although our instinct said to leave, we went against our better judgement and sat down anyways.
The waitress was young and not efficient (it took us to remind her to get silverware) but she was nice none the less. However, as we waited for our food, we witnessed the other waiter literally stick his foot through the hole in the door with the broken glass to open the deck door. This was an indication that not only has this door been broken for some time but that waiters felt comfortable stepping on broken glass and utilizing a broken door to usher guests on and off the roof deck. This was a representation of the trifling ownership and the non existent expectation of cleanliness and professionalism.
When we received our food (we ordered two appetizers and two entrees), my husband took 3 bites of his food (he ordered the fried shrimp) and realized there was an odd and nasty taste that he could not ignore. We told our waitress and let her know the problem we were having with the shrimp. Right away she got nervous and told us that we were the SECOND customer to complain about the shrimp today! (First indication that this was a restaurant issue) She also was hesitant to take the food back to the kitchen but said she understood and left with the food. When she returned, she had the same plate she left with and told us that the owner refused to address the obvious issue with the food; nor would he take it off of our bill. When we asked if we could speak to the owner, she said that he refused to come and speak with us and that he (the owner) was shutting down the entire top floor because of our inquiry. Mind you, I have never received this type of response from a restaurant that served bad food and yet blamed the paying customer for not wanting to eat it. My husband and I had barely gotten a chance to touch the other remaining dishes when we decided to go down stairs and speak directly with the owner. We couldn't believe this was how we were being treated and thought that if we were able to talk with the owner personally, this matter would be cleared up in no time.
When we got down stairs, my husband approached the owner respectfully saying that we had ordered three other dishes that we would have no problem paying for but that the shrimp was sincerely inedible. The owner abruptly and disrespectfully said directly to my husband, in front of other customers and workers inside the restaurant, that he was the second Black person to make this claim today and that Black people were cheap.
He then went on to say that he would not take it off the bill and that if we refused to pay for it, he was going to call the cops. The fact that he even used the cops as a threat against two Black professionals was racist in and of itself, understanding the current climate of racism prevalent in the US. He even told one of his staff members to lock the door and not let us leave. They literally stood in front of the door trying to block us.
At this point, there was no way that this racist owner with his dirty and disgusting restaurant was going to get a dime of me and my husbands money. I advise anyone visiting New Orleans to avoid this racist, health hazard of a restaurant! | 0negative
| 774 |
This is an addendum for the newly rolled out brunch.
Friends and people who know me are aware that in addition to being vain, I am also a very spartan eater during my work week. Other than walking and yoga, exercise is one of the banes of my existence due to my innate laziness, thus my food intake Monday through Thursday is pauper-ish. Having said that, as a result, a cracking good happy hour or a brazenly luxurious brunch are 2 things I seek out to the best of my ability on a regular basis. Since Oloroso puts on such a splendid happy hour, it seemed only logical that their brunch would be just as delightful.
Because talk of the new all you can eat brunch was on all the food blogs I follow, it seemed wise to make a reservation. Who wants to stand and wait for an hour, stomach growling, on a Saturday morning?
Oloroso opens at 10:30 a.m. on weekends so 11 a.m. was the time we chose to start feasting. I use that particular word because this brunch is a $25, all you can eat tapas spread that includes 3 kinds of paella, croquetas, marcona almonds, olives, cheeses, tortilla espagnole, albondigas, several seafood salads, fresh roasted pork loin, roasted salmon and smoked brisket as well as dessert and I am sure I forgot to list some things. The buffet area is as long as a regular bar so trust me when I say there is much to choose from here.
After getting there just on time, the gent at the front desk unhospitably showed me to the back room. He mumbled something at me when I arrived and gave my name but it did not seem worth pursuing. My thought was that I did not have to see him again or eat with him, so he could say or think whatever he pleased.
Brunch was not all set up when I arrived but I was provided with a drink menu so I sat and waited for my co-conspirator in consumption, who bailed on me by text (too hung over) as I sat waiting for him. My drink arrived (The Tuxedo) and I asked my server how one went about procuring brunch. He was very kind, walked me to the set up and talked me through all the dishes. It's quite a spread with a little something for most folks (can't address vegan/vegetarian as I am neither). A few versions of "toasts"-avo and something else, a shakshuka type egg dish, deviled eggs, octopus, shrimp salad, beets (splendid!), spuds in various configurations and so on. Most dishes had a label next to them so no one new to tapas (or fuddled from Friday debauchery) had to play guess the ingredients. In addition, the guys behind the counter were extremely cheery, gracious and helpful.
When I made my first go 'round, the hot meat and fish were not out yet. I took a spoonful of this, a forkful of that and a tong full of something else and went back to my singleton table to sup. All of the food was good, but some of it really needed to be much warmer than it was and that is my gripe. Most tapas are traditionally served at room temp but today was chilly and windy and frankly, that did not endear me to potatoes and other comestibles on the very tepid side. I was checked on several times as I ate and wanted for nothing but some warmer food. After watching more folks come in as the hour grew later, groups of two, clusters of six, my stomach said it was time to go for round 2. On this little trip, I tried the brisket. It was falling apart, melt in the mouth tender. I threw some albondigas into the mix, more of the heavenly beets and some croquetas. Since I was drinking alone, I passed on another libation. 2 modest plates of good quality carbs and proteins filled me up. I did not see the desserts but had no room for or interest in them, either.
I was not offered coffee or tea as "afters" so I asked for my check and was out the door, $40 plus tip, later. By then, the restaurant was getting a little busier. Not crowded by any means though.
Would I go back? Not immediately and if/when I did, I think it would be more fun with a group because what goes better with tapas than a pitcher of sangria!? Hedonist that even I am, quaffing 64 ounces of booze alone is not in the cards for me.
This brunch is a very good value for $25 as you are not just getting fried, carby "filler" dishes; there is a fantastic variety of tapas for all taste buds.
I'm just pouting because I wanted my spuds hot. Woe is me. : ) | 1neutral
| 819 |
Dinner for two consisted of:
Appetizer:
Yellowfin Tuna Lettuce Wraps
Soups:
Truffles' Soon To Be Famous French Onion Soup
Chef B's Gumbo
Entree:
Bone-in Ribeye 20oz
Filet Mignon 8 oz
Truffled Twice Baked Potato with House Bacon
Whipped Sweet Potato, Maple-Pecan Butter
Dessert:
House Made Cookie
Special dessert of the evening - pumpkin something
Drinks:
Half bottle of Iris
Kettle 1 and tonic
Screwdriver with Kettle 1
The Staff:
Had reservations and was warmly greeted and offered a seat early. Our server was Danny and he was excellent; knowledgeable about the food and had the menu memorized. Great job keeping things flowing. Support staff was also helpful, polite, efficient.
Atmosphere:
Pleasant design, clean, vibrant without being noisy. Nice setting for a couple's night out or similar special occasion. Servers in oxford shirts and nice jeans, very relaxing.
The menu was crisp and our table was provided water and bread. We reviewed the wine list which was notable and definitely favoring the French wines. A few wines are offered by the glass or half bottle but are of poorer quality. Good bottled wines but the mark-up is ridiculous compared to similar offerings in other restaurants. I tried one of the half bottles and quickly surrendered and moved to mixed drinks. My dinning partner does drink wine ergo the reason for not getting my own bottle.
We started with the Yellowfin Tuna Lettuce Wraps (nicely presented) of which there were three, odd for a table of two but its a chef thing I will never understand. Sadly, what could have been a fresh appetizer fell terribly short as it was overpowered by too much sriracha. It overpowered the fish as well as any freshness of the lettuce. We were both in agreement that it was too much and ruined the food.
Next were the soups and we found the gumbo hot, flavorful, and delightful. It has a good taste with a southern flair that was neither too bland nor spicy, just right. The French Onion on the other hand was average. The flavor was okay but a bit off. It wasn't hot and the accompany bread was soaked in a butter that badly countered the soup's natural flavors. A flavorful cheese floated on top but failed to encrust the bowl. Would definitely skip the French Onion next time and its on my short list wherever I dine.
For a restaurant that prides it's 21-day dry aged beef, the steak selection was lacking (most steak should be dry-aged 28 days using Himalayan salt). The 8 oz Filet was nice but was bland looking on the place although it had an above average flavor. It was a bit small and I would recommend a 6 oz lady's size and a 9 - 10 oz man size as an offering. It could have stood for a bit more flavor but no serious complaints. As a side we ordered the whipped sweet potatoes and found them quite tasty.
The bone-in Ribeye was also ordered medium rare but was closer to rare. While a nice appearance and rare is fine with me, the steak was fat. Not the normal healthy marbling you would expect from a Ribeye to give it that tender moistness but a congealed conglomeration of fat that had me eating 4 oz and sending the rest to the four-legged wildlife that visits us nightly. Sad that a cow gave it's life for something that was so poorly served. Similarly, the twice baked potato should have been a simply, tasteful side item but was instead a cream sauce that lacked flavor. Why such a nice restaurant has a limited steak selection and then puts out poor meat cuts alludes any reasoning. I've eaten at many fine dining establishments as well as some chain steakhouses and the steak I was served at Truffles would have been below their standards. I even made a passing comment to our server about the Chef to wit he noted that he has only been there about a year or less. I would suggest he watch more closely what is coming out of his kitchen. It might explain why such a nice restaurant with such an excellent staff wasn't full on a Friday night. Tables sit empty when the food is bad or even unremarkable.
Dessert consisted of House Made Cookies and a Pumpkin something. The shortbread and first cookie were okay, nothing special but the second cookie was loaded with salt. Might have been a something that didn't get mixed in the bowl but it took a full glass of water to kill the taste. The pumpkin was fine, no complaints but we found the whole dessert menu to be more like an add-on than an extension of the meal. A dinner should be a complete story from the chef, beginning to end. Start with something fresh and end with sweetness. Tonight's meal lacked in every category.
Dinner for 2 with drinks was $225 plus tip.
Being an infrequent visitor to Truffles, the missed appetizer, average soup, failed entree, and sub-par dessert, we will likely not visit again. I would have preferred to write the restaurant directly first to give them a chance to respond but their website doesn't provide such features.
Sadly, I cannot recommend this restaurant unless some changes are made. | 0negative
| 883 |
I really wanted to give Grapeseed 4 stars. However, I had to deduct one star for a big service problem. I'll explain after the food review.
But first, the atmosphere was not bad. Not exceptional, but good. They have done a nice job with the space they have. We wound up sitting at the counter along the front window, so we got to sit side-by-side and watch the street activity as we ate. Only problem was that it was really cold outside and we were fairly close to the front door.
This was Valentine's night, so the food wasn't typical. It was a 3 course prix fixe meal, consisting of:
Wild mushrooms w/parmesan cheese in a puff pastry tower. Nice flavor, and a very generous amount of mushrooms. However, it was pretty much all mushroom flavor once you got through the parmesan on top. Puff pastry tower was also nice and buttery, like a croissant - but was difficult to cut through on the bottom.
5 oz. grass fed tenderloin filet with Maine lobster, sauce Americaine, & whipped Yukon gold potatoes. Excellent filet. Quite tender, slight char on the outside, a little pink in the middle, slightly smokey & buttery flavor throughout the meat. Good job on that. Maine lobster was good for what it was, but there wasn't nearly enough for my greedy self (especially considering that this prix fixe meal was $65 each). The sauce was very good and whipped potatoes were typical. But the sauce and potatoes did add a nice savory element to the dish that rounded it out.
Flourless chocolate ecstasy cake. Beautiful presentation, about the size of a half baseball, covered in chocolate shell with white chocolate drizzle, surrounded by fluted cream and a rainbow-colored glaze surrounding that. Plus a tasty little mint leaf for the finish. Taste was as good as the presentation, if you like just a rich chocolate dessert.
We went nonalcoholic for the drinks, and ordered San Pellegrino. It came in small plastic bottles (about 10 oz), which our waiter did pour into our goblets (with lime). I didn't realize it until the bill came, but 3 bottles (I had 2) came to I think $11.25. $3.75 for a very small bottle of sparkling water is not cool. The waiter also did a reasonable-but-not-great job filling my still water glass (I drink a lot), and a good job clearing empty plates and bottles.
So the reason I gave 3 stars instead of what probably would have been a low 4 stars? Well it was Valentine's, and when we arrived they did not have our reservation! Now I had called back in the 3rd week of January and made my reservation. It was about 2 in the afternoon, and the gentleman I talked to sounded like the owner's voice (who I talked to on Valentine's). I remember that they had not yet decided if there would be a prix fixe menu. My guess is that it was before they were recording all the reservations, and since I called during the afternoon I didn't talk to the person who normally writes it down. The note or whatever probably didn't make it to the reservation book. So on Valentine's, the hostess says I am not in the reservations book, but she does say they have open non-reservation seating along the bar and the window counters. All the normal tables were set up for reservations. I said that this was a big problem and explained how I had called in January, but I also understood that there wasn't anything she could do. I did say that I would like to talk to the manager or owner, however. She went a got him, and I could see her apparently explaining the situation. I also explained to him what had happened and how I had called in January, and how he sounded like the person I had talked to. He was very nice, and went and talked to the hostess again, but came back saying the same as she did - that they had no open tables and we could sit at the bar or counters. (I was hoping that there was something like a secret or special table held back.) He did say that there was full service and menu at all spots, and he would make sure that everything was great for us.
Now fortunately we are an old married couple, so I wasn't embarrassed in front of my date. And thankfully there were these open counter spots. I guess we could have wound up at Denny's otherwise. Who else is going to have open tables? Had we been a young, unmarried couple, this could have ruined the entire night! So we made the best of it, and decided to enjoy sitting side by side and watching the street go by. But the owner only came by once early on to make sure everything was okay, and caught us as we were leaving to thank us for being understanding.
I understand that there really was nothing that could be done about the seating. And I could have been lying to them. But I gave thorough details that I think showed I wasn't. Losing a reservation for Valentine's is not acceptable. And I didn't want a free meal - but I think maybe a single complimentary drink would not have been unwarranted.
So I do plan to try the normal menu, and may revise my rating. | 1neutral
| 911 |
I truly dislike writing bad reviews...but bad reviews should be objective, and toward that end I shall attempt to smother my subjectivity. First I castigate myself. We had been shopping and decided it was too late to cook so we settled on the first restaurant we went past. Critically, we did not check it on Yelp. That turned out to be an 'A' grade blunder.
On arriving, I noticed that the windows to this building were filthy...but they weren't the stand out, as everything else was filthy also. That is distinctly un-Japanese. But, in we went anyway. A very pleasant young lady greeted us and led us past some booths with ripped seats to a booth without a ripped seat, for which we were truly thankful.
The table top had obviously been wiped with a dirty cloth...but still we persisted. The menus arrived. This should have been the last straw, as they were in plastic sleeves which were covered in greasy fingerprints. What can I say? We were hungry! I ordered a beer, my wife ordered a cold saki.There was none available. So she ordered a hot saki. As we later found out, that drained the only bottle they had. By now I was thoroughly convinced this restaurant was not under Japanese ownership. By the way, this was the first time we have ever been 'carded' in a restaurant. We had to show our IDs to the waitress because we had ordered alcohol.
I looked at the menu and the first thing I noticed was General Tso's Chicken. So, now I guessed the nationality of the proprietor, and, I would soon recognize that his or her acquaintance with Japanese cuisine, was probably gained from an altitude of 30,000 feet, as the owner flew over Tokyo, on a flight between Shanghai and Nashville.
My wife ordered sushi. It was, she said, quite nice, though a little dry and tiny. I ordered chicken yakitori. It similarly was quite nice, but the sauce was from a bottle. I ordered Mongolian Beef because nothing of the Japanese style on the menu appealed. My wife ordered garlic steak for the same reason.
My meal arrived looking nothing like Mongolian Beef. But, that wasn't the surprise. Further, the surprise wasn't that it didn't taste like Mongolian Beef. The surprise was that it tasted surprisingly similar to my wife's garlic steak which, by mere coincidence, didn't appear to feature any bloody garlic. In both meals the steak was plain bad. It had been previously cooked. To heat it, it had been fried until it was crisp. In short both meals were inedible. As a side note, the promised soup and salad which were supposed to accompany the main course, did not arrive. That was probably a good thing based on other reviewer's critiques.
The waitress was very nice. She was inexperienced but was trying hard, and we didn't want to make her feel bad by complaining to her. I asked to speak to the chef. Not surprisingly, he didn't appear. I had noticed, earlier in the night, a couple of distinctly non-Asian chaps loitering outside the kitchen. They took my attention because they should not have been anywhere near a commercial kitchen given the state of their appearance. Next surprise...they were the chefs, but read on.
So here's the funny bit. I said to the head waiter that I suspected the owner and chef were not Japanese. She told me the owner was Chinese (I like Chinese cooks when they cook Chinese food) and that the chef(s) were both from south-of-the-border. For her protection, I will not elucidate further. These guys, as Japanese chefs, would have made good bricklayers.
F*&@%"g brilliant!
The wait staff was obviously embarrassed and they removed the charge for our meals. They were both lovely women who had the difficult job, of Sean Spicer proportions, of trying to defend the indefensible.
How this place manages to survive as a Japanese steakhouse has got me beat. It is a cheap, dirty, Chinese-American knock-off with two Mexican cooks whose forte is something other than the preparation of Asian restaurant fare.
I reiterate my distaste of providing bad reviews. But there was very little to commend this restaurant. We left hungry and it pains me to say we went to a nearby KFC (which had run out of chicken), which was next door to a Taco Bell where we ended up buying tacos and nachos for dinner. Taco Bell is pretty ordinary, but on this night it was infinitely superior to the Fuji Japanese Steakhouse. | 0negative
| 759 |
It was bound to happen--my very first one star review. This is no joke of a rating either; I'd make it negative infinity stars if only Yelp were so kind (or unkind, as it were). How was I wronged, you may ask? Let us count the ways...
1. The girlfriend and I, coming off a day of shopping, were debating whether or not to eat here, and we took our decision right down to the wire. Consequently, we entered the restaurant sans reservations (probably a mistake on our part). After waiting a good two or three minutes in a deathly quiet "foyer" type room, we were finally greeted by a host than looked us firmly up and down to decide whether we were sponge-worthy (I mean, worthy of seating...sorry). We apparently did something right, as he consequently turned away three parties who came in looking for dining, despite the wide open spaces in their "foyer" room. Strike 1.
2. The host only took a liking to us so far as to give us a table in aforementioned "foyer" room. To describe, it's a fairly sized room at the entrance of the restaurant. Only after being seated did we realize there was a "back" room in which the true restaurant experience happens. Word of caution--if you're being seated in the front, chances are your dining experience is going to suck. It reeks of a hospital waiting room--eerily quiet with strange smells and unfriendly faces going back and forth. Strike 2.
3. As for those unfriendly faces...promptly after seating one of the waiters (more experienced, I'll assume) took the liberty of taking a younger waitress to task right in the middle of the "foyer" room, explicitly using words like "stupid" and "fired." Naturally, he promptly sent the waitress to serve our table. In retrospect, he was probably right, as she was terrible. No reason to yell like that, though. Strike 3.
4. By now, you're probably wondering, how many strikes does one get?! It gets worse. Quick one here: they may or may not have given us the wrong year for the wine bottle. Strike 4 (ish). It's been a while, and I remember being fuzzy about this one, but never bothered to fully investigate. You'll promptly see why.
5. We went for the Revillon menu (a prix fixe Christmas menu), which featured a healthy selection for a great price. Of course, my girlfriend decided to go with the Soft Shell Crab for the main course. The waiter mentioned that he "didn't know" if they had any left available (apparently, those are "reserved" for the customers of the happy room), and he would go check. Coming back out later with our first course, he still hadn't figured it out. Wait to be on the ball there, chief. Strike 5. On the plus side, I really enjoyed the Gumbo. Emphasis on past tense there.
6. Here's the biggie. The second course was the salads. I ordered the standard, which is apparently lettuce with vinaigrette. Fancy, I know. Terrible job. Not as bad as my date's, though. She got the salad with artichoke hearts (just like mine, but with artichoke hearts), and upon reaching the middle of the salad, discovered a decapitated beetle taking up residence. Strike six times infinity. To the infinity power (you see why one star is way too many?).
7. Upon seeing the bug, we promptly hailed down the first waiter we could find. He saw the bug (and may have gagged a little), and took the plate into the back. Then passed five minutes before we heard from them. We saw the original boisterous waiter that had yelled at the mediocre waitress. He passed by without so much as a glance. We never saw mediocre waitress again. Finally, we were greeted by the original host that had led us to our table, whereby we informed him we were taking off, since eating there sounded a fate worse than death. He, of course, went off to make a call. Uhh, what? Strike 7.
8. He returned after the call to inform us that, yes, it would be okay if we took off, and he was very sorry that we could not stay and eat more (on the house, of course). This would be, of course, because we were looking forward to the crickets in our main dish and some worms in the dessert, I'm sure. We declined as politely as humanly possible and dashed off to Bourbon Street to drink the pain away. Then we ate some Krystal Burgers, where at least we knew bugs in the kitchen would be perfectly acceptable.
But seriously, don't eat here. | 0negative
| 777 |
DO NOT HAVE YOUR EVENT HERE
After literally two years of planning my son's Bar Mitzvah at Moshulu in Philadelphia the event was marred not only by what occurred the night of the party but by the subsequent attack on my character by a Partner.
The night of my son's Bar MItzvah and the day after when I met with another Partner, I was lead to believe that I would be financially compensated for problems that occurred during my event but when I spoke to another Partner the following Tuesday I was told that everything went as planned, my guests ate too much, I was cheap, I was lying about various things that occurred, and that he was embarrassed that we had acquaintances in common. He went on to say that my affair would forever leave a bad taste in his mouth.
So, I am left with sharing my story in hopes that no one else experiences what I went through or is subjected to an attack like I experienced.
A week prior to the event, upon hearing that the weather could be bad that night, I contacted Moshulu to discuss contingency planning since much of the party was to occur outside. I also asked about ventilation given the humidity. I was reassured that they do this all the time and that I had nothing to worry about with regard to rain or ventilation. I called back a few more times during the week just to make sure that weather would not be an issue and was reassured by two separate people that I had nothing to worry about.
Five minutes before my son's Bar Mitzvah service I received a call from Moshulu saying that they needed to move my party to another area on the ship. I was shocked since I had been repeatedly told that the weather would not be an issue. They recommended an alternative space for cocktails and again assured that it would accommodate my guests adequately. My agreement for the party was to have two separate areas for cocktails - one for the adults and one for the children. However, due to the issues described I was forced to combine both groups together in the same area for cocktails.
While driving from the synagogue to Moshulu I received a call from a guest at 8:20 indicating that the Moshulu staff was not allowing people into the party as they were not ready. My party was scheduled to begin at 8:00. The party did not begin until approximately 8:30.
I went to join my guests for cocktails and found that the area being used was incredibly crowded and hot. I was actually concerned for my guests' safety as there was only one exit and not everyone had arrived. It was so uncomfortable that people left the area and moved down into the dining area which was supposed to be closed until dinner.
While trying to figure out logistics I noticed that a group of waiters were standing together and that there were no hors d'oeuvres being circulated. I was told that they had no more. I had ordered what was recommended by Moshulu. When ordering I had asked if I had enough hors d'oeuvres on order I was assured that they do this all the time and I didn't have to worry about having enough.
The party now moved to the dining room. When I entered the room I asked whether the video had been tested and was assured that it had. Unfortunately Moshulu had neglected to tell the DJ or me that they were not going to handle the audio so my video, which I had spent weeks on, was not run with sound.
I had hired entertainment to play piano during dinner. He was recommended to me by Moshulu. Because the party was running an hour behind when his time was up, he left - so no piano during dinner. I also hired dancers who had to be paid extra due to the delay in when they would be able to perform.
On a minor note, the challah, which was bought for the occasion was never served to my guests.
After dinner, when we moved on deck for dancing (an hour later than my timeline called for), to my dismay, the dance floor was not arranged as agreed to on the floorplan provided by Moshulu . The reason this was so important is that I had wanted to maximize the space for dancing and not have people crossing the dance floor to get drinks or dessert. Approximately 50% more deck space would have been utilized had the floorplan been followed. The bar on deck was not set up as contracted and separate bars were placed on the dance floor.
In the agreement with Moshulu it requires 20% gratuity. I had no problem with this but did discuss that since I was paying a gratuity there should be no tip jars on the bars and that the bartenders should not be accepting tips since it was already paid for in our agreement. I was again assured that I had nothing to worry about. Therefore, I was shocked when I went to get a drink and found cash resting on the bar clearly indicating that the bartenders were accepting.
When I first got to Moshulu around 8:30 and spoke to a Partner at Moshulu he said I could extend the party past 1:00 a.m. At 12:30 a.m. I went looking for my contact to discuss this. I was told that she had | 0negative
| 926 |
UPDATE : I just stayed at the Hilton garden inn Valley forge with my gf in the middle of May. This was the first time. we usually goto KOP but they were all sold out so we had no choice.its 10min away from the KOP mall.
Its kind of a hit or miss there are alot of not so good things, and some pretty good things here.
In order to give an accurate review- I am going to compare this hotel to a few others we stayed at near here- The Hyatt House KOP and the Best Western KOP- including the Hampton KOP.
CHECK IN: The morning of our stay I called to check on the status of our room. I asked" Brittany" at the front desk for extra towels( since we both have medical issues that require a good amount of dry towels each day) .Not only she said that was no problem but she asked how many would we require( exactly how many of each size extra) needless to say that When we walked into the room. the towels that we asked for were there. Well done, Brittany! You are better than 90% of the people who work the front desk in my experience. Check in was fast too. The lobby is beautiful. The hotel is from 2012( i checked online to see its age) it has a bar area- and free coffee/ tea station( yes i know-- big deal- everyone has that.
Here is a major problem we had regarding the room... No free breakfast- at ALL.. They do offer breakfast, but its $11.95 - per PERSON ( adult or child- I did ask BTW). Talk about dropping the ball so early in the game here ,Hilton! The Hyatt House KOP ,the Hampton KOP and even the low end Comfort Inn KOP offers continental breakfast! Come on People. You charged us $120 DOLLARS for just one night- which is as expensive ( more even) than any of the other restaurants I have mentioned, yet they can afford to give us some complimentary scrambled eggs.
We were planning on coming back and staying overnight but after we heard that there was no free breakfast we will not come back unless we are desperate( that is if any other place in the area is sold out).
The Hyatt House KOP is almost the EXACT SAME HOTEL WITH THE EXACT SAME FEATURES as this ONE (including a cleaner hot-tub and larger pool) and not only do they offer free breakfast there but they have a chef there taking requests( I remember last year my gf asked for a special kind of omelet and the guy made it right in front of her- no questions asked. Yep -its true.!Hilton Garden inn? 12 bucks a head! No thanks. I would rather go out to a real restaurant instead.
1 other thing- it had an outdoor fire pit- -that was nice()
The rooms:
It was spotless.( Which it should be for these prices) The bed was extremely firm( it has a mattress and a plywood board under it- its one of the firmest beds we have ever had when we walked in, there was a towel - folded in the shape of a bow this was very cool. They gave us a chocolate on the pillow as well..( nice touch that most higher end hotels use)
They offer a MINI fridge that freezes( better than most hotels- but it was shut OFF wh en we came in) .Cheap guys. You trying to save 15 cents on electric or something?!However the Hyatt House KOP offers a FULL SIZE REFRIDGERATOR as well as a FULL KITCHEN AREA IN THE studio deluxe rooms( for the same or less price )
The hottub-
Comparing it to the Hyatt House KOP? it wasnt as good
The hottub here was grimy scummy and dirty floating bubble things on top and lint. it was disgusting compared to the Hyatt House
Also in the Pool/Hottub area. the towel curio was falling apart!( doors open- hanging on 1 hinge, and the towel selves were bare yet there was alot of children and adults in the pool that day,. Thats right. No towels. When we called the front desk to ask for some they would be right down... 20 min later- nobody showed up. We called again. Nobody showed up for another 10 min. Finally we called a 3rd time and someone finally came down with SIX THIN towels ( 6 TOWELS FOR 20 PEOPLE) Bad form guys.
The only good thing with the hot tub is the dial on the wall to turn the bubbles on lasts for 30 min- not 15 like the Hyatt House KOP does.
The HH towels are 10 times thicker and a lot more are offered. When I called at the Hyatt House KOP one time for extra pool towels it was refilled in under 6 minutes!!
This is all a disgrace considering the cost of the rooms. If it wasnt for the cleanliness of the room, the firmness of the bed and the fact that Brittany offered us as many towels as we need- no questions asked, our stay would have been a complete disaster
UPDATE:
The GM contacted me on another site and hinted that they are trying to keep the costs down. Thats ridiculous.
Hilton owns Hampton Inn as wsell and the Hampton Inn KOP offeres freak breakfast( albiet- no pool or hottub
BUT Other hotels( including the Hyatt House in KOP offer even MORE amenities for the same or less price and they throw in a complimentary breakfast. Best Western KOP too.
Not recommended for using pool/hot tub, breakfast. | 0negative
| 946 |
Being a previous business owner (restaurant).; I don't like leaving negative reviews; however this one warrants such.
*
Coming off a fast and I wanted a great Poboy to waste my calories on. I was recommended to try a neighborhood location that's a communities "favorite" they say. Ok, why not. I called my order in because I wanted to whip in grab it and keep going in the highway. I called when I was 10 mins out and placed my order. 6" plain shrimp only Swiss cheese and non toasted bread. I arrived Wales in and it's looks like like a community favorite as as told. Lots of what seemed like locals were there because the cashier and cooks were calling customers by name and even asking about family/children. No it wasn't because they had to add their name to their order.... you just knew they were regulars. My order wasn't ready, so I had to stand for another 10 mins waiting on my Poboy. I went to the register - paid, went to my car and opened my order to take a bite. I opened it and looked at it and first impression - disappointed. From experience, I immediately knew the shrimp was old, soggy and cold. :-(. I touched it with my hand and yes, confirmed it was cold.
*
I took my order back inside to the cashier and asked her could she please have them remake my Poboy with "fresh" shrimp because the order I had was unacceptable. She apologized and said it will be a few. I stood another 15 mins for a replacement order. Grabbed my bag, then ordered a 1/2 & 1/2 (it was like a muddy cup for $1.30-wow). Not even an offer of compliments on house for your wait. I paid, walked out, again to my car and went to get my sandwich out. I was so disgusted. They gave me the SAME bag back and it had grease all over it. I said to myself - "It's warm, so I will over look the bag." I opened the sandwich up and it was hot, closed it back, took and bite and as I was chewing it it was like chewing gum. The shrimp were over cooked. That means 2 things - they reheated some they already had, or over cooked them to make it appear I was getting fresh. I will have to say, they reheated some they already had. I couldn't finish chewing the bite I took. I spit it out in the bag and had to leave. I could t wait for anything else because I was headed to a meeting and didn't want to be late. For $9, a 6" Poboy and an small 'cup' of tea and it was totally not worth it at all. I should have just went to Chick fil a for grill nuggets and Mac n cheese - that would have been great use of my $9 and would have been good wasted calories. I lost $9 and had to eat elsewhere after my meeting. I was absolutely disappointed.
*
I'm sure I will get a rebuttal of how sorry they are for my experience and want me to come back and try again, but what gives me confidence it will be any better. As stated being a restaurant owner, you want to make sure your customers have a great experience the 1st time. They pacifier them with seconds, but service on remake you still delivered a dirty bag. That's a sign immediately of "not caring". It's seems the motto there was MEMO - Move'Em in Move Out. I certainly got that service and was totally, totally turned off. The construction workers, some business people and locals probably are just content with it because it's in and out. Most will not take their food back, they just eat it. I'm a firm believer of, you pay for your food and you should have it fresh and it should be quality service and with care. I didn't feel, nor receive such.
*
I'm sorry, but I can't recommend this as being a "great" place for a shrimp Poboy. The person that recommended it - Yes, I let them know about my experience. Their response.... "Yes, sometime you get that." My reply was - "WHY even recommend if it's going to be a hit and miss!? You know I take my food and calories splurge moments serious. Disappointing." They offered me a better place on them - no I won't take it. I'll just find my way the next time.
*
Sooooo - I'll just say - try at your own risk, I can't say it will be "great". | 1neutral
| 785 |
We just got back from there...eh...don't go.
We were actually looking forward to this restaurant because the photos of the food look so good and it was in the prettiest Casino/Hotel the Peppermill.
We came on a Sunday evening at 6:30 for a friends birthday. Not busy at all, not full, probably only 50-60 % occupied. We originally were having 10 ppl but ended up with 14, but they moved us and it was so problem. The atmosphere of the restaurant was very Oceanic, beautiful sea creature sculptures from every corner. It was a really pretty restaurant. When you walk in a tank of salt water fish lines the walkway. Chair are swivel and blue, a little cheesy and looks like it needs an update.
You can see the sushi chefs well and the servers are dressed properly.
Anywho, we were seated and service started slow from the very beginning. More than half of us had AYCE sushi and the others had a la carte. Well anyway, after the host seated us, he told us our servers name and let us know he will be taking care of us.
30 minutes later...*cricket sounds* he comes and gets our drink orders. He comes back about 15 minutes later with sodas. Then 5 minutes later with my tea. then 20 minutes after that with the bar drinks.... wow just an hour later and we all finally get our drinks. We didnt really get mad or angry because we entertained each other. But between the drinks getting to the table he found out who wanted sushi and who wanted a la carte.
He gave the ten of us ONE sheet to order the sushi, we asked him what to do with it. And he said just to put then number of orders we want. We were like um okay...we all dont want our orders mixed. But 10 minutes later he comes back and we tell him we want different order sheets per small groups. We get separate sheets, no problem. We put our orders in, he picked it up in like 5 minutes...okay so service is doing better. Then we get our sushis in about ten minutes and longer. The a la carte came around the same time.
Sushi...eh, didnt like it so much. Rice was overcooked in all of them so it was a little compacted and soggy chewy. My husband and I ordered the:
Salmon Sashimi-Okay, too thick of cuts though and the rice too soggy and overcooked
Eel - okay
Tuna - Good
shrimp - okay
Upside down shrimp - no good, the rice really blew it for us and it really needed more
Spicy tuna - okay to bad
Caterpillar - Eh..
Oceano - (we got two completely separate ones) the correct one was really good
Mountain roll - plain, not good at all.
King Kong - Pretty okay if you like fried, sushi
Salmon skin - it was not good. we didnt even get the yamogobo in my order so i didnt like it, as with all the sushi, rice was overcooked
Well besides those, a lot of us including me and my husband didnt get a roll or two and had to ask the server for it, it would take literally 15-30 minutes to get it. Even asking repeatedly. One never even got to the table...that was the birthday girls.
I got my hot tea refill the two times i asked promptly. everyone else were sipping the ice from their empty soda drinks. And eventually got a refill. When it came time to checks, he found out which couple to split to who and said he would be back. Hm...20 minutes later....no one. Then he comes back and i tell him that we are locals and we wanted the 20% discount. No problem. Doesnt comes back...30 minutes later....okay, its 9:50PM now... we have been here for 3 1/2 hours, so i go to the hostess and tell her we are not going to pay the 18% gratuity, she gets a manager and I tell her that we are not going to pay the 18% because we received slow service and have been there for over 3 hours and our rolls were not as ordered. She said no problem and took it off.
Our server came by 5-7 minutes after and dropped our checks. He looks a little mad, but I mean what do you want us to do? Pay something that he doesnt deserve? After the 20% locals discount, our bill was $47.08 for two AYCE (regular price is $23.99 per person) and two drinks. Soda and tea. After this we received fast closing of our checks. We tipped a little over ten percent of that final total.
Overall:
Service: VERY VERY VERY VERY SLOW. We were there for 3 1/2 hours, 6:30-10:00. Slow to get what you ask for, even though you ask repeatedly. (BTW we werent mad until the end) 1 STAR
Atmosphere: Very beautiful. I think children will really like the artwork everywhere and the mini aquarium. 3-4 STARS
Food: Well sushi-not recommended, rice was overcooked the only one we really liked was the Oceano. Chicken Ciabatta sandwich good, clam chowder okay 1-2 STARS
Friendliness: Friendly staff, no one gave us an attitude and when they actually served us, it was fine. I just wish they didnt take so DANG LONG!
I really like HIROBA's...try it, the best sushi place we have tried and repeatedly go to
Prob go for a la carte later. | 0negative
| 920 |
I'm not sure what to think when the group I was with claims that they were close to exclaiming to a bar manager, "You don't know who you're talking to! She is a very influential Yelper!" Is that, like, Super-Elite status or something? Can I start getting paid for my reviews?
Anyway, I gots some thangs to say about Rhine Haus.
My boyfriend and two friends of ours checked this place out last night, after seeing it had randomly popped up in the 'hood and discussing how we've all wanted to check it out.
I wasn't quite sure what to think at first. What I immediately noticed is that I don't think the floor has been mopped. Ever. I didn't even know floors could get that sticky. Our friend's shoe literally came off her foot at one point as it stuck to the floor. How is that okay?! It's not. But the manager doesn't seem to know the difference between what is okay and what isn't, but I'll get to that in a sec.
I was expecting a German-themed pub by the name, but this place was some sort of Big Daddy's and Hot Shots mash-up. The bartenders were wearing tight t-shirts, skimpy booty shorts, and knee-high soccer socks, and there was a DJ spinning some dance/club/techno beats. Not what I was expecting, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
The bartender was clearly new, for two reasons 1) she barely looked of age and 2) she was frazzled to the point of having a nervous breakdown. The funny thing is, yeah, they were busy, but the amount of stress she seemed to be having wasn't remotely warranted. I don't know if she thought moving at lightning speed and looking pissed off would make her look like she was working really hard or what, but it was quite the deterrent from a customer service standpoint.
For awhile, we were actually having a great time. I was going to give it a solid 3 stars. This place has darts, cornhole, and shuffleboard. We talked about how we might want to make it a regular spot, especially it being stumbling distance from Devin's apartment. And hey, they have great specials!
Too bad they completely dishonor those specials, talk down to you about it, and then threaten to call the cops if you don't leave.
The special that night was listed as "Ladies drink free - open premium bar - 9:30-close, $5 cover." They also advertised "$1 burgers 5-7pm and 10-close." It was on fliers in the bathroom and at the bar. I have attached a photo of their ad in RFT for reference.
We ordered three burgers, and, ignoring the fact that when they came out, Little Miss Sunshine over there, promptly after she was handed the plates, exclaimed loudly, "I DON'T KNOW WHOSE THE F*CK THESE ARE!" - I eventually got my burgers and greatly enjoyed them. The burgers had great flavor, and the fries were to die for. Winner. Happy camper here.
At the end of the night, our group of four was served up couple of checks that totaled about $120. Say, WHAT?!
First of all, they charged us $9 apiece for the burgers. Bartender copped quite a bitchitude with Devin about it, and then got the owner of the place involved. He told us the $1 burgers were supposed to be sliders. Bartender claimed Devin had ordered "Three classic burgers with fries." Considering we didn't even know that was a menu option, this is clearly false. The owner told us it is apparently our "responsibility" that when we get three full sized burgers we need to "speak up" about it. We claimed we hadn't been here before and we didn't know what the $1 burgers were supposed to look like, and his condescending response was to "use common sense." How about you can safely assume that someone who orders "three burgers" on $1 burger night wants the ONE DOLLAR BURGERS. He eventually took the burgers off the bill because we weren't budging.
The next order of business was the drinks my female friend and I had ordered that we were charged for. They claimed the wristband ended at midnight. There were several attempts to discuss with the owner their fliers all over the place that claimed free drinks until close, but all he kept saying was, "I'm done. I did you a favor" - DID US A "FAVOR?!" - "by comping the burgers, but I am done talking to you about this." I kept trying to show him the flier, multiple times, and he eventually conceded that it was a "typo," but then said, "Now get out. You are no longer welcome here. You are trespassing on private property and if you don't leave, I will call the cops."
Not exactly the friendly neighborhood bar where everyone knows your name, eh?
F*ck this place sideways, man. There is only one place I know of that beats this place for Worst Customer Service Ever, and that is Black Thorn, but this place ain't far behind.
Never giving this douche a minute of my business or a dime of my money again.
ETA: Christina W. is the other girl I was with - just FYI that she is a real person and she was in on the aforementioned bill fiasco, so her review does not get filtered. | 0negative
| 897 |
With visitors in town, I and my friends decided to have a Friday night out on Chestnut for dinner and a few drinks. After purchasing a $25 for $10 coupon from Groupon, we thought we'd check it out. We had all heard good things about their brews, and the reviews seemed to say they had decent food and an interesting atmosphere. As we walked into the restaurant at around 8:00, we expected to have a bit of a wait, as it was a group of 6 people with one to be arriving soon. As soon as we got inside though we realized this wouldn't be a problem, as it was about half full at best and the bar only had a few individuals sitting around it (even though this is in a very busy and popular part of town). This isn't a negative thing, mind you, as I like a nice quiet pub, but it did strike me as odd. After a short wait to arrange seating for an oddly sized group, we were taken up stairs.
The hostess seated us at a row of mismatched tables that they had put together for our group in a brightly lit side dining room with 2 other groups, but with 6 or 7 open tables. The room was sparsely but tastefully and interestingly decorated, with an old large freight door and local art on one wall. It was very brightly lit, moreso than desired for an eating and drinking establishment, in my opinion. Absolutely no mood lighting whatsoever with the bright florescent lights in this section, which was very different from the rest of the restaurant.
After something of a wait our waiter finally came to our table, and we handed him our coupon, which he looked at curiously and then left with, and this is where things began to go down hill. He returned a few minutes later without the coupon, and not mentioning anything about it. At this point we began placing our beer orders. He did not seem to be very knowledgeable about the beer selections, other than to tell us that the rotating brewer's selection was no longer available. Very strange for a dedicated gastropub microbrewery to have staff that stayed as flustered and unknowledgeable as he.
After a long wait, he returned with our drinks and took some appetizer orders, which he confused greatly as he did not quite seem to understand what we were ordering. By this time our beers were running low and he did not take new drink orders either. By the time he returned with our appetizers (which were incorrect, I'll get to that in a second), we had all been without drinks for some time. He finally got our new drink orders this time, and gave an apology that their computers had gone down and were having to reboot, but left before any dinner orders could be given. It was at this point we realized that he had added on an extra appetizer that no one had ordered. After a few more minutes he had still not returned with our second round of drinks (we had been at the restaurant for close to 45 minutes by this point), and our late friend was almost at the restaurant.
We realized that they had not given us enough seats for our party at this time. Now, mind you, the waiter had been gone some time, and we had not seen any other staff around to inquire as to if it would be okay to move one of the many empty tables over to add on. So, we took it on ourselves to move a corner two-seat table onto the end of our collection to make room. Still plenty of space, and no one was disturbed. As we were moving it, a member of management walked by and asked brusquely what we thought we were doing. We explained that we hadn't seen any staff and were moving a table to make room for the seats we had originally requested. After we offered apologies and asked if it was okay, she said, and I quote, "You can move it, but generally it's not okay to move furniture unless its your own house." Since when did it become okay to make snide comments to paying customers who were doing no harm?
Shortly afterwards more wait staff came by, dropped off our previously ordered beers, and removed our menus, before the waiter had even taken our order. A few minutes more, the waiter finally came back to inquire as to our dinner choices, at which point we simply asked for our checks. He acted surprised, and walked off, returning a few minutes later with the bill. Missing from the bill was the $25 off. We waited for him to return and informed him of the mistake. He apologized, took the bill, and returned a few minutes later with another, smaller bill. Only problem is, he didn't actually take off $25 (it was about $12 off).
Highly frustrated with the service, we left enough cash to cover the amount listed, with a couple of dollars more. If he bothered to re-do it, he would have noticed that the amount we gave him was enough for the amount charged with the proper amount of the coupon taken off, plus an adequate tip (of about 18%). Now, I understand that computer failures can cause problems, but it was no excuse for this. Pass on Triumph and head to one of the much better brew-pubs in the city. | 0negative
| 926 |
This is one of the best value restaurants in Indianapolis. My husband and I are big eaters and we almost always get out of here for under $20 (without tip), which is super rare for us when we eat out.
But Lincoln Square is tops in so many categories.
It's a great middle range restaurant in this neighborhood, which the twin scourges of old urban decay and newer gentrification have populated with fast food restaurants and fancier gastrobistros, but not many options in between. Enter Lincoln Square Pancake House! It's been around for only about a year, but it feels like it's been there forever. It's a open, clean restaurant, with lots of natural light, and with ample room to move and lots of space for bigger parties. It's a very inviting atmosphere, even without the bells and whistles.
The menu is large and varied for a breakfast place, and I haven't had anything bad yet on the menu. Lincoln Square was founded by a Greek family (I think) and you can see that influence on the menu: gyros, greek salads, greek omelettes (only thing I can vouch for are the gyros, and they are DELICIOUS), but they also have more American breakfast fare like pancakes, omelettes, biscuits and gravy, your basic eggs & bacon breakfast, as well as lunch items like sandwiches and entree salads. They also have a touch of Tex-Mex on the menu, with some more south of the border type wraps and omelettes. So if you need choices, you can have them here. For most of the dishes too, you get like one or two sides, and you can substitute like a billion things for whatever sides there are. Ask your server what you can substitute for, like, your hash browns and like ten minutes will go by and you're like "Are you still going?" and yep, she's still going: oatmeal, cottage cheese, an apple, a banana, the soup of the day, a bowl of fruit, etc. etc. I don't even know the whole list.
I'm boring and usually I just get scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns and toast, which they do well but admittedly that's a hard order to screw up. My husband loves the Country Lady, which is like biscuits and gravy on top of a country fried steak. He also loves the coffee, and likes that LSPH has carries the flavored creamers: caramel macchiatto, hazelnut, chocolate, coconut (don't get too excited, it's not real cream but those little plastic thimbles that you see at most breakfast places-- but still, it's a nice touch to have different choices). We've been here 5 or 6 times with a lot of different people who've ordered different things, and everyone's been more than satisfied with what they've ordered, from the gyros to the pancakes.
The one thing I really want to rave about is the soup. They only ever have one soup of the day, so there's not many options there-- BUT IT IS ALWAYS AMAZING. ALWAYS. ALWAYS. I will get their creamy potato and bacon, or the broccoli cheese, or the chicken and rice, or the lemon chicken and rice, whatever, and it is always fantastic-- I'm not a big fan of creamy soups in general, but their creamy soups are just something special-- like the creaminess is just this light overtone, instead of this heavy oily mess-- it probably comes more from starch than cream, but LSPH, whatever you're doing, just keep on doing it and I'm going to keep coming back EATING ALL YOUR SOUP. NOM NOM.
Oh, and the service. How can I forget the service? This is probably the only place in Indy where all the hosts and servers look as if they find genuine pleasure in meeting and serving you. All of them. I'm not kidding. They're friendly without being intrusive, and you get your food so quickly you'd think you're at the Jimmy John's next door.
One other thing I would like to note is that on Mother's Day, we happened to be at Lincoln Square (without our mothers, sadly), and they had a photographer on site taking pictures of families and handing out refrigerator magnet picture frames to hold the pictures-- ALL FOR FREE. Yes, you had to go online later to print up the photos yourself, but seriously, what restaurant does that? Like, big chains don't think of nice touches like that.
I will admit that Lincoln Square Pancake House will not be the most exquisite breakfast you've ever had in Indy-- that award probably goes to Cafe Patachou or Hoaglin's To Go. But it's awfully close, and when the check for one person is often less than $10, even with coffee (again, I'm not including tip-- but you will want to include a tip for servers like the ones here), it's definitely the best value for a sit-down breakfast in Indianapolis. Let it be known- I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE HIGHLY ENOUGH. Five stars. The End. | 2positive
| 829 |
I have enjoyed Bar Louie on several occasions in other locations. My latest experience, however, was not a good one!
My friend and I stopped in on the evening of Saturday, August 10. We sat at the bar and ordered drinks from Jason the bartender. He made an excellent Pineapple Martini and Key Lime something.
The restaurant was not crazy busy but nearly full due to a couple of large parties. However, it is very obvious that they are understaffed. It took some time but Jason returned to ask for our food order. As my friend was giving her order, Jason walks away mid-sentence to stand ACROSS the bar at the POS terminal to enter the order while we had to raise our voices to continue speaking. I spoke up and said, "Jason, she is still ordering." To which he said, "I know, I am listening, I can hear from over here." WHAT? What if I can't hear from across the bar? Or don't want to yell? Or, I don't know, recognize how rude it is to walk away from someone while they are still speaking?
As we waited for our food, we continued to watch the people and parties around us and started to take note that Jason continuously ran his hands through his sweaty, long hair and made drinks (including putting those same hands in the fruit tray) all while not washing his hands during our entire visit. We were shocked that he not only didn't wear a sports band of some kind to keep it out of his face but that he didn't seem to recognize the unsanitary nature of this.
Our food finally arrived after over thirty minutes for simple orders and was simply room temperature. At this point we started looking around to see if there was a floor manager to alert to our concerns. There was no obvious choice. All employees were wearing black T-shirts and pants. A member of management couldn't be distinguished by dress.
By this time, we had been without drinks for some time as Jason was either too busy or too upset by my previous comment to stop by often. Another bartender (tall, African American, female) happened by and we ordered two new drinks from her. She was very busy in the well and wasn't able to make them right away. A few minutes later, Jason walks by and says that she told him our drink order and he would have them shortly. OOPPSS! We had purposely ordered from the female in hopes of avoiding sweating, hairy hands on our drinks and directly on our fruit. As we contemplated how to handle this situation, I watched him make our drinks incorrectly. The menu stated the Pineapple Sangria has Prosecco but Jason poured in Pinot Grigio. I asked, "Is that the Pineapple Sangria?" He said, "Yes." I asked, "Shouldn't that have Prosecco, rather than Pinot Grigio?" He rolled his eyes and tossed the drinks into the sink. My friend and I said, "We don't need another." A few minutes later, the female bartender brought the correct drinks. Jason then stated, "Oh, I guess she can get it then."
About this time, Eric walked by the bar near us to retrieve a bottle beer and asked if everything was ok. I asked if he was a manager, because it wasn't obvious by his dress or the task he was completing. He said, "Yes." I then was honest about our concerns with Jason's unsanitary performance and the lackluster food. He apologized and stated that he would address my concerns and remove the food and first round of drinks from our bill. He then proceeded to have a low volume conversation with Jason standing at the POS system right across the bar from us. I am not sure about Bar Louie's management philosophy but relaying a customer's concerns WHILE THEY ARE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU should probably not be a common practice. As expected Jason avoided us the remainder of our visit.
We had enough by this point and asked for our checks. For some reason, this became an ordeal. No one could figure out how to fix an error that occurred when comping the food and drink. After some time we were told that they couldn't figure it out so they would give us 50% off. I looked at the bill and stated that it was not acceptable because it is not what we were told would be charged to us. Jason displayed his annoyance and went back to a female at a POS system for assistance. Finally, he returned and slammed two checks of varying amounts on the bar for my friend and me, which were not the price of the one drink we were told we would be responsible for. At this point, we just paid the bills and left. We did not tip Jason because we felt we did not get appropriate service. We did, however, give a cash tip to the female bartender that made our excellent Pineapple Sangrias.
There is a sign on the outside of the building stating that they are now hiring. It is my hope that, by sharing my experience, leadership will recognize the importance of hiring, training, and managing appropriately so that we will continue to have a great place to visit in One Bellevue Place. I will, of course, visit again in the hopes that this experience is not typical. | 0negative
| 908 |
***St. Elmo Steakhouse is an old school steakhouse that features a very high quality dry-aged Prime special steak and very memorable as well as sinus clearing shrimp cocktail; it is also an Indianapolis institution***
St. Elmo Steakhouse is a real Indianapolis institution. This steakhouse has been in business for over 100 years and is primarily known for two things--their sinus clearing, horseradish laden shrimp cocktail and steaks. Though it is known for its steaks, St. Elmo is a little different than high-end steakhouses like Mastro's, Morton's and Fleming's. Steaks are not served a la carte here; they actually come with a side as well as a small bowl of navy bean soup or tomato juice. Their menu is much smaller too. While there are a fair number of sides, there are not that many starters.
St. Elmo does not boast the quality of its beef on their menu either. I think that is because their steaks are not Prime. They are definitely not dry-aged, but they do feature one nightly dry-aged special and it was a good one. It was an 18-ounce bone-in Prime Kansas City Strip. The steak had a great char. It was a very good crust that was nicely seasoned but not salty. The flavor of the steak was good and strong and it was tender.
In terms of the steak temperature, I ordered medium rare. While my server did say they undercook steaks here, I went ahead with medium rare. The steak was a true rare because only the edges of the steak had any cook on it. The rest of the steak was cool and a deep red.
I do not mind a rare steak, but I prefer a warmer center as well as a little more cooking to release the steak's juiciness. Most of the steak was like an unseasoned beef tartare so you get a texture similar to the center of seared ahi and not the red and warm center where the juices really flow. Kansas City Strip is a lean cut though so maybe a little more cooking would have dried the steak out or made it tough (the steak was more tender than a lot of great Kansas City/New York Strips I have had).
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/st-elmo-steak-house-indianapolis?select=3F481lCjhWYIlE6rwnHqMw#obbNQhR-A_iWXHJw1DYnXg
I opted for the loaded baked potato as a side and it was standard stuff, but the potato was cooked well and it had a good salt crust. The navy bean soup was decent (I do not see this dish in many restaurants) and it was helped by the leftover horseradish-rich cocktail sauce from the shrimp cocktail.
The shrimp cocktail was truly distinct. The shrimp were good--big and plump--while the cocktail sauce was intense. I had to eat the shrimp in small bites because the horseradish was so prominent. The sauce had a really memorable flavor and it was a unique experience.
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/st-elmo-steak-house-indianapolis?select=3F481lCjhWYIlE6rwnHqMw#pjnMiGnx_nJHGsuzcceVgQ
Their dessert menu was not that exciting; I ended up opting for the Woodford Reserve chocolate bread pudding, which featured big chunks of halfway melted dark chocolate and strong cinnamon notes. The bread pudding had a little bit of crispness and it was also moist without being soggy (I would have liked a little more moisture though).
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/st-elmo-steak-house-indianapolis?select=3F481lCjhWYIlE6rwnHqMw#kyNwF1ekU6t9jQ_Fp_uDMQ
The caramel bourbon sauce was good, but it could have used a little more burn to it. The vanilla ice cream was creamy with only slight iciness; it could have been a tad more dense though.
Service by Steve was very good. He had a good friendly vibe and was very knowledgeable about the menu (he was knowledgeable about Indianapolis as well).
Prices were good too. The shrimp cocktail seemed expensive on the menu, but each shrimp was very big. Their steaks are reasonably priced considering portion sizes and the fact that they come with a soup and a side. Even my dry-aged Prime steak was less expensive than what I would expect to pay at a high-end steakhouse and there was no drop-off in quality (even though I would have preferred a little more cook on the steak, the quality of the beef was similar and maybe even slightly better than the same cut at Mastro's).
The atmosphere at St. Elmo is pretty old school, which is probably expected given its history. I did like the bar area though. With its classic as well as long and narrow look, it reminded me of old school San Francisco.
St. Elmo in many ways was a lot like other high-end steakhouses, but with its old school look, friendly service and unique touches like its fiery shrimp cocktail, St. Elmo does stand apart from its steakhouse competition. I cannot speak for the quality of the regular steaks on their menu, but their dry-aged steak was very good and if they can cook the meat to your temperature preference, you might be in for a satisfying and memorable experience.
I am not sure what the parking situation is around here. | 2positive
| 822 |
Read this review in its entirety before you fly across town (or across county) to eat here; I highly suggest you PHONE FIRST to assure your desired menu items are available.
This is a rather new eatery w/ the typical kinks; hiccups; & warts. It is @ the start of its learning curve, so I have taken that into consideration-- I have rated it solely on the quality & taste of the food, as well as the friendliness of the service. In these areas alone, it EARNED 5 stars.
This small soul food eatery is OPEN Wed & Thurs from 11 AM till 8 PM; Fri & Sat 11 AM till 9 PM, & 1 PM till 8 PM on Sun. It is a family-owned business, & rumor has it one member of the family is a veteran. I'm curious to learn if the bright purple & gold interior & exterior colors are related to the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. The dining room hosts four two-person tables & three counter stools. Due to its small size, this is mainly a "buy & go" business. But should you decide to remain (& you are able to secure a table), there are three wall TVs, as well as soul music playing throughout.
The menu is unfortunately & unnecessarily complex; it's a hot mess:) For some reason, the owner chose to make restaurant life much more difficult for everyone. There's a different menu by day; by time of day; & by food genre. I pray he (or they) decide quickly to consolidate the menu to meet customer expectations. All the menu alterations & omissions can easily lead to customer disappointment (& fewer positive restaurant reviews).
Today for instance, the Cornbread & Collards on the Sunday menu were not in supply. The green beans I've heard are so good are not ever offered on Sundays, as is the case w/ the Lobster Alfredo that called by name in a previous customer's photo. Additionally, the popular Pound Cake & Peach Cobbler offered daily were unavailable, yet other desserts (such as Strawberry & Pineapple Cake) not listed anywhere on the menu were actually available.
I unfortunately arrived @ an inopportune time-- shortly after this eatery opened today. Apparently, the small kitchen staff was working on fulfilling a catering order to feed hundreds of diners, & it was Day 1 for the lone cashier @ the single register. However, the male staff members who spoke w/ me during my visit were ALL friendly, as was the sweet, quite adorable young cashier w/ the huge smile. (Thanks to her, I ordered the delicious candied yams.) I received two apologies for my extended wait.
I drove here from Pasco County for the Oxtail, one of my all time favorite entrees. My Sunday-only Oxtail w/ two sides @ $20.39 was EXCELLENT! The meat was flavorful & tender. And the board beans (aka Fava or Faba beans) had a delicate earthy taste while they & the Oxtail sat on a moist bed of yellow rice. The accompany cabbage was very good, & the cashier was spot on-- such G0000D yams. Unable to try the dessert of my choice, I opted for a slice of Pineapple Cake; it was very moist & very flavorful @ $4.89-- see pic. (The price was a tad steep for its small size, but it was worthy; Kudos to its baker.)
Should you be interested in the following menu items, first check to see which day they are offfered & if they are actually available: Wings (8 varieties); Smothered Pork Chop; Roasted Chicken; Chicken & Waffle; Alfredo (Catfish; Lobster; & Salmon); Fried Shrimp; Fried Chicken Dinner; Slab of Ribs; & the delicious Oxtail.
Sides include Fries; Cabbage; Collards; Candied Yams; Baked Beans (w/ pork); Baked Mac N Cheese; Yellow Rice; Buttermilk Cornbread slice; & Potato Salad. (Like the entrees, these sides are available on different days.)
Each SATURDAY, stop in for "Seafood Saturday" @ market price -- 1/2 lb of Snow Crabs; 1/2 lb of Shrimp; & Lobster Tail. You won't be able to order all the other entrees listed on the menu.
This soul food restaurant is located an easy drive from I-75 in an old strip mall in town. I plan to return in the near future to try the Honey Garlic Wings; Slab of Ribs; Roasted Chicken; Lobster Alfredo; & to enjoy a repeat of the Oxtail. And hopefully, I'll be able to try the sides & desserts that were unavailable today. (If only I could get the owner(s) to add Sweet Potato Pie to the Desserts section:)
Very good food. Quite standard prices. Friendly staff. Definitely a new business that is a very nice addition to the area. I just hope the menu gets simplified before it turns away potential repeat customers. | 2positive
| 799 |
When I first attempted to find Fette Sau I walked right past the fairly unassuming entrance; basically an open gate directly adjacent to the South side of Frankford Hall. But as you enter below a small, pink neon sign, you see racks of kegs and firewood to the left, a charming bricked outdoor area with picnic tables, an old-fashioned painted beer ad on the right, and straight ahead, a country shack complete with tin roof straight out of Appalachia. The inside is beautiful; dark woods, exposed bricks and beams and yes, even a cast-iron stove! Is this the Disney World of barbecue joints? Yes. But it works.
With a little googling I discovered that Fette Sau means fat sow (female pig) in German. (Fetten is also a German word that means "to grease"!) Also, the restaurant is almost identically copied from a restaurant of the same name in Brooklyn (Barcade-style) owned by restauranteur Joe Carroll, who partnered with Stephen Starr to bring Fette Sau to Philly. Evidently Starr wanted to do barbecue in Philly but didn't think this concept could be topped.
When you enter, the meat counter (complete with pig head) with side dishes is on the left and the bar is on the right. It's all counter service, no table service.
Meats generally come priced per pound, but you can get 1/4 pound, 1/2 pound, etc. It was $4 per sausage link, $10 for a half chicken and $16-$23 per pound for brisket, pulled pork, ribs, etc. Sides (potato salad, beans, mushrooms, etc.) are $3-$4.50 small, double it for a bigger portion. Some people complained about the prices here, but my friend and I shared a pound of meat and 2 small sides. It came to around $22 and was filling enough for both of us. As long as you don't pack on tons of sides, prices are not unreasonable.
Brisket and pulled pork were tender and delicious. They use a dry rub, no sauce. The website recommends you eat it as is, without sauce, but I do prefer sauce on my barbecue. They have 3 sauces on your table: sweet, spicy and vinegar. One reason for not going 5 stars is I wasn't a fan of the sauces. The sweet is good, but standard. The spicy and vinegar are not very good. Honestly Percy Street on South Street has better sauces. The potato salad had mustard in it and was delicious.
The bar is extremely charming complete with tap handles made from meat cleavers, forks, etc. They had a small but good draft list (e.g. Founders porter). You can order beer in almost any size: 1/2 pint, pint, quart, gallon, etc. They all come in mason jars or jugs. Beers were priced $6-$7 for a pint size. Some were overpriced.
Otherwise, it appears they only do whiskey. They really do have some amazing whiskeys available here. For a flight you can pick from 12 groupings priced $13 all the way up to $34. In each group they present you with 3 whiskeys, a fairly small amount of each in a tasting snifter. We tried a flight of single barrel bourbons, $22 for 3 small snifters, all delicious. They give you an eye dropper to put some water in for your tasting.
The presentation of the whiskeys was great, but otherwise bar service was questionable, another reason for not 5 stars. The bar was not crowded, yet it took awhile to get a beer. The bartender then gave my change to the gentleman to my right. Later the bartender forgot to charge us for the flight of whiskey. Prior to leaving my moral side overcame me and she was thankful when I asked her if she wanted me to pay.
Otherwise, service was pleasant. The folks at the meat counter were helpful in helping us decide on an appropriate amount of food. And, despite not having table service, someone did come by multiple times to ask us how things were.
Did I mention they even had an appropriate blues soundtrack playing throughout the evening? Bourbon, brisket + blues = impressive.
Stephen Starr wins again. Artfully executed as always. A very pleasing experience, especially in decor. Food is not unreasonably priced if you order a reasonable amount of food. Some of the beers are a bit expensive and the whiskey is quite expensive, but it's world class bourbon so that's how things go. Not a place I would go regularly, but I'll definitely be back sometime to share some ribs and whiskey with friends. A perfect combination, by the way. | 2positive
| 761 |
I was impressed at Aspall being carried yet saddened that 1911 was the New York cider you choose to represent the state. So here it is, the market perspective. 1911 is the upcoming replacement of Woodchuck as Woodchuck is disfavored by those into the artisanal sphere since it's own by C&C Group. There really isn't anything wrong with C&C Group or woodchuck however the idea with artisanal is independently owned thus differences and imperfections are embraced. Woodchuck is what you would hope to find at Acme's alcohol carry out, however it is not what you'd hope to find at Isaac Newtons. Fair points in that 1911 is carried but go beyond the raspberry and pick up the other flavors, primarily the original apple flavor. Yet do not allow 1911 to be the sole representer of NY ciders. Here I recommend you pick up Black Duck or Aaron Burr. Further locally you should reach out to Millstone in Maryland (hands down the best Spanish made American cider..in..America), just outside of Baltimore. You should also reach out to a true independent Vermont cidery to represent the state outside of that of Woodchuck; I suggest Flag Hill, but eh.. they are too good for Newtons or anyone else...because that's how good they are. Perhaps try Farnum of Poverty Lanes in New Hampshire.. close enough to VT.
I still refuse to click on the website until that is fixed up. That said, could we please cut the salt down? Do you all need me to come in and train you hands on how to properly season dishes? I will, just tell me, and I will train the cooks how to season food. Everything is too salty. Here's a tip, add half the salt midway before the end so flavors pour out, then add the finishing salt however first taste test. If you are using seasonings always assume that the salt is there, taste test at the end, if need salt add then if needed; never at salt before hand.. pre-made seasonings + salt will make sadness. Never add more than a quarter of a teaspoon as beyond this the costumer can choose their ideal level. Note to the supervisor, do not say you are working on this..it's a easy fix.. make sure the cooks and top cooks especially know what they are doing regarding seasoning. Don't just take their word on it either. I would say never use more than a quarter of a teaspoon for something the size of your entire burger plate (with fries included).
For carry out, add a paper towel under burgers, cubans to suck in the grease/moisture to prevent dishes from getting too soggy. Also wrap said sandwiches in foil by half so to separate from the moisture yet allowing to breathe.
Menu recommendations, buy Fergus Henderson's cookbook. Take his bloodcake recipe..master it and add it to the menu. Use pork blood. Do not use cows blood, cow's blood is too metallic in flavor. Pork blood too difficult to get, then perhaps the veal/beef bone roasted with parsley salad. Also, add some foie gras to the menu. The ideal would be to carry délice de foie de lotte et canard but eh.. that's never going to happen. So yea, add some foie, roasted bone marrow, bloodcake and perhaps take a look at Keen's menu in NYC. Adding a giant mutton steak to the menu would be excellent as well. Welp..yea..I got carried a way. Mainly focus on the ciders and the salt. I do have one last recommendation/idea for you'll;
This is gonna be a crazy one. Are you ready? Open up a store in the township line, similar to Southampton Beer Store. A take out store, sure.. you have to legally serve food... serve some side stuff and what not whatever. But the main focus would be the beer take out. Out-do Acme, and the coming McCaffrey's take out. Be the top notch take out area in Newtown. Carry high end ciders, high end beers, etc. It's a second location, to bring in additional revenue. "Newton's Newtown Beer Take Out". Idk... you can figure out the title and the location. Just .. yea.. it's there for your grabbing, you have the name recognition. Let's do this. Beer take out. Newtown township.. that puts Acme to shame. ... and that also carries Black Duck Cider and oh oh oh Rothaus. Don't forget Rothaus. Any other German beer is a joke and I can get it in five other places but I'm tired of driving out of town to do so. Pick up Rothaus.
Yep. That covers it for this review. | 1neutral
| 771 |
Items Selected:
Genie's Wish - St. Petersburg Distillery Royal Mead, Cocchi Torino Vanilla Bean Cream, Egg White, Chai Lavender Syrup
Market Chop Chop - Shaved Crudite, Toasted Walnuts, Lemon Poppyseed Vinaigrette
Michael's Mothers Falafel - Chickpea Hummus, Tahini, Oven Dried Tomatoes
White Asparagus Soup - Lobster, Grilled Asparagus, Chive
Two Dock Clams - LOCALE Italian Sausage, Grilled Garlic Sourdough
Shrimp Scampi Toast - Romesco, Saffron Aioli, Fennel Salad
60-day LOCALE Dry-Aged Niman Ranch Tomahawk Ribeye - Sea Salt, Bodelaise
Warm Wilted Kale - Candied Pecan, Dried Fruit
Tempura Maitake Mushrooms - Spring Garlic Aioli
Lardo Crushed Jones Farm Potatoes
(Not So) Sleeping Beauty - LOCALE Cold Brew Coffee, Carpano Antica Vanilla Bean Cream, Egg White
Pistachio Cake - Vanilla Meringue, Plant City Strawberries
S'mores Tart - Graham Crumble, Cocoa Nibs, Brulee Marshmallow
Located steps from several of the restaurants recently referenced in a scathing article about Tampa Bay's *fake* Farm-to-Table movement, LOCALE Market from Chefs Michael Mina and Don Pintabona was selected for dinner largely based on the concept of locally sourced cuisine served in the setting of an upscale shopping environment, the second floor Farm Table Kitchen presenting an experience not unlike that offered in at New York City's Eataly but with an even higher degree of refinement.
Generally a fan of Mina, only one bad experience out of dozens from coast-to-coast, LOCALE Market sees the Chef once again exploring new avenues with a full service space featuring aged meats and upscale ingredients alongside made-to-order as well as grab n' go options, the staff as friendly as they are competent and ready to greet patrons of all kinds without ever feeling elitist at all.
Unfortunately visiting on a day when the ten-person "Chef's Table" is not available, a tasting menu instead arranged by MINA GROUP Vice President Gary LaMorte, it was just prior to seven o'clock that the party was checked in, and swiftly led to a sizable four-top in the restaurant's back corner it was not long before the evening got started, the meal in good hands with greetings by the server, GM and newly appointed Chef.
Dining adjacent one of the restaurant's kitchen crew, they celebrating Mother's Day while most other tables were duos sipping cocktails while indulging in charcuterie and cheese, it was with local beers and non-spirit-based beverages that the meal was complimented and although Florida Liquor Laws have not yet granted LOCALE full-license there is little doubt the bartenders have made the most of an opportunity as both the local Mead-based Genie's Wish and "(Not So) Sleeping Beauty" were each the very picture of elegance, the former's sweetness reined in by herbs while the later was appropriately described as Espresso-spiked Yoohoo by the waitstaff.
Moving at a good pace, the tasting menu presented in five courses plus a pair of additions, round one showed LOCALE's commitment to local farmers by way of thinly shaved vegetables atop greens, walnuts and housemade dressing while the requested addition of "Michael's Mothers Falafel" served up tender green croquettes that paired beautifully with dehydrated tomatoes and a pair of Mediterranean spreads.
Truly exploring Spring with course two, the smooth white soup poured tableside more like gazpacho in texture than anything cream-based, suffice it to say that anytime someone from Michael Mina's group is working with lobster the results are likely to be noteworthy, the same to be said of most forms of sea-life or shellfish and further exemplified in course three's duo of garlicky clams "from under the Sunshine Skyway" and customer-favorite Shrimp Scampi Toast.
Working with Niman Ranch for their grass fed steaks, the market downstairs offering both wet and dry-aged cuts at a range of prices to cook at home, it was instead in the Chef Alex that the fate of a 60-day Tomahawk was entrusted, the flavors robust with only a hint of flame having kissed the exterior while the sauces were each well conceived so as not to overwhelm the protein, the Tempura Mushrooms and Salty Potatoes each amongst the best Steakhouse sides recently tasted while much of colorful Kale Salad unfortunately went to waste.
Not particularly enthralled by grapefruit, though nearby tables seemed enthralled by a Panna Cotta's bracing taste, it was instead in a different duo of sweets that the evening at LOCALE Market Farm Table Kitchen ended, the S'mores Tart nearly liquid at its core with all the signature flavors while the Pistachio Cake ate much like a cream-layered French Financier with a nod to Childhood memories of stopping at Plant City en route from Ohio to the beach. | 2positive
| 757 |
I am Sorry to be the one to give this place only 1 star - when must give it 4 or 5 , but today's experience not only had many negatives but the way the manager Colleen handled what was the worst of it is what left a bad enough taste in my Mouth ( pun intended ) that not only did I feel I needed to write this but also give it that low mark .
I've been a patron of this place for years - way before they moved to the amazing location they're in and all in all and location aside the food hasn't ever been as good since "the old days "- but it's usually still retry good and the location makes up for that . ( though why they took off some of the best items on the menu is beyond me ).
But - here's a few of the things I experienced today that really turned me off big time .
1- the pool was dirty - there were empty plastic cups ; orange rinds and yes, even SPIT floating in it . In fact there was garbage all around the pool area and not one employee checking or cleaning it .
2- I ordered a Mojito from the outside bar and it literally had NO taste - I mean ,at best , it tasted like slightly sour water . I told the bartender who replied "well , I don't know why you would say that - I worked hard at muddling the mint and I even put in two shots of Bacardi ". Well , I barely ever drink ""hard liquor" so I'm pretty certain I could tell if there was a lot of alcohol in it - besides I wasn't even referring to the alcohol content - the entire drink was tasteless and that's not what you find with a Mojoito . So there we were - she didn't offer to try to fix or replace it- she just stared at me . There was another customer there and we were all just standing there not saying a word and I felt very uncomfortable because the other woman was waiting to place her drink order so - I finally said " well maybe you can add some more lime Juice ? " .She silently did - and then it just tasted like a little bit
MORE sour water . There was no offer to make it right so for once I silently left and drank the darn awful drink .
3- I met my friends up on the patio for dinner . We all
Ordered different food and I got one of my faves - A grouper Rueben . It was a huge entree I could only eat half but then shortly afterwards I started feeling really queasy . It got pretty bad fairly quickly - so much so - that I told my friends I had to leave rather than hang out and listen to the music . I was bummed and I felt like crap. My 30 min drive home felt endless but I managed to get in the house before I started vomiting and was and still am feeling lousy ( it's about 5 hours now ).
4- Having been in the restaurant business - in pretty much every capacity including management and as a trained chef - I just called and spoke to the manager Colleen . I told her everything I just wrote above and though she "sounded " sympathetic - her response was - "well - when you come back I'll buy you another Mojito "! Ok - we'll first of all - I am NEVER having another Mojito there - free or not . But secondly - it's interesting to me that she offers to but me a drink but says nothing about accommodating the $18
Grouper sandwich I paid for and have thrown up and now am throwing out the rest of it . To me - that's just not how it's done . The free drink was a gesture- I get it - but the grouper was the issue that I feel
Made me this sick - the Drink was a totally separate issue she needs to address with the bartender . With all that's going on and the fact that lis net is tight and that their restaurant is where I choose to spend what little money and gave to go out with my friends from out of town with - I really think she could have stepped it up . I don't think I should have had to ask for my meal to be comped -it was simply the right thing to do and something I always did without hesitation as a manager - it's called GOOD BUSINESS . I guess even during this time when so many restaurants are struggling - this place doesn't seem to feel the need to exercise good customer service - that's sad to me .
I was hoping to go there in two weeks for my birthday but it looks like I'll be looking on Yelp for other suggestions and will take a pass on that free Mojito ! | 0negative
| 874 |
I had heard mixed reviews of this farmer's market and admittedly, when I first heard of it, it was about 2~3 years ago and I had vowed to one day go there. As my interest in cooking my own meals fluctuated with the months during my college years, I finally opted to check the place out. But I never did. WHY?! WHY DID I NOT GO?
Fast forward to today. I am leaving the Yelp gathering in Clayton when I suddenly recall as I am driving back toward I-170S ramp that I had seen white tents being set up and remember seeing a sign about Clayton farmer's market which opened at 8:30am. After a brief stop there, I was feeling a little unfulfilled. That's when I decided to plug into my GPS thing the Soulard Farmer's Market address. I crossed my fingers, and then proceeded toward highway 44E. When I finally got off the ramp at 7th street, I was little nervous. Saturday almost-afternoon at Soulard Farmer's market? Parking is going to be a f**king NIGHTMARE!
Ugggh.
So I made a snap decision to make a right on Lafayette and I am SO glad I did. Literally 3 cars were leaving their metered spots at once. I waited patiently with my signal on until I scored the spot. AND the meter even had over 1.45 hours on it! Holy crap. The Powers That Be hath smiled upon me today!
Walked over to the market with my reusable grocery tote in hand and determination. Realized how effing big the place was. Started to freak out a little because the high today was supposed to go up to 99 degrees and all they had was a fan going. Luckily it was still morning-ish and not too hot.
Saw Cherie O's review about $5 bouquets of roses so I immediately made a beeline for the florist. I thought maybe there might be more than one florist here...so maybe I shouldn't buy anything right away if I see it. Went inside florist and realized the bouquets were actually $8 or $9 which still isn't bad but I don't think it was a dozen roses either. EDIT: they are sold by "Pat" near the petshop.
I didn't really *need* roses but they smell and look nice and when you're done you can use them for other things like dropping them in a warm bucket of water for a foot soak (the natural oils in the petals will soothe your feet!)
Decided it was time to check out the produce. Noticed an amazing-looking spice shop but it was PACKED wall to wall with people. Jesus Christ. I decided to avoid.
Headed down first aisle, and realized this place reminds me of the Daytona Beach Flea Market (not a compliment, BTW.) Saw a HUGE looking carrot for only about 50 cents at one stand, so I bought it along with a HUGE squash. This stuff can't be naturally grown...can it? Only genetic altering can yield such a massive vegetable! Also I suspected a lot was not grown here as some things were clearly marked with labels stating "grown in California!"
Kept walking down the aisle and found a booth with fresh cherries. 1lb for $3. The cherries ended up not tasting as sweet as I'd hoped but still not too bad of a deal.
Also found some peaches that looked really gorgeous at another for $1.50. Wow! A buck fitty for about 6 delicious looking peaches? Count me in.
I kept on moving until I got to a place selling seafood. Looked uber sketchy and the shrimp smelled rancid every time the guy opened the cooler but I noticed a frozen lobster tail for $7.99 and it looked sizable. So I opted for that. I cooked it tonight and ate it with fresh drawn butter and lemon juice. Soooo tasty and very very easy to prepare. But the amount of meat was still really too small to make a meal of it. Damn lobster being so expensive. But it was okay. I wouldn't have touched the other fish that guy was selling. If it was frozen, maybe.
There was also a pet shop with cute looking animals but it looked really grungy and the smell was about enough to send me into a sneezing oblivion. Somehow I feel like this would be a place to incite anger in uber-crazy-animal-loving-people. You know the kind who work at shelters who so much as snap at you if you look at a dog or cat with the evil eye. LOL yeah. You know what I'm trying to say here.
Moving along, I wanted to buy an avocado but no one seemed to be selling. I asked a random stand just to see if they had any, and he paused for a moment and said, "well, yeah....we have some...in crates in the truck...let me get a couple for you." I told him I only needed to buy one, but he returned with two avocados and gave them to me for free. FOR FREE. Cheap as free! But I didn't notice until I got home that they were rotten. EW. WTF?! Why would he even do that? I guess maybe he thought they still might be salvageable?
Anyway I think I would return to get cheap produce but that's about it. Nothing else seemed to be screaming "bargain" unless maybe the prices are reduced everywhere on Sunday. I didn't even go down the aisles with clothing.
Also does anyone find it disturbingly hilarious that the meat/butcher shop has a sign saying "LOOK FOR PET SHOP IN AISLE X" ?! I mean, really..WTF | 2positive
| 940 |
Headline: GOOD, NOT GREAT - DECENT VALUE
OVERALL IMPRESSION
Nice atmosphere, pretty good service, and good food (but not as good as expected), and some significant red flags in food preparation.
I had high hopes after discovering that this is John Besh's restaurant and reading the reviews on Yelp. The food was good, but not quite up-to-par with what I expected after reading the reviews. Considering that it is in New Orleans on Super Bowl weekend, the overall value was decent.
COCKTAILS
After a long weekend of indulging in local beer, we tried their Old Fashioned. It was well executed and smooth. I'm a big bourbon fan, and I appreciate the balance in this cocktail.
APPETIZERS
I had the Rillette of Local Pork with savory marmalades and grilled country bread. This was a rather large portion that may be better for sharing. It's like a pork paté in a short, wide jar. The pork was flavorful and served as a good base for the accompaniments, however if you don't like paté, you probably won't like this dish. The savory marmalades were not quite what I thought they would be. There were four items: 1) grainy mustard (which I loved), 2) a sort of pepper relish that was a a little sweet and savory (a good complement to the pork), 3) a kind of pickled diced peach (a bit too crunchy and sour for my liking), and 4) some brined/lightly pickled half slices of pickling cucumbers (I didn't care for this even though I love pickles). The grilled bread had a nice crunch without being too crispy or dry. I think this appetizer would go well with a malty, lightly hopped beer-perhaps the local Abita Amber.
My friend had the Seafood Gumbo and enjoyed it quite a bit. He commented that there were nice chunks of seafood and sausage (presumably andouille).
ENTREES
I had the Jumbo Louisiana Shrimp "en cocotte" (aka Shrimp & Grits). Our waiter said that this was the dish that they are known for and I'm a sucker for shrimp & grits, so I had to have it. Also, other Yelp reviewers had hyped this dish quite a bit. Although it was very good, I don't think it's the best I've ever had as some other reviewers have stated. The shrimp were large, plump and well cooked - perhaps ever so slightly overcooked. This may be due to the shrimp sitting in the hot grits and continuing to cook a bit. The grits were excellent, but I thought they could be a touch smoother. These comments may be nitpicks, but they were what made the difference in me really enjoying it vs. swooning over it. Overall this dish was very satisfying. The flavors were layered well and the savory, creamy combination worked well.
My friend had the Poulet Grand-Mere. From the pictures on Yelp, this looked like a great, homey, comfort-food dish. Perfect after a long, cool, rainy day. It's a half herb roasted local chicken served with bacon, veggies, and whipped potatoes. Everything looked delicious and the crispy roasted chicken skin looked great. However the problem was with the chicken. It seems like they may have pre-roasted the chicken and reheated it for service! When my friend pulled the drumstick off, he noticed that the meat inside close to the bone was actually cool to the touch. When he pointed that out to our server, the dish was whisked back to the kitchen and a new dish was prepared. The young lady who later returned with a fresh serving apologized nicely and expressed that this is not their standard. However, the second time around was no better than the first! THE CHICKEN WAS COOL INSIDE AGAIN! I could not believe it and my friend decided to go ahead and eat it anyway since it was getting late, he was hungry, and I was already halfway through my dinner. After alerting our server of the second mishap, they rightfully took this dish off our bill and did not charge us for dessert. This was an appropriate response on their part, however it was not sufficient to give me faith that the execution of this dish will be better in the future. I was shocked that a John Besh restaurant would have such an issue.
DESSERT
I had the Apple Gallette with ice cream. The apples were tasty, well-cooked, and well-seasoned. The ice cream (pecan, I think?) was very good and paired well with the Gallette. The pastry itself was a bit disappointing. Parts of it were the flaky pastry it ought to be, but the outer parts were chewy and tough. Overall it did not taste that fresh and I suspect that some corners were cut with this dish. I would not order this again or recommend it to anyone else.
My friend had the bread pudding and enjoyed it. It came smothered with sauce and ice cream, so I don't think I would have enjoyed it (I'm a bit of a bread pudding purist).
SUMMARY
Don't order the chicken! The cocktails we tried were great and the service was pretty good, but a little more formal than I expected for a bistro. The portions are generous. Good, not great, food. I'd go back, but have to deduct a star for the chicken. | 1neutral
| 885 |
"Oh gee! ANOTHER five star review for Amada!?", you groan as you start reading this. "Is it really THAT good? I mean, it's just tapas!", you wonder aloud.
"Yes and yes!", I reply.
We showed up at 8 PM on a Saturday without a reservation and were told there would be a 30-45 minute wait; we were seated within 15 minutes at the counter in the Tapas lounge. (Swanky!) It was perfect because there was just 3 of us, and since we were at the end of the counter, I could sit and face the other two people in my party without having to worry about getting my hair in someone's ceviche.
We started with the Tinto sangria - amazing! The cinnamon really gives it a nice flavor. And we got 3 full glasses each, which was certainly better than a 'by the glass' option. (My friend's husband ordered a glass of red wine, which despite a fresh bottle just being uncorked, had bits of cork floating in his glass. But the bartender was quick to refresh it.) Then we all ordered 3-4 plates each and it became "Night of 1000 Bites!"
First up: The tuna starter with crackers. (This ain't yo' mama's tuna snack!)
Second: Patatas Braves (spicy potatoes) & Croquetas de Jamon (Ham croquettes) - The potatoes were amazing; the sauce on top was flavorful and a perfect compliment. The croquettes were so-so; their sauce was a little lacking and not so complimentary.
Third: Cana de Cabra: The cheese was so sweet and delicious. The Fig and Cherry marmalade was sweet but not overpowering. I still can't believe we left almost half of the cheese wheel left because it was so good, but they did give us a lot. We split the first half generously between the 3 of us & there was still some to spare.
Fourth: PULPO!!! My friend found it a bit salty for her taste but I thought it was fantastic, with little sliced potatoes mixed in.
Fifth: Bacon wrapped dates: Yeah, they're covered in bacon - I don't think I need to tell you more. Anything + Bacon = The best ever.
Next: Spanish Tortilla - the buttery spread kind of overwhelms the flavor, so try it without first. Then decide if you want to bog all that down (you won't, trust me)
Followed by: Duck Confit Flatbread - I would make this every day at home if I could. It was seriously one of the most amazing things I've ever tasted. So many delicious flavors! Who knew flatbread could be so upscale?
Even more: Braised Pork Shoulder - it was like a little mini sandwich! Very delicious and flavorful! (I'm sure it made up for my friend's husband's side trip to Pat's for a cheesesteak earlier that afternoon)
I saved everything that I personally ordered for last since my tastebuds had a higher stake in these items:
-Baked goat cheese: GET THIS! Eat it all! Don't share with your friends! Seriously! My friend's husband said he had "OD'ed" on goat cheese in his youth so he couldn't have any of it, which was fine by me! The tomato basil sauce was so creamy and delicious and the cheese is sweet and warm and gooey - the combination of both of those things is pure perfection.
-Calamari: Squid is a love/hate thing; either you love it or you hate it. It's also a can get it perfect or really mess it up thing. This kind of wavered in between. It was served lightly tossed in garlic oil. I didn't squeeze the lemon on it at first, but after I did, it made a difference. Could also probably have used a little salt and was just a TINY bit overcooked, but not bad.
-Asparagus: MULTIPLE MOUTHGASMS! Asparagus! Truffle! Poached Egg! Cheesy crisp thing! They saved the best for last! I even went back and dipped the remaining Calamari in the truffle/egg yolk mixture - now THAT definitely improved it!
Overall: The food was phenomenal. The ambiance was great. (The tapas lounge seemed a lot less stuffy than the front of house; darker, wooden walls, more intimate) You definitely get a lot of food for your money as opposed to some OTHER tapas places in this town (side eye to a certain NoLibs staple) And it's a Garces restaurant, so really, that speaks for itself since you know what you're getting before you even walk through the front door. (unlike some places in this town monopolized by a certain restaurateur who leaves you feeling empty in your stomach, your wallet, and your sense of self respect when you're treated like throwaways by the too-cool hipster waitstaff instead of actual customers.)
I can't wait to come back and try the rest of the menu and hopefully even the chef's tasting sometime because I'd love to see what else the Iron Chef has up his sleeve! | 2positive
| 819 |
So, my now husband and I have been here multiple times to eat dinner with family downstairs and had no issues. The food and service was great every time. HOWEVER, the rehearsal dinner was a different story.
Our wedding was 1/12/19 so, the rehearsal dinner with our closest family and friends was on 1/11/19 (Friday). We had about 47 adults and 3 kids reserved for dinner SEVERAL MONTHS in advance for the upstairs room. We were running a few minutes behind because of the rehearsal itself but my now father-in-law gave them a heads up saying that we were running a little behind. The other family members that weren't in the wedding party were already there though. So, we finally get there and everyone is lined up at the bar of course because my FIL made it an open bar and decided to just pay the bill at the bend of the night.
It took forever for a waiter or waitress to even come up to our table to even grab any orders that all the guests kept having to get up to get their own drinks. The poor bartender also had no idea what she was doing as well. It wasn't until my now husband said something to the manager and bartender about having any servers around to get drink orders so that the guests wouldn't have to constantly get up from their seats to get a waitress at our table to even get drink orders.
Then, the waiter finally took everyone's main course orders. The gumbo came out and it was horrendous. Majority of our family and friends are native New Orleanians coming in from out of town and this was a complete embarrassment to even call this a gumbo. The rice was rock hard because it wasn't even cooked. The gumbo itself was COLD. My now mother-in-law and husband had to return their cups THREE TIMES because it was cold. Tell me this, if you claim to be a Cajun/Creole/Southern restaurant, HOW DO YOU MESS UP A SIMPLE GUMBO AND HOW IS IT NOT SERVED HOT IF IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE ON THE STOVE?? I also had some guests complain that they got maybe a teaspoon of their cup filled while the person next to them had a full cup.
Next on the menu, the salad after the atrociousness of what they called "gumbo". Most of the guests didn't even finish the gumbo. What a waste. The salad was okay because they barely had any dressing on it and it was maybe half of the plate.
Ah yes, the main course with the choice of: pork shoulder, gulf fish, and filet mignon. I picked the filet mignon but I realized that the waiter didn't ask how I wanted mine cooked but I thought, "oh,maybe they do that because we have a large party. Whatever." Apparently, a lot of our guests chose the filet mignon. Apparently, the bridesmaids table told me that the waiter came out telling them that they RAN OUT of filet mignons and that they had NY strips as an alternate. Ok, fine.
Then my filet came out...it looked like it came straight out of the slaughterhouse. I understand that some people like it that way but I usually request it to be Medium. The potatoes were pathetic and the sauce that came with the filet was not the sauce that I was expecting. It was like a jelly instead of a sauce. I barely ate that night.
At this point, the restaurant was a complete joke. Everyone complained about how horrible everything was so they kept drinking of course. Then the desserts...we had a choice of chocolate pot du creme or lemon ICEBOX pie. My MIL had the lemon icebox pie when we came for dinner another night and it was actually frozen like an icebox which was appropriate. The chocolate pot du creme was basically a chocolate pudding with whipping cream on it and when the lemon "icebox" pie came out, it was melting and the size of my index finger. I have small hands.
The restaurant didn't even apologize for anything. They didn't even reimburse my FIL for ANYTHING. They could have at least shaved some of the drinks down seeing as how that's the only thing that people could get into their stomachs because the food was so horrible. They acted as if they weren't at all prepared for this large party. I have emails proving that they were completely aware of our coming in on this date. If you're looking for a place to host your big event, don't waste your money or time on this place. It was mind blowing at how horrible everything was. It's so sad too because I thoroughly enjoyed going to the restaurant but now I can't even stand to think about this place for a dinner option when I have friends coming into town to visit. | 0negative
| 822 |
I'd been contemplating a visit to Carmel, Indiana's location of this 4-location mini-chain of upscale taverns for quite some time but had never managed to simultaneously be in Carmel and have time to really enjoy the experience.
As a bit of fun trivia, one should know that there really was a Matt the Miller. It's a delightful fact located on Matt the Miller's Tavern's website. I will admit I'm a fan of getting to know a restaurant's history and I appreciate it when businesses put thought and feeling into their web presence. Inspired by an original location in Ireland, Matt the Miller's Tavern has three locations in Ohio including, you guessed it, Dublin, and one in Carmel. The Carmel location is located in the City Center area and is an easy walk, or in my case roll, from the nearby Center for the Performing Arts.
While Matt the Miller's Tavern advertises itself as an upscale tavern, and it's certainly no Applebee's, you can rest easy knowing that it's upscale with more mid-scale prices. As I'd parked over in the Center for Performing Arts's parking garage, I'm not 100% certain on the situation in terms of accessibility and parking, though I would note they offer free valet service and this ups the accessibility. I do know Carmel takes accessibility seriously, though I've been known to express my concerns about the ill-thought out Palladium. Matt the Miller's had a couple semi-heavy front doors, though I maneuvered them fairly easily. As you enter, you arrive at a hosting area. As I entered, there was no one there and it did take a couple minutes for someone to arrive - one person passed me without acknowledgment and this is always a pet peeve. If you see someone waiting, acknowledge them.
Fortunately, the hostess arrived and things were back on track. I was escorted to a relatively secluded 4-top that was surrounded by a handful of other tables. You immediately notice that Matt the Miller's has an intimate, pub-like feeling to it with warm woods and smaller, more intimate sections that allow you to enjoy a meal without going on sensory overload. It's busy, but it doesn't "feel" busy. It's communal, but it doesn't feel overwhelming.
Matt the Miller's is known for their burger, and I love burgers, but I was in the mood for something different. I ordered my usual unsweetened iced tea along with Tavern Fish & Chips that comes with fries and cole slaw. The fish is noted as being from Smithwick's. I will assume this is meant to be a selling point, though I will admit it meant nothing to me.
The entire meal came in at just shy of $20 without a tip. Yeah, it's a splurge for a guy like me but not an unreasonable one. I will also admit that I expected it to be a bit higher. There are less expensive meals, though you're easily looking at a mid-range pricing here. If you add in alcohol, it can easily become a bit pricier but I found myself thinking this would be a terrific date place.
The fish is beer-battered Atlantic cod. You get three decently sized pieces. They are well prepared and taste fresh, though I'd likely put them in the mid-range of my fish & chips experiences. The fries are lightly seasoned fries that complement the meal nicely, though I wasn't blown away by them. The cole slaw was fresh, though a tad heavy on the vinegar for me. I didn't finish the cole slaw.
Monika was my server. She was friendly, attentive, and kept the iced tea coming without my having to ask. She checked in regularly, though not intrusively. I was reading a magazine and she never gave a hint of "Can we turn the table over now?" As someone in a wheelchair who dines alone, I sometimes get awkward service. I also don't tend to go upscale that often, but I was impressed that Monika was friendly and welcoming without any patronizing due to the chair.
Matt the Miller's can get busy, I was there in the late afternoon/early evening time range and missed the rush, but my sense was they work efficiently yet comfortably. The atmosphere is warm and winning, while the food is quality pub fare ranging from appetizers to burgers to a variety of other meals/sandwiches plus a full bar. They offer a room that is a little more private, yet the way everything is arranged it's pretty easy to have both a sense of community and an intimate dinner.
As I regularly review nearby stage productions, I'm comfortable saying that Matt the Miller's has been added to my list of pre-show dining options. They do offer carry-out and offer options for those who are gluten sensitive. | 2positive
| 797 |
Let me preface this review by saying, "I don't want to be 'that guy'." That being said, I was 'that guy' tonight. We have been using Yelp to find good places to eat in New Orleans and it has never steered us wrong. I'm not sure why we chose not to trust yelp on this occasion, but we did and absolutely regret it.
When we arrived we were greeted by a friendly staff who sat us quickly. Once seated, we began to peruse the menu as the waiter took our drink orders. He forgot to get the drink orders of two people from our table and had to be reminded several times that they had not placed a drink order yet.
Once we had the drinks at the table, the waiter took our orders. My wife had a question about the menu that the waiter didn't know the answer to ('Are the shrimp de-veined?'). The waiter found the answer quickly, but forgot to take my wife's order through several more trips to and from our table.
We finally had everyone's order placed and the manager (not the waiter) kept checking to make sure our drinks were full. I made the comment to the table, "I should tip the manager". The waiter did eventually ask the kids if they needed a refill. They did, and he brought them...15 minutes later. Shortly after, our food arrived. There was a mixup on who ordered which burger. I offered to take the burger that was not prepared correctly because I was hungry and didn't want to be 'that guy'. Unfortunately, the waiter had forgotten to submit my order to the kitchen. 7 people...6 entrees. The waiter had no idea this wasn't right. He apologized and quickly placed my order to the kitchen and promptly brought my food to me...15 minutes later. I know this because when I start to suspect bad service, I check my watch on how long things take to decide how much to tip. I know the waiter doesn't have control over how long it takes to cook things. I generally time how long it takes for him to check on our table factoring in how busy the restaurant is. They were empty. 5 tables max. In the time it took us to get drinks and food, several families came and left, without dining.
I almost forgot to mention a few other issues we had. One guy ordered a burger. He asked for lettuce and tomato. The burger didn't have lettuce and tomato. We reminded the waiter to bring it. He did...after he brought my burger...after the first burger was already eaten. He apologized and my friend explained it was ok, he just didn't want to eat a cold burger. My wife ordered the chicken and waffles which came out cold. We asked 3 separate times for silverware, which we eventually walked to the cart to get them ourselves.
After all of this transpired, the waiter brought the check. He was still friendly and told us to take our time with paying. So we did. After 10 minutes, no one had returned to check on us, offer us refills, or collect our payment. So, I walked inside to the bar to speak with who I thought was the manager (the guy I wanted to tip from earlier). I told him that I did not want to be "that guy", but the service was unacceptable. I asked if there was anything he could do about the check. I explained I was not looking for a free meal, but I felt they should do something to compensate for the bad service which I then detailed for him (see above). He handed the check to a short lady behind the bar and whispered something in her ear. She angrily exclaimed, "well I just won't add the 20% mandatory tip for a party that size!" ...7... "Think that will make him happy?!?" The man leaned over and quietly said, "He's standing right there" motioning toward me. Her tone quickly changed...slightly. Gritting her teeth, she explained to me she wouldn't add the 20% tip because the waiter didn't deserve it. I agreed, but said I wasn't going to tip anyway. I felt she could do better than that. She offered to take an additional 10% off and I agreed that would be ok. She re-printed the check and gave it to me to return to my table to sort out the bill with the rest of my party. After this, the staff didn't speak to any of us. Not once. I timed how long it took them to collect our payment. 25 minutes. That's how long it took before we got up and walked to the entrance. We didn't leave. We stood at the entrance where people wait to be seated. We were first in line at the entrance, holding our check, waving it at any employee who made eye contact. No one said a word. The manager looked me in the eye several times, but didn't speak. The hostess actually came to the entrance, looked at the check in my hand, and leaned around me to offer to seat the people in line behind me. I took my credit card out of the black check holder, set it on the hostess' table, looked her in the eye, and walked out. It took 30 minutes from the time the manager corrected the bill to the time I walked out without paying the bill. In that 30 minutes, not one employee spoke a word to me. Not one word. I don't feel bad about not paying. I tried.
On a better note, my Cajun burger was delicious. | 0negative
| 950 |
ok so i just saw sublime with rome last night (4/24/10) and it was simply AMAZING! best show i have ever been too!
as for the venue it has its ups and downs.
1. parking - goodluck!
2. entry- its in the back in an alley, which i like! its different and unique plus if it were in the front i think crowds would be a problem for Virginia street. also if your planning on bringing your pistol, shot gun, or machete.. you can forget about it! they wand you at the door. also it would make the line go by a hell of alot faster if you took your cell phones, keys and hand grenades out before you get to the door to be wanned.
3.will call/ticket sales- ive never acctually bought tickets at the door, we bought ours online (suggested) and the will call was fast and easy.
4.entrance- when you get to the front youll need your ticket and ID. if you are 21 (yay!) you get this nifty lil white and orange bracelet allowing you into the 21 and up areas! if you are not (boo) you get two XX on your hands.. also the two ladies checking ID's in the front, weren't very nice and I'm pretty sure they hate their jobs..
5. first floor- after you get through the front doors you are in this long room, to your right there is an outdoor smoking section, an atm ($3 fee) and some tables and chairs. to your left there are two stair cases leading to the 21 and up bar/lounge and restrooms, a place to buy shirts and cds and the sound guy. as you continue onward there is a long bar to your right with about 5-6 bartenders. then you get to the back of the front area, and to your right there is the "VIP" section which should probably be renamed the "sucker section" cause these tickets are expensive and all you get is a fold out chair in the far right of the venue. not worth it in my opinion.. then you get to the front of the stage! its a big area but gets crowded fast! but no matter where your standing on the first floor you usually have a good view of the stage.
6.21 and up bar and lounge- if you take any of the two stair cases up to the 21 and up area you will find a large square bar surrounded by tables and benches and even a few chairs. there is a ledge to view the band but is very small and if you're planning on watching the band from up there get there early and don't plan on leaving that spot for any reason! cause your spot will not be there when you get back.. i love that it has a place to get away from all the kids but one of the perks is that they have food! a lil pricey ($10 for a cheeseburger and $6 for fries) but a nice touch none the less.. but the lounge is the place to be in-between sets. And if you don't have a bracelet don't even try to go upstairs, cause they have two bouncers that actually check!
7. bars- they have two very well manned bars (or so i thought) but in-between sets these bars are packed! so if you're going to be buying drinks i suggest you either get it before the show starts or during a performance. i had a blue moon ($6) and a rum and coke ($6) and my fiance had a sex on the beach ($6) not bad compared to other places in town. and could i just say one thing, if you're at the bar and you're buying a drink, and you get your drink and you pay for it.. PLEASE leave the bar! the 20 people behind you are not standing there to see if you like your drink or not...I can't tell you how many times someone would get a drink and then stand there OR... they try to strike up a convo with the super busy bartenders... just get your drink and walk away...
8. restrooms- I'm not sure if they have any restrooms downstairs for the kids.. but up stairs in the 21 and up section there are the cleanest largest restrooms you have ever seen in a venue.. but beware if you go in-between sets be prepared to wait in line..
9. all ages- ok so I'm going to be blunt.. if you are an over protective, shield your child from the world kind of a parent DO NOT ALLOW YOUR CHILD TO GO TO THIS VENUE UN SUPERVISED!! there are two bars, people will be drinking! girls will be wearing little more then underwear, and guys will be being guys! in every show I've been to there was profanity.. and when the bartenders are busy I'm pretty sure they are not checking for bracelets, soo odds are if your teenager looks the part he/she could probably buy alcohol here! they also have this 7 foot tall bouncer that keeps an eagle eye on the crowd and keeps everyone from getting rowdy keeping it an over all safe environment. so keep all of that in mind..
10. conclusion- this venue is AMAZING! especially if you had to go through the horrors of the new oasis, then this place is heaven! the staff was great! but this place is a lil small and parking is not readily available! the previous reviews below me do not do this place justice! the sound quality here is great! and the line up is pretty good to! reasonable drink prices, food and clean restrooms! what more could you ask for in a venue to enjoy your favorite bands! I'm really glad to have a venue like this in reno. | 2positive
| 982 |
I was "Lucky" enough to be invited by the most down to earth and passionate guy that owns Lucky's, Chris. The guy was genuine and fun to talk with. You can tell he really cares about everything he puts into your mouth. I rarely make it to Manayunk, but I sure as shit wanted to check out some of the most interesting topped burgers around anywhere.
He put out a hell of a meaty spread for this burger whore to sample.
I tried all his top burgers, but the ones I didn't have sounded awesome.
Lucky's Last Chance does burgers not by luck but by love. These guys love what they
do. They do it with pure joy and heart. You can taste all the
delicious meat in your face with every bite. The meat is locally butchered and blended just for them.
It's griddled on a flat top and seasoned with a house blend of secret seasonings that sing in your mouth.
Perfectly seasoned and seared to sweet juiciness, try to beat their meat. I dare you.
First up is my most shocking surprise. The P.B & Bacon. I shit you not you read that
right. I felt like a dead bloated Elvis but this bizzaro concoction just works. I works so well you will be dumbfounded. The salty PB and bacon hit it off like booze and skanky chicks. Add the sweet jelly and you mouth-gasam jelly loads all over the place.
Next up is the favorites of Minnesota-ites. Never seen around these parts is the
Joocey Lucy. This is one of those tricky burgers to cook right. Sure as shit
they nailed it. Seeing the loads of cheese trickle out of the meaty layers got this
meat lover hard. I swallowed all it's cheesiness without shame.
Finally the last burger was the Mak Attack. Not sure that the mac & cheese would
stand out against such glorious beef but it did. The house made Mac & cheese really
wowed me. I love mac & cheese but it is so easily fucked up. The cheese sauce
is a secret recipe but I don't care whats in it, it fucking rocked. Since I didn't see any nutrition numbers I'm gonna go with these babies are calorie free.
Don't hold me to that, I might be off by one or two. You know you ate some fuckin tasty beef when your stomach is about to tear and I "needed" to finish every last morsel of meat. Fuck ya.
The buns so painstakingly picked from 30 different choices before deciding on the one
from Liscio's Italian Bakery. It's the Neo of buns, bitches.
This meat cradle held it's shit together for the entire meaty log flume ride.
Even though it had some tough passengers. Some sloppy but amazingly tasty toppings.
This bun of yours held true right until the last bite. I salute your buns sir.
The onion strings are bathed in a buttermilk bath 24 hours and coated with a
mouth popping breading that held on without crumbling off. Nice job. The onions
were not chewy and tasted like bliss. Loved the bite the sauce had.
There was two kinds of fries. I had a hard time trying which one I liked more. So I
won't. I love them both equally. OK maybe the garlic butter, no the main street with your cheesy sexual lube. I just can't. I'll just eat you both. Problem solved.
Finally as if I needed more food. Well I do, so don't judge me I'm doing this for you.
The hot dogs. The natural cased dogs. Such a sweet snap you give. What really
set this even higher was the New England style buns. But wait. They are buttered and grilled. Almost like a grilled cheese sandwich taste to it. The Voodoo really was awesome. Love that tangy cheesy sauce and the onion strings. The meatiness really
still comes through under all the tasty toppings. Scorpion dog also rocked, but how could it not. It was topped with the mac & fucking cheese. Ya, mac & cheese on your dog with
jalapeños, that's how it's done. The hot dogs will set the bar so high for other dogs, you
might as well not even bother. Take all my hot dog money now.
This food gangbang is over. I'll clean myself of and button my pants. Perhaps
wipe my chin. It was fun and almost shameful for the amount eaten. OK I am shamed.
But not enough to not do it again. I am a burger whore and proud of it.
Lucky's has 30 beers and turns over 40 to 50 beers weekly.
They have one offs and hard to find brews.
Plus they have a Towering Inferno Burger challenge. Finish it and get a T-shirt.
No one yet has done it successfully, so all you hot heads give it a whirl. Not me I'm a puss.
I can't boast enough about the staff and owners it really shows, great job Chris! | 2positive
| 836 |
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