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Unhappy New Year! I was with family on New Year's day and we wanted to order pizza for lunch. We decided to order from this location of Jet's Pizza since it's close to my sister's house. WORST SERVICE EVER! I ordered 2 salads, two large pizzas, and one Pepsi online from this location. Since the only confirmation that I got online was that my order would be ready "As soon as possible," I decided to call the store to be sure they were open and that they got my order before heading over there. I called and it rang, and rang, and rang, and no one ever answered. Good thing I didn't want to call in an order. So, since I didn't have a lot going on and it was fairly close by, I decided to just drive over there and wait for my order. I got there and the girl at the counter confirmed that they received my order so I went ahead and paid her and she gave me the two salads and two Italian dressings. I asked if I could have two different dressing since I had two salads and the website only gave me the option to choose one dressing, even though I had two salads. She said, "Well, it comes with Italian." I said, "Yes, but the website only gave me the option to choose one dressing and I have two salads." She said, "Well, I'll have to charge you for it." What?? Really? So, realizing that one skimpy amount of dressing for each salad probably wouldn't be enough for a salad that size, I asked how much the extra dressing was. She said "$.80 each". I told her to ring up two extra blue cheese dressings. So, I go over to a table and sit down to wait for my pizzas to come out. So I sit there, and sit there, and sit there about 40 minutes. Keep in mind I've already been there about 20 minutes. There's one other person ahead of me and he's literally looking through the window to the kitchen waiting for them to make his order (he had several pizzas). He finally gets his order and leaves, while I'm still waiting for mine. By this time I've been sitting there about an hour since I got there. Meanwhile, another guy comes in to pick up his order and asks for it at the counter. He gets his order and leaves, while I'm still sitting there (the only one in the place at this point), so I finally get up and go to the counter and ask if my order is ready. This time a different girl asks my name and turns around to the cart where they store the pizzas and pulls mine out. I said, "Um, I've been sitting over there with half my order waiting for these for 40 minutes. Was someone going to tell me they were ready?" I got no response. By this time I'm starving so I take the order home to my family and realize that I never got the Pepsi I ordered either. Being pretty pissed off at this point, I decided to go back to the location and get my Pepsi. I walk back in and the first girl that gave me my salads is back at the register. I show her my receipt and said "I was just here and you forgot to give me my Pepsi." She turns around and looks at the cooler and says "Oh well, we don't have any." I was getting more than frustrated at this point and I said "Well, your website didn't say that so it's not my problem. I want what I paid for. Let me talk to a manager." So she calls the manager. I wait another 10 minutes for him to come to the counter (he's just feet away making behind a glass wall). I told him that they forgot to give me the Pepsi with my order and that the girl told me that they didn't have any but that I can clearly see them sitting in a crate behind the counter. He turns and looks at them and says "well, they aren't cold." I said "Well, given that it's 0 degrees outside today and we have ice at home, I don't care, just give me what I paid for. I don't appreciate having to come back up here anyway since I'd already waited 40 minutes for my pizzas unnecessarily and you should have checked the ticket that my order was complete." He then had the nerve to turn it around on me and said "Oh, you knew your ordered a Pepsi and you left here without it?" I said "Yes, because I had waited 40 minutes for my pizzas and was starving so yes, I forgot." He said, "Well, just like you forget, we forget." I said "Well, your staff should have checked the ticket to be sure my order was complete, but don't worry, I'll never be back" and I walked out. When I finally got home the pizza was cold and tasted like cardboard. All the toppings slid off when I took a bite. I've had Jet's Pizza before and it's been fine with a fine experience, but based on this, I'll NEVER go back to a Jet's again. There is way too much competition for pizza that's actually good and less expensive (my bill was a whopping $54!) from places that actually want my business to put up with shit like this. I'll never go back for their crappy pizza again. For that price we could have gone to a sit down, gourmet pizza place that would have been happy to have my business. | 0negative
| 959 |
A group of six friends including myself made the 3 hr day trip to St. Louis to check out the City Museum and then catch a concert that evening. We were looking for a place with American food at reasonable prices that was comfortable... Especially given that there temps were in the upper 90s that day. When choosing the place to eat, we wanted to remain somewhat near the City Museum and wanted a mom and pop shop. From the little research we could quickly do for being out of town, the description of this place SEEMED to fit the bill. We seen moderate priced and American food and thought we would give it a try. First we notice how small the building was from the outside, however we loved the park like setting. Because we were from out of town, it was an extremely hot day, and we planned on doing a lot of walking, we were dressed in normal jeans, t-shirts, shorts, and hats. Summer attire. When we walked in we IMMEDIATELY knew we were in the wrong place because it appeared very very upscale... More so than our research had hinted at. Despite how small it was inside, we noticed several empty tables. We noticed those that were in there all were wearing suits and ties and seemed very upscale. We figured well it's downtown, it's probably just business people eating a quick lunch. Once members of the staff noticed us we realized just how snobby this place was. They gave us the looks as if we did not belong at all. We were "greeted" and told there was no space for us inside (Um, they only had 3 tables in use out of several empty ones still left!) or we could sit at the bar. This left all of us with the sense that they did not what us to be seen inside their establishment because we weren't "good enough". They sat us at the "bar" (since we refused to sit outside in 98 degree heat and humidity). We opened the menu and realized how small it was. Then we noticed that there wasn't much "American" about the menu at all. It was all very, upscale, snobbery type food.... Then the prices... $15 for a bowl of ramen?? Was that a joke? $6 for a side of French fries? RIDICULOUS prices. We looked around us a bit at the plates of food others were eating and noticed the portions were not proportionate with the prices on the menu at all. We all agreed this was not the place for us, we very very politely told our waitress that we needed to go elsewhere due to dietary needs. We didn't want to be rude, so we apologized several times. The staff indoors seemed very relieved they would not have to serve us. Once we walked back outside there was a man working on putting together more tables. We asked him for suggestions and asked him if the food at the "Flying Saucer" was any good. His response, in a very very snobby manner was "Well you guys won't eat here and this is the best food in downtown so I don't know what to tell you". Excuse me? We are from out of town. It shouldn't matter if we are eating at your establishment or not, we are human beings and he should have been a bit more helpful and understanding that than. We asked him for directions to the Flying Saucer and he told is it was way far away "down that way somewhere". Gee thanks I thought. But being the friendly Midwesterners we are we thanked him and headed in that direction. What we found was that the Flying Saucer was neither that far away at all, or in the direction he sent us. We did however find "American" food there at reasonable prices, comfortable atmosphere, and a extreme let appreciative, attentive, and friendly staff.
My suggestions - if you are from out of town DO NOT GO HERE. If you want American food, DO NOT GO HERE. If you do not own at least own or two platinum cards, DO NOT GO HERE. If your a snobby person and enjoy "experimental, NON AMERICAN food, you might do well here, otherwise stay away.
My suggestions to the owners - change your descriptions to Bette reflect what type of establishment you have if you don't want others from out of town just waltzing in as I gather you don't from our experience. Don't kid yourselves. You are NOT moderately priced, you DO NOT have American food, and you ARE NOT friendly, comfortable and welcoming. | 0negative
| 778 |
Oddly, my first review of the original Georges Perrier version of Le Bec Fin is of their final evening of service on March 3rd 2012, before they closed for several months renovations under new owner Nicolas Fanucci. And since we will also be attending their reopening night next week, I thought I'd do "before & after" reviews of the two different eras of this historic Mecca of fine dining.
Although I've only lived in Philly for a couple of years, some of my most memorable dining experiences have been associated with LBF. In fact, my very first dinner in Philly was a Saturday BYOB lunch here back in the summer of 2010. I still remember the excitement of my first visit to this legendary establishment, the signature Galette de Crabe, and a wonderful bottle of 1988 Chateau Cos d'Estournel (in fact, this was my introduction to a group of Philly wine lovers, including Dave, Pricilla, Dave, and Don, who have in turn introduced me to many of the culinary delights that Philly has to offer).
Other memorable LBF dinners soon followed, such as the time we BYOBed some amazing cult Californian cabs and I disguised a $20 bottle 2005 Columbia Crest Reserve (Wine Spectator Wine of the Year 2009) in an empty $300 Shafer Hillside Select bottle (much to the consternation of LBF's assistant sommelier), and the wonderful collaborative dinner where Han Dynasty's Han Chiang alternated spicy Sichuan-French fusion with LBF's tried-and-true (foie gras done dry pepper style was particularly memorable).
As far as the final evening of Georges' tenure, you knew going in to this that is was going to be an event of note, full of memories of the previously 42 years, and I am happy to say the food also lived up to the occasion.
The four of us had an early 5:30PM reservation, which turned out to be a good idea, since I don't think anyone wanted to leave and it looked like things eventually backed up out front with people waiting to get in. We were seated in the main dining room (which I still think is the most beautiful I've ever seen--see photo). We went with the $125 seven course-tasting menu, paired with wines that we had brought (the couple we were with are some of Georges' oldest customers, having dinned at LBF perhaps more than 250 times, so we had special dispensation to bring our own wines).
As best I can remember, we enjoyed (see photos, including copy of final menu):
LES ENTREES
Escargots en Cassolette Baked with Champagne Garlic Butter & Crushed Hazelnut (one of Georges' classics that I had never tried before)
Terrine de Foie Gras Scented with Szechuan Peppercorn, Maple Feuilles de Brique, Roasted Red Beet and Wolfberry
Gallette de Crabe, Whole Grain "Dijon" Mustard & Haricots-Verts (classic)
Oysters on the half shell (off menu)
LES POISSONS
Spotted Skate Wing Scented with Dill Pollen and Nigella, Cauliflower and Elderberries, Beurre Rouge (not my favorite, I think they always over cook the skate for my taste)
American Snapper, Black Trumpet Mushroom and Napa Cabbage, Parsley Root, Hibiscus
INTERMEZZO
Mushroom soup (served like an espresso)
LES VIANDES
Breast of Organic Chicken, Cardamom Scented Swiss Chard, Bluefoot Chanterelles Natural Jus (now that I've attended Chip Roman's recent demonstration dinner at COOK, I know how they make this remarkable chicken that looks too perfect to be formed by human hands)
Kombu Cured Wagyu Beef, Tasting of Potatoes, Labne au Poivre, Sauce Bordelaise
CHEESE CART
SORBET
DESSERT CART - All the classics (I will miss this!)
WINES:
2005 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc
1986 Chateau Talbot (corked, although Bernard Perrier didn't think so)
Something else red, and French (of course), which I can't remember
At this early seating, I recognized only one celebrity (one of the local female news anchors), although we were filmed by the TV cameras, only to never appear on TV (I guess our "fake conversation" didn't look real enough). Apparently other celebrities, as well as Chip Roman, Pierre Calmels, Shola and other LBF alumni of note, showed up later for a party downstairs in Tryst. But most importantly Georges & Chef Nicholas Elmi (now doing great things at the Rittenhouse Tavern) made visits to all the tables.
We also heard the first of what was to be several memorable speeches by Georges, which started with him ringing a wine bottle with a spoon at our table (see photo and VIDEO: http://youtu.be/7x0kldzKTQo ). Not surprisingly, Georges was full of memories about the past 42 years, and was very gracious, even to his nemesis Craig LaBan (although I hear later speeches were less so!). On leaving we were presented with menus signed by Georges and Chef Elmi, and Georges kindly posed for photos with us in front of LBF.
It was a wonderful evening of great food (& service), great friends, great reminiscing about the past 4 decades, and a hopeful feeling that the future of LBF will be every bit as great as its past.
Thanks for all the memories, Georges.
Sláinte! | 2positive
| 840 |
They start with a good frame. Seasonal and creative menu, farm to table ingredients, fair prices, friendly staff, funky yet inviting minimalist design interior and a small patio in front. Plus they are open straight through from lunch through dinner providing option in Meridian for something other than the increasing bloat in number of formula-food chain restaurants.
But there is wood to chop here to get this right for consistency in food and training of servers.
Based on two visits, the first much better than the second, my husband and I are cautiously optimistic. The owner owns another restaurant in Boise so he must have the tools to build this right. Time will tell.
MENU
Before 5 options are on the front and after 5 options are on the back. Although they have advertise happy hour, on our dinner visit which was early enough to be in the pocket of happy hour, there were no happy hour food items, only something off libations.
I took photos of a menu to post with this review so I won't detail options or prices. Both are subject to quick change as Grants fine tunes what sells and what doesn't. As example, between our first visit and our second, only about 10 days apart, they had reduced some of the prices on the menu. They had also removed some menu items given they found they didn't sell.
The good news is the owner is nimble in making menu adjustments to meet the preferences of local diners. We understand the menu will be reprinted / updated about every two months. That is a great sign of focus on seasonal ingredients.
FOOD
First visit we started with tempura fried green beans. Perfectly cooked, great tempura coating and they came with three luscious dipping sauces. We also ordered a housemade veggie burger to follow. It came on a pretzel roll and although the 'burger' was a bit soft and messy to eat the flavors were great. (A tip, ask them to leave the mayo off the 'burger' and use any of the dipping sauces on it.)
The 'burger' came with fries and we asked to have them held given we were starting with fried green beans. We were not offered an alternate and the 'burger' came plopped in the middle of a nude plate. Presentation is important.
Dinner was less successful for food. We ordered from the small plates menu and chose braised pork belly with apple / parsnip puree (although that doesn't sound so seasonal for hot summer fare it was still good) and roasted asparagus with parmesan that came with salad greens. We expected the asparagus to be parmesan dusted but it was wrapped in the melted cheese, far too heavy and made the salad greens uber limp.
Dessert at lunch was icebox goat "cheesecake" with berry gelee. Dinner was flourless chocolate cake with whipped goat cheese. Good flavors but the cake was overbaked.
SERVICE
Lunch server, Sarah, was gracious, professional and got the service elements just right for delivering share plates, pacing the food, keeping water filled and checking in with us when needed. The service is part of what made us feel so good about the first experience.
Dinner service was friendly but less polished. Although we said we would share the dishes and asked our server to bring share plates when we ordered, one item was set in front of one of us and one in front of the other as if entrees. We asked for share plates again. Our server seemed surprised, as if hearing it for the first time. And although we weren't finished eating, our server tried to remove our plates and asked if we'd like dessert. Water was never filled. She didn't check in with us after food delivery. Very friendly but training needed.
LIBATIONS
Very limited and plebian wine list. Full bar. Probably a stick to the basics as best here. They were still awaiting their French Press pots on our visits. Good news coffee will be that mode when added.
VIBE
They've done a great job of making this welcoming on a budget. See photos. Unpretentious, neighborhood, "all are welcome" feel. Tables are far enough apart that you don't feel like a sardine in a can. Yahoo for that! And the majority of the seating is at standard height tables. More thumbs up. But there is seating for maybe 30 diners max in this space. There is a garage type door that can open to the outside to a small deck / patio with additional seating. On both visits this was closed due to the uber temperatures and only one couple was brave enough to take on the outside inferno. I can't imagine how they'll be able to turn enough meals in this small space to make the revenue numbers work.
THIS N THAT:
1) PARKING: In the lot associated with the small strip mall where this is located.
2) ACCESSIBILITY: A couple of spaces of accessible parking. Level in the restaurant and throughout. Standard height tables. Loo is accessible but may be tough for path of travel given layout fails 36" clear path ADA rules.
3) NEIGHBORS: Nail salon and pet store are next door neighbors.. | 1neutral
| 871 |
Reviewer No. 80
Writing this review on 10-5-2017 on a Southwest flight to Mexico on my 10-4-2017 6PM MST visit on Grants Neighborhood Grill, Meridian Idaho.
Service: 5/5
Food: 4/5
Price for value: 3/5
Bariatrics/Healthy Options:4/5
The owners and employees love this place and it can be seen for sure.
I live near Grants, seen it a few times, but never thought to stop in, yet I did bookmark it several months ago--I am glad that I did. This place is rather small, like many other places in the area; however, they make good on their space .They have patio seating that goes out into the shopping center parking lot with a fence around the area for safety and privacy.
The inside is decorated pretty awesome (see photos). I like the vibe of the place and felt very comfortable inside. The waitress made the experience a positive one for me. She ran outside and handed me my sun glasses. THANK YOU! But then I started to drive away and she was running after me again with my phone... what's going on with me?!? THANK YOU, AGAIN! I was dining with good friends and was in a fun, albeit serious conversation. The wait staff box up your food for you, which is pretty cool.
Price: As you can see from the photos of the menu that I uploaded this place isn't cheap--but then again the food isn't cheaply made. In speaking with the waitress everything is fresh and local--they make their own dressings (ranch, BBQ, blue cheese), they cut their own bacon (super thick) and even grind their own burgers (good). So, because of the quality, and the fact that they use everything local, I can understand the cost and am happy to pay it. However, one thing that made me a little upset was the fact that healthy eaters have to pay $3 more to substitute salad for fries. Many places do this, but when you're paying $13 for a bun less burger, you have to now pay $16 to get a hamburger and lettuce with cheese, and let's face it, the salad wasn't much more. I really think this should be taken away from this small business--
So, we talked about the inside and I touched on the service (extra positive), let's get to what's important... THE FOOD!!! All food (what we ordered) was served on plates that look like cutting boards inside a cookie sheet, which I thought they were really cool and unique! I will touch on all four of our purchases with the review from each devourer:
Me: I got the Mushroom/Swiss 1/3 pound burger with no bun and a side salad substituted for the fries. $13 +$3 for the "salad". This burger usually comes with a locally made Acme Bakery blended pretzel bun. The waitress asked how I wanted my burger--well done please. Well, it came bloody still, which I wasn't a fan of. The mushrooms were very well cooked and the Swiss melted deliciously. The salad was nothing short of lettuce, with some shredded cheese, and peppers. The ranch is homemade and was okay, nothing too special. I took it to go, ate the Swiss cheese and mushrooms later and gave my dog the burger--now, that's because I don't like red hamburger, the flavoring was good and others would really enjoy this.
Inside out grilled cheese--pretty cool concept. I happen to like cheese fried so if I ate bread I would have tried this. Basically it' white cheddar, Parmesan, and Gouda cheeses cooked on the outside of the sourdough bread with fries. My dining companion said that it was "good" and a fair cost at $9.
BBQ pulled pork, $11-- slow cooked BBQ pulled pork in their homemade sauce served on a locally made Brioche bun minus coleslaw with fries. This sandwich was served with tomatoes, which I thought was interesting. George liked it, but thought that the BBQ sauce was a little spice, be he is someone who doesn't like any spice. However, he enjoyed it and called it a 3/5 or 7/10.
Deli Club, $11--Turkey and pit ham with lettuce, tomatoes, onion, roasted garlic, mayo, and house-made bacon. My dining companion, Yesi, said that it was delicious and she offered me a bite of the bacon, which didn't look like bacon because it was super thick--it was delicious! She only was able to eat half of the sandwich and fries and took the rest to-go. I recommend this, based on the portion size and the amount of yummy goodness!
Healthy eating 4/5-- When choosing a place to eat, I think about how I can eat healthy--veggies, protein, low/no carb. Again, I am not a fan when a place charges to substitute salad for fries. I mean, come on people! There are 4 dinner salad options, a cheese/meat board appetizer, grilled chicken, and many things you can take the bread and sauces off of. The steaks are all natural, no hormones, steroids, or antibiotics.
We will be attending for brunch soon--they have a small, but good looking brunch menu. The waitress suggested reservations on Sunday, but Saturday we should be good.
Well, thanks for reading! I hope you're having a good day whenever you read this! | 2positive
| 873 |
It is with a heavy heart that I write this review. I never thought I'd have such hard feelings towards an ALDI location as I do towards this one, but I do.
I've been a loyal ALDI customer ever since I discovered it, maybe 2010ish? I tell all my friends about it and how it changed my life.
I've been driving 15 minutes to go to the ALDI in Elkton, MD for at least three years, frequenting that store rather than any of the number of local supermarkets, because it's so far superior. Like, we're talking some next-level sh**. I was excited when I learned that another ALDI would be opening up in my area. But what do I get? Betrayal. Is it opened up closer to where I live? No. The new one is in the worst possible location, in a maze of suburban sprawl roughly halfway between Newark and Wilmington.
But still, I wanted to give it a chance.
The disappointment starts in the parking lot. This is the worst-designed ALDI parking lot I have ever seen in my life. I've visited ALDI's in many states...Indiana, Vermont, Maryland, many locations in Pennsylvania, I've even been to ALDI's in Germany, and I've never seen an abomination like the parking lot here. I nearly got my car clipped by some guy in an SUV. Is the problem that the drivers here are more aggressive, or is the problem the way the parking lot is engineered? I don't know.
The parking lot is huge, and full. Where the heck are all these cars from? Are people parking in the lot here and then going somewhere else, because I didn't see enough people in the store to justify so many cars in the lot? Perhaps there's a problem with people going to the Gym next door. If so, ALDI needs to do something to crack down on it, because it's negatively affecting my ALDI experience. Something is wrong here. I was here early in the morning and the store wasn't exactly packed but the lot was totally full.
I had to park WAAAAY far away.
When I finally got to get a cart, we reached the second problem. These massive, long chutes with the carts WAAAAY deep at the back, and metal dividers so you couldn't turn the carts around and instead had to back them out. The people backing the carts out apparently didn't have the best hand-eye coordination either, because there was a lot of bumping and stopping and fumbling. I ended up spending WAAAAY more time getting a cart than I have ever spent at an ALDI before in my life.
The store? You go in and it looks all big and bright and new like the inside of a typical high-end supermarket in the U.S. Come on ALDI, all your other stores look the same, more minimal and simple? Why imitate the aesthetics of the crappy stores you are trying to set yourself apart from? Instead you are making yourself look more like them.
And then...the store. At a glance, it looks like it's gonna be better, and I get my hopes up again. But as I start walking through the store, my heart sinks. A lot of the sections are huge, but lack the specific products that I most like and buy most often. For example, there's a huge bakery section, but the 100% whole wheat bread that I buy weekly? Conspicuously missing. That 100% whole grain dark pumpernickle, rye, and sunflower bread that comes in a big block you could knock someone over the head with in self-defence because it's so dense? Not anywhere to be found.
I started noticing why I was experiencing such disappointment. In most ALDI stores, the cramped space is utilized more efficiently, with each product stacked only one crate wide. In this much larger store, instead of stocking more variety, a lot of products are just stocked two crates wide.
And the holiday cookie samplers? Not present...I even asked an employee, and apparently this particular store didn't even stock them. Oh, and no marzipan!
And the milk costs OVER TWICE AS MUCH in this store as in the Elkton, MD store. Why? This makes absolutely zero sense.
The produce is also noticeably more expensive. There were some deals, but overall I spent more money on produce than I normally do in an ALDI. I also don't understand why there are so many packaged salad mixes. I never buy this stuff. The selection of stuff I actually buy, esp. fruits, wasn't that much better.
What are you doing, ALDI management? You had such a good thing going on and I had been such an intensely loyal customer. I've told probably hundreds of people how much I love you as a store. I've taken expeditions to your store where I introduce people to it and people turn to me and they're like: "Wow, Alex. This has changed my life."
But this store is giving up many of the things that set ALDI apart from mainstream supermarkets. The management desperately needs to backtrack if they want me to shop here. I really hope ALDI isn't moving in the direction of this store on a national level, because that would be very sad. | 0negative
| 878 |
A highly pleasant place with delicious, flavorful food. While The Clover & the Bee has a neat option in its walk up street window ordering to-go food, you really need to enjoy a relaxed lunch (or breakfast) inside to get your complete money's worth. We came for lunch, and fortunately arrived about 11:40 am. I thought the place was still walk-in only, but apparently they take reservations. It was mostly empty inside, but apparently most tables had been reserved. But there was still room for us to get a spot. And by noon, the place was packed!
The host apparently was busy somewhere else, so a worker behind the counter for a table and seated us. He also offered to take initial drink orders if we already knew what we wanted, but we weren't quite that quick. I say this to also point out that he was highly friendly and helpful. The server we had was also very pleasant and helpful when she offered to answer any question and we asked about some various items. Rather than just listing a whole bunch of stuff when I requested a sandwich recommendation, she told me what was the most popular, along with her favorite and why it was so. Her interactions with us throughout the meal were easy, low key, and quickly chatty. Similarly, as we were leaving we stopped at the front dessert counter and ordered an item to go. The host came over as we waited to ring out and started chatting with us. We veered into an easy conversation about the place, its relationship with Olive and Oak next door, plans for other facilities, and talking about their chef and the award he had just received.
We especially appreciated that there was a pretty broad list of specialty drinks that were non-alcoholic (and fairly low calorie). It gets old to come to a place that has a ton of alcoholic drinks and not much else except some sodas (or sugary lemonade, etc.) We both ordered a buzzed citrus spritz (club-soda, espresso, lemon, honey) - described on the menu as strong, dynamic, bubbly. And it was really refreshing. Light, with a carbonated coffee flavor and slight citrus & sweetness. And don't forget that espresso isn't actually high caffeine, but it is high flavor.
The food itself that we ordered was fantastic. The wife ordered a soup and salad combo, which I also tasted. The three-cheese cauliflower soup is a great riff on broccoli-cheese soup. I think cauliflower actually works much better than broccoli in this. And their cheese was highly flavorful. I don't know the mix, but it had a fine robustness to it that still didn't overpower. Her arugula salad was great, too. I personally thought it would be just a meh choice. But with the description (strawberry, feta, fennel, pecans, jalapeno-strawberry white balsamic vinaigrette), I really should have known better. All those ingredients shared prominence with the arugula. There wasn't skimping on them. Everything was well chopped (except the pecan halves), so they mixed very well. The vinaigrette was not hot, just flavored. And as the wife commented, the fennel really brought out something extra.
I followed the server's suggestion and ordered the pastrami sandwich. Actually, she said the tuna salad was most popular, but her favorite was the pastrami. The menu says it includes fonduta (fondue cheese spread), yellow mustard, dill pickle, seeded rye. It was an excellent combination. There was plenty of hot, thin-sliced, tender and flavorful pastrami (of course, pastrami usually always has a great flavor). The yellow mustard and fonduta were added with a deft touch so that it wasn't heavy and sloppy, but also not too light. You could definitely taste and appreciate them, without them burying the pastrami. And the dill pickles were sliced crosswise so that they were a natural sandwich condiment. The rye itself was well grilled and buttery - crispy, but not overly greasy. The sandwich came with chips. These chips were still hot, but not greasy despite apparently having just come out of the fryer. Nice and crisp, with a salt and pepper already spicing them.
We wanted dessert, but the lunch was already pretty filling. So on the way out we picked an item that we ate back home. I don't remember exactly what it was called, but it was some type of cookie bar that was like a brownie with coconut & walnuts and a light chocolate frosting. Interestingly, it almost seemed to be made like filo, with layers. It was another fantastic item, among what were about 15-20 difficult to choose from dessert items. | 2positive
| 769 |
Just as amazing as the first time! Zahav is on my list of the top 5 Best Restaurants I've ever ate it!! Whenever I found out I was going to Philly for work, I already knew what I would be going to Zahav for dinner. I called my cousin (who happens to work there!) and he was able to get us a reservation. It's currently restaurant week at Zahav so I was thrilled we were able to get a table.
There was four of us so this menu tasting was going to be great! We first started off with some cocktails. Keith really hooked us up. One drink that I'm still thinking about is the Indian Summer, you've got to have this cocktail if you ever eat here. It's a refreshing vodka drink with hints of watermelon. They started us with the Salatim which is a daily selection of salad and the Hummus-tehina, served with house-baked laffa. There was at least 8 different salads and they are all delicious. It was a great way to kick off the meal. There is an a roasted eggplant, beet salad, carrot salad, cucumber salad, tabbouleh and a few others. My favorites were still the eggplant and beet salads, both so full of flavor. The Hummus - Tehina was also amazing. My friend said it was one of the best hummus' she's ever had. The bread served with this hummus is so fluffy and the fact that its served warm makes a world of difference. The hummus was nice and creamy, had a hint of garlic and topped off with a generous amount of EVOO.
Now for the meze's, since there was four of us, we were able to get 8! How exciting right. I had already had a few off the menu so I made some suggestions to the girls. We ended up ordering:
Tomato soup: zucchini, spiced lamb, pine nuts. This soup was extremely flavorful. I will admit I did have a bite and I don't eat meat but the lamb flavor was definitely present.
Crispy haloumi: peaches, corn, almonds. This cheese is just inappropriate. It's beyond amazing, so good that I suggest we order two. The cheese has to just be quickly pan seared to give it a nice golden crust. This go around the peach, corn and almonds was a different twist from when I first had it. I think I enjoyed it more with the date puree, the flavors from the saltiness of the cheese with the sweetness of the dates accent each other perfectly.
Watermelon salad: bulgarian feta, oil-cured olives. This is always a refreshing dish. The sharpness of the feta with the sugar of the watermelon really played off each other well. The salt from the olive also meshed extremely well with the sweet of the watermelon.
Stuffed grape leaves: barley, oyster mushrooms, kashkaval, baby vegetables. I'm not a big grape leave girl but this sounded interesting to me and not the usual mix of grape leave ingredients. I did enjoy them but not sure I would order them again.
Fried cauliflower: labaneh with chive, dill, mint and garlic. I mean lets be serious, anything fried is always going to be delicious. This dish will always be a winner. The cauliflower was warm and crispy and topped with the cool dip of dill and mint, they really played off each other well when they hit your taste buds!
Mina: braised chicken, matzah, english peas. I didn't take part in this dish but they girls really enjoyed it. The chicken was cooked perfectly and paired well with its sides.
Entrees: I just want to mention at this point, thank god the entree portion was on the smaller side because from all the previous deliciousness I was on my way to being full. So I was okay with a smaller portion for once in my life!
One entree was the Kofte: ground beef and lamb, cumin, peppers, carrots. There were two meatballs. She said they were full of flavor and she doesn't typically eat lamb but was very happy with her selection.
Second entree Spiced eggplant israeli couscous, mushrooms, tehina, while I didn't order this, I did have it the first time I went to Zahav. The eggplant is seasoned so well and pairs well with the tehina sauce.
Third entree Hanger steak eggplant two ways, sesame, pine nuts. My friend who got this dish really really liked it. She said the steak was prepared perfectly and the eggplant was delicious!
For my entree, I had the Royal trumpet mushrooms chickpea puree, zucchini, amba. I wanted to try something new, of course and was very happy with my selection. The mushrooms were prepared nicely and not too mushy. The chickpea puree while some may think its bland really added to the mushrooms and brought out all the flavors of the dish.
Dessert Round!! My favorite part of the meal, every meal should be well rounded and that includes fulfilling your sweet tooth. We ordered all three dessert and got an extra of the Halvah mousse
The halvah mousse chickpea praline, berries was and still is my absolute favorite. It's so sweet and the combination of berries and chickpeas adds such a different dimension to the dessert
Almond-apricot rugelach: there were sweet little croissants with a nice dipping sauce on the side. The Kataifi was a nice refreshing ice cream dish! | 2positive
| 901 |
We stayed at the NOPSI Hotel for 5 days and 4 nights. This entry covers two reviews: one is for a dinner and the other is for a breakfast.
On the 7th of December we did not get enough of the local food on our first dinner round so we decided to indulge in some more. After looking at the menu we could not really see many choices that are considered local or, at least, at a decent price (most of the stuff is on the pricey side). As I considered my options I eventually identified a few and I decided I was going to eat some fish so I ordered a black drum for $24 (not specifically listed on the menu because it's the catch of the day and it was disguised as "Louisiana Gulf fish"). As a drink I ordered an iced tea, nothing that deserves paragraphs or standing ovations so I will not digress on that. The seafood arrived a reasonable time later. It consisted of stacked slices of fish on top of some dark beans pointing towards the center of a plate with a buttery sauce drizzle. The dish itself was good and enjoyable. It had a bold but sophisticated flavor that you find in fine restaurants. From what I tasted it seemed to me the cook knew what he/she is doing.
On the morning of the 8th of December we woke up early and we decided to have breakfast at the restaurant. The weather was horrible (cold and rain) so we decided to start the day in a relaxed way. We arrived early in the morning (0700-0730), a great time to have breakfast because I like quiet places and the place was quiet. We ordered Belgian waffles (spelled Belgiam in the menu in the room). Since I don't like butter in/on most stuff, particularly on waffles, I asked not to put butter on the waffles. After 20 minutes our food was not yet available. Considering the fact the restaurant was deserted and we showed up rather early, I came to the conclusion they must have went to Belgium to get the waffles. After a while I looked over and I read the mannerism of our waitress. The entire thing translated into "he does not want butter and there is butter on these waffles" which in turn translated into "you gotta do them again lady cook" so in the end I believe we waited about 30 minutes before eating. When the waffles arrived (presumably from Belgium) they landed on our table and they had a nice appearance. The syrup that came with them was sweet and tasty. It wasn't the regular cheap waffle syrup you find at IHOP or Denny's. It had a higher quality, it was pure cane syrup and I could taste the difference. The waffles were good but they eventually got chewy after a while. Still, they were good, a little pricey ($12) but nonetheless a good way to start a day.
The service at night was good so I cannot complain about that. Our waiter was patient although somewhat unprepared in terms of mannerism and the way you would talk to customers, almost as if shy or on the first day at work. The service in the morning was mediocre. The lady serving us was a little stiff, disappeared for a long time.
The thing I liked the least about the restaurant was that the utensils were sitting directly on the table. For a place with a nice, relaxed and sophisticated ambient like the one in this restaurant forks and knives on the table a big minus in my book. Aside from the fact it's not elegant, it's not even clean. I wonder how this place can pass regular health inspections. Luckily, the manager on site at night understood the point when I asked for clean utensils and helped promptly. The person who served us in the morning paused when I asked for clean utensils (almost as if my request was totally unreasonable).
I have one suggestion to the management which has two facets: train your personnel to be more friendly and relaxed and never take utensils back to the kitchen before bringing clean ones to the table (I am not sure to this day we got clean forks and knives at breakfast).
I would give 4 stars to the place but the service can be improved and the utensils mustn't lay on the bare table so I can only award 3 stars. | 1neutral
| 751 |
I ate here with my wife and my daughter for the 1st time today. We were weary from Black Friday shopping and this place was close and convenient, so we decided to give it a try.
My wife had the enchilada soup. the flavor was good, but I am not a fan of corn in my soup, so for me, it was a miss. If you like corn in your soup, you might like it. The set up here is similar to a sandwich shop like blimpies. You go into the line and order what you want on your salad. The people behind the counter build it for you.
I find this sort of thing ok, but I must prefer to build myself. I want to be able to pick and choose what I want, how much I want, and in what order I want instead of having to direct someone behind the counter to do it.
Reminds me of Trouble Shooting training I have had where you have to tell someone how to build something just based on your words. They build it based on how to give them directions, but you cant look at what they are building and they cant look at you either. In the end, you hope that what the other person builds is what you wanted.
This is how these places work. You tell the person behind the counter how to build your salad, how much you want and of what and you hope and pray that what they give you is what you had in mind.
I ordered the Avacado, Bacon and Turkey Panini. Here is what I had in my mind;
* Big pieces of ripe, but firm, Avacado that are creamy and added great texture and flavor to the sandwich
* Huge crisp pieces of thick bacon that was so large that it extruded from the edges of the bread and added crunch and a beautiful bacon flavor to the sandwich
* Big think juicy pieces of Turkey that had been smoked, or cooked with lots of flavor in an oven. When I bit into them, they were full of flavor and excitement.
* Fresh Bread that was toasted on a Panini press until it was crunchy and full of life. Something I could not wait to bit into
Here is what I received.
* A flavorless green paste. I assumed it was Avocado because it was green, but in reality, it could have been anything and just colored green. Maybe to save money, Zupas buys Avocados that are over ripe and mushy so they cant be used for anything except a mushy paste. It had no flavor at all and was gritty.
* Very very small pieces of very flabby bacon that are paper thin. The only way I could tell they were even there was I opened up the sandwich and searched for them like an Easter Egg hunt. This is the sort of bacon you get at one of those chain sub shops. You have seen it before. 2 to 3 pieces of bacon that you can see through and have been cooked in such a way that the 2 to 3 strips have become 1. Its the sort of paper thin stuff that looks like bacon, but you are not really sure really what it is. It's like that mystery meat that McDonald's serves for Chicken and Hamburger. You hope and pray that its real, but in the deep recesses of your heart and mind, you know that it's not. It's some sort of bacon knock off that is probably a 1 cent bacon like substance that comes from the remains of the pig that no one wants to talk about. It had no flavor at all.
* Bread that was pressed in some sort of press, and had the marks of a Panani press, but im not really sure was a real Panani Press. Either that of it was done on a press at once time but has been sitting around way too long to be still considered bread. The bread was.....well it was bread. That's about the most positive I can say about it.
The worst part of this is that all around on the walls of this restaurant are the names of spices. This gives you the expectation that what you are getting is flavor and spice. Now I will say that the enchilada soup had flavor, but this sandwich that I had could have been anything.
My impression of this place is that it's a fast casual place created by someone like Mr Wonderful on Shark Tank. Someone that cares way more about margins and the bottom line that actually putting out a good quality product. My advice is to find someplace else to go for your meal. A non-chain place where they still prepare sandwiches with love. Not just the cheapest ingredients prepared by the least qualified underpaid people the owners can find.
I hope and pray that I am wrong about this place. I did not try everything after all. Maybe just this one sandwich is awful. Or maybe sandwiches are not their thing but they excel at soups and salads. I might try coming here again, but I really prefer sandwiches to soup and salad, so for me, this experience was a real let down. | 0negative
| 895 |
If you know me, you also know that I just LOVE meat. So I have always avoided vegetarian restaurants like the 2 week-old wrinkly tomato in the back of my fridge. And whenever I've ignored my better judgment, I've always been sadly disappointed (with both restaurants and tomatoes).
But the reviews of Vedge have been so mouthwateringly good, we finally broke down, and I'm very glad we did.
In the old days, Vedge's 1890's townhouse (on the National Historic Register) was home to Deux Cheminees, one of the luminaries of Philadelphia's fine dining scene 20+ years ago. Today, the dark wood interior, stained glass windows, charmingly cozy lounge and contemporary bar have as striking look that still preserves those past memories (although I did feel the dining rooms were a bit on the dim side).
Upon arriving (parking is easy in one of the nearby lots) ~15 minutes early for our 7:30 PM reservation for 5 people on a Wednesday evening, we were shown to the charming, tiny lounge off of the bar. Although we had the option to order drinks and snacks, we were eager to get on with our dinner. However, we were not seated until almost 8PM. Now, maybe I'm spoiled, but we never seem to have to wait at any of the other Philly restaurants we frequent, so I do admit to being a bit annoyed (no explanation was given). But this was essentially the only damper on a fine evening.
We opted to for the 5-course tasting menu. However, if you very carefully peruse Vedge's website, you might find the hidden small print saying that the tasting must be ordered 24 hours in advance, which we only realized that AM. But, to the restaurant's credit, a few hours notice did secure the tasting menu for us. We also decided to bring our own wines, despite Vedge's liquor license and interesting wine list, which resulted in a $25/bottle corkage fee. High by Philadelphia standards, but very reasonable considering that every bottle on their list is only marked up $25 over wholesale, a true bargain. We did order one bottle from their list, which ended up being wine of the night, and they also kindly waived the corkage on our half bottle of dessert wine.
Tasting menu & wines:
Amuse bouche (complementary due to the delay in seating us):
Potato fritters with Chinese mustard--if there is one thing Vedge does well, it is fritters, as this was my second favorite dish of the evening, after the hearts of palm fritters below. I could pop these things all evening. Fantastic!
1st course:
Salad of spring greens & peas, coal-roasted carrots, shaved asparagus--a very nice, clean, simple salad, with a light dressing. I wouldn't drive out of my way, but it was much better than your typical fancied-up lettuce salad, and it looked beautiful on its wood cutting board (see photos).
~2007 Cédric Bouchard (Roses de Jeanne) Champagne Blanc de Noirs Les Ursules--a big and unusual grower Champagne
2nd course:
Seared tofu on a bed of braised Savoy spinach & black kale, smoked mushroom stock--This was the most controversial dish of the evening. I admired it as possibly the most delicious tofu I've ever had, obviously imitating a seared scallop, and doing a fair job of it. But not everyone agreed.
~2011 Arnot-Roberts Touriga Nacional Luchsinger Vineyard (Rosé)
3rd course:
Green & yellow zucchinis (imitating fazzoletti, which doesn't make any sense), heirloom tomatoes, basil, dried olive, fresh hearts of palm fritters--Everyone agreed: this was the dish of the evening. In part, the fantastic fritters (Vedge rule of thumb: order fritters), and the perfect tomatoes, but also because of the wonderful, accidental pairing of the Radikon orange wine (a white wine made with extended skin contact, so it has the tannins of a red wine and the exotic spices, orange rind and cider of a Christmas wassail). Food/Wine pairing of the year!
~2005 Azienda Agricola Stanislao Radikon Collio Ribolla Gialla (500mL, $70 off list)
4th course:
Seared Maitake mushroom, gold & candy-striped Chioggia beets, black lentils, pickled leek salad--All I can remember about this dish were the beautiful Chioggias, and the big mushroom, crispy on one side and meaty on the other. Unfortunately, the big fruit of the wine overpowered the mushroom.
~ 2006 Beaux Frères Pinot Noir Beaux Frères Vineyard
Dessert:
Strawberries, cheesecake, shortcake, ice cream--Being a vegan restaurant, presumably soy was used in this dish, but you'd never know it. Perfectly ripe strawberries were a good match for the Black Muscat.
~2000 Philip Togni Black Muscat Ca' Togni (375mL; a wine with a fascinating back-story: http://www.bowlerwine.com/site/wines/3716.html )
Service was outstanding, and I especially want to thank the manager, who also served as our sommelier and was very accommodating. $124/person counting tip and the Radikon off the list.
4+ stars based on 1 visit.
Would I go again? Definitely, but given my carnavorian proclivities, maybe only a couple of times a year.
Sláinte! | 2positive
| 824 |
Island Cafe & Bistro opened up just over two months ago in the west end of Edmonton. It's easy to drive by without noticing it, but it seems like that isn't an issue for this restaurant, as the space was just about full at 5:30PM on a weeknight. This cafe declares itself to be a place "where the taste of the east meets west," having a menu featuring traditional Malaysian dishes and other plates to suit the Western palate.
The menu offers a decent number of Malaysian dishes, and we chose to go with our favourites. Roti Canai with Curry Sauce ($3.95/2) is something I cannot go without when it comes to Malaysian food. A crisp exterior and fluffy, pliable layers is what this roti is known for, and the version here does not disappoint. Crunchy and chewy textures contrasted one another, and the wonderful buttery flavour definitely came through. The side of curry sauce was unfortunately coated in a heavy layer of oil, and needed a quick stir in order for the flavour to come through with each dip.
Our next dish was the Malaysian Style Nasi Lemak ($12), which featured steamed coconut rice, spicy sambal sauce, 3 chicken wings, a hard boiled egg, peanuts, pickled cucumbers and pineapples, and papadum-style prawn crackers. Everything mixed together resulted in a dish with a pleasant heat, slight sweetness, tang from the pickles and a wide range of textures from all the components. However, given the price tag and the ingredients on the plate, we felt the dish would benefit from having a bit more chicken as the wings were quite small.
Bak Kut Teh, which literally translates to meat bone tea, is a dish consisting of pork ribs braised for hours in a broth of Asian herbs and spices. Ironically enough, the dish itself doesn't contain any tea at all, but rather tea is typically served alongside this stew with the belief that it aids in digesting the fat in this dish. The version here at this restaurant ($15) features pork ribs, pork belly, mushrooms and vegetables in the herbal soup, served with a side of rice and Chinese long donuts. The pork in this is stewed until fall-apart tender, and the herbs used in the broth were fragrant, but the soup was watered down and lacking seasoning. Had the flavours been more prominent it would have been great.
The last dish to our table was the one I was most looking forward to having - Laksa Curry Noodles ($12). This dish is pretty iconic when it comes to Malaysian cuisine, featuring vermicelli in a curry-based soup. The Laksa at Island Cafe features thin vermicelli with fried tofu, fish cake, shrimp, fishballs, a hard boiled egg, and bean sprouts in a spicy coconut soup. The toppings were abundant and the vermicelli al dente, but like the bak kut teh, the broth was lacking a depth of flavour and felt watered down. The broth was missing the creamy consistency and thickness to coat the noodles that I expected. With some improvements in the broth, this could also be a well done bowl of laksa.
When I walked into the cafe that evening my eyes immediately drifted to the dessert case, which contained a couple of classic French mille crepe cakes. Mille, translated to 'thousand' in the French language, implies that this cake is made with multiple layers of crepes separated by light pastry cream. To my knowledge, Island Cafe is the only spot in Edmonton to serve this dessert, so I was absolutely excited to try their housemade version. At $7 per slice, the cake is available in a multitude of flavours, including classics like vanilla and maple walnut, and exciting flavours like pandan kaya coconut, dark chocolate banana cream, and creme brulee cheesecake. Flavours can change daily, and you can even order a whole cake to wow guests at your next dinner party (7" for $60 / 10" for $80).
Considering that it takes 2 days to make one full cake, the $7 per piece price point is very reasonable for this labour-intensive dessert. We ordered one slice of the mango creme flavour and one of the creme brulee cheesecake flavour, with a white coffee ($3) on the side. It was hard to detect the delicate creme brulee with the cream cheese being the predominant flavour in the creme brulee cheesecake mille crepe cake, but the fragrant mango really came through in our other slice. The layers are soft and you can really appreciate the effort that go into producing the cake. I'd definitely give the pandan kaya coconut a try on my next visit!
I love when small, family-run restaurants pop up in the Edmonton food scene, and it's even better when they serve food that isn't commonly found in our city. I can appreciate that everything in the restaurant is made from scratch, and the restaurant is open until 11PM for late night eats Tuesday through Sunday. While some dishes require some adjustments, the food is decent and I'm hoping the Malaysian classics will improve by the time I make my next visit. That roti canai is already calling my name, and I can't wait to get my hands on another slice of mille crepe cake! | 1neutral
| 877 |
Stopped in here tonight after noting earlier that they had some grand opening and now open signs hanging. Sounds like they opened Saturday, and you could definitely tell they were still working out the details, getting the staff up to speed, etc.
Anyway, the space is part of the Quality Inn located on the corner of Plumb and S. Virginia, and used to house JM Restaurant and Grill. I never went in when it JM, so don't know how different or the same the space is. It's a large, well lit space - probably 25 or so 4 tops. You enter through the Quality Inn, and the restaurant is immediately on your left. Standard host/register at the front, and then lots of seating. Buffet is against the back right wall. Looks like they have 8 warmers on the buffet line, and the cough guard had "Hello My Name Is" style name tags with the names of the 16 or so dishes handwritten on them. In any case, no buffet as I was there for dinner. There were also at least 3 TVs in the place, which actually had volume on. When I got there, there was one person waiting on a to go order, and by the time I'd left, I had seen one other person come in for a to go order, a group of 3, and a couple who stopped in for a drink before going to the movies.
Pretty standard Indian restaurant feel, where everything is a bit upscale, but not really - glasses on the table with cloth napkins in them, settings, etc, all on top of glass table toppers covering a real table cloth.
Pappadum came out while I was perusing the menu, with some mint chutney and a tamarind chutney, and was okay.
Menu is pretty extensive, probably over 100 items, with entrees looking to average around $12. I ordered the Curry Vegetarian Thali dinner for 1 ($15), which is described as "A traditional Indian meal served in a thali, with lenti soup, samosa naan, and choice of two entrees" - I assume there's supposed to be comma between samosa and naan, but it wasn't on the menu. The new restaurant bit was apparent, as the gentleman I ordered from had to read from the menu what I wanted, and then after he was getting ready to run the order back to the kitchen, I had to stop him and ask if I got to pick two entrees. I picked the saag paneer and the mutter paneer. He asked if I wanted mild, medium, or spicy, and I went with spicy.
I also got a Taj Mahal beer - no drink list that I could see (checked the menu as well as the little sign on the table), and I didn't think to ask, but the server did mention they had beer.
Soup and the samosa came out - I think the soup was a mulligatawny with tomatoes and red peppers, while the samosa was very hot, obviously having just been cooked. The food seemed average to me, and the presentation seemed to match the quality. While the glasses and initial settings looked a bit upscale, the bowls, plates, and rest of the service was that heavy, white restaurant ceramic, like what you might see in a diner or a cafeteria.
My entree came out - a large plate with three small bowls - the saag, the mutter, and some raita, as well as some jasmine/basmati rice. The rice was just plain white, no seasoning as you often see, and there was also a clump in there that had come from the edge of the rice cooker. I ended up dumping both the saag and mutter on my plate, and set the raita aside (not a fan in general). Both the saag and the mutter were okay, and had generous amounts of paneer. Neither of them made me think "OH EM GEE" or anything. The naan was standard as well. In fact, the food seemed to be about the quality of what you might find in a buffet line - rice that's a bit clumpy from having sat around for a bit, and saag and mutter that were just okay.
Service was a bit disjointed, and I had at least 3 or 4 different people asking me about things, busing plates, and the lack of experience was obvious as they tried to figure out where to place items, when to take things away (or not take them away as the case may have been). I was sitting alone at a four top, and they didn't clear the other settings, and they seemed to be struggling to find where to put plates and food and things, which should not be a problem when there's only one person at a four top.
One more working out the kinks bit - the menu has a URL of http://tajmahalindiancuisineinreno.com, on the cover but that doesn't appear to actually work. Going to http://tajmahalindiancuisinereno.com looks like a placeholder for a site to come.
So, lots of little details - typos on the menu, staff still not familiar with the menu, no beverage menu, and weird service - that were obviously things that were being worked on, and I'm willing to let slide.
I still want to try their buffet, but in general, the food seems comparable to the existing Indian options in town (though I have not been to Mantra since they took over the Indian Garden). Overall, the meal I had would probably have been fair in the $10-$12 range, but seemed a bit expensive at $15 | 1neutral
| 938 |
You want to talk about an ideal post rando hook up with a babe in New Orleans? Brunch, bread of corn and babes. Yessss, that was day two of "New Orleans Detox 2016: Fully Erect."
Man. What a night. Woke up a little dazed and confused. Took me a hot sec before I realized I was in New Orleans. Totally forgot I had shady dipped on NYC and flew down to the Big Easy for some much needed Phil alone time. The night's activities started trickling into my mind. Bourbon street. What a blast. Met the rando babe. Double blast. Eating at Shia. Triple blast.
So I roll over, about to give the 'ol ball n chain a little morning caress, when I notice a dang note.
"Dear Frank, thanks for letting my freak flag fly. Running to pick up the kids. You shouldn't be here when I get back. - Karen"
Whoa! Kids. Yuck. And who the hell is Frank?
And I was gone like the cronuts at Domnick Anus's on a Sunday at 2PM.
Last night was fun, but let's not forget this is Phil's time. Zero time to be held down. Zero time for emotions. But all the time to party. Watch out New Orleans, here comes the Philnado!
So I made my way back to Bourbon Street where the party rages. No place else worth the time anyway. Garden District? No way! What am I some 76 year old grandma who wears moo moos? Why would I want to look at a bunch of old houses . They aren't my houses. Give the people some space. Jeez.
So I'm cruising up and down Bourbon Street. Drink in hand. It was my own concoction. "Phil's Full Effect." Might be the best drink ever. You basically take a jack and coke and pour it into a beer. It's a sweet and savory combination. Everyone loves sweet and savory these days. You also get that bonus taste too, umiami or whatever. That Japanese sixth sense.
I'll tell you what I did not have! A hand grenade aka the drink that Ludacris sings about in his number one song "Pimpin' All Over the World." Nola is also famous for some red drinks and blue drinks, basically has all of the colors of the rainbow. I see all these people walking around with blue mouths. What are we, six? Who wants to walk around with colored garbage all over their face? I don't trust anything that's neon. Yeah, rainblow bagel, I'm talking to you. (PRO TIP: Never drink or eat anything that is neon or causes your mouth to change color, you look gross! EXCEPTION TO PRO TIP: Drinking red wine is fine despite the teeth staining.)
Two Phil's Full Effects later and my mind was telling me go but my body was telling me I need some food. I had been chatting it up with some native babe at Chart Room and was feelin' vibes. I told her let's get outta here, I know a spot on the West Side and she tells me she's "lookin' to go south of the border." Wasn't really down with all the Nola lingo, so I said I'd catch her on the DM. I lied. I'd never waste a good DM on her.
So I decided to make my way over to Willa Jean. Heard it's this dank brunch place. This dood John Besh aka the Stephen Curry of restaurants opened this joint and that's how you knows it's gonna be good. If you don't know about my main man John, get on the blogs bro. I believe he owns like 37 restaurants in New Orleans and might be the mayor. Elite status for sure.
Brunch for one. Zero shame. And just as I get settled at my table, who do I see but an angel sent straight from the French Quarter. This was the future ex-Mrs. Phil W.
ME: What time you finish your shift?
BABE WAITRESS: You're my last table.
ME: Two BMs and keep 'em coming!
Brunch was a blur.
Man. Felt like deja voodoo. Deja voodoo is the New Orleans form of deja vu. I was back in a rando apartment. It's not my fault those BMs aka Bloody Mary's were the key to my waitress's heart. The rest of the details are not for you. Get your own life! (PRO TIP: You don't need to get a hotel in Nola. You'll always find a person looking to get some New Orleans strange; best to keep options open.)
I don't know who Willa Jean is, and if she's a real person, but if she ran for president in this year's election, I'd totally vote for her. The bread of corn came out with steam still rising and with a side of butter and syrup. The fried chicken sandwich with slaw was so light. Thank god they didn't fry it like we were at some dang state fair. The avocado toast, wow. Wasn't going to order because I can make this at home, but what a simple combo that packs the punch of Kimbo Slice in the backyards of deep Miami. Whoever started smearing toast with avocado sure deserves one of those Nobel prizes.
I love New Orleans. I love New Orleans like a fat kid loves cake. Like moths love the mold on sloths. Like flies love poop. Like Kanye loves Kanye. | 2positive
| 902 |
The owners are new to the restaurant gig and Barnyard has only been open a couple of weeks. For those reasons, I would be inclined to charitable view for just how bad was our first, and likely last, visit there. But for the fact of glowing reviews that drew us in. And but for the owners' marketing rhetoric that had us waxing enthusiastic and which the reality of our experience matched not at all.
The food was inedible. Truly. There have not been many times my hubby and I left an entire meal uneaten. As here. And while our server was very nice it seems servers had not been trained on the menu. At all. For those reasons, we'd be hard pressed to go back here again and if someone suggested it we'd say 'no go'. That's our 2 star standard. They are not ready for prime-time.
Here is the MARKETING RHETORIC: "... farm fresh right to your table...Fresh cheeses, milks, yogurts made daily by hand in an age old artisevan fashion...We bake our breads fresh and serve it with our house made butters...consciously sourced meats are cooked low and slow in a revival of rural American cooking...comfort foods...casual, inexpensive yet elevated...focus on local quality ingredients starting with our own farm...a timeless journey back to what wholesome food used to be..."
Here is the REALITY OF OUR VISIT:
VIBE: Starting with the best thing, the interior was light and bright farm-style meets strip mall; comfortable with standard height seating (hooray) at wood tables arranged in a way that felt as if there was breathing room. In the era of "sardine can" seating, good for them! Although there was only one other couple in the place when we arrived and only two others when we left, I imagine if there were lots of people it would still have felt good.
A bar at the entry had a few high counter stools.
Music was country western cranked up a few decibels too high, but it fit the space otherwise.
MENU: Serving lunch and supper (yes, supper in the old farm style word, I love it) from about 11am through 9pm, there is a different menu for each meal. Other reviewers left photos of menus or find them at Barnyard's web site. Some items are supper only, like pot roast, and some make it on both menus, like fried green tomatoes or Mama's Biscuits. And that is where the rub started.
SERVICE & FOOD: We were there for lunch but asked if we could order sides, called "Fixin's" off the supper menu. Specifically cornbread. If not, we said, we'd order biscuits. Our server checked with the kitchen and returned to report "Fixins" were supper only so no cornbread at lunch. Or biscuits, she said, the kitchen says biscuits are supper only.
But, we said, there are Mama's Biscuits (4 to the order with house made butter and jam) listed as a lunch menu item. And biscuits appear on the lunch menu as "comes with..." several items. How does that work if the kitchen tells you biscuits aren't served at lunch?
The server agreed this didn't make sense. She said she would check with the manager.
The server returned. The manager, she said, offered to get us a side of biscuits. Special help. OK then. We took the manager up on it. But this was perilously close to the "I'll have toast" scene from Five Easy Pieces. I mean, biscuits are listed several times on the regular lunch menu.
Here's the run down on food items we ordered. Note I didn't say ate.
Mamas Biscuits - We received 2 not 4 (per menu) hockey puck sized biscuits. "Oops", said the server when she picked up our plates," the kitchen should have put 4 on the plate but I didn't know the menu says that." Biscuits were too dense. The house butter with them was over churned. But they were the best part of the meal and the only thing we finished.
Fried Green Tomatoes - encased in a heavy, bland, completely under seasoned batter and fried to be greasy. The half slice of chewy bacon on top of each was good though. Ate the bacon and after sampling the tomatoes, left them. I love fried green tomatoes and have had yummy ones many times. This was not one of those times.
Shrimp and Grits - this entree arrived to be the worst version of this dish we have been served. Anywhere. Ever. Bland, under seasoned grits and tasteless shrimp although the cubes of pork (is that you, country ham?) were OK. Two bites was too much and we set the dish aside.
Wedge Salad - half portion came with grits entree, although our server was unaware this was printed on the menu. She had to go double check when we asked where it was. Tomatoes were good, dressing was good if scant, but the kind of iceberg that ought not be put on a plate. (To see Wedge done right, visit Bodacious Pig.)
VALUE
Had manager not comped $18 of our bill (very nice of her, we didn't expect it), the total would have been $28 for lunch for two with no beverages.
NOTE
HH 3p - 6p daily.
Located next to Lucky Fin, across from Red Robin. | 0negative
| 884 |
So the family and I decided to get Chinese take out from a local restaurant I've been going to for 30+ years tonight. I called in the order at 7:19pm under my wife's cell number. Three entrees, two orders of egg rolls and egg flower soup. My wife and daughter were out shopping and they said they would pick it up. I texted my daughter that the order is under my wife's cell number.
My wife called me from the parking lot at the restaurant and asked what I had ordered. Apparently, when they arrived at the restaurant my daughter walked in and gave the female employee at the counter the cell number for the order, the female employee grabs a ticket and rings her up for the order. My wife and daughter quickly checked the order and realized an item was missing so my daughter went back into the restaurant to let them know we were missing an item. The female employee tells my daughter that we didn't initially order that item so my daughter goes ahead and orders and pays for the missing item. My daughter then went outside to the parking lot to wait for the additional entree to be ready. After about 10 minutes the employee comes out to verify the phone number for our original order, realizing she may have given us the wrong order. My daughter tells her again my wife's cell phone number. The order we were originally given and paid for was almost identical to ours except it had an additional entree that we did not order. The employee then asked if we had touched any of the food, we said "well yes we ate a couple crunchy noodles while we've been waiting out here" The employee says "Ok, I'll just remake their order" leading us to believe that if we hadn't opened any of the food containers the employee would have taken the order that had been in my wife's vehicle for 10 minutes already back into the restaurant and sold it to the family that originally placed that order. I don't know that for sure, but it sure seemed that way.
When my wife and daughter arrive home and explain the situation to me, I realize we've now paid for items that we did not order, which no one in our house would eat and would probably end up being thrown away.
I called the restaurant and asked for a refund for those items. The employee says that she can refund me the items that are not mine if I bring them back to the restaurant. We load up the car with all the food and head back to the restaurant. Upon arriving I walk in and the female employee tells me that when my daughter picked up the food she didn't know my wife's cell number and looked over the ticket and said that was her order and that's why she was charged for that order. Another employee walks over and says other employees heard my daughter say she didn't know my wife's number also (which is a lie). I could tell it was very busy that night and the young female at the register seemed very flustered. The young man that had been talking to me said we could never come back to the restaurant again because this would cost the restaurant about $100 worth of food. My wife was totally fine with us never going to the restaurant again after the female employee had asked for the food back that had already been in our car for 10 minutes. We're not picky, but that doesn't seem very safe to sell food that had already been in another customers car. Again, we have no way of knowing for sure that would have happened, but it sure seemed that way.
I was basically in shock the entire time about this. The young female gave my daughter the wrong order, and then blamed my daughter by saying she did not know our phone number. We got a refund for the entire order and walked out of the restaurant for the final time. This whole situation could have been handled very easily if the female would've owned up to her mistake at the beginning. It was busy, she grabbed the wrong ticket, realized it later, tried to salvage the situation, but in the process accused my daughter of lying rather than owning the mistake. We all make mistakes, but this one cost Great Village a LONG time customer and their family. | 0negative
| 760 |
I'm sorry but I just had to go with 3 stars for this restaurant. I had one of the worst dining experiences here in a long time. I have waited 3 wks to let the frustration die down so that I write a review that is fair. The food overall was good. The toast and the sweet potato pasta specifically were excellent. I would definitely recommend these items if you do go here, but the service was so poor that I don't think I'll ever come back. This was our 3rd time here because a friend chose it for her birthday dinner. I was excited to try it again because I love food and I always hear people rave about this restaurant, but my first 2 experiences here were just meh for the price and w/ so many restaurants in Nashville I didn't feel the need to ever go back.
So my friend & I arrived before the rest of our party & went to the bar. My friend got wine but I waited for the table. We (5 of us) were seated at our reservation time at 6 by the hostess. Note, they require your whole party to be present for seating, so plan accordingly. The person filling water glasses came by & filled ours immediately. Then we waited...and waited...and waited. After 20 minutes of sitting without being addressed at all (and I looked at my phone for timing so I could write it in the review) I noticed a waiter that was walking aimlessly around the restaurant & wondered if he was our waiter. I tried making eye contact but couldn't so after he passed by us for about the 4th time, I followed him to the server station & asked him & another girl politely if anyone was coming soon to take our drinking order. He said yes that he just had to put something in the computer first & he'd be right over (like he hadn't been just walking around nonchalantly for 10 mins). I said okay & sat back down. A few mins later he comes over & calmly asks how we are doing tonight & if we wanted to put in a drink order. I said yes & we put in our drink orders. We asked for the toast as a starter & the bread as well. He ended up talking my friend out of ordering the bread as a starter because he said it would be better w/ the pasta, so we told him we would start w/ the toast & look at the menu more to choose the rest of our order. He leaves & we get our drinks relatively quickly after. Another 20 mins goes by & our toast hasn't come out. He finally comes back after another 5 minutes (it is now 6:45) & he asks us if we are ready to order. I said yes but asked if he could inquire after our toast first since we had had our drinks for a while w/ no food. He then proceeded to say that he didn't put an order in for anything because he thought we wanted to look over the menu still. Ok so if he thought that, why would he wait 25 minutes before coming to ask us if we were ready to order yet?! By this point I was livid but containing myself for the sake of my friend. We put in our full order so that we wouldn't have to go through this again & I asked if he could have the toast come out quicker. He said this was impossible but he could slow down the other dishes so they wouldn't come out at the same time. I told him no, definitely not just put everything in.
Fortunately the kitchen was doing a good job & our food came out relatively quickly. However, when it came out we had no plates to use to share the dishes so we had to sit there & look at the food that we had waited an hour for before someone came back to ask for small plates to eat off of (this was stuff like broccoli and sweet potato, not things that we could easily have pulled a piece off of without getting a mess everywhere). The brought us plates finally & we were able to eat. The same thing happened when the pasta round came out. They cleared all the dishes but didn't bring us new ones or utensils this time so they plated the food on the table and we couldn't eat it. The waiter came over and asked us how everything was looking but didn't address the fact that we couldn't eat it yet. Like rubbing salt in a wound. I asked him for the items and he went and brought them. I honestly felt like he had smoked a joint before he came into work w/ his nonchalant attitude and his lack of care as a waiter. For example, almost at the end of our meal he came by and asked us how our "first bites" were tasting. I mean, what??
We finished our food & dessert, paid the bill, and never had a single person offer to rectify the situation. Normally, I would have gotten a manager after the first 20 mins, but I didn't want to make my friend feel bad. That is absolutely unacceptable, especially for the price I'm paying for a dining experience here. And yes, I know his name if you are the business owner & want to know but won't put it in this review. Awful experience. | 1neutral
| 939 |
Fuddruckers
What kind of name is that?
But, it's catchy, hard to pronounce and memorable.
My family and I have been going to Fuddruckers ever since they opened up in the Valley (San Fernando).
We enjoyed them and when they opened up here in Sparks, we went there and it made such an impression that we just don't go back that often.
The hamburgers, which are good, aren't great for the price that you pay for.
It feels that the patrons are paying more for the decor and established name than the food and service.
Until my dad received a coupon for a buy one get one for their chicken sandwich.
Hmm, chicken I thought. Sure, why not.
We arrived about 8:00 PM on a Thursday. It was moderately busy. We walked right up to the counter and guess what?
We waited! It felt like a long time, but in reality, it was more likely about a minute.
The service we received from the gentleman behind the counter was... surprisingly friendly!
He spoke clearly and it actually seemed that he was there to help us, rather than to just push us through the cattle call line.
I ordered the chicken sandwich grilled and my dad got his crispy.
We were told that the crispy chicken was sold out.
We were mildly surprised. But, before we had a chance to think about it, the sales representative of the chicken sandwiches told us that they were substituting 3 crispy chicken fingers in place of the chicken breast. My dad was agreeable to that and we continued the ordering process. We both ordered our fries without salt.
The coupon was taken and applied properly. Even the proper amount was removed from the total bill. We both ate for about $11 and change.
Both, my dad and myself enjoy their drink machine. You can get over a hundred different flavors of soda, both diet and regular in their computerized soda machine.
So, after we got our drinks, we sat down. Within a reasonable period of time, the food was ready.
I walked up with the buzzing pager, lights all blinking like it was Christmas and I thought, hmmmm. Where be the fries.
A different representative of the Fuddrucker corporation calmly told me that the fries were still not ready but he would bring them out to our table upon their completion. I asked about three to five minutes, he said about 3 and they came out about four minutes later.
He was polite, courteous best part, he had the fries!
Unsalted, no less!
Normally, I would ding on a late food item. But, these people are not chefs and orchestrating any meal does take a bit of skill. Don't believe me? Watch me make Thanksgiving dinner! Just stay out of my way.
What made the late fries acceptable was the fact that they (Fuddruckers) was up front and honest. How hard is that for any restaurant? They were friendly and it was all good.
How was the food? We actually were waiting for the fries to arrive. My grilled chicken sandwich was good. Really good. It was a much larger chicken breast than I expected. Actually, it exceeded the bun size on two sides! It was seasoned well without being over seasoned. The breast meat was cooked perfectly. Not dried out, nor undercooked. And the bun, which it was served on? Fresh.
My dad's crispy chicken sandwich was good. He wouldn't go so far to say that it was better than their hamburger, but he enjoyed it. But, perhaps that was due to the fact that instead of a chicken breast, three chicken fingers were served.
Honestly, I thought that was the best meal I've had at Fuddruckers (don't say it when you're drunk) in a long time.
Dings? Yes, there were just a couple.
Perhaps it was due to the time at night or just laziness. The floor was dirty. Though, I don't appreciate when a restaurant vacuums while I'm eating, they could use the push manual vacuum. There was food particles and pieces of paper on the floor of meals past. But, on a lighter note, their condiment section was clean and fairly fresh! The onions were about 95% perfect. I did pull a limp onion ring out of the bin. But their leafed lettuce was fantastic!
The ketchup and other gooey pourables were clean and fully stocked.
During one of our trips up to the drink machines, it may have been a manager or just a well dressed inquisitive individual asked us how we were. My dad responded with a "Fantastic!"
This was one of our better visits to Fuddruckers.
Bottom line
-----------------
Yes, we will continue to patronize Fuddruckers.
Before this great visit, the service was fair to good and the food was always stable.
I would also recomend this place to friends, if they like this sort of establishment. | 2positive
| 820 |
Ever since Canteen opened nearly six months ago, it's been at the top of my list of places to try in Edmonton. It has come to my attention recently that my list isn't as important as I thought and a little useless if I just go based on what I'm craving for the night. Not only did it take me awhile to make my way there, it has taken me awhile to write about it! The thing is, Canteen isn't even that far from downtown, nor is it far from the north side where I live. So really, there are no excuses. Except maybe for multiple failed brunch plans but I'll blame that on Joe since my will for him to wake up in time where brunch is an adequate term never happens.
We finally did make our way down to Canteen by the end of May though. Only five months late but it's better than never. Being Red Ox Inn's sister restaurant, there has been high expectations from Canteen. Unfortunately, I have never been to Red Ox Inn (yet!) so I wasn't sure what to expect. I'll let you know this first: I should have went five months ago. And multiple times afterwards. Should really stick to my list.
It was packed when we arrived and with a last minute reservation for 8pm on a Tuesday night, this was a good sign for the restaurant. I was too excited about the menu to look at much else, although I loved the tabletops, which mimicked an end grain cutting board. Also noteworthy, our server offered Still Q water or sparkling water as our water options. It's $1 per person and if you weren't thinking quickly, you'd probably say "still water" and get charged. Tap water is fine for me! I would have liked it better if our server mentioned that instead of giving the two options that they charge for.
We started with an appetizer: the salad of smoked whitefish complete with a soft-boiled egg, asparagus, Lactuca greens, pickled onions and mustard vinaigrette. A bit unusual for us because we almost never order salads. It was Joe's choice though as opposed to my initial instincts of ordering dessert instead. Not sure if it was the soft-boiled egg or the smoked whitefish that caught his attention, but both of them were the star of the dish. Perfectly cooked, runny yolk egg with albeit a misleading coating on the outside that would suggest it was heavily seasoned, mixed into the salad and the dressing made it oh so yummers. Where it lacked in seasoning though, it was made up for by the pieces of smoked whitefish underneath the salad. Imagine smoked salmon, but more fine-tuned. Pretty delicious and refreshing! Definitely recommended.
The special for the evening was duck breast served with a goat cheese arancini, braised cabbage and a sour cherry gastrique. When our server mentioned this, I pretty much had no choice but to order it. I love duck. I think I'll order duck every time if I'm trying out a new place. It's just a better and tastier version of chicken. How can you go wrong?! (You can by the way, but that's a different story at a different restaurant). This dish was well made though, a medium cooked duck breast although a little more seasoning on the skin would be nice. Then again, if that were so, the saltiness of the goat cheese in the arancini would have made the whole dish too salty, so everything worked out nicely. The sour cherry gastrique was pretty interesting, with an unexpected smoky flavor to it to counteract a hint of tartness. Really gave a unique BBQ-esque flavor to the dish. Normally I'm not a fan of cabbage (ever) but I didn't mind the side of braised red cabbage when mixed in with the sauce.
Joe ordered the Moroccan lamp chops and its presentation blew me out of the water. It. Looked. Amaaaaazing. Served alongside an eggplant caponata with hazelnut celeriac lentil salad and minted raita, it was pretty stellar. The lamb chops were cooked medium and the explosion of flavor from the outer crust of seasoning was fantastic. I know Moroccan food is supposed to have that zip in your mouth, but I'll be honest, I haven't found a lot of dishes like that in Edmonton restaurants. Our only criticism: the eggplant was a little overcooked and had that mushy eggplant texture, which neither of us were a fan of. The raita, a yogurt-based sauce, was a great contrast to the spices though and the lentils were done nicely. Given a second round, I don't think Joe would order it again, seeing that he didn't enjoy the sides as much as the lamb itself (personal preference though). I would try it again though and hope that the eggplant is not mushy!
So what did I take from the dinner? A stomach filled with excellent food, a dessert side-stomach that felt abandoned, and a reminder to myself to follow my list. Next time I visit, I'll opt for a dessert because that dark chocolate terrine with creme anglais has my name written all over it. | 2positive
| 863 |
***DO NOT support a business that STEALS from CUSTOMERS(picture to prove)***this place is prejudice and discriminate on certain nationalities. they judge you and treat you differently if your not hispanics. i came from a diverse city and seeing how these hispanics out here treat others that is not hispanics makes me think twice about them. one of the worst mexican restaurant in reno. first time there and it was horrible! his demeanor towards me set off a bad vibe. he was smiling at other customer and treated them with kindness but for me when i asked for somthing he didn't seem like he wanted to serve me, don't know the reason why, but probably i wasn't caucasian or hispanic. never came by my table to check if i needed anything else but always showed up the the caucasian couple that was sitting next me. he saw my cup of water was empty and instead of walking pass my table to get a refill he walk the opposite side of my table ignoring me, knowing i need a refill of water. if you want more business then treat every customer the same.
the food is not great either. ordered the carna asada plate and it was not good at all. the rice was hard and crunchy that was waayyyy under cooked and seems very old from last week. i know for a fact i was serve old rice and old chips on purpose. the chip for the salsa was way to hard and the salsa itself was waterdown with no chuck of tomatoes. the dining experience was horrible because of a f**king flies that keep buzzing and landing on my head and little mice dropping on the tables. my food was $15.00 and the total was $16 and somthing cents but when he punch the total on his phone to charge me i saw $17 and somthing cent and if your going to charge me $1.00 for using my card then you should of notify me. i'll check my bank statements and if i was charged an xtra $1 then they robbed me of $1 and i'll post my bank statements picture on this place. i will never recommend this place to anyone.
the food i ordered was $15.00 if you do the math correctly, tax should've been $1.24 so where did the other $1.34 came from? i did not leave a tip. great way to open your new establishment and steal from customer that dine at your restaurant. the f**king owner needs to contact me and give me a good f**king reason why i was charged $1.34 xtra for no f**king reason. if i was charged $1.00 for using my credit card that i spend $15.00 on food here is clearly a janky establishment that steals from customer. beware and do not support these hard working thieves that steal from you. great way to bring up a story with the news crews on a janky establishment that just open and already stealing customer money that dine at their janky establishment!! f**king horrible disgusting people that do that type of sh*t!! hope you know what "btw" means. this disgusting place will close down sooner then they expected. do not recommend this place to anyone period!!!!
The owner have 1 week to contact me explaining the reason why i was charge xtra for no reason. FYI, I'm a family man and we all have our own device, tablet and computers with many emails for personal and businesses, hope you get where I'm going with that because 2 can play that game and it would suck for your new dirty, janky filthy establishment to get horrible REVIEWS so soon because of your horrible employee/manager/owner who are stealing from customer who is spending good money at your janky establishment. FIX THE ISSUE OR BE PREPARED TO BE BOMBARDED WITH HORRIBLE REVIEWS.
DISGUSTING AND DISGRACEFUL FOR A NEW RESTAURANTS THAT JUST OPEN!! ASK YOURSELF WAS IT WORTH IT TO STEAL $1.34 FROM ME? IS IT GOING TO BE WORTH THE MANY HORRIBLE REVIEWS TO FOLLOW?
TRIED ASKING FOR THE MONEY BACK FROM THE OWNER THAT STOLE FROM ME AND HE IS NOT TRYING TO GIVE IT BACK. MESSAGE HIM ON YELP AND NEVER WANT TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE(SEE PICTURE). THE OWNER IS A THIEF AND I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THE GOOD PEOPLE IN RENO TO AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COST. DO NOT SUPPORT A BUSINESS AND ITS OWNER WHO STEALS FROM CUSTOMER AND NOT TRY TO GIVE IT BACK KNOWING THAT HE IS GUILTY. DISGUSTING AND DISGRACEFUL OWNER AT THIS ESTABLISHMENT THAT JUST OPEN.
BEWARE AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COST. | 0negative
| 778 |
Beware of CVS Pharmacy! This is a long post so to shortcut; I went to CVS for my Flu vaccine and the Pharmacist accidentally gave me the COVID Vaccine.
I am not posting this for advice but to inform people that if you use CVS for prescriptions or vaccines you need to be aware of a lack of policies and procedures that should be in place to ensure we, as customers, receive the correct vaccine and or prescription.
I have received both Moderna vaccines at Safeway in the spring of 2021. According to CDC guidelines, I do not need the booster because I am a healthy 59-year-old, with no pre-existing conditions.
On 9/I4/21, I went to the CVS Pharmacy in Reno off Robb Drive to get my annual flu shot. I registered with the pharmacy and went to the aisle to wait. There was an older man waiting to get his COVID vaccine. The Pharmacist came out and confirmed that I was to receive the Flu vaccine and the man, his COVID vaccine.
The Pharmacist administers the vaccine and exclaims - Oh my god, I just gave you COVID versus the flu vaccine. I was obviously shocked and not sure what to do and the Pharmacist did not have a clue and walked back behind the counter. I left because it was apparent, he was not going to assist. I went to a cashier and requested a manager who quickly explained she had nothing to do with the Pharmacy (not my problem) and directed me to the Pharmacist (who was the one who administered the incorrect vaccine).
I stopped at the Nurse's station and told them what occurred and all I received was - 'Oh, that is terrible, but I think you will be fine'. I was directed to the MOD at the Pharmacy who did not know what to do but told me a manager would contact me the following day. The nurse did give me a sheet that explained the side effects of the COVID vaccine.
The first concern is that NO ONE had any idea what to do. No operating procedures, systems, or policies in place i.e., getting my history for the covid vaccine, taking my statement, documenting what occurred, recording my phone number and email, asking me to wait the standard 15 minutes, etc. The Pharmacist stayed behind the counter and never made eye contact or spoke to me again.
Second concern and the most obvious - I did not want my booster until later and thankfully it was Moderna which was my original vaccine. What if I was someone who did not believe in the COVID vaccine? My husband had emergency surgery a few days prior, and I know that I have zero side effects from the flu vaccine but with COVID, I do get very tired, feverish and I needed to be on my game to help my husband.
Another manager contacted me later and apologized that he could not find my phone number, so he called my husband's phone. He was nice but very nervous and it was obvious he did not have any training for these situations. He admitted they should have protocols in place, but he kept chuckling because he was nervous which came across as he was not properly trained, and this was my main concern. He said the Risk Department would be in touch (again, not my problem).
The Risk Manager contacted me, and I explain what occurred. I emphasized my concern with the lack of any type of protocol and the fact no one knew what to do. He informed me that CVS has blanket immunity for the COVID vaccine. Yes, I am sure you do but that is if I become ill due to the vaccine, but it has nothing to do with the CVS pharmacist administering the incorrect vaccine.
Again, it was apparent there was a lack of customer service training. At one point the noise over the phone was so loud I could not hear him, so I asked what was going on. He explained he was working from home; he did not have his noise-canceling headset on and his wife was making a racket. Any manager in this situation should be professional and take this seriously. He did inquire as to what I wanted which was to make sure the team members are trained and if he feels compensation should be given, I would leave that to his department. He asked if a gift card would be acceptable and I explained we were moving out of the country so no, a gift card would not be appropriate.
He contacted me the following week and asked if I would like a $100 gift card which I declined.
By the way, I did go back to check on the man who was awaiting his vaccine to make sure he was okay. He was older, probably mid to late '80s and I would have felt terrible if something happened to him. He seemed to be fine but I don't think he will go back to CVS. | 0negative
| 849 |
Overwhelming disappointment.
I eagerly awaited the opening of Fleur de Lilies. I live less than 100 yards from the venue, and I was truly excited at the prospect of this Creole-Korean fusion restaurant. Unfortunately, my first experience left much to be desired. I will start by prefacing that both our waitress and another woman (couldn't tell if she was a host or manager) told us that they had a crazy day, and apologized for all the delays.
My girlfriend and I had dinner at FDL on Saturday, 9/5/2015 at 8:00p.m. The restaurant certainly has a nice appearance. The lights were very bright, though, which was odd for dinner service. About 1.5 hours after we sat down someone must have noticed and dimmed the lights.
Service: 3/10
We had a reservation and were sat immediately. The downstairs dining room was full, but I did not note anyone waiting for a table and I saw open seats at the bar. It took about 12-15 minutes for our waitress to first approach our table. As I noted above, she apologized for the wait. While this was longer than I would like to wait to initially get service, it was forgivable. By the time our waitress came to get our drink order, we put our entire order in. Our waitress never asked how our food or drinks were - more on these items below. She never asked if we wanted another drink, and didn't think to say anything when my girlfriend's cocktail sat there barely touched after she had it for over half an hour. She spoke with us maybe 4 or 5 times during the approximately 2 hours were sat at the table. After we paid for the check (in cash) we had to flag someone else down to go get our change from our waitress, as 15 minutes passed and she was nowhere to be seen. Our waitress was by no means rude to us, but she hurt rather than helped our experience. She was surely busy, as I noticed at least a 9 top, 6 top and another 2 top in the room she was attending to. However, even after the restaurant began to clear out, she was still inattentive and hard to find.
Drinks: 2/10
I ordered an old fashioned and my girlfriend ordered a gimlet. The bartender came and asked us whether she wanted a vodka or gin gimlet because the waitress forgot to ask. My old fashioned looked wrong from the get-go. It looked more like a juice cocktail than an old fashioned. There was certainly the standard muddled fruit, but it tasted like the drink was made out of about half syrup, and it was watery. You could hardly tell it was made with bourbon, which is kind of the point of an old fashioned. It just was not what I wanted, and I was never asked if it was to my liking. It didn't taste bad, but if you're asking for $10 for a cocktail, I expect it to be made well. My girlfriend's gimlet was even worse. It tasted like it was close to pure lime juice. Undrinkable. She did not finish even half of it. Neither of us were asked if we would like another drink, so I interjected at our waitress that I would like a Hoegaarden. The beer was fine, but that's pretty hard to screw up.
Food: 4/10
We ordered the edamame appetizer. I ordered the duck, and she ordered one of the sushi rolls (can't recall). It took about half an hour for the edamame to arrive. Not the best wait time for a simple dish, but I understand they were busy. The edamame had an interesting taste to it - almost "fishy." It was fine. Relatively small portion for $4, though. We waited about another 45 minutes for out entrees. In total it took about 1 hour 20 minutes for us to get the entrees. This is not a crazy long wait time, but it felt like it based on the poor quality service from our waitress. It was made worse by the poor quality drinks. The duck was ok, but not great. I am not sure whether it was completely cooked, as it was still a little bloody in a few parts. It tasted fine but didn't wow me for $23 (one of their more expensive dishes). The duck was paired with some noodles and broth which reminded me of ramen (in taste). It all came off as a little bland, which is not what I expected. My girlfriend's sushi roll was ok, but something about it was off. It just did not seem fresh. It was almost as if they made the roll earlier then let it sit out before serving it at the same time as the duck. All in all, it was closer to gas station sushi than what I expect from an actual sushi chef. Our waitress randomly gave us some of the orange glazed wings at some point - no explanation as to why. They also seemed like they were not very fresh - almost seemed microwaved. Perhaps a dish that was made on accident? They were edible and had an interesting orange taste to them, but they were not good enough for me to desire to eat a second one.
Overall, the food was disappointing. It could have made up for all of the other shortcomings, but it did not. This meal cost me about $71 and I would have been more satisfied with a $30 meal that tasted great and was accompanied by good service.
I really hope this was just an off night, as this place has so much potential. | 0negative
| 950 |
I took a friend here for a "milestone" birthday as a surprise. All in all, it was a pleasant evening but one I probably won't repeat, at least not for dinner.
The location is one of my favorite kinds-very Philly. It's a corner location at 21st & Rittenhouse Square, a converted house on a mainly residential block. The small bar is on the first floor and the dining area is up a flight of stairs. The night we were there, the amazing Paul MacDonald was behind the bar, deftly mixing his complex, gotta have cocktails. I would have been more than happy to sit at the bar, order oysters, watch Paul do his magical thing and try at least 4 or 5 of his specials.
The food here is (in my mind) quite expensive and the idea (according to the waiters) is that you order 1 or 2 dishes from 5 categories and share. Since my friend loves seafood, we started with the "Plateau" which is $69 and not very big for that price. It's a 2 tier tray of 4 jumbo shrimp, 4 oysters, 4 little pieces of crab, something with clams and mussel toast. Everything was absolutely fresh and there was a stunning Meyer lemon granita for the oysters but the oysters were thin shelled and tiny. I loved the mussel toast and we could have eaten a tray of it and slurped a mixing bowl of the granita. We only sound like barbarians-we really aren't.
Our waiter was helpful and professional and advised us on what he felt were the best things in each category and how much we should order. We also got the grilled octopus in a menudo broth with beans which (to me) sounded heavy but was very flavorful and hearty. The octopus was cooked perfectly. It was meaty but totally tender. Along with it, our server brought out the popular carrot confit. It was a tiny amount of cooked carrots on a very large plate. Forgettable. It was nicely plated but it was also a $12 order of just a few carrots; some chopped, some in ribbons.
The lavash "bread" that people rave about was literally paper thin and stuck into the butter that accompanied it. It crumbled if you breathed on it and we wound up just using our knives to get at the butter after the fragile lavash was mostly gone.
We skipped the pasta section and choose the roast chicken from the Plate section and the carmelized cauliflower. The chicken (which was really half a chicken) was moist and succulent and came with a small garnish of broccolini and a potato and celery root pave'. We could not taste the potato and the broccolini was not even much of a serving for one. Never mind splitting it. The cauliflower at $13 was pleasant but nothing out of the ordinary although it was a better size for 2 than the carrots. My friend took the leg, I had a few slices of the moist white meat and even ate the dark, crisp skin (something I usually discard) and he wound up eating the rest of the chicken with his hands as he wanted every morsel. Yes, it was THAT good.
Service was attentive and polite, not overly friendly but not cold, either. Very good timing bringing everything out. Nice looking waiter. A tall, stocky, all American looking young man in a crisp white shirt, apron and black suspenders. He looked like a college athlete. We behaved and did not flirt with him.
We had room for dessert so we ordered labneh panna cotta and a tiny bundt cake with a side scoop of ice cream and a snifter of 18 year old Calvados. The waiter said in all honesty that he was not a brandy drinker when I asked for a recommendation but he pointed out 2 different price ranges that were frequently ordered. I really appreciated his candor. Desserts were stellar. Not too sweet and not too small.
We had an early reservation and at first we had the dining room to ourselves but of course, the room filled up as the late afternoon turned to evening. The noise level was never unpleasant and the table spacing allows an intimate dinner at a two top. Kudos to the small, well lit and immaculate bathroom just past the service kitchen that had candles burning and faux vintage fixtures.
My friend liked his dinner so I was happy, but I'll be happier going back for a relaxed week night happy hour or a spending few weekend hours with head bartender Paul at his well run downstairs bar with all the arcane potions he concocts (eggplant syrup, for example). | 1neutral
| 786 |
First review on the new Southern Inspired Bistro. Woot Woot!
I had the pleasure of attending the VIP soft opening of the new Southern Bistro at Monarch last night.
First, I have to say that the place looks awesome. Seriously gorgeous decor. Watch out Araka, your days as "best lookin' restaurant" may be numbered!
Since it was the soft opening of the new side, only the Bistro menu was available. Believe it or not, I was actually a Southern food virgin before this meal. Unless you count Trader Joe box cornbread. I've never had crawfish, or a po'boy, or gumbo. Mostly because I'm a not a big fan of spicy food. Yeah, I am perhaps not the target market, but I do so enjoy being a VIP (ok fine it was my dining partner. I was the +1) that I figured I could probably find something a little less Southernly...
Nope. The menu is pretty much all Southern all the time. A whole section of po'boys and lots of pork and things with the word "corn" in them. Which I suppose one should expect in a Southern bistro. It's also reasonably priced, with nothing over 20 bucks. Yes, the menu actually has the word 'bucks' instead of a dollar sign, or the Niche trend of just a number that is too cool for the $. I was definitely out of my comfort zone a bit, but you know what, in the end I was pretty impressed.
instead of a bread basket, they bring you fresh hot cornbread one delicious slice at a time. And they keep it coming throughout the entire meal! Mmmm, light and fluffy and a little sweet with none of those crazy peppers and hot shit that people sometime put in cornbread.
We started with a praline bacon appetizer. Bacon. Appetizer. Just bacon. Sweet bacon. With brown sugar and nuts and downright amazingness going on. I can't even tell you how good this was. Although it was a little awkward to eat. The bacon was not super crispy and since it was covered in deliciousness, you kinda had to cut it with a fork and knife. I think the bacon could stand to be a bit crisipier and maybe if the goodies were more caramelized instead of dusted, it might be easier to eat. But the taste was divine.
I got shrimp and grits for my entree since I've never had it (yes really) and my dining partner got the Tasso spiced porkchop special. Like I said, my Southern cuisine cred is definitely lacking, but I thought this was very good. It was served in a cast-iron skillet and the portion was decent sized. Not huge, but not skimpy. The menu said cheddar grits, but they didn't taste very cheesy. And I thought the Bourbon sauce would be sweeter. It had a bit of a kick, but nothing that even my spice-wuss self couldn't handle. The grits were pretty thin. I was expecting more of a polenta texture for some reason. But, then again, you have to remember that I don't know what the hell I'm talking about. It was yummy though. i ate the whole thing. My dining partner was not in love with his porkchop, but he thought it was pretty good.
For dessert, we split the bread pudding and the pecan pie. Forget the pie. It was good, but all pie is good. The bread pudding. Oh, the bread pudding. It's a bit different than at say, Harvest, which is my favorite bread pudding of all. It's a little crispier on the outside, but the inside is light and fluffy. It wasn't swimming in sauce so it's not overwhelmingly sweet. It was heavenly. Oddly enough, there was no ice cream served with the pie or bread pudding. Hopefully they change this. We're so accustomed to seeing things ala mode that the pie especially seemed a little naked on the plate without it.
Service was excellent if even a little overly ambitious on the water boys part. My glass was refilled practically sip-by-sip! I was very impressed by the wine list. The wine list at Monarch has always been good, but I don't remember this many wines by the glass. I also had the mojito which was nice and refreshing, but not very strong. I hear the chef makes his own rootbeer. I may have to try that next time.
If both sides of the restaurant were open, I'm not sure I personally would choose the Bistro again, but I wouldn't be disappointed if someone else did. Josh Galliano is an amazing chef and if anyone can make the N'awlins thing work in St. Louis, it's definitely him. | 2positive
| 783 |
I am local and will NEVER step foot in the GSR again after DECADES of patronage. They simply DO NOT CARE.
I've been visiting this place off & on since 1991 (remember Bally's?) but they've now lost me as a customer. They keeping trying to reinvent themselves - their bars, clubs & restaurants are constantly being revamped & renamed because they are so terrible. It is so bad that I really do wonder if this place is simply a tax write-off to its owner(s) - that would explain a lot.
Today was the last straw for me. My husband has literally had to talk me into going to their buffet (forget the New name) the last 3 times I've gone due to their consistently dry, old, overcook, bland food. My hubby SWORE to me that things had changed over there, so we went.
We arrived at roughly 10:15am. I did not see ONE food item that looked appealing or IN ANY WAY fresh - most items were OBVIOUSLY dried out and old (rice, sausage, quiche - everything). Not even the bacon looked appealing - even cheap bacon doesn't deserve the abuse it gets here. It's REALLY hard to ruin bacon for me, but this was one step above charcoal & somehow all stuck together in clumps of 3 or more pieces (like they were pressed together while being cooked well beyond crispy).
ANYWAY, I got my hungry 4 year old a clump of bacon, a dried waffle & a chewy pancake - then accidentally drenched it because the syrup was so watered down. I didn't get anything for myself, not from a lack of being hungry, but because I wasn't hungry ENOUGH to eat anything they had.
After several disappointing trips there I finally decided to speak up (how would they know how bad it is if no one complains, right?). I talked to the Manager (I think her name was Debra?) & voiced my utter dismay at the CONSISTENTLY AWFUL food they offer - & how sad it is because they have the ability to do so much better. Debra was nice & apologetic. She took a lap around the buffet & then came back to our table and said that I was correct - the food was indeed dry, old & had zero visual appeal. She apologized again, but then made the excuse that "it's hard to keep breakfast foods fresh", "it's almost lunch anyway" (so I guess that makes it okay?) and "no one else complained this morning". I told her that most people wouldn't take the time to complain, they just wouldn't come back. She said that they would start bringing out the lunch items at roughly 10:30-10:45 & that I/we could wait and stay for lunch. I was pretty hungry at that point, so I figured another 20 minutes would have to do.
When I finally saw them putting out fresh trays I went back to take a look. Each station had 1-3 people working - removing old food, wiping things down, etc. I picked up a pork chop (thin & well-cooked, but I was getting seriously hungry) & went to another station. The next one had, from left to right - veggies, empty tray, fish, chicken, empty tray, empty tray, marinara sauce, pasta tray - none had serving spoons or tongs. As I stood there salivating, Gal #1 finally put a spoon with the veggies, fish, sauce and pasta - so I grabbed a piece of fish & stood in front of the chicken. Gal #1 kept working on other things there, so I finally asked if I could have tongs for the chicken. She told me that I had to wait (!!!), that it wasn't time for lunch yet & then she disappeared. As I stood there waiting in front of the chicken (getting upset again & REALLY HUNGRY) Gal #2 came by & started fidgeting with things. I asked her NICELY if she could get me a pair of tongs, and jokingly added "or should I just use my fingers" (which I was seriously considering at this point). She shot back that lunch was not ready yet, that it would be a few more minutes & I had to wait. With that I was ABSOLUTELY DONE.
I went back to our table, told my husband what happened & that I wanted to leave immediately - never eating ONE bite of food. I briefly talked to Debra (the Manager) on our way out & told her about the last incident. She apologized again, but did nothing to try to remedy it.
BTW - I was NOT expecting a 5 (or even 4) star buffet here, but I was expecting edible food, which it lacked.
Thanks GSR, you've shown way too many times just how much you value return business - you'll never see mine again. | 0negative
| 812 |
Absolutely delicious and prices are a steal compared to a certain (psssst still delicious) other vegan bakery in Center City. My roommate actually introduced me to this bakery and though I don't have dietary restrictions, I do have an insane sweet tooth. After a gruesome exam, we decided to treat ourselves to a wide variety of pastries. The best thing is that this bakery is locally-owned and they also support other local businesses!
+PARKING: Street only, but not horrible compared to Center City. This part of Manayunk does get very very busy on the weekends.
+INTERIOR: Very strict on COVID guidelines. Everyone is wearing masks and gloves and they only the store to maximum 3 customers at a time. It smells wonderful when you walk in and it's very clean. Right when you walk in, there is a display of non-pastry goodies such as cards, soaps, teas, face masks, etc.
+FOOD: Now onto the good stuff :) They sell so many different varieties of dessert! They do have savory offerings, but we didn't order any. They have cookies, cakes, pop tarts, brookies, scones, and more! I love that they have a variety of classic flavors woven in with more eclectic flavors. I tend to gravitate more "spicy" flavors and unusual flavor combos, so here's a quick snapshot of the things we got:
-Rosemary Chocolate Chip Cookie: I actually really liked this one. The rosemary gives it a savory quality that reminds me of a biscuit. I personally like crispy, hard cookies. My roommate likes softer cookies, so she wasn't a big fan. I like desserts that aren't too sweet and I liked how the bitter dark chocolate when together with the rosemary. I would pass if you aren't a fan of rosemary.
-Blackberry Ginger Scone: I definitely get the ginger, but the blackberry is no where to be found. The texture is on the dry side, so perfect to pair with tea or hot coffee. The ginger gives it a subtle warmth. Good for a cold day. I just wish that the blackberry would pull through. Maybe instead of the ginger icing, they should work more of the blackberry into it.
-Lavender lemon pop tart: I didn't really like this one as much. It reminds me of a lemon bar and the zingy-ness keeps the pop tart from tasting like soap from the strong lavender. But! My gripe isn't the flavor so much as the texture. Simply put, the pastry is too thick. I don't know if it's because of the vegan ingredients, but it lacks the flakiness you would normally get from a traditional shortcrust pastry. The dough works for their cakes because you have so much filling to balance it out. But, the pop tart is too much pastry. Definitely is tart though!
-Raspberry Matcha Cheesecake: I LOVE RASPBERRY MATCHA. If you know me, you know that one of my favorite matcha tea drinks incorporate either raspberry/strawberry purées or have blueberry flavor with it. The earthiness of the matcha pairs so beautifully with the raspberry jam? On top of the slice. I don't know how they do it, but Crust has their cheesecake/cakes on point texture wise. So creamy, so fluffy. Not too sweet. The matcha is in their dough and in the filling. The raspberry on top is not too much. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
-Coconut Cream Cheesecake (???): Gah! I hate it when I forget to write down notes for my reviews and don't remember the exact menu item. On one hand I love that Crust has a rotation going on of seasonal and new flavors. But sucks when I want to showcase their amazing food and read the menu to jog my memory.
Along with the raspberry matcha cheesecake this was one of our favorites. The coconut filling was so light and refreshing. Didn't taste like sickly sweet dried coconut at all. I really felt like I was eating pure whipped coconut cream. For coconut lovers, this is a must!
+PRICE: Very fair for the quality and size they dish out. Each piece of pastry cost between $4-5. So not that much different than what you get at an upscale bakery. Very very reasonable especially for this side of Manayunk.
Overall: Crust is a go-to if you're looking to try new desserts. They love to experiment with recipes and flavors. There's always something new to try and the wide variety of stuff they have is all so delicious. I highly recommend their cake slices and cookies! I can't believe they don't have more reviews because they deserve so much more recognition. | 2positive
| 764 |
If you're a music lover, then The Bluebird Cafe is akin to an abusive relationship. You'll be the one who's apologizing - for what THEY (at least in part) did wrong. So if you're the type to become any kind of loyal customer to what in theory is possibly one of the best places for live acoustic music ever, then don't go here. Or maybe I should say don't "try" to go here. Much like any sort of beloved significant other, it sounds pretty and doesn't look bad either. The amount of talent featured is BEYOND incredible. You get to hear much beautiful music from so many unbelievably amazing (and often VERY successful, even well-known, at that!) songwriters/singers - and in a location where you actually can HEAR it. Unfortunately, it seems and feels very deeply as if any kind of care/regard they have for customer loyalty has all but disappeared over the past several years and replaced with letting absolutely anyone, who may or may not know who it is playing that evening, in. Some random individual who just happens to wander up and so therefore can take the seat of someone who 1) knows of the artists playing and the schedule to the point that they set an alarm JUST so they'd be awake in time to make the 1-minute sellout time reservations 2) drive for approx. 2 hours just for the show, 3) tried to call multiple times so they wouldn't lose their seats but got no answer and 4) had the audacity to be 3 minutes late when the business "policy" is that seats *may* be given up after 15 minutes of a no-show.
If you'd rather read a much shorter review than mine about a somewhat similar experience please read Kelli B's from 8/19/2013. Though she's not quite had the opportunity to be frequent, it seems the treatment is much the same.
*An important aside - several times when policies are officially stated it's said the pew/bench seats are first come/first served. However, the pew/bench seats ARE among those which can be reserved with the system. Umm..?? Sure that never leads to a reserved pew seat being lost.
Maybe being made even more "world famous" (though not really so much in their hometown) is to blame for this obscene mistreatment - but that doesn't make it a fair excuse. It is one reason why I hesitate to even write a bad word in any kind of public forum about them, however; because the likelihood of it affecting their bottom line is pretty non-existent. Nevertheless, what follows is a sampling of my very souring (to understate the situation) experience tonight. So please read below.
We HAD reservations for a show, my boyfriend had even used vacation time at work for it - with such a stellar lineup (I really had been looking forward to it for weeks) we eventually decided on the Bluebird over seeing Kenny Rogers at the Ryman. Well, anyway, even after my YEARS of loyalty (and more recently also putting up with new employees who had never seen me telling me rules I've known for years) when we got there at approximately 9:03 after the drive from Murfreesboro we were told "our" seats had been given up to someone without reservations. I know the Bluebird's supposed 15 minute policy but it hadn't even been 5. AND I had TRIED to call several times with NO answer, to say we were on the way. I miss the days when they would care enough to call the customer themselves just to check. So even with customer loyalty, so-called "reservations," a $4 nonrefundable reservation fee - which is normally OK if losing the seats is actually at all my own doing - and the drive to and from Nashville I guess just a little bit of wanting to stay in and having a hard time leaving my loving cat has cost all this grief. Obviously, with all the tourists, especially now because of "Nashville," loyal customers who actually go there for the music mean nothing. Yet another situation that pushes me to just entirely give up on caring about music. All that said, I'm sure it's still a perfectly fine place as long as you don't plan to frequent it. Or have to drive any substantial amount of distance to do so. And don't have reservations. Or if you do, aren't a few seconds late. Oh, and hey, if you do get a table (probably one allegedly saved for someone else) or even a bar seat, don't forget there's a $7 food/drink minimum. Have fun and enjoy the music for me. | 0negative
| 775 |
Tortured ear drums and aversion to sardine can seating trump tickled tastebuds which means it is unlikely I'll be back to Blaze. The good news at this Meridian outpost of the chain is the thin crust, quick fired (cooks in 180 seconds) pizza is far better than my hubby and I expected it to be. More good news is the young staff, all of whom seem relatively new to retail food service, are friendly and eager. Both of those good news things keep this rating from sinking to two stars because in a simple measure of different strokes for different folks, we both said "you must be kidding" about what we think is pretty awful space planning and the gawdawful loud, that is LOUD, music on the sound system.
It is one thing to get a good buy on decent pizza but it is another thing to enjoy eating it in the restaurant's surroundings. At Blaze I get the first thing and not the second thing.
Still, they gave us "buy one get one" coupons for future visits. Never one to set aside any free offer ("free is best" he says), my hubby may venture back on his own for a BOGO take out pair. But he'll do that without me and keeping in mind my Yelp friend Mick L's good counsel that Blaze pizza is best when eaten at the point of creation.
CATTLE CHUTE MEET SARDINE CAN
Space planning here made me stop right at the door and wonder, "What's up with this". Tightly spaced tables straight ahead, sardines might have more room in some cans than you can at some of the tables, you are obliquely and intuitively directed by that "barricade" to the left to a cattle chute arrangement that will take you up to the counter to place your order.
ORDER PROCESS
Although they have little menus right at the start of the chute, some do not know to take them or perhaps have time to review them so there can be a bit of a wait while the delightful staff folks behind the counter explain the schtick then take the order and assemble the pizza before greeting the next in line to explain the schitck then....
SCHTICK
The schtick is that one can order an 11" (?), personal size pizza (note we found it amply fed two lighter eaters so another good news thing here) with a choice or red sauce, spicy red sauce or white sauce and an unlimited number of toppings of one's choosing for only $7.25. Plain cheese pizza and pizza with one topping are both under six bucks, but otherwise one may order from a handful of house specials or create one's own pizza with literally as much of anytthing as one wants and pay the flat $7.25 fee. Which means a good amount of hmming and yahooing from folks in line as they have the toppings piled on.
THE DRILL
After you've walked down the cafeteria style line (think Subway or Chipotle) to have your pizza made and after you pay for it, you are instructed to stay near as they will call your name 180 seconds after they put it in the oven. You take your own pizza to your table and you bus your own when finished eating.
PIZZA
We are less is more types in terms of pizza toppings, different strokes, and selected a house speciality called Red Vine (a Margherite of sorts) which is red sauce, fresh ovalini mozzarella and fresh basil added before oven and out of oven is topped with quartered cherry tomatoes. We asked for and received a sprinkling of fresh arugula as finishing too. The thin pizza crust was good and so were the toppings. The time in oven was just right to get it cooked just so. Too bad the vibe was so uncomfortable.
VIBE
Hard surfaces mean noise to start with and with ear splitting music cranked up high, well...you know the outcome. Add in being cheek to jowl with the people dining next too you and well...my friend says she is too old and too rich for that kind of discomfort. I am just too old. I'd rather pay the eleven bucks or so for a good Margherite pizza elsewhere that feeds three and comes with table service and relaxing ambiance. Yes. I know this makes me a crumudgeon. So it is.
THIS N THAT:
1) PARKING: In the lot right outside which is shared by Noodle and Company and a couple of other businesses.
2) ACCESSIBILITY: Level in and throughout but tight tables may make path of travel tough for a wheelchair user or someone pushing a stroller. That said, a man using a wheelchair was able to maneuver on the day of my visit. Mostly standard height seating at tables.
3) SALADS TOO: Prepackaged salads are between the end point of ordering pizza and the cash register for check out. There were three options as I recall, Caesar, Arugula with beets and goat cheese and one other. The arugula salad contained fresh ingredients but the house vinaigrette tucked in a little pastic containter was too oily and the too small for the contents container in which the salad is presented made it nearly impossible to eat it without it spilling all over the table. Serveware is plastic.
4) CLEAN UP: Hats off ot the staff who were working diligently to wipe up messy tables and keep things tidy in the turnover. | 1neutral
| 915 |
FOODIES in RENO: READ BEFORE YOU GO
I don't think I have ever had this type of experience before dining, nor have I given a restaurant this low of a rating before since I started on Yelp. I will be honest and genuine with this review.
First off, I was very excited to come and try this restaurant. Good things first. Big open space, friendly welcome, and clean. Menu was promising with an extensive array of items to meet the pickiest of eaters. From salads, pizzas, burgers, and a nice variety of appealing appetizers. Our server was very sweet and kind. We started off with their seasonal bruschetta, which came in the form of a pumpkin puree over toasted baguettes, with arugula salad, drizzled with honey. Super sweet, and honestly, I would have loved to have been told what it was, because when I think of bruschetta, cinnamon, sweet potato, pumpkin flavors definitely don't pop up for me. The combination was very odd. Tasted like someone spread sweet potato pie or pumpkin pie on bread and served it over arugula with honey and a sprinkle of vinaigrette. Our server was nice enough to offer us to get something else, and we opted for her recommendation of the shrimp lettuce cups. Very good flavor. Reminded me of a honey walnut shrimp wrapped into butter lettuce. So anything "seasonal" please ASK if your server does not specify what it is.
Here comes the most disappointing, unpleasant, and awkward restaurant encounter I have ever had......
!!!!!I ordered a salad with steak. I asked for medium. Medium to me is a thick band of light pink through the middle (warm pink center) slightly firm to the touch with some play. What I received was a charred steak on the outside, greyish brown almost throughout, super tough to cut, and one piece in the middle with a pale pink hue. I wished I took a picture of it, but didn't think I was going to encounter so much trouble.
This is where the one star came from...I talked with the server and said, "I'm sorry to have to give this feedback, but I believe I ordered medium, but the steak was overdone, charred, and I couldn't even cut it. And I couldn't eat it." She said verbatim, "Yes, I do remember you ordering that. And I can see. Let me talk to the chef. I'm so sorry about that." Fast forward to the check, (no one has come to the table to discuss the steak,) I was still charged for the steak. I went up to the server to discuss, and she says, "Let me get a manager for you." I am so confused at this point. Usually, there is no issue, and if there was, I would have known about it before the check hit my hands.
The manager states to me that she is aware I had an issue with my steak. And after she and her chef reviewed my steak, the chef has come to the conclusion that it was prepared to my asking. She further states that she herself attempted to cut through it and agreed. So, if I had an issue with the steak, it is because "I didn't like it, because it didn't taste good" WHHHHHHHAAAATTTTT??????
My friend who was with me, couldn't believe that explanation either, and I felt so disrespected as a customer. Never in my life, I have ever paid 20.00 for a salad with overcooked meat that I couldn't cut and couldn't eat, and EXPECTED to pay for it, AND made to feel as though I'm a liar complaining because it didn't taste good? The meat was overcooked plain and simple, and the manager ended up taking it off the bill after she belittled me a customer and said she will take it off because she wants me to come back? As a manger, and I have been one before, you take it off because it is the right thing to do. I didn't even touch the steak because I couldn't even cut the beef jerky slab that was presented to me. I didn't even eat it, not because I didn't like it, but because I couldn't even chew it LOL!
So here is my honest review....So much potential with this restaurant, but left incredibly disappointed. I know plenty of other places that I can pay less than 20.00 for a salad with steak, whereby I wont be disrespected by management if there are any sort of issues with the meal. I am also saddened because our server seemed to agree with us when we discussed it with her, but didn't say anything to support us as customers in the end. That's too bad and made us feel terrible.
Also this was a recommendation from a friend who states because of this experience, she will not be returning either and will not recommend the restaurant to anyone because of how poorly our situation was handled. To be honest, this was an easy fix, but just so you know....IF YOU HAVE AN ISSUE WITH YOUR FOOD, the manager explained in detail that if the CHEF disagrees with you (the customer) on how your items were prepared, then you're complaining because "you just don't like it" and that item will stay on your bill.
I am still shaking my head from this today. Never have I ever had this happen. But there is a first for everything. | 0negative
| 910 |
The time that I spent waiting in line just did not make the cheesesteak taste that great. Don't get me wrong, the cheesesteak was good, but it took 50 minutes from the time I got in line until I placed my order, which just took all the joy out of eating it. By the time I got to the counter to place my order I was overly hungry and feeling surly. Here's the way it went down...
1 - I walked up to the counter to order, there was no customers ordering, so I figured this would be quick. Then I found out that the line was... over there.
2 - I surmised the line, two ropes, making the line down and back about 30 feet long, the queue is full. Well if there is a bit of wait, the food must be good. I think, probably 15 minutes, maybe 20 at worst. Therefore, I get in line and start my wait standing next to the sign that says: the line starts here.
3 - As I get in line, two people already in line leave. I think, hmmm... there's lots of food options a RTM so they must have decided to try something else.
4 - Initially, I don't watch how many people leave the line to walk over to order, but I do notice that there are now 12 more people in line behind me. I think that I'm glad I got here where I did.
5 - 10 minutes later I've moved up in the line a few feet. I notice that another person or two have given up and dropped off the line. knowing what I know now, I should have too.
6 - 10 minutes more and I'm getting closer to the turn at the far end of the ropes. I'm getting bored looking at the neon. I start counting the groups of people in line figuring that each group is one order at the counter. There's about 20 people making up 12 orders in front of me. Hmmm... the line should move faster now, it's only 12 orders.
7 - I see someone with a box of donuts walk by. They look good.
8 - Seven orders in front of me now. I'm getting closer, I wonder how long the lines are at the other cheesesteak stands. But I can't give up now, I'm fully invested with over 30 minutes in this line.
9 - I start watching the woman taking orders, waiting for her to wave each person over. It seems to take forever with each one. I don't see why.
10 - Three orders in front of me. The guy with muscles and the sunglasses perched on his head has been standing at the cash register for what seems like forever. Didn't he place his order a long time ago
11 - Where is the woman at the register? She has disappeared. Did she go on break? There is no one at the register taking orders. what's going on here. I'm close and too invested to leave the line.
12 - Minutes go by, the guys making the sandwiches are moving and restacking the cardboard Licisios bread boxes. Why are they moving these boxes.
13 - The woman finally returns. Calls over the next group.
14 - A few minutes later, calls the next group.
15 - Calls the guy in front of me. I think this is great... this guys order will be quick, after all it's just one guy. But no! He's got four friends waiting in the corner that sidle up to the register to order together. Where were these people waiting? Why did they never talk to this dude even once while he was in line.
16 - The group of 15, hem and haw and finally place their orders and pay.
17 - I stare at the woman at the cash register, waiting for her to call me.
18 - I'm at the counter, 45 minutes later. I place my order one cheesesteak, with onions and provolone. I pay, she makes small talk and hands me my playing card. The woman is very nice, and pleasant. I don't complain: it's my fault that I stayed in line. But in the back of my mind, I'm pissed that I didn't give up waiting in line like a half dozen other people did before me.
19 - I watch three guys making the sandwiches. First guy looks at the order slip, throws the onions and peppers on the grill, waits a few minutes, then puts the raw steak meat on top, waits a few more minutes, breaks it up into small chunks, and pushes the pile to his left.
20 - Second guy chops it a little more, looks at the order slip, waits a few minutes, looks at the order slip again, drops a few slices of cheese on the pile, and covers it with a rectangular stainless steel bowl. 1 minute later, he scoops up the pile and deposits it into the roll. Turns around and puts the sandwich on stack of food papers.
21 - Third guy looks at the order slips, looks at the sandwiches, looks again a few times more. Slowly wraps the cheesesteak. Then spends the next minute fumbling with the Carmens stickers that he uses to seal the wrapper. Finally he manages to put the sticker on the wrapper. Now he fumbles trying to open a plastic bag. Finally gets it open, puts in the sandwich, calls my card and hands it to me.
BOTTOM LINE - This place has logistics problems, and they don't care. Those four people should be able to take and make three times the amount of orders and cheesesteaks. That flat top is half empty, they make the sandwiches two at a time. Then there's no one taking orders. What gives? | 0negative
| 984 |
I'm not sure how to explain the fact that it's taken me so long to try Triton Brewing Company since it's fairly close to my Lawrence Township home and I frequent the Fort Ben area. For quite a while, I assumed it was simply a brewery and since I'm not much of a drinker it was simply never worth a special stop. However, they've added a bistro and despite having checked out their website multiple times it's taken me until today to finally make it.
As noted, Triton is primarily a brewery. It's located in what used to be a mule barn on the old Fort Harrison. It's a growing area and a bit of a gem area for decent restaurants. You will find almost exclusively Triton brews and other products here with the exception of a handful of guest selections. Fortunately, they have a decent variety of brews and it shouldn't be hard for beer drinkers to find something that appeals to them.
Triton adapted fairly quickly to the pandemic including with available outside dining and tables nicely spaced. It seems like they attract mostly a neighborhood crowd which may explain why they haven't received a Yelp review in a while. There was a decent size crowd today, though it wasn't overwhelming and it remained well spaced my entire time present.
They have a couple accessible parking spots on the side of the building, though they lack the metallic signs that would make them official. That said, I had no problem finding a spot up front. The side is also where the outside dining is, though you have to enter at the front (Wheeler Road) entrance. The double-sided glass door is a bit sticky, but I was able to maneuver it.
The sidewalk and entry is accessible, while the brewery and indoor dining areas are level with a mixture of taller and traditional tables. There is, however, a single step up into the outside dining area from the inside, though you could go around to the side to access it where it is actually level.
At the time I arrived, the primary table available was much larger than I needed but I was impressed they sat me there anyway instead of having me wait for something smaller.
There is a hosting station right inside the door. Masks are still required and there's the typical (for now) sign advising that if you're sick you shouldn't enter. It seems like the servers trade-off attending to the hosting station which can cause momentary delays, but once service really gets started it's top notch. Callie met me at the hosting station and seemed a little thrown off to see this wheelchair user planning to drink/dine alone, but she was super friendly and naturally removed two chairs to give my wheelchair room (or she was telling me I'm fat. I choose to be optimistic). She would end up being my server.
I ordered an 8-ounce beer called the Ale Pacino Moccacino, a milk brown ale collaboration with local Bee Roasters. It was absolutely sublime. I would easily order it again. It was my only beer for the day, though I did receive a glass of water.
I also ordered the breaded tenderloin sandwich - it comes with house aioli, greens, tomato, and red onion on the side. The brioche bun is toasted. You also get fries or a couple other sides. You can get onion rings for an upcharge.
The breaded tenderloin is most definitely not a fritter. It's much larger than the bun and pounded out with a nice thickness. The seasoning is just a touch light, but the moistness of the sandwich is wonderful. The fries are also seasoned and a decent amount. They ask if you want ketchup and put it in a cup (another pandemic safety action). The fries were good. When I saw them, they seemed a bit thin but the seasoning and flavor blend together nicely.
Callie was attentive throughout without being obsessive. At one point, she took a little bit to get back to me with a check and apologized quite nicely and made sure to return with my receipt rather quickly.
Triton is family friendly - I'd imagine it's certain areas, but I saw a couple families present including small children. The outdoor deck is quite nice. The interior weaves together a Triton-themed decor with a healthy respect for the military history of the area. Additionally, there's a cool banner for Indy Honor Flight which I loved. I also saw a couple dogs out on the deck.
I could easily rate somewhere between 4-5 and 4.5 is probably more accurate than an actual 5. However, the food was delicious, I enjoyed my beer, and Callie was a tremendous server. So, 5 it is and I'll definitely be going back in the near future. | 2positive
| 807 |
We went on Saturday night of Mother's day weekend... I was not very impressed at all... We had an 8:30 reservation and showed up 15-20 minutes early to have a drink at the bar... The bar was crowded and small... We checked in with the hostess and were told that our table would be ready closer to 8:30 which was fine... We made our way over to the bar to order a drink and as luck would have it, a couple offered us their seats as they got up from the bar... Not so fast, the bartender intervened and told us those were being saved for another couple who has been waiting longer than us.. Although I was disappointed, I get it, they have a system here and I can appreciate the seats going to whoever has waited longest... Since we had the bartenders attention now I asked for drinks and retreated away from the bar for some open space... There was a table open along the wall that we stood near and after about 5 minutes of it being vacant I asked the hostess if we could sit there while we were waiting for our table... I was told no, that someone had the table reserved and they needed to keep it cleared... We decided to stand next to it anyway and put our drinks on it since it was the only space open in the crowded bar.. It's now 8:35 and I decided to check in with the hostess to see if our table was ready since the bar scene was unpleasant.. They apologized for the delay and I was told they would be ready for us shortly... Just then a party of six left the bar and there was now 6 open spots at the bar to sit at...We had certainly waited our turn now so we moved towards the seats... Foiled again by the bartender... He asked if we were going to be eating dinner at the bar... We told him we had a reservation upstairs... He then informed us that those seats were needed for people that were going to be eating dinner at the bar... We should have walked out at this point because we were so disgusted by the treatment there was no recovering from this... I made a comment to him that he was ridiculous and that we had been in the bar for 25 minutes already without a seat... He could tell we were pissed as we walked back over to our table that we were not allowed to sit at that was still open for over 30 minutes at this point... I waved the hostess over to me and was given an update that they were very busy and our table would be ready very shortly... To his credit the bartender came over to us, and told us that two seats remained open and that he would like us to sit with him at the bar... Finally, we get an ounce of respect... He takes our drink orders and all is well... 8:50 we get word that our table is ready and get escorted upstairs to the bar Savona area... There was nothing but open tables up there... Seriously, they could have seated 10 couples up there with all of the open seats... Infuriating... We sat down and my wife immediately says its cold... While I agreed with her it felt good to me at first since we were stuffed in a small hot bar downstairs for so long... After about 10 minutes up there though I was actually cold and I wanted my wife to be comfortable so I asked our waiter if he could adjust the temp.. He acted surprised and said he would take care of it... the couple next to us leaned over and said they asked earlier themselves and made a joke about it... The service was average, the food was above average but not great by any stretch... My wife ordered cavatelli and I had Bisteca with fingerling potatoes that were excellent... My meat was not really tender and my wife's pasta was not overwhelming.. The food took a long time to come to the table and I never really felt like the service was close to the price tag... Dessert was delicious but overall I was completely unimpressed with Savona... I'm sure it was a busy night but when I pay $200+ for dinner I expect great service and food... I got average service and above average food... They obviously service the main line elite as we were seated next to a group of four that were obvious regulars... They had a completely different experience than we did with multiple visits from a restaurant manager and sommelier.. | 1neutral
| 794 |
My husband and I decided to dine here for dinner Sunday evening. We walked in around 8p (they close at 10p). We walked up to the hostess stand to wait for seating, but instead of being greeted promptly by the woman working behind the stand... We were greeted by a hostess sitting on the bench by the door. Obviously the woman behind the stand was preoccupied, it just caught me off guard to be greeted by the other.
The hostess looked up and asked us if we had a preference where we sat & if we wanted somewhere more quiet. "Sure!" I complied. Instead of the quiet little cozy two top table in the corner that I was looking at, she walked us over and sat us right in the middle of a cheerleader convention dinner -_-
Our server greeted us after a moment, I ordered the sweet peach ginger tea. He asked if I wanted sweetener, and I asked,"Isn't it already sweet?" He replied not really, so he'd bring some out.
He returned to tell me they were out of that tea. The other teas had caffeine so I settled with ice water.
Right away, I ordered Garlic Noodles and my husband ordered Chicken Fried Rice, super simple menu items.
Twenty-five minutes later, our food comes out. The Garlic Noodles probably sat in the kitchen for a while... Because it had that settled, glazed look. It was cold in certain portions and barely warm in other parts.
My husband mentioned that his tasted fine and pretty hot.
I am super uncomfortable with asking for something to be sent back, but when our server swung by and asked how everything tasted, I mustered up the courage to express that my food was cold & not fresh, as if it had been sitting for a while.
He was totally understanding, took it right back to the kitchen to fire up a new Garlic Noodle dish.
He returned eight minutes later to tell me that they were out of noodles. He sincerely apologized and said that my dinner was on them, and I ordered three small sides of asparagus, green beans, and garlic spinach. (I know, I could've ordered anything... But I was pretty hungry and that seemed quick & simple to make!)
My husband shared some of his fried rice with me, and he ordered dessert wontons (2 of each flavor). Those were tasty! The perfect portions for after dinner.
My sides came out and were packed with flavor, fresh, and hot. They didn't use any garlic in the sautéed spinach though :(
Also... I kid you not, halfway through my plate of spinach, before I took my next bite, I had found a beard hair in it. Legit, thumb-length, course blonde beard hair. I showed my husband in amazement, peered into the kitchen from our table to see if employees were wearing hair-nets. Almost all the servers had beards.
I asked,"I'm not crazy am I? Is this really happening?" I let it go though.
When our server cruised by with our check, we asked if we could also order the fried banana rolls with the ice cream. He expressed how delicious the ice cream was, and put our request in right away.
The manager walked over to our table and introduced herself, suggesting that we wanted to talk with her. Husband and I just looked at each other, back at her, and expressed that our server was super gracious and handling things well. She really came over to tell us that they were out of that specific dessert, apologized and explained that they've been slammed because of the cheerleading convention that had gone on that weekend. They were out of the wrappers for the bananas, but were willing to bring us out a different dessert. She also took care of our entire check, and we strongly insisted that we could pay for our meal, that we understood and appreciated their service... But she took care of our bill and asked what dessert we wanted for the road. We decided on the cheesecake.
Our server walked over, expressed his genuine apology again and explained that he wanted her to come over and talk to us (he was humorous and sincere). He also said that they did indeed have wrappers, the guys in the kitchen found some... So we ordered that instead and explained that the manager was about to put in for the cheesecake.
The banana dessert and ice cream was fantastic. Worth the wait, and easily shared by two. He joked that they made it extra fancy looking for us, and we expressed our gratitude for his service.
Our server was excellent. He gets 5 stars. The manager was generous in taking care of our bill, which shows great customer service. They really extended themselves to make up for the issues.
As far as being out of the tea, getting cold food, being out of the noodles, finding a beard hair in spinach, and sitting there for a little over two hours though... I prefer not to experience that. I won't be back at any P.F. Changs. The food is simply not good. The atmosphere is nice, but it's crowded. | 1neutral
| 870 |
My family enjoys getting together regularly and we love to support the smaller, local establishments so it's not unusual for 6-12 of us to end up somewhere for dinner. I can honestly say we've never had an experience come even close to as bad as this past Saturday evening was at Kuma's and to think we changed plans at the last minute to eat here so some under 21 family could join. Our issue revolved around wanting our group of 8 to be seated on the patio so we could enjoy visiting without the loud music. There were at least 7 open tables on the patio and one group of 8 already seated there. We were initially told we couldn't sit outside because fire code didn't permit a group of our size and since there was a fire station directly across the street, they had to be extra cautious. One of our family members decided to head across the street to pay the firefighters a visit, offer condolences on the tough week for first responders in our city and ask about the fire code. Their response was to laugh and inform him if exits weren't blocked, there was no fire code violation. We then offered to split our group into 2 sets of 4 and sit at side-by-side tables outside. This was initially acceptable for about 5 mins then we were told there was a group of 6 that had been waiting longer than us.... Really? And you were going to push two 4 person tables together for a group of 6 but not a group of 8? Given the small size of the restaurant, we never saw a group of 6 waiting and interestingly, they never materialized for their patio seating. At this point we began to feel like "facts" were being fabricated to suit the staff. We ended up being seated inside while one family member spoke with the manager who obviously had no concept of a customer being right. I realize that sometimes that's not true but, again, this was a family outing that included a 13 yo gal....the purpose of our evening was to celebrate a baby announcement and an upcoming wedding of another couple in our family. The manager then proceeded to head back to the kitchen and slam something loud enough to be heard above the music in the dining room which then resulted in a visit by the "executive chef/owner" who came out ready for an argument and obviously already believing our group to be in the wrong before even hearing the full story. The owner decided to have his conversation in the middle of the restaurant and all of his patrons in spite of my brother suggesting they might want to go someplace a little more out of the way to talk. To this point our only "crime" was pushing for a table outside with a complete lack of understanding why all were so ticked.One could argue we were "loud" but we were there to visit and had to get loud to have a conversation over the music, again part of the reason we hoped to sit on the patio, but our "loud" had noting to do with anyone being drunkenly obnoxious. We'd spent quite a bit of money already and tipped well, 20%+....it was blatantly obvious they wanted us to leave but we chose to stay and finish dinner as it would not have been easy to get seated quickly at any other place by this time. All of this for a decent burger, but I've had better, and being out of 2 different beers in spite of a light crowd on a Saturday evening. (Maybe there's a reason this place wasn't packed out in popular Fountain Square on a beautiful Saturday eve?) At one point, I was brought the wrong beer because the waitress hadn't been able to hear me and was again made to feel like I was at fault for this. After waiting approx. 10 mins and asking twice about my beer, I was informed they were now out of that choice. Our group has been to places like Livery, District Tap, Red Lion Grog House and Scotty's Brewhouse just to name a few. We've always been welcomed and had a great experience. The management staff at Kuma's was rude and hot-tempered and there were so many half truths told to us with facts that changed each time that this was one of the absolute worst dining experiences I believe I've ever had and do not plan to return. | 0negative
| 761 |
Just finished Easter Sunday Brunch at Creations and was disappointed.
Our reservation was for 5 people at 1:30pm Sunday March 27 2016. Their advertised bunch times were 10am-2pm, however, they extended service well after we left at 2:30pm. It was still under half full.
Scenerio: big rush over, restaurant not bustling or full, several tables left, various amount of food left in chafing dishes (some fresh full & some almost empty),
The food was 3.5 out of 5.
Great selection of breakfast items (bacon, sausage, scrambled egg, eggs benedict, pancakes, pre-made waffles, petite flaky pastry, inferior quality juices, cereal in dispensers, and made to order omelette by the awesome male chef). Those wanting lunch items were offered a limited salad bar, seafood (difficult to eat crab legs that were barely cracked, peel yourself shrimp, tasteless mussels, fish), juicy carved ham & dried lump sirloin roast, potatoes, steamed veggies, bisque soup, steamed salmon (overcooked, hard, dry), and smoked herbed chicken. The dessert table was laden with heavy cakes (chocolate, cheesecake, carrot), macaroons, tasteless tiramisu, and a nice fresh fruit platter. Didn't see a cheese plate. (??) There was also a "Make your own Ceasar cocktail" with all the ingredients available.
Service was 2 out of 5.
Host: couldn't be bothered to lift his head off his podium to greet us as we stood there a full 3 minutes. Finally, I said "hello". The body language and impression I got was that he was more elitist and he was doing me a favor...hmmm. Maybe I'm doing him a favor by spending my $$$ here so he can be ensured a job. By the way, did I also mentioned that we weren't even reciprocated with a "hello" or "welcome".
Server #1: It took a full 10 minutes to come by. We were getting up to get our food when he finally showed up and then the first thing out of his mouth was "Would you like any drinks?" .... Did I mention there was NO GREETING, NO INTRODUCTION, or NO EXPLANATION WHERE/HOW THE FOOD & DRINK AREAS WERE ARRANGED?... It was only because I was looking at where some of the other patrons came from that I found the breakfast offerings that my in-laws were looking for. Too late, they already SETTLED on what they though they had to choose from. I did encourage them to try the breakfast items as it was what they were looking forward to. Plus I was able to bring them their juices. Where I was sitting, I could see all the action or lack of action. We had empty eaten plates on our table that were not cleared so we can get more items. I had to flag the server to remove, finally decided to stack them as a tower hoping ANY of the passing staff would look beyond themselves (includes host, floor manageress??, other servers) to get the hint. Maybe if we reused our dishes then someone would have noticed!!
ABSOLUTELY GROSS was the server's hand touched my husband's food on his plate while he was eating, server knew it (caught him looking at it) but didn't offer apology or new plate. My husband was sickened by it....end of his meal,,,$40 down the tubes.
Server #2: near the end of our dining, to ask if we needed anything else. NO INTRODUCTION or EXPLANATION why he was inquiring about us when we can see our younger original "server" walking around. He did try to engage in friendly conversation which was a plus. Maybe because he was older and better at his job than the young server whose dirty hands touched our food.
WHAT YOU DON'T EXPECT FOR $40 PER PERSON:
Your sever touching the food on your plate that your are eating without apology or offering to remove/replace the whole plate.!!!
The scattering of all the different food stations was someone's idea of segregating breakfast from hot lunch. Would have worked if you knew the other area existed or if your server or host bothered informing your party.
I HAD TO INFORM servers that specific food items including fruit tray needed to be replenished. Remember...there are still a far amount of people leisurely enjoying their brunch. Again who is responsible for this?? Certainly not ME!
This is a brunch buffet which means people will use more that one plate throughout their dining experience. Do these servers or the management not realize this or would they rather we just go up there with our emptied, used plates to add more food on it.
There would have been more dinner plates used, washed, and restocked during the peak brunch time. So why at 1:55 pm would they not set out more dinner plates? Then when I asked for dinner plates for not only me but other dinners who were milling around trying to find them , they only brought out the smaller salad plate. Are you serious???
VERDICT: very expensive for okay-good food (some hits and misses), terrible service from ALL STAFF (exclude tiny asian line chef who actually was friendly and helpful)....would not come again, would not recommend. Wanted very much to love this place.
Try RiverCree Kitchen Buffet: food prices are very reasonable for high end food, | 0negative
| 870 |
Week 5: Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British Politician sex. JFK. blown away, what else do I have to say---WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE!
An excerpt from the "Meatball Chronicles."
http://sundaymeatballchronicles.blogspot.com/
Today's wake up call sure beat an alarm clock, and just like Billy Joel--"We didn't start the fire." Picture this: Sound asleep at Ryan's house. Loud banging on the door. Faint sounds of people yelling in yard. A very concerned proclamation from Patrick (Ryan's roommate): "THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE!!!!!"
As if I hadn't heard Patrick, Ryan shook me and relayed the message with a scream---GET UP! After last week's hiking/camping trip, I found myself sleeping with a single sock to "protect" my left toenail-less foot. Considering I was scrambling to find one sock, I would say that my fire drill skills are completely up to par. This was incredible; I hadn't experienced such bedlam since Chinese Fire Drills in high school. WILL THE LIGHT TURN GREEN AS I'M ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE CAR, CAUSING ME TO GET PEGGED BY AN ONCOMING VEHICLE DRIVEN BY AN UNDERCOVER COP? But this was the real deal--real fire!
I should be saying "fortunately" the house was not on fire... but due to the lack of real danger, I am going to go ahead and say "unfortunately the house was not on fire". Once I was dressed, shoes in hand, standing in the hall, I didn't smell or see fire. It instantly stalled my endeavor of being out the door within 20 seconds. It turned out that the fence surrounding the side patio was on fire--not the house. When Patrick looked out his window, he saw flames as high as the second floor. So....fair assumption I guess.
The boys put the fire out with the help of neighbors and hoses. What a wake up call--I bet the two girls hiding in Patrick's bedroom weren't expecting such an eventful morning either. Har. Har. How did the fire start? We're going to point the finger at the neighbors--- they look like they smoke. They also look like they make frequent visits to the dog track and have patio furniture in their dining room.
My mom and her friend are in town and joining us for brunch so I called her to pick us up. I gave her the directions 3 times. "From Channelside it is ONE ROAD. I repeat ONE ROAD all the way here. STAY STRAIGHT...." Fifteen minutes later I got a call that they were lost on Harbour Island. Irritated by their inability to follow ONE ROAD, Betty Bitch came out. Ryan didn't like my tone and handed me a champagne/vodka infused glass of Sangria. Just what I need...
Eventually, we were on our way to Pinky's. Rumor has it that Pinky's has the best eggs benedict in all of Tampa. Bold statement Pinky--I have a favorite already and your chances of changing that are slim to none. We got there and had a 6 table wait in front of our party. Ryan went inside to get coffee and came out with a "Ms. Always Right" mug. You're so funny babe. My mom and her friend asked for tanning oil as we waited in the 70 degree sun. Yes, I keep tanning oil in my clutch for opportune times like this mom---Clearly they are from Boston and delusional.
Our name was called and as we walked in I wondered why we waited so long. Pinky's is cute, and I guess the concept of a serve-yourself coffee bar is cute too, but a half hour wait for this middling café? Will I find Tampa's best eggs benedict? As always, we ordered a lot of food: 2 orders of eggs benedict specials, a side of bacon, an oatmeal pancake, home fries, a scone, and two orders of "The Italian" omlettes. As I sat there thinking about the past 15 minutes--my mother and her friend asking for tanning oil, and then ordering the "Italians," I began to wonder if they watch Jersey Shore and are aware of the stereotypes they are putting truth behind.
So don't get me wrong- the food was great. The servings were plentiful and everything came out rather fast despite being a "made to order" restaurant. But Pinky's just doesn't do it for me--I'll still give the best eggs (crab cake) benedict award to Pink Flamingo on Davis Island. Ryan doesn't agree with me, but Pink Flamingo's Eggs Crab Benedict is an orgasm of the palate as far as I'm concerned. As always, we were up for a new adventure, and going to Pinky's accomplished that--but I don't think we will be return customers. If it wasn't for the champagne/vodka infused sangria and the fact I wasn't starving, it wouldn't have been worth the wait. Sorry Pinky's. PS--Try refilling your coffee thermoses, even if it is close to closing time. You can't "serve yourself" if there is nothing to serve. | 0negative
| 819 |
I think prohibition started when we walked in... AND IT RUINED OUR EXPERIENCE. We had a 9pm reservation for our ANNIVERSARY DINNER for a Thursday night. They place was NOT very crowded. There is absolutely no excuse for how ridiculously "backed up" the bar was that night. I think there may have been some kind of party behind the book case (secret room?) and they got all the attention. Let me give the details on how ridiculous our service was before I compliment the food and drink. And thankfully after the eternal wait for drinks, they did turn out good, but I must air the dirty laundry first!
We get there at 9 and have to wait 15 minutes to get our booth. We wait patiently. They should have warned us the bar was backed up and we would have gone over and ordered drinks right away. All the tables (not behind curtains) were completely empty. We sat patiently.
9:15 they bring us back to our booth. 20 minutes go by. No one checks in, no water, no drink orders, no food orders. Finally after 20 minutes someone finally comes to check on us. We immediately tell them what drinks we want before then can even give us an explanation. We were hungry and more importantly, craving one of these famous cocktails. No warning at this point that the bar is busy, that excuse came after were were thoroughly frustrated by our service. We ordered an Old Fashion and a Manhattan.
Another 20 minutes goes by before we get food orders. When the waitress comes back to take food order, there is still no drinks or even waters. We order food. Oysters, Cheese/Fruit Plate, and Sliders. All the food was good, much more snack-like and appetizer, not a huge meal, but we were not looking for a huge meal, just some small bites and good cocktails and intimate anniversary ambiance.
Shortly after the food order, we get the water. Still no drinks. We confirm the drink orders were put in and we were told they were but the bar was busy...
By about 10:05 or 10:10, ALL OF THE FOOD ARRIVED BUT STILL NO LIBATIONS. THIS IS INSANE AND RIDICULOUS. WE STARE AT THE FOOD BECAUSE ALL OF IT WAS SNACK-LIKE THAT WE WANTED AS A COMPLIMENT TO OUR DRINKS. We do not get drinks until approximately 10:30. That was an hour and a half after we arrived and after the hot sliders arrived. They were now luke-warm sliders. EVEN WORSE, the server brought some Mint Juniper crap instead of the Manhattan we ordered. We said that is not right and she ALMOST took it back to the bar. We said WAIT, since you messed this up and we do not want to wait with only 1 drink for the next hour and a half, you SHOULD comp that Mint drink and bring us the correct drink (Manhattan) back. The server politely agreed with our service recommendation. THE ONE FREE DRINK DID NOT MAKE UP FOR THE HORRIBLE SERVICE EXPERIENCE, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE WE HAD TO SUGGEST IT!!! They should have done something else to go above and beyond when it takes an hour and half to make 2 drinks. THE PLACE WAS NOT THAT BUSY!
The Mint Juniper was nasty anyways and we struggled to finish it. However, the Manhattan (once it finally came) was AMAZING AND SPECTACULAR and the Old Fashion really hit the spot. Despite the insane wait, the drinks went down like nectar. The server was able to get us the correct Manhattan about 15 minutes after the error was pointed out. So it appears the bar was now a little less busy despite that fact that the party still appeared to be going on behind the book case. When she brought back the Manhattan, I also ordered a Gin drink called the Corpse Reviver. I also enjoyed that drink a lot.
The ambiance is really cool. The private booths with curtains really create an intimate and romantic scene. The peaceful music, and fish tank, and secret code really add to the "speak easy" feel. Oysters, Sliders, a Cheese/Fruit Tray and 3 drinks will cost about $100. That is pricey, but well worth it for a special occasion, so long as the special occasion is not ruined by terrible service. Our special occasion was ruined. And ever worse, it was a Thursday night at 9pm. I hate to see how bad they mess things up on Friday and Saturday night. I am concerned that there may never be a good time to come here, unless you get here really early, like 4pm on a weekday and sit at the bar and evil eye the bar tended the entire time to make sure he/she knows how bad you want the drinks. I do not expect to come back here anytime soon based on my experience, unless maybe I get invited to party in the secret room behind the bookcase (because I saw about 12 rounds of drinks go back there as I waiting the hour and a half for our first drinks). Make sure you have a drink or two before you come just in case they make you wait the way they made us wait. At least it only took an hour and a half for prohibition to end in our booth. | 0negative
| 895 |
Since I live in St. Pete, I usually frequent the St. Pete location. I've been to the St. Pete location countless times and happy to say, that this location also delivers especially on service. I've been to this Carrollwood location 4 times. Once for a birthday brunch and three times for happy hour. Noble Crust is and continues to be my go-to restaurant for birthdays, meeting friends, date night, brunch dates etc, because I know the food is always good, the drinks great, and priced so reasonably for the freshness and quality.
For my friends birthday brunch, we came on a Saturday with a rather large party of 15. We sat at the dinning room length table right in front of the kitchen counter. It was a bit warm since we were right next to the food heat lamps. Our main draw to do brunch here, was the bottomless mimosas. Bottomless mimosa brunch done right! Wow I can't believe bottomless is only 10 dollars and the quality is the same as there regular priced mimosas. Best part is...that there is no 2 hour restriction! You can keep them coming from the time brunch starts at 10 am til it ends at 2 or 3 pm. We had 2 servers, because one was training a new server at our table. I commend our servers for keeping up with our constant refills and how frequently they checked up on us. Before I was finishing my mimosa, I was already being asked if I wanted another or had another round coming for the table. Everyone enjoyed their food. I had too vegans in my party and they were able to order the avocado toast and liked it. I got the breakfast sandwich with scrambled egg, pimento cheese and bacon on brioche bun. It was very tasty but super heavy. Too rich for me with the heavy pimento cheese.
HAPPY HOUR only offered at bar Monday to Friday. All 3 times I came, even on a Friday to this location it was easy to find seats at the bar at 4:30 and 5:30 pm. Noble crust happy hour is featured at all locations. Here it goes til 7 pm. The happy hour menu features 6 dollar cocktails, 8 dollar personal pizzas, 6 dollar bites, 2 dollars of wines. I tried the hisbiscus sling normally 8 dollar ( Banyan reserve vodka, prosecco, hibiscus syrup, rhubarb bitters, lemon juice) and sunny slope spritz cocktail normally 9 dollars (44 North Sunnyslop Nectarine Vodka, Aperol, Prosecco, lemon). Loved them both! Both not too sweet and balanced where I could drink 3/4 easily. I've also had the tequila Rickey full price 9 dollars and I loved it. Sauvignon blanc is my white of choice, so I always order the barrel fresh sauvignon blanc by the glass . Bartenders have always been amazing, consistently made great drinks and attentive with food and drinks.
There are three 8 dollar pizzettes/ personal pizzas offered during happy hour: the Bianca, meatball and margherita pizza. I tried the Bianca pizza which I've been eyeing for quite some time and so happy I caught the mini version on happy hour for 8 bucks so perfect to try and not commit to but definitely would commit to a bigger pie next time. The Bianca is a white pizza that has fresh mozzarella, ricotta, parm, bechamel, pistachios, pesto. The components and size make for a nice light app and not too heavy of a pizza.
FOOD HIGHLIGHTS:
Crispy brussel sprouts are the absolute best I've ever had. There are so many flavors going on with the segments of grapefruit and oranges, goat cheese fonduta, crispy fried mint, pickled Fresno's(9 dollars). I liked fried calamari (13 dollars) with the spicy mustard aioli, they previously served with app but they recently switched to a saffron aioli, ricotta gnocchi.The all time favorite is the fried green tomato with pimento cheese and pork belly (11 dollars). A must try and always a fave by everyone in my party.
The shrimp and grits per usual are always on point but I wish the shrimp was a bit charred/ seared.The smokey pork belly pieces makes up for that. Both times I shared this dish with a friend who had never been to Noble Crust before and were afraid the brown sauce/ gravy was too much and would make the grits soupy. Both friends agreed some of the best shrimp of grits they've had and the grits alone is the best they've had in Tampa Bay. So creamy and moist, fluffy. They could just eat it all by itself! Also tried the Parmesan truffle fries , which if you've never had truffle fries, you must. My only complaint is that there was a little too much salt and the more and more I ate, it got too salty for me to really enjoy but still good and would order again but specify lightly salted. | 2positive
| 820 |
We have ordered take-out from the Ford's Garage location in Countryside/Clearwater a few times since the pandemic started and have never been disappointed. We have used both Uber Eats and Door Dash for delivery from Ford's and have had good results with both options. I have eaten inside other locations, but never this particular location so I cannot comment on the dine-in option.
Now to the important part - the food! Whenever I'm craving a really good (beef) burger, I think of Ford's Garage. They do offer other types of entrees, but I am a firm believer in ordering what a restaurant specializes in to get the best experience. You know that are working on that type of food every day and perfecting it, right?
My husband likes the signature burger and the BBQ Brisket Burger - it is overflowing with a half-pound burger, AND smoked brisket, that includes bacon, onions, cheddar, onion straws (yes, raw onions + onion straws), and BBQ sauce - all served on a brioche bun! The BBQ Brisket Burger is piled really high - I have no idea how my husband is able to fit it all in his mouth to take a bite, but I'm sure there is some smashing down of the burger involved. If you are a true carnivore like my hubby and have a big appetite, then this is the burger for you!
I always ordered their Signature burger - when you find perfection, why keep looking for something new? Their Signature burger includes a half-pound of beef, cheddar cheese, applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and bourbon BBQ sauce on a brioche bun. I like to customize my burger and get it without tomato & onion, and with the BBQ sauce on the side. If you're ordering to-go, I always suggest getting the sauce on the side, so your food doesn't get soggy on its way to you - who wants a soggy burger bun? Even though it's not listed as an option when ordering through Uber Eats or Door Dash, in the "special instructions" section I requested provolone cheese instead of cheddar (if available) and it arrived with the provolone as requested - yeah! I'm not sure if there is seasoning on the burger patty itself, but they are mouth-wateringly delicious. The Bourbon BBQ sauce is the perfect complement to the burger and has a great flavor that stands apart from your run-of-the-mill BBQ sauces.
Even without the BBQ sauce on it, the bottom burger was a little damp from the burger juices but not soggy like you might expect on a to-go burger. I don't think there's anything that can be done about this on to-go orders - when you have a juicy burger, it's going to get on the bun. If you like tomatoes, I'd suggest ordering tomatoes on the side for to-go orders to help prevent sogginess. Whenever my burger delivery arrives, I take it out and put it on a plate, so it doesn't sit in the juices longer.
For our sides, we've tried both the green beans and broccoli and enjoyed both with the broccoli being my favorite. Broccoli isn't listed on their website as a side option and is only on the Door Dash app, not Uber Eats - not sure if this is an oversight but seems strange. Since I know they have it, I just request it as a replacement in the "special instructions" section. I am a huge fan of broccoli, and love when I find a restaurant that prepares it well (without added sauces, butter, etc.). Ford's Garage cooks their broccoli perfectly every time - it's bright green, crisp, and tasty - not the soggy pale green you find at some places.
I do have one complaint/request to make of Ford's Garage (all locations) - I wish they would add nutritional information to their website for everything they offer. It's one of the few chains I have found that doesn't offer even basic nutritional information. Even if they listed the toppings separately, it would be better than nothing. I think they have about 15 locations, so way overdue for them to post this information online. We already know this isn't traditional "health food" and the calories and fat may be higher than we are supposed to be eating, but it's better to have the information than to be left to guessing. They offer a low-carb burger without a bun as well as a few salad options, so those who want to eat healthily have some options. No matter what the nutritional information reveals, their customers will keep coming back, so I wish they would post this important and necessary information to help their frequent customers. | 2positive
| 787 |
I came to this pharmacy because a doctor of mine has an office located right down the street at Abington Hospital, and I try to avoid chain pharmacies (and support small businesses) when possible, as I've noted in several other reviews. Unfortunately, this proved to be one of the most horrific experiences I've encountered in any retail establishment in recent memory. The pharmacist with whom I dealt treated me from the outset with a nasty, unpleasant attitude, and things went downhill from there. He looked at my prescription (which was for a controlled substance) with outright suspicion, and I knew right then and there I was going to have a problem with this guy. Since I'd never been to this pharmacy before, of course he had to double-check the script with my doctor's office to make sure it was legitimate. Fine. Since I was in the process of switching insurance companies and my old policy had been cancelled before my new one took effect, I was technically without coverage and when asked told him because of the situation I had to pay out of pocket. Fine. I was told to wait.
After at least twenty minutes spent browsing in another part of the (empty) pharmacy, I was called back to speak to the pissy pharmacist. Apparently, he'd checked with the insurance company whose policy I'd just canceled, but because they hadn't yet updated their records, I still showed in their system as "active", so he accused me of lying about not having insurance, and refused to fill the prescription. All of this was accompanied by a surly and completely disrespectful attitude; he refused to listen as I again attempted to explain the situation. Why he went to such lengths to find out the insurance company with which I had the old policy--how he got this information is a mystery, as I hadn't told him--and check with them is totally beyond me, but as said, this guy clearly didn't like me from the get-go and made no secret he was convinced I just had to be lying or was being dishonest about *something*. I'm a clean-cut guy and like to think I maintain a pleasant appearance and friendly attitude toward others. However, I was utterly taken aback by the whole situation, and told him to just return the script (I really, REALLY also wanted to tell him what he could do with it, but suppressed the urge-I just wanted to get the hell out of there) and that I'd fill it elsewhere. As I walked out I vowed NEVER to return.
I proceeded to drive to the shopping center across the street to Rite Aid where, surprisingly, the pharmacist on duty was pleasant, understood my issue about being in-between policies (I made sure that was the first thing I told her), and since I was already in Rite Aid's system, she was able to see the problem. Great! The store wasn't too busy and my medication was ready in less than 10 minutes. As I went to reach for my wallet, I realized with a sinking feeling that it wasn't in my pocket. After panicking for a moment, I realized it had to be at Abington Pharmacy, which of course meant I'd have to return, despite my recently made vow never to do so. This was my wallet, though, so obviously it was a vow that necessitated breaking. Just to be certain I had, in fact, left it there, I called and a woman-not the evil pharmacist, thank g-d-answered. I asked if anyone had seen my wallet, and if so, would they mind setting it aside while I went back to retrieve it? She refused to even check, letting me know in so many words if I wanted to see if it was there, I'd have to come back and "look for myself."
WTF?!? I couldn't believe what was going on and honestly began to wonder if I was being punk'd. Anyway, I returned to the pharmacy from hell out of necessity, and my wallet was sitting on the pharmacy's counter, untouched. Evil Pharmacist must have been on a break, thankfully, because as I went to retrieve the wallet (no one even asked me what I was doing or why) I didn't see him. Armed with my wallet, I left as quickly as possible, drove back to Rite Aid, paid for the prescription, and went home. It took at least two hours to calm myself down from the entire experience. Part of me wanted to call and speak to a manager or owner regarding the treatment I received, but figured if he or she hired and kept on staff such incredibly miserable people, they wouldn't give two cents about any complaint of mine. So I did nothing. Thankfully Yelp enables me to share my horror story, warn other innocent souls about the place, and let potential patrons know to avoid coming here at all costs. | 0negative
| 824 |
Ali Baba offered a Groupon and so we took the bait. The first time we attempted to use the Groupon, the restaurant door had a sign posted on it stating that they were not yet accepting the Groupon because they were trying to figure out how to handle working with it. Perhaps this could've been our warning, but I had been to Ali Baba a couple of years back and had had a decent experience.
As we enter we were encouraged to sit anywhere, and we unknowingly picked a booth with a table that hadn't been wiped clean. Water rings from previous glasses are one thing, several layers of sticky mystery are another. Was the table wiped eventually? Yes, but only a long time after ordering (we'll get to that in a second), and only because one of the young girls employed there was cleaning up tables around us. After asking her to clean the table, she asked if she should get a clean rag, or if the dirty one she had would do. She then proceeded to spray Windex in our faces-I mean, on the table, and managed to clean it up for the most part, apologizing for having missed the table and mentioning that she hoped she wouldn't get in trouble.
Now back to the attempt to order... When we first sat down, we had a waitress stop by early and often, and she offered great advice on what to order. She said she'd give us a minute to decide, and then never came back. Literally. After waiting a good 20 minutes, I went to the cash register where she was hanging out and asked if we could order. She said "Oh yes, your order should be up soon" to which I replied "No, we haven't ordered yet." Her response: "Ohhhh, sorry."
Soon the owner/manager/uncle of all of the kids poorly running the place? comes over and oh-so quietly takes our order. The food arrives fairly quickly, though the pita bread that was supposed to arrive with my lamb shwerma plate doesn't. The new waitress says she'll be right back with it. She then comes back and tells me that the pita bread will take about 5 minutes, and asks if that would be ok. I say sure, knowing at this point that the likelihood the the pita bread arriving would be slim. Indeed it never arrives, and instead I see the waitress who promised to bring the bread right out sling her purse over her shoulder, cell phone in hand, heading out the door of the restaurant.
The lamb shwerma... the meat was fatty/gristly, and it came with a sauce that tasted like whatever cream was used to make it was past its expiration date. The hummus was actually quite good until I got into the olive oil in the middle, which also tasted off. The saffron rice also tasted just... well... off. Don't get me wrong, I like Mediterranean food! I just don't like spoiled Mediterranean food. My boyfriend got a supposedly slow-cooked chicken dish that was mostly tasteless and dry. We each had a few bites and decided to throw in the towel.
Soon after, yet another waiter came by and asked (mumbled) if everything was ok. When I told him I was finished, he looked at my full plate of food as though he was scared & perplexed. I can't think of any other description of the look on his face. He took the plate and I asked for the bill. After a while our original waitress came by with our check. We inform her we have a Groupon, and she informs us that the Groupon requires us to buy two drinks. We buy two drinks to go and she brings over our adjusted check, telling us the gratuity has been added. She added 20% to the bill! Amazing. I also let her know that the pita bread never arrived with my meal and her response was "Oh really? Sorry, I told them to bring it out." *shrug*
I wish I were joking. I really don't think I could've dreamed up more things to go wrong at a restaurant if I tried, never mind the giant flat screen TV playing the latest Persian music videos at high volume, the constant foot traffic in and out of the attached hookah bar, and the weird craigslist-type cash deal I saw go down in the parking lot outside of the restaurant between one of the employees and a guy next to his running car. There's zero management going on at this place, zero concern for providing any sort of customer service, and worst of all the food is just not good. In short, I feel sorry for the other 549 people who bought the Ali Baba Groupon. I can assure you you're not in for a treat. | 0negative
| 810 |
I've given this two stars because the food is edible and it was all cooked properly, although it's not a pleasant experience and not somewhere I would return.
Bright interior space and freshly painted walls give a great impression when you first walk in...unfortunatley, that's the last good experience you'll have
The staff is clueless and walking around frantically, but no one knows what anyone is doing. There were 3 (THREE) hostesses working, all arguing about what table number a party was just seated at and trying to figure out their request to change tables...and too busy to help us immediately. Once we got their attention, we asked for a booth, and asked to wait "about 5 minutes", until they could figure out the current table problem. With less than 1/4 of the restaurant and bar area filled, there should have been no delay and no reason ONE of the THREE hostesses couldn't help us. A few minutes later we were told there were no booths available...and then we were led past 6 open booths to be seated at a 4-top table. Maybe they were reserved, but we were there for about 90 minutes total and not a single other table was sat meaning that all 6 booths sat empty (plus 1 more from a table that finished and was reset).
Our waitress started off friendly, but was overly chatty, spending more time asking our friends son about school, what he liked, what grade (he's 14, not exactly a young child), favorite subject, etc, etc. It was like having dinner with my great aunt. She then spent 3+ minutes going over the Pellagrino flavored selections on the menu and how we are supposed to drink it properly...you'd think it was some crazy new drink we'd never seen before (maybe Downington is that rural that's it's new for them?)
The wine is served in a cheap tumbler like water glass...very European if you're drinking table wine in Rome, but a little low rent when you're drinking a $14 glass of wine.
To finish off our great service, the food came out and each course was served to the wrong person, and right after our apps were served, the same server placed another tables entrees down on our table.
The Calamari was actually good, we were told it was made fresh and the breading was light and not at all oily. Unfortunatley, the little bit of calamari we found on the plate was heavily overshadowed by the fried yellow pepper rings (which we initially ate mistaking them for calamari rings!).
Pear salad was good, but not great. The pears were kind of bland and it was a little light on the cheese, but the overall portion size was good.
Spaghetti and meatballs tasted like store-bought boxed spaghetti with a watery and bland tomato sauce....how do you open an italian place without eing able to make a red sauce??? I shouldn't be seeing chunks of red separating and leaving a bowl of water for the pasta to sit in. Simple execution aside, there was no flavor at all to it...pretty much a watery and bland red soup the pasta sat in. The are three large meatballs, but they are under seasoned as well.
Gnocci with braised short rib was a little on the sweet side, served in a brown sauce. The gnocci tasted fresh made, but the sauce was a little overpowering, although it was one dimensional.
Three of us ordered pasta and we had to ask for a grated cheese. The large hunk of cheese was grated with a corse grater leaving too large of chunks of cheese on top of our dish. After maybe a 1/2 tablespoon of cheese, the waitress started commenting on the "mole hill" of cheese and how we were using too much of it, etc....I'm sure she was just trying to be funny, but after spending as much time talking to her as we had each other, we were pretty sick of her commentary.
Dessert was served in small glass cups with 4-5 mousse-like options, you basically pick the glass(es) you want, no other options. If you've eaten at the owners Harvest restaurants, you'll recognize the process.
Initially, this is a really cool space, but the execution is so far off, it's not worth your time. Maybe after they get the staff properly trained and settled, the service issues will be taken care of, although I'm more concerned with the failures in the kitchen department and highly unlikely to ever return for a second chance | 0negative
| 758 |
We visited Two Ten Jack (in East Nashville) on Thursday 03.10.16 for dinner, around 5:00 pm Central. We've frequented this restaurant many a times and thought ramen would be the way to go on a cool spring night. We were seated in one of the booths in the main dining area.
Eats & Drinks - 4 out of 5 stars
Being that it was happy hour, we ordered a couple of 210 Sake Punches (can't beat the $5 price tag per drink). They were refreshing, but light on the alcohol (unfortunately not surprising considering they were happy hour prices) and were not well balanced (could use more sour to balance the sweet and ginger flavors).
We ordered the spicy tuna and crispy rice app off of the happy hour menu. The tuna was served atop a deep fried encasement of sticky white rice and garnished with slivers of jicama. Who can turn down deep fried anything, right?
Next we ordered one of our favorites; the crispy brussels. In our mind, these are the best brussel sprouts based starter in town (better than Butcher & Bee). The dish uses a blend of shichimi (7 spice Japanese blend) and miso vin which gives it that perfect 'umami' taste and results in you frantically searching the bowl for more.
Speaking of 'umami', we also ordered another of our favorites; the garlic noodles. I like to categorize this dish as what I imagine might be Japanese soul food. It's the kind of dish that puts you in a food coma. That's probably because it's a bowl of warm noodles coated in crab butter and sprinkled with black pepper and kokuto (a form of brown sugar). Due to the richness of the dish after a few bites the flavors are not as a distinguished. This dish could benefit from some pungency such as chives, spicy microgreens, or scallions (as we settled for).
For our main entree we chose our 3rd favorite; the tori paitan. In our opinion, this is some of the best ramen in town. It's centered around a chicken broth base, contains chicken meatballs, noodles, veggies, and a soft egg. We understand that the ramen and broth are both made from scratch, in house, which is an added benefit to the authenticity of the meal. It's good till the last drop and a great way to warm your bones on a cooler night.
As there were three of us, we also tried the yasai shoyu. This is the vegetarian based ramen option. It's good (has been somewhat salty in the past) and doesn't beat the tori paitan.
Service - 3 out of 5 stars
The staff is courteous, but not necessarily homely. We were mostly engrossed in our meal so it wasn't as noticeable, but our waitress seemed to be missing in action a few times (refills on water, checking in from time to time, offering extra share plates, etc.). Nonetheless she was helpful when we requested a side of scallions.
We've sat at the bar as well as other tables in the past and the service has been mediocre as well. In other words not service I can brag about, but not service that you can complain about either.
Value - 3 out of 5 stars
The cocktails average $10-13 per drink. The small plates are anywhere from $6-11 per item, the salads and noodles between $6-9, and the ramen average $13-14 per dish. There are several other options (yakitori, sushi, sashimi, etc.) which are also meant to be shared. Expect on average to pay $40-50 per person with a drink included.
Atmosphere - 3 out of 5 stars
The restaurant lends itself to a modern yet 'warm' feel. After all ramen (the centerpiece of Two Ten's menu) is meant to be a warming food. In fact, they even offer you a warm, wet towel when you are seated. We haven't had the opportunity to visit during the day to determine if there is much natural light, but have noticed it tends to have a dim/duller look during dinner service. Though this doesn't seem to bother patrons and the energy and conversation is always at a loud hum.
The organization of the space is a bit convoluted in our opinion, but does allow for many different seating options and group sizes. There's a semi-open kitchen, with an attached bar (the bar is on a diagonal). There's also a centered square bar (seating on three sides of the square). There's tables, booths, and a sectioned off room which can cater to larger parties.
Miscellaneous
The restaurant is located in a plaza with other restaurants and stores so there is usually free parking available within the parking lot attached to these venues.
There are no reservations taken for groups of less than 5, so make sure to arrive early on a given night if you want a table. The wait line can pile up quickly. | 1neutral
| 821 |
After reading about this place from fellow Yelpers as the "premier" place to get dim sum in Reno, I decided to try it out. I'm not a dim sum snob, I've never eaten it in the Bay Area or anything, I only ever had one or two items at various buffets over the years so I'm not going to pretend I know "authentic" dim sum from the stuff you buy in the store. I just know if something tastes good or not, so my review will be based on that.
I went with the boyfriend and we got there just shortly after the restaurant had opened. We came on a Saturday morning, since I'd read you can sample an extended menu on the weekends. We were greeted by a very friendly Asian woman (the owner?) and she let us sit wherever we wanted. We chose one of the large booths and she handed us two menus. We were there for the dim sum, so when she returned to take our drink order (hot oolong tea and water) I asked if they still had that. She replied that they did, and would get me the ordering paper.
Someone had said that they don't give dipping sauces with your order, but that wasn't the case for us. We had little dishes of sweet and sour, chili oil, hot mustard, and some sort of sour soy sauce stuff. Our server kindly offered to get us more if we started getting low.
We opted to get the AYCE for the regular dim sum menu and ordered a couple of items off the extended menu, which is only available ala carte:
AYCE:
BBQ Pork Buns - Our usual go-to. I think we had at least three orders of these (so 9 buns all together. They come in sets of three.) Not too sweet, not too BBQ-y, not overly seasoned. Very tasty with some hot mustard!
Custard Buns - We'd never had these before, and OMG they were yummy! The custard was thick, not runny like pudding. It had a heavy flavor to it, almost like rum. We got two orders (6) of these. I smuggled one home for my folks to try, and they loved it too. But shh! Don't tell!
Pork Sui Mai and Shrimp Sui Mai - The boyfriend doesn't like seafood much, so we got one for him, one for me, though I sampled his, too. A little salty, but otherwise tasty. The shrimp wasn't fishy at all. I had wanted the shrimp har gow, but our server told us they didn't have any and had recommended this instead, which I was fine with. Put a little chili oil and that soy sauce stuff and it was great!
Spring Rolls - Out of everything we tried, these were the most disappointing, IMO. I've never been a huge fan of vegetarian egg rolls, and these were no exception. The filling was just cabbage and carrots. We only got one order (3 pieces) and we both ate just one, leaving the last one on the plate. Even sweet and sour sauce didn't help jazz it up. It wasn't bad, just not exciting, either.
Pork Pot Stickers - Our server suggested them, so we went along with it. If you've had one pot sticker, you've pretty much had them all. I think I would have preferred them steamed instead of fried. Not bad, certainly better than the spring rolls, but again, nothing exciting.
Ala Carte:
Sesame Balls - I think I first tried smaller versions of these at King Buffet. We got one order, because we love red bean paste. Not as sweet as I would have liked, but definitely tasty!
??? Dumplings - I actually can't remember the name of this order. Maybe Shanghai street dumplings? I dunno. They were some sort of beef or pork steamed dumpling-thing. Couldn't really tell much of a difference between these and the pork sui mai, honestly. I liked them, though.
Chicken Feet - Okay, I'll be honest. The whole reason why I wanted to eat dim sum was for these. I'd never eaten chicken feet before. (If you play DnD, you could imagine that this is what a kobold hand would look like.) They came in a light purple sauce, looking all knobby and scary. My boyfriend utterly refused to try them, but I was game. (I'd even looked up how to eat them on YouTube that morning!) They were surprisingly good, but I can see how they could also be an acquired taste. If you've never eaten one before, imagine biting into a fatty piece of chicken skin with a bone in the middle...and that's about it. If you like fatty chicken skin, you'll probably like this. If you don't, then don't bother, since that's all a chicken foot is comprised off. Well, that and tendons. If you've eaten beef tendon in Pho, it's pretty much the same thing, sort of waxy and chewy.
Our overall bill came up to around $50, maybe a little more with the tip. (13.75 per AYCE, plus the tea, and three ala cart items around $5-$7 each.) Oh, I noticed a few Yelpers said they were using coupons from Restaurants.com. A sign on the wall read that Caie's no longer accepts those coupons, and suggests asking for your money refunded if you have one, just FYI.
I liked this place. I would come here again. | 2positive
| 905 |
This family owned and operated Korean food restaurant has been through at least two ownership changes in the five'ish years my husband and I have been - or the better verb now is were - fan customers. Because for us it is Mr. Wok adding a Von's Chicken franchise to their space that has turned us away.
DRAT THAT VON'S: In everything being connected to everything else we might look to the economic downturn in South Korea in 2007 that put thousands of middle aged men out of work and led them to open the low investment needed sweet-spicy fried chicken places there that led us to leave Mr. Wok here. (See Jeong Eun-jeong's tome "The Tale of Chicken in the Republic of Korea"). If we look further back we might say it was American entrepreneurs around the Korean War years in the 1950's who set up American style fried chicken stands to feed GIs that introduced the concept to South Koreans.
Regardless, today there are an estimated 50,000 Korean Fried Chicken joints (chains and independents combined) in South Korea, a country only about the size of Indiana but with a population of about 52 million. Many of the independents don't turn a profit, given how many are in the competition, but the chains are thriving and expanding offshore. One of those that landed in 2014 in the US via California is Von's Chicken.
Since data suggest Americans consume almost 100 pounds of chicken per capita annually (I won't get on my soapbox about the cruelty and environmental impact of mass production of chickens to meet this appetite...oops...I'll get down) and Asian foods are popular across the US, the timing has been right for Von's Chicken franchises to expand into other states like Texas, Colorado, Hawaii and now - as of roughly April 2019 - Idaho when the owner of Mr. Wok incorporated one into his eatery. And it has been all downhill for our experiences at Mr. Wok since for the traditional Korean food we used to enjoy going there to eat.
CHANGE IS HARD: We understand we may be the only ones to grieve the loss of a favorite Korean food place for what it was. Because the focus here is now on Von's Chicken. (You'll find separate reviews for that business on Yelp as well as mentions on Mr. Wok's page.) Even the street-side sign outside now displays in big lettering below the Mr. Wok name, VON'S CHICKEN & TERIYAKI.
It will work for some. But our experience has been the small kitchen can't keep up with the massive serving size plates of Von's Chicken being ordered by diners (and for delivery), the dining population is different (we often used to see people with Korean heritage eating in here during our lunch visits and now it seems in the main white guys ordering chicken platters), the quality of the Korean dishes seems to have suffered from the stress on the kitchen and the service has too.
But if you decide to go, here is what you may want to know:
VIBE & SEATING: It doesn't look like much from the exterior, but has always been always been pleasant on the interior and each ownership change brought improvements. Sparkling clean, generally not very noisy, ample amount of standard height table seating comfortable for people of all age and abilities to use and with enough room in between them to be comfortable without the sardine can seating that plagues so many Boise eateries.
SERVICE: Always friendly even if sometimes a bit slow and with language challenges making questions and answers during ordering difficult if you don't speak Korean as servers sometimes speak limited English. But we were guests in their house and it added to the fun of dining here for us. The current owner would also sometimes come out to talk with guests. But the stresses on the kitchen and the staff for trying to keep up with Von's Chicken orders has made service much slower.
FOOD: Prior to the Von's Chicken franchise addition here, food was always good for our favorites of japchae ($12.50), kimchigae ($12), pork bulgogi ($11at lunch), daeji galbi ($13) and hot stone bowl bibimbap ($13). Until Von's arrived, the banchan dishes were varied and tasty. But the food has suffered with the kitchen trying to be a traditional Korean eatery and a Korean fried chicken franchise at the same time.
PARKING: Private lot that needs some work.
ACCESSIBILITY: Not compliant with the 30 year old ADA or ID code for entry from lot into restaurant given it is too steep up and dangerous coming down. (I have MS and speak from experience.) If you can get into the restaurant it is on one floor with ample floor space and standard height seating at tables. Both ladies' and gents' loos are inaccessible if you're non ambulatory as the doors into each are narrow and the space inside very tight. (In fact, I think my more zaftig friends would find using the ladies' difficult...I'm size 2 type and it was snug for me.)
CLUCK-CLUCK PS: Keep your eyes open for Korean chicken franchises 99 Chicken and Bonchon already in California to wing their way to Boise. | 1neutral
| 871 |
This is a great time to be out and about in Philly. A few weekends back, the GF and I went to the South Street Festival and had a blast. So we were looking forward to the Rittenhouse Row Festival, which had even more vendors, including popular restaurants that we tend to frequent. So we started on the eastern boundary of Broad Street, and made our way west along Walnut Street.
On an overcast day, there were still loads of people out to enjoy the festivities.
Numerous vendors were out, including 500 degrees, which unfortunately was offering just hamburgers and cheeseburgers, no specialty burgers.
Still, even Beefy the Bulldog was out on his skateboard!
But in terms of our first pit stop for food, it was Stephen Starr's Butcher and Singer.
Crab Cake Sandwich ($6)
The crab cake itself was decent enough - crisply fried with mostly crab meat that seemed a bit encumbered by filler. The slaw offered a nice contrast, but really, the brioche was a let down. It seemed a bit stale, as if it had been out for hours.
I appreciated the fact that Top Chef Kevin Sbraga was out supporting the festival.
There was a sound stage, with a band, and a frontman sporting an Eagle's Jersey.
There were numerous lobster rolls being offered, including one from Oyster House.
Typically priced at $26 (with fries), these were comparable with Luke's Lobster's prices. Is a price reduction in the works?
Even cotton candy / candy floss was on hand for festival goers.
The GF and my second stop for food was at the Happy Rooster, a Rittenhouse watering hole we've never been to. So we decided to give both offerings a shot.
Maine Lobster Roll ($7)
Speaking of lobster rolls, the Happy Rooster offered one as well. These were mini-sized, overcooked, and chewy. Especially so soon after tasting Luke's Lobster's goodies, these were disappointing.
Dry Aged Beef Slider ($4)
Blue cheese, sauteed onion, morel mushroom
This slider fared better. The dry aged beef shined and partnered well with the funky blue, though the morel mushrooms did not come through.
Honeygrow was offering slightly healthier eats.
The festival also offered banquet seating throughout - a nice break from the walking, tasting, and perusing.
But on with the tasting! We stopped by Cavanaugh's, which has three locations, including the one at Rittenhouse. Think pub/tavern grub.
House Baked Mac & Cheese ($5)
The real reason we stopped here was for the Mac n Cheese. Unfortunately, this was was all butter and barely any cheese. The accompanying hot sauce had a nice piquancy to it, but unfortunately couldn't salvage the roux-laden mac.
Pulled Chicken Sliders ($6)
This duo of chicken sliders had a nice heat to them, courtesy of the house hot sauce. Decent, but something I could easily make at home.
Shake Shack was offering delicious bites, no doubt.
As was Vernick, though most of their skewers were sold out within about an hour or two! In fact, by the time we got there, only grilled asparagus skewers were left.
By the time we got to Rittenhouse square, we realized just how much Stephen Starr has invested in Philly. In fact, at this corner, all the vendors were pretty much Stephen Starr-affiliated.
But before we continued on to the food, we took a break in the center of the park and saw a familiar sight from the south South Street Festival - the Sonny Holliday Magic Show!
But moving onward, we noticed a huge stage where culinary demonstrations have been going on all day.
We chanced upon Barclay Prime's pastry chef, Christina Christina Diekewicz, who showed the audience how to make s'mores bars. Unfortunately, tastings weren't a part of these demonstrations, to the disappointment of quite a few viewers.
Still, it was nice of Starr Restaurant's efforts to support Philabundance, through both a raffle and auction of their dining silverware. And of course, an abundance of Starr Restaurant's desserts were for sale, including macarons from Parc.
Starr's The Dandelion offers British gastropub fare, so we knew we had to try the Cornish pasties.
Cornish Pasties ($5)
Beef short-rib
These were crisply fried, without being greasy. Buttery, flaky, delicious. The innards had a nice depth of flavor, with stewed carrots, onions, and short-rib.
Finally, moving north of 19th street, we chanced upon the Koru yogurt truck, which often offers samples on 16th and Market Street.
Their offerings are incredibly creamy and taste like a dessert custard. For the sweet tooth's out there - this is a good bet.
Overall, the Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival was a success. A large number and variety of vendors offered delicious bites for Philadelphians to sample. Hopefully this will drive even more people to support the incredible food scene is offered by this great city. | 2positive
| 800 |
So I did some research on this place after seeing all those five star reviews pop up. The web site www.momskitchen.com is not actually theirs, it's a typo on the menu. They are owned by the same gent who owns Joe Pesce, both in Collingswood and CC Philly. No website yet.
They also serve breakfast, for which (we were informed) their lemon ricotta pancakes have been 'nominated for best of New Jersey'. They also serve cheese grits at breakfast, so we'll be stopping in to try that course as well (Sat and Sun 9am-1pm).
My friend and I arrived at 2pm on a Sunday. The chef and hostess were outside smoking, and welcomed us advising that they had switched to the dinner menu at this time. That was fine with us, and we were seated at a four top. We were the lone customers there, no one else came in during the entire time we were dining.
Pros: Four top is lots of space, yay. Nice view of kitchen. Kitschy serving-ware includes pint glasses for water and 'dishtowel' style napkins. Tables are spaced well apart so no chair clicking.
Initial con, music was too loud. My guest and I could barely hear each other when speaking in normal tone.
We ordered appetizers, with my guest selecting the lentil soup. I ordered the Mozzarella en Carrozzo, as I was intrigued by what 'bread carriages' were. For our meals, I ordered the Veal Piccata and my guest ordered the Fried Chicken. This was pretty much pre-determined as if he didn't get the chicken, I was going to.
Our drinks were assembled and the waitress informed us that they were out of the lentil soup. Margie F must have got the last bowl! The Italian wedding was substituted. I was a bit disappointed that for as empty as they were, the soup situation was not surveyed prior to our arrival. Also, there were no special appetizers as mentioned by Maria S.
We were served a large portion of very tasty bread with a bit of olive oil dipping sauce. While not the best looking of combinations, (the herbs and sprinkle cheese mixed in to form almost a sludge under the oil) the olive oil itself was of good quality and the mix overall tasty.
The soup arrived with a large piece of the tasty bread that had been grilled as an accompaniment. It was deemed bland, with the exact comment made to me being 'Wawa's is better". For $8, that was a pretty sad offering indeed.
My Mozzarella carriages arrived and I was initially taken aback by the huge pile of food. The picture is a full size dinner plate, so that portion is 4" tall and 10" wide. Covered in a rich sauce and sprinkled with fresh slices of basil.
Then I cut into it.
Growing up in Philly, we had these things that the Italian joints would serve called gizmos. A hoagie roll with cheese and sauce, usually a buck. This was pretty much an upscale gizmo. There were four large pieces of grilled bread with slices of fresh mozzarella tucked in the center. The whole thing was then doused in sauce. For $9, this is a ridiculous appetizer. Imagine eating a grilled cheese with one kraft single between two huge pieces of texas toast and you get a feel for this dish. Either drop the price or reduce the amount of bread and increase the cheese. Although it was tasty, it was $4 tasty, not $9 tasty. The actual taste of the cheese is lost in the huge portions of bread and the rich red sauce.
The main courses arrived. I had three nice 'scallops' of veal with a sizable portion of mashed potatoes, four caper berries, and a well made sauce. The veal was very nice and (almost) fork tender. The sauce was delicious, and the freshly mashed potatoes were very nice, though they could have used a splash of sauce or a light gravy to give them some life. Salt and pepper got them through. The caper berries were a nice idea, and are one of my favorite bloody mary accompaniments, but were too big and seedy to work with this dish.
To eat them whole overwhelmed the taste of everything else, and slicing them released masses of their tiny seeds which was just unappealing. Simple capers would be fine here. One of the caper berries had bad spots on it or something odd going on (the one pointed down in the photo) so I simply left that on the plate. It was a poor choice to serve it.
The fried chicken was deemed very nice and juicy. It came with cole slaw (meh) and a spicy chili ketchup. It was essentially a half chicken (wing, leg, thigh, breast), seasoned but not breaded and freshly fried, served with a large portion of tasty fries.
So in summary, it was pricey, but mainly due to overpriced appetizers. I felt the veal was worth the $18 and my guest felt the $16 for his chicken fair. Service was pleasant, and the place clean and well lit. Not five stars by any stretch, but a good three stars, with the potential for four if they clean up the presentation and tweak out the appetizers.
I'm looking forward to going back and trying breakfast. Hopefully I'll meet S.P. there, because I'd love to see what he actually ate there that was five stars. His review doesn't say! | 1neutral
| 915 |
Call me fickle, but the last several visits have made this our favorite Mexican restaurant in Smyrna. At first it was Cozumel - that might be because at the time, other than Taco Bell, it was the ONLY Mexican restaurant in Smyrna. Then it was Mi Pueblo on Hazelwood. They had Karaoke every Saturday night and we met a lot of new friends that liked to sing as well. Just to give you a time reference - they had a non-smoking section. The smoking ban was initiated while we were going there. The day the music died we went to El Rodeo (Where Georgia's Lounge is now). The food was OK, but we were there for singing and visiting. When they closed we started going to Mi Tierra (now closed) where again we would sing Karaoke every weekend. They, too stopped having karaoke - didn't think I was THAT bad of a singer. So now the options have dwindled in regards to singing for my supper. Mi Cancun on Enon Springs Road began having Karaoke, but it was sporadic at best and eventually stopped.
OK, so now where am I going to bring out my closet Elvis - wait that was another guy. I kid you not, he had an Elvis costume - wig, sideburns, gold sunglasses and jumpsuit...let that sink in a minute. Oh, he was "fat" Elvis and sounded nothing like him, but the hip thrusts were close...ouch, mental image! We did follow the music to La Siesta on South Church in Murfreesboro for awhile. The drive was almost not worth it and the crowds a little too much. Alas, it stopped there, too. Side note: I am a decent singer. I have won 1st place in one Karaoke contest and came in second at another - no autographs please...
It has been quite awhile since fajitas and folk songs, burritos and the blues, beans covered with cheese and cheesy song covers, quac in a bowl and rock and roll, margaritas and Jimmy Buffet - OK, I'll stop. So now we go to Mexican restaurants just to eat - boring I know. The food at Mi Cancun is just so-so. Cozumel is really good and generous with the portion, but they recently changed the burrito sauce that we used to order a small bowl of to eat on chips with shredded cheese - so we stopped going there. Mi Pueblo is on the other side of town and Margarita House is hit and miss and the fajita size is dismal. (We always share a singe order). La Siesta in Smyrna is good, especially their chips and salsa, but is generally off of our radar.
We tried Camino Real when it first opened a couple of times and were not overly impressed, but for the last few months it has become our go-to. We order a single order of the Fajitas Jalisco (chicken, steak and shrimp). My expectations were not too high in regards to the number of shrimp, so as not to be too disappointed. To my surprise there were eight medium sized shrimp mixed into a mound of chicken, steak and veggies. There was enough food on that skillet for three or four people or one me! Seriously, I am having leftovers today and I probably won't be able to eat it all. The chicken was cooked perfectly as was the shrimp. Like all they used cheap cuts of meat for the steak and it is usually chewy - that is why they cut it thin and on the bias. This was somewhat, but not as bad as a lot of others we have had. The wife doesn't like shrimp that much, so - YAY ME!
Dining tip - ASK for patio seating during season and weather permitting. If not ASK for one of the side rooms as opposed to the main dining room - it is MUCH quieter, well, unless you happen to sit close to someone that uses a telephone turned up too loud in order to entertain their kid instead of interacting with them - irritating, but it eventually was turned down at least. STOP BEING RUDE PEOPLE - IT'S NOT THAT HARD!
One gripe - the drinks. While I don't drink anymore, my wife orders an occasional margarita - one waiter called it Mello Yellow - he wasn't far off. VERY weak she said and not worth the cost. She tried the Sangria last time and felt it was pretty much like the margarita. | 2positive
| 751 |
When planning our Boys trip to Nashville, there was one place I wanted badly to try out for dinner. I had heard about Husk and Chef Sean Brock through some articles and most recently the last season of Chef's Table. Although he is not longer really involved with Husk since 2018, I loved the premise of how Husk looked to reconnect with the basis tenants of Southern cuisine and heirlooms ingredients. My knowledge of Southern cuisine from Montreal leans heavily towards fried chicken, bbq, etc so the idea of a 'different' kind of Southern meal really intrigued me. So I convinced my friends that Husk would be our first dinner in Nashville.
Located on Rutledge Hill, a few blocks south of the 'Historic' Nashville and Broadway St, Husk is housed in an old Southern home built between 1879 and 1882 that at one point was the home of Mayor Richard Houston Dudley when he was first elected in 1897. The house is beautiful and evokes that old Southern Mansion feel with the high ceiling, crown mouldings, old fireplaces and its old arched brick entranceway and porch. The kitchen is open in the middle of the first floor and there are different seating areas elsewhere in the house - including a bar area in the basement.
As mentioned before, Husk is all about exploring the reality of Southern food through the use of heirloom items, in-house pickling and charcuterie creation amongst other means. The menu is an interesting mix of 'classic' Southern dish and just dishes that uses local producers and ingredients to create some cool dishes with a Southern bend.
Our appetizers were an interesting blend of these ideas. First up, a more refined take on shrimp and grits - beautifully tender shrimp with some rich and creamy cheesy grits. A perfect combination that finally made sense to me trying here in this setting.
We then had the hickory smoked wings with Alabama white sauce. The wings were crispy and tender wings. I loved the spice mix overtop which provided tons of smoky heat and then we had the Alabama White Sauce which is a zesty and tangy white BBQ sauce which I had never had before but found to be wonderful with the smoky hot wings.
We shared a hearth cornbread as well which was an excellent cornbread - not too dry and had a nice sweetness and heartiness to it. I've always enjoyed cornbread so it was great to finally one in its area of origin.
Finally as the starters, we had a plate of Tennessee charcuterie with cheddar biscuits, spicy rilettes and pickles. The charcuterie was excellent - tons of great rich flavours and textures. The spicy rillettes were excellent as well and I just love a good cheddar biscuit - super buttery and flaky with that hint of cheesy goodness. Round 1 was in the books and we were very happy so far.
Our mains continued the great use of local southern produce. First up, we had some North Carolina catfish served with blue barley berry cornbread, peaches, snap peas and basil butter. The fish was amazing - super flaky and tender. The cornbread was more of a corn pancake but excellent regardless. The peaches added a touch of sweetness and the basil butter was super interesting - a combination of richness but with a hint of coolness and freshness. Excellent dish all around.
Our second dish was seared Bear Creek Farm beef served with Farmer Dave tomatoes, ramp kraut and embered okra. Personally for the table, the thickness of the beef was such that it was served a little too rare which made it less enjoyable to chew. The rest of the dish was excellent - I really loved trying okra in this fashion. It had none of the sliminess that many people associate with that vegetable.
Our main final was grilled Bear Creek Farm pork served with Farmer Dave spaghetti squash, smoked spring onion and pork belly. An excellent cut of meat cooked perfectly. I loved the addition of the pork belly overtop to provide a different texture and that paired well with the sweetness from the smoked onion.
After all of this, we were stuffed but we saw this on the dessert menu and couldn't help but want to try it: Oatmeal raisin cookie soft serve with RC cola marshmallow and rum raisin caramel. A very unique idea for ice cream but the flavour really came through and caramel and the sweet marshmallow with the little roasted top matched well to it. Great finish for our meal.
Husk met my expectations and become a wonderful discovery for my friends. It was great to try Southern cuisine in a different way than what I was used to. We left full, happy and looking forward to what else Nashville had in store for us.
Cheers! | 2positive
| 810 |
Boy has it been awhile since I've had the time to sit down and write a review. I've had next to no free time since before the holidays started. A death march of constant overtime and back to back calls have nearly kept me from eating on my little food adventures, let alone putting metaphoric pen to paper. Despite this however i feel the need to allocate some time to my recent neighborhood discovery Primo Burgers.
I've recently moved after purchasing a house, no more renting or staying with friends. This minor change of scenery, does however have a downside. I've lost access to a lot of delivery staples, or seen quality decline due to being on the very edge of their delivery ranges. This has prompted me to start trying a lot of new places around the neighborhood. Those reviews will come, when i have some more free time but Primo is a surprise hit.
Suffice to say Primo has made an impression. Over the last week i finally decided to buckle down and try it after seeing it on the Frankford strip prior to my move. and over this week i have photographed, and eaten a lot off of the menu. Cheese Steak, Megafries, Pizza Fries, Greek Burger, Onion Rings, Texas Quesadilla, Chicken Parm Cutlet sandwich, and Chicken FIngers to name the staples, and so far everything has been quite good.
Mega fries here are a little different than standard, rather than wiz mozzarella and bacon Primo does things their own way. Chedder, Swiss, and American layered with bacon on seasoned fires- a very different experience texture wise, but just as much if not more flavor.
Steaks here were surprisingly good, i usually take mine with salt, pepper, ketchup, and mayo. There are two reasons for this. One, because i like all of the above, and in generally they combine with beef cheese and rolls- covering up flaws and compensating if necessary. And two, because of this compensation, extreme flavor profile, and slight messiness- your able to tell whether the food itself is up to chop without the condiment crutches. Primo has something that stands on its own with certainty.
Rolls and cheese here were average. But that beef? Steak here was phenomenal, perfectly cooked, very well seasoned, and a fantastic cut of meat. Despite the smattering of condiments cheese and roll i was always able to make out that taste- because it held above it.
Take chicken for example, Primos fingers are alright, and they just barely maintain their own flavor when paired with condiments which is rare- think about any time you've had chicken fingers or tenders. You take a bite out of it without ketchup, or BBQ, or honey mustard and you can go "That's alright, that's good chicken." You smother it in any of the above- and most chicken loses its flavor, the only thing your tasting is the condiment, or if your lucky you get a slight and pleasant bleed-through of chicken, with rare exceptions of both blending in equal harmony. The steak itself here is so good that it doesn't blend in equal harmony, it steals the show entirely....and I'm okay with that.
Pizza fries aren't as good as their mega, mostly because the red sauce here is lacking, and the mozza on the other hand is average- so i'm happy with their choice of alternate ingredients, this lackluster pasta sauce also extends to the chicken cutlet Parmesan sandwich.
Burger was fantastic, the Greek could have had a bit more feta on it but the burgers here are cooked to perfection I asked for mine to be medium well, and rest assured they were. Good beef in use and the basic buns they use are very smooth and fresh. Though there are a few different bun types that i haven't had yet- so i cant vouch for any of the others...Yet
Onion rings here are beer battered and surprisingly good. A lot of flavor for what they are- and quite large as well. I haven't had this supplier before, but i certainly approve of them.
Last but not least are the quesadillas which are in my opinion are a sterling value proposition. $7.50 gets you a full quesadilla and about the same amount of fries as in an order of them separately, Primo doesn't skimp, and i think this has the potential to become my go-to order item despite the fantastic steak.
Another thing that's great about primo is just how quickly they deliver, i blame this on their less than 2 mile distance, but the delivery speed is still impressive.
For now Primo has slid into my regular spot for food orders in my area. I'll keep trying new things, and experimenting to find better alternatives. You can rest assured you'll hear about it if i do. But for now...
Primo's the best i've found..
Flavor & Presentation 4/5 | Speed & Service 4.5/5 | Pricing & Portions 4/5
Overall 4.25/5 | 2positive
| 830 |
Giving them this rating since our first visit was awesome, second was a little less and the last visit left me hungry. Averaged it all out.
Seating: We have sat at the bar everytime (weekend and weeknights)
Service: Great when the lead bartenders direct the lost sheep in the captivity of behind the bar.
Still fairly solid but again they are captive to the bar well
Food-Taste: When the kitchen is on the food is solid. Pot roast fries and Bengiets are deadly good. Order the benigts when you order your meal they take 15 minutes to cook...well worth it.
Kitchen: When the kitchen is on it's good and all very rich. Quality control is spotty and following requests are ignored. Food coming out of the kitchen is slow 20+ mnutes for entrees. Apps are speedy as can be.
Mgmt: Spends alot of time apologizing and sitting on the kitchen to get the food out.
Beer: Limited selection and small at $7 bucks.
Experience: As I said in the begining our first visit was at an off time and was awesome but only because our bartender was spot on and a true star. His recommendations were good and true to the food.
Second visit the bartenders again were spot on but they had to chase down our food from the kitchen.
Third visit was on a Thursday night at 6:30pm full on dinner service. Our bartender clocked out and neither of the remaining had any idea that they were to pick up his service of us. The woman on the service bar jumped in even though she was slammed. Still had to ask for things to be cleared and for refills on our drinks. Tried to order the pierogies but was told they were out so had the grande calamari and buffalo egg rolls. Both were very good and hot, but if you like buffalo ask for extra sauce. We also ordered burgers with side salads. The french dip was pretty good salad was a bit bitter. I had ordered a Wood Grilled B.B.Q. Burger. This burger comes with Crisp Applewood Smoked Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Tempura Onion Rings, Pickles and Our Special B.B.Q. Sauce. Remember this description...seriously. So I asked for the BBQ sauce on the side and if I could add mushrooms. 25 minutes later I asked if our dinner had been entered and a manager appeared assuring us our burgers were coming up next. 5 minutes later we had burgers. The french dip came out as expected the BBQ burger not so much. The sauce was not BBQ. When asked I was told it was a Creole Remoulade. I asked where the BBQ sauce was. And the Manager came out again and said everything came with the Creole remoulade (mayo) told him I didnt want it but wanted the BBQ I had asked for on the side. Well my spidy sense being up I disected the burger to find more strange sauce on my burger that I did not ask for nor was in the description...you remember that description. Well manager returns 3 minutes later with BBQ and when asked about new mystery sauce I am told it's Creole Mustard. So this BBQ burger (ood Grilled B.B.Q. Burger. This burger comes with Crisp Applewood Smoked Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Tempura Onion Rings, Pickles and Our Special B.B.Q. Sauce.) is more of a creole mayo mustard fest but nowhere does it say this on the menu. The Manager starts to disagree that it says so on the menu. We went to find a menu together. Nope no creole anything is listed. He wants to make me a new burger meanwhile my dining partner is over half through their meal. I decline. I sit for 5 minutes with uneaten meal in front of me until I tell the bartender that it makes me madder by the minute the longer I look at it. Upon the last bit of my partners dinner the manager arrives with a new burger. He procalims it is exactly as I ordered it...I look at it never touch the plate and it is missing the mushrooms and the side salad. Apparently the art of reading the ticket for the line cook, expediter and him is something they missed. I wanted the check for what we ate and drank minus the burger and had to argue with him over that for more time. begs to wrap it. Told him no multiple times it took my partner stepping in and telling him no multiple times as well for him to hear us. Then he wants to pick up the tab completely and I didn't want to stiff the bartenders their tip. again another argument! Finally we get a check, we pay the check and leave. Ended up getting a Wawa sub to fill my hungry belly and it only cost me $5 and they made it EXACTLY as I ordered it. SMH! | 1neutral
| 823 |
It's been awhile since I've been to a Thai restaurant, the last being my visit to Boualouang over a year ago. So when Jessica mentioned that we should go eat Thai at Numchok Wilai on 124 St, I was pretty excited for our dinner date! I blame Joe for his "peanut allergy" and my fear that even a little could kill him, even though in reality it's just a sensitivity. I'm just making excuses really... I don't know why I haven't been to a Thai restaurant in so long.
I didn't dwell too much on interior this time, it was more about the company and the massive amounts of food I was about to eat. But the restaurant was pretty filled when we ate on a Thursday night. By the time we ended dinner, the restaurant had completely cleared which left me with (attached) photo.
My boss mentioned that he loved Whyte Ave's King & I spring rolls and wondered how Numchok Wilai compared. I had never been to either, so I couldn't really do so but I convinced Jessica to try it with me. I use the word "convinced" because I think it's rare that Asians (which the both of us are) do not order spring rolls when we go out to eat. I was raised to order things on the menu that my mother could not make better in her kitchen. Fair enough rationale, no? We ordered the pork spring rolls though just for funsies. I liked them! They were mostly filled with vegetables but hints of pork were there. Fried correctly to develop a crispy exterior without being greasy or soggy over a short time period. Wrapped loosely so that the density of the rolls were just right. Were they better than my mom's? Heck no. Did I tell my boss that? Yes, of course. But an excellent dish to order if that's what you're in the mood for and the sweet dipping sauce was a refreshing take on the traditional Vietnamese fish sauce in my household.
The benefit of dining with Jessica is that her eyes are a billion times larger than her stomach. As a second appetizer, we ordered the Som Tum Mango, a Thai style spicy mango salad with shrimp. Funny that I'm afraid of Joe dying, but not so much Jessica... who actually has a true allergy to peanuts. She's a pharmacist, she can deal! The dish did call for ground peanut, which I can only assume they replaced with cashew nuts like the mango salad, a different item on the menu. What we actually got seemed to better describe that dish, so I'm not even sure if we actually received the Som Tum Mango. The salad had a nice heat to it, cooled nicely with mint leaves and the sweetness of the mango. Shrimps were cooked perfectly making the dish a stellar choice.
Much like how every cuisine has a signature dish, the pad thai clearly comes to mind the Thai food. The rice noodles at Numchok Wilai are thinner width wise than Boualouang, which I liked preferred to the wider variety. We chose the house tamarind sauce rather than a tomato sauce, a more traditional route. Not even sure how a tomato based sauce came into play. The sauce was not overly sweet and not overly thick which I find can sometimes ruin a pad thai really quickly. Combined with egg, shrimp, chicken, beansprouts, and green onions, I loved it!
The green curry chicken came out with its own tea candle heat source, a cute presentation. Creamy, spicy (!), and loaded with bamboo shoots which covered tender chicken pieces underneath. We had ordered it moderately spicy, can't even imagine how the highest spice would fare. It's nice that they let you choose that option for all spicy dishes! Loved the mixture of coconut curry and thai basil!
Lastly, dessert! Four dishes later and we were still holding on. We decided to try a dish called "Kow Neaw Sung Kaya", a coconut black sticky rice topped with a Thai style baked custard. The custard is more of a bread pudding texture, sweet and slightly sticky. The black sticky rice was also sweetened but surprisingly the overall dish wasn't overwhelming. Perfect way to end the meal!
The meal left both of us satisfied and full! For a fraction of what a fancier meal would cost us but for the same amount of happiness. Wiiiiiin. Absolutely loved our meal at Numchok Wilai and would definitely come back. There's parking in the back of the restaurant, as well as street parking if you can find it! It made Avenue Edmonton's Best Restaurant 2014 as honorable mention in "Best Thai". I'd have to go to Bua Thai again to compare, as it's been over a year and a half since I've been there. With restaurants like these in town, my standard "sushi or..." can now be "sushi, Thai, or..." Where's the best Thai restaurant you've been to? | 2positive
| 831 |
So . .. as you can see that this place is one of the top restaurant in Indianapolis and one of those restaurant you have to visit before you die type of place. Once again, everyone has different opinions and my opinion is just my side of the story. I hope that I can try this place one more time and I hope I get a better experience out of it.
So reservations is a must, since it gets busy very quickly. Luckily my girlfriend and I did and you have 15min. past your reservation time to check-in. Parking is either a valet for $10 (Saturday night) or you can park across the street in a parking garage, which I paid for $3 (0-2hrs), which wasn't that bad.
The ambiance of the restaurant was very nice. Since they have many patrons visiting their restaurant, they have many tables, and if you go to their website, you can get a virtual tour of the restaurant to see the other parts. We were seated in a library type of room, which was kind of awesome.
Pretty much this restaurant is known for their famous shrimp cocktail. The cocktail sauce is packed with horseradish, and if you love horseradish or anything hot or sinus burning, then this is your dish! The shrimp are very large and meaty, which was well worth the price, and the cocktail sauce does pack a punch. It was at moments not tolerable because of how it burned your sinuses, but you couldn't stop eating. I found out that if you use your bread that you receive when you arrive, it kind of diminishes the heat a little bit (since shrimp is pretty bland in taste).
Both my girlfriend and I ordered the ribeye, medium rare. It comes with a side, and either a soup (which is Great Navy Bean soup), tomato juice (which I was confused if it was actual juice or soup), or they would have specials of the day, which on this day was a Lobster Bisque (additional charges for these special of the day, I believe). The soup was very delicious and we were getting full by this point. Then came our steaks.
So this is kind of where my rating of this placed dropped from a 4 star to a 3 star rating. This place is expensive in their cut of meat. Like their Sirloin strip was a $1 expensive and the same weight as the ribeye we ordered. I was kind of confused by that. They did cook our meat at the temperature that we requested, which was good. But the seasoning on the steak was . . . bland. Like I could only taste the grill that they use and the flavor from cooking other steaks on it that night. Like it wasn't a bad taste, but it didn't have depth to my likings. Maybe it was one of those night, that they were very busy and maybe few things were off?? Also the utensil that they gave us was not very sharp and I was working very hard to cut my meat. Of course I could have asked to get a new knife, but I had ribeye before and I know that I didn't have to work that hard to cut a medium rare steak. So it was kind of disappointing, when everyone here raves about this place being a great steakhouse. For sides, I had the red potatoes mashed potatoes with skin, and my girlfriend had french fries. Once again, my girlfriend is a french fries connoisseur, and she felt that the french fires were kind of lacking.
So as you can see, our experience wasn't the greatest, and weren't wowed by this place. We almost would like to give it 2-stars, but the shrimp cocktail made us rate this place 3-star. I am up to give this place another try, but my girlfriend doesn't! lol
The only thing I would say that this place is a very nice restaurant and have a lot of historic importance to it. I don't quite agree with the prices, since I have the same size and cut of meat elsewhere for a much reasonable price. Also, we had a light snack before we came, so maybe on our next visit, come in on an empty stomach, and maybe try it again.
Please, don't take this review as the wrong way. We though this place was a very charming place and it is a must to dine at this place once before you kick the bucket or visiting Indianapolis. If you are not a huge meat fan and if you are wanting to try their famous shrimp cocktail, I highly recommend going to their sister restaurant, which is located right next to it, called Harry and Izzy's. They do serve some steak and a few items that they don't serve in their main steakhouse. But shrimp cocktail is there for sure!!!
Thank you for taking the time to read this review and I hope you found this to be helpful, amusing, or just ridiculous that someone would go in such depth of reviewing a restaurant!!
Cheers!! | 1neutral
| 862 |
Morimoto. What can I say. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Perhaps the chefs were having an off day. I don't know. Either way it is NOT what I would have expected from the Iron Chef's flagship restaurant.
We were a group of four people in town from California on business. Our dinner reservation was made in advance for 8:45PM on a Tuesday evening. We arrived early at 8:30pm realizing that we might want to have a cocktail before dinner. But the bar upstairs was full of people who were still waiting to be seated. Eventually we were told that there was space upstairs so we went up. Several groups were sitting having food and drinks. Realizing that the bartender had just been slammed with people we gave her plenty of time to serve us but it still took what I would call 'too long'. She took our order for drinks and some apps as we realized we might be sitting upstairs for a while.
Eventually we got our drinks, a decent Komei Shochu on the rocks and then went upstairs, where we ordered a nice bottle of 'G' Junmai Ginjo sake. I would have to say that it was not cold enough so I asked the server to chill it in ice more. But then our hostess, Sarah, arrived to tell us our table was ready. Only an additional 45 minute wait. Bottle in tow, no apps yet, and we were headed down to our table. Sarah was awesome by the way.
We were seated mid-restaurant. Good sized table for four people. So once seated Sarah introduces our waitress (can I still call her that?) and she was very nice. She took my bottle away and returned periodically when my glass was empty to keep it cold somewhere. Regardless, it was now cold and quite enjoyable for an Oregon Sake.
On to the food. About 15 minutes after seating our apps started to arrive. BTW - I never complain. I just don't eat the food. I expect the waiter(ess) to notice. Score 1-5 for each dish.
Miso Soup - The tofu in this was awesome! Silken, soft larger pieces cut unevenly. Too bad the miso soup itself was over salted and luke warm. (1)
Edamame - not warm enough, crunchy, and OVER salted with big bits of sea salt.(1)
KUMAMOTO OYSTERS - None available so we went with the market oysters. Half dozen served with three different dressings, very nice.(3)
Yellow Tail Tartare, Caviar and wasabi This was the most enjoyable of the apps. Very clean. (4)
Duck Duck Duck - Basically duck cooked three ways. Roasted sliced duck breast, duck fried rice and a duck egg on top. Too bad the duck breast was like rubber. The fried rice was great though. I'd have to guess that the duck was previously frozen or the person cooking it didn't know how to do it. (2)
Ishi Yaki 'Buri' Bop - We opted for the kobe beef version. I guess I was expecting yakimeishi, a Japanese fried rice dish where the rice is cooked in the stone pot, other items are placed on top and then baked some more and finally all mixed up table side. This appeared to be similar but just a hot stone pot filled with previously cooked rice and the server was trying to tell us about it while furiously mixing it all up at our table while simultaenously attempting to cook the raw kobe beef slices on the hot sides. The pot was not hot enough, not even close to 'cook' the meat let alone sear it like the guy was trying to do.
I'd have to say that of the dishes that I expected the most from this one was mediocre at best. The toppings were not hot, the rice was not cooked in that pot and the beef as virtually raw and almost cold. (0)
Wasabi Fried Rice - Yaay for fried rice. This was nice. Well seasoned , egg fried in there. The wasabi was apparent but not blow your head off. (5)
Sushi. Thank God for sushi.
Tobiko, Tako, Maguro, Hotate, Unagi, Anago, Hamachi, Toro, Chu-Toro, O-Toro - Every single piece was perfection. The quality supreme. The O-Toro was so sublime that we had another piece each for dessert. Pure butter of the sea. (5)
What really surprised me was that there were four or five sushi chefs behind the counter all 'Americans' except for one Japanese gentleman who I personally thanked for the awesome sushi.
I counted twelve waiters/waitresses standing around waiting towards the end of the night. We did basically close the place as we were seated late.
Morimoto-san, please go home your kitchen staff needs you!
So if it wasn't for the sushi being so awesome, I wouldn't give Morimoto a very good rating. But taking the decent sake and the sushi together and forgetting the rest, I'd go back but wouldn't bother with anything else.
I really really wanted to like everything but I'd have to give it a three overall. If I could give it a 2.5 I would.
If your concerned at all please feel free to contact me. | 1neutral
| 864 |
If you've seen one casino, you've seen them all...right. We used to come to Reno a couple times a year after we were getting burned out with Las Vegas. It was a bit more laid back and yet had plenty of good restaurants and, of course, many options and opportunities to help support the local economy. But when the direct flights between Detroit and Reno went away, so did we...back to Vegas with direct flights.
As we are here at the Eldorado, attending a reunion of my old USAF group, we are staying here as well. We had stopped gambling a number of years ago due to lack of time and money. But it is hard to resist playing a little when you have to walk through the casino to check in, go to restaurants, etc. So we allowed a nominal amount of time and cash to play our favorite game, what was referred to by one TV show as the crack cocaine of slot machines, video poker!!
We decided to stick with nickel machines, same fun and less pain (can't believe we used to terrorize the $5-$10 machines). After being down $80, we recovered to only down $40 and then...what's that? Oh, buffet is open again...
So where was I? Oh, yes, after initially having a positive impression for the Eldorado Casino, we ran into their players' club rules and different staff members' interpretations of said rules!
We are very experienced in finding out what casinos want us to do by understanding their rules and promotions. When I signed up for a players' card, I was told that if I earned 20 points (point systems allow you to insert your players card in a slot machine so they can track your play to reward you for (usually) losing lots of money) in my first 24 hours, I would get a free buffet breakfast...fair enough, did it, got my free breakfast.
The second promotion was explained to me that if I earned 25 points in 24 hours, I would reach their Gold Level. We earned 14 points before midnight and then 11 more points the next morning and went to the Promotions Booth to find out about Gold Level. This time a different person told me that the 25 points must be earned on the same day before midnight.
We initially argued about the seemingly changing rules but then, seeing that we were getting nowhere (the rules are, after all, the rules!), we soon convinced ourselves that we might as well earn an additional 14 points, get the Gold card, and move on; so we did.
Then we went back to the Promotions Booth where yet another staffer told us, after congratulating us on earning the free breakfast, that the rules for getting the Gold level are that the 25 points had to be earned before midnight on the day we first got the players card issued! Hmmm...something wasn't making sense here! So we asked for a supervisor.
When a slot supervisor came and listened to the problem we were having, she said that the rules have to be followed, even though Eldorado's own employees have varying understandings of their own promotions. And there was no description of this promotion or its rules that were available in writing as has been our experience in other casinos, particularly in Las Vegas.
We would have to earn a 3+ day average of at least 25 points per day before we could have Gold level; and by then we would be on our way home! Gold level would get us some discounts in the restaurants and some other benefits. The supervisor sized up the situation and, since the rules can't be changed, she just gave us a credit voucher to use at the restaurants.
That worked for us. Gold level is only meaningful if you plan to come back on a regular basis...we were not, especially after this experience. So we took the voucher, thanked her, and then proceeded to win some cash from their machines to take home with us! I lowered my initial rating primarily because the people at Eldorado do not have a common understanding of their own promotions and players club rules; but we are left feeling like we have just been jerked around with no consequence to those who created the confusion.
And...just when I thought it couldn't get worse...it did! After playing a lot last night we checked out of the hotel and stopped to pick something up before leaving and use up the rest of the comps we had earned. Surprise!! It was denied! So we went to see a casino host and were told that we were actually negative $3!! After a few minutes of pointless arguing I heard a sound, an unusual sound, the sound of yet another star falling away.
What started as fun at a decent casino just went down hill throughout our stay. Mostly the problems were with the Eldorado's players club, so if you just play and don't care about earning comps, you will be fine; they actually have some decent machines. The hotel and restaurants are decent. But we should have taken our play across the street at Harrahs! | 0negative
| 870 |
I've waited over a year for my first visit to Porter Books & Bread and, rather appropriately, now my initial visit results in my 600th review on Yelp.
I live on the Eastside of Indy and frequent the Fort Ben area. I'd heard about Porter Books & Bread not long after it opened, but was dismayed when I drove by and realized it was in the Lawton Loop area where accessibility is a pretty rare thing unless I decide to move into Village of Merici. I posted a question on Yelp, finally, asking if anyone knew if there were plans to make this particular building accessible and was pleasantly surprised when the owner, I believe his name is Will, announced that the building owner did, in fact, plan to improve accessibility. He also noted that a timeline was not available.
So, I waited. And waited. And waited. I drove by. Once, I even got tempted to try and tackle the stairs. Then, I thought better of that idea.
I didn't want to visit Porter Books & Bread before the accessibility happened because, quite honestly, I didn't want to set them up for a negative review. I adopt a bit of an attitude when accessibility falls short.
However, not long ago I drove by the area and discovered that the ramps were in process. Then, recently, I discovered they appeared to be done. So, I began plotting my visit. Given that I've been using Lawton Loop for my own wheeling/fitness routine, I knew that the near future would allow me a visit.
Today, I arrived.
You park behind the building in a rather informal parking lot. There's no "formal" accessible spots, but it's pretty easy to find parking that will work. If you've ever been on a military base, the look of the building that houses Porter won't really surprise you. Since disabled folks don't serve in the military, these buildings are certainly not easily made accessible.
So, first of all. Major kudos to the owner for addressing the concern. While lots of owners put in some sort of accessibility features, it's usually haphazardly done. This building has it done right. Is it 100% ADA compliant? Probably not, but it's really, really good and made with high quality materials. You can see where they made the sidewalk more accessible, with two curb cuts - the lips on the curb cuts are a bit high probably from a poor measurement. They've also left gravel in front of the main curb cut - my gut feeling is this was to address the lip on the curb cut, but it's really not a good solution. I actually fell at this spot, though approach it slowly and you'll be fine.
To the left, is a concrete ramp going to the lower floor. To the right, is a concrete/wood ramp going up to the 2nd floor. Porter has two floors, so this is relevant. To order, you take the concrete ramp to the lower floor. A glass door leads into the building, then another glass door goes into Porter directly to the right. This floor has 3 tables in it along with a bunch of books and, of course, the ordering counter and kitchen prep area. If you're in a wheelchair, you can easily stay here - it gets a little noisy for sure, but everyone is super friendly.
If you can handle a spiral staircase, probably not for those in wheelchairs, you can take it up to the 2nd floor dining/book area that is comfortable and much quieter. You can also access it by going back outside and taking the other ramp up to it. While this sounds like a pain, everyone's so friendly here I'm 100% positive they'll bring your drink/food to you. Will seemed genuinely excited to have a customer in a wheelchair (we'd met at a Yelp event), though he was incredibly dismayed, visibly so, when I mentioned having fallen on the way in.
Porter has a variety of sandwiches, salads, some pastries and, of course, a variety of coffee drinks plus kombucha and teas. Everything here leans healthy and I believe just about everything is sourced locally. I ordered the Austen - smoked turkey, fromage frais, pickled onion, romaine, garlic/black pepper mayo, focaccia. It's $9 for 1/2 or $12 for whole and comes with chips from Broad Ripple Chip Co. I also ordered the "endless refill" on coffee for $4. It's not the least expensive meal, but it's a high quality meal from fresh ingredients that is locally sourced. The atmosphere is beautiful, the books are wonderful, and they sell art from local artists.
The sandwich was actually more generous than expected and the chips were delish. The coffee, called Mr. Hyde, was simply stellar. I had 3-4 cups of coffee and am planning on sleeping again Tuesday.
I wrestled with my review. A 4-star could be justified given the fall and complications with accessibility, but I'm one who recognizes effort and this ramp is truly really well done. I really believe this was the best option in a difficult building and I'm so grateful they went for it. I even met a yoga instructor while there who was quick to say "I'm also a physical therapist. I would adapt my class for you."
Man, I loved this place. | 2positive
| 888 |
My hubby & I ate here for lunch on a Monday. The place was pretty crowded when we walked in so I thought, "the food must be really good"! We were seated right away but we got put at a 2 person table. Normally this isn't a problem but the table was soooo small. There wasn't much room to put the food and it was making me feel uncomfortable so I asked if we could move to a bigger table once the crowd died down. Server was nice & accommodated us.
The atmosphere of the place was full of Red Sox stuff on the walls. One side of the place was the bar area, which looked like the kind of place I wouldn't mind hanging out with a couple of friends. The place overall was clean, average size, very casual.
Server came & took our drink order & food order in a timely fashion. The menu itself was a good amount of choices. And I love Sushi so that was a nice addition to have a good size sushi menu also. Although, as someone mentioned in another review a "gaijin" is making the sushi. I didn't try any there but saw an order come by for another table. The sushi looked good & a generous size portion on the rolls. Wish I would have tried one.
We ordered the Ceviche appetizer. It's made with crab meat, cilantro, tomatoes, onions & peppers, sliced avocado on top and tortilla chips on the side. I have had Ceviche all over, especially in the Carribbean. This tasted different, not like the ceviche I'm used to so maybe this is more of a East-Coast Boston? type Ceviche. Maybe this is how it's traditionally made there. But just so you know it is different, a different flavor profile. I didn't taste lime juice...if it had it, there wasn't nowhere near enough in it for a ceviche. The taste was good, ok, but not anything special and for the $9.99 price tag, I was a bit disgusted that it was just ok & that the portion was not very big. For that price I expected a huge plate full for us to share. I know crab is an expensive ingredient but still I think this was overpriced for what it was. If we go back I would pass on that.
Oh and another thing I wanted to mention about the menu was that they had NO lunch specials! They had a couple of specials on the sushi rolls but no lunch portioned/cheaper specials on the dinners. Everything is pricey on their menu too, compared to other seafood restaurants who have similar items. And especially for such a casual restaurant. Our lunch was $50 for 2 people. We both had water, 1 appetizer, & 2 entrees.
Most working people can't afford to spend that kind of money on lunch! Or not very often anyway. This place could do more business I'm sure if they had lunch specials.
Back to the food. My hubby ordered the seafood platter- $16.99. It had a piece of fish, clams, scallop, oysters, & shrimp, fries & slaw. The fried seafood has a nice crispy coating. My husband said it was all ok. We've been to a lot of very good seafood restaurants so we don't go overboard if the food is just average.
My dinner was the Atlantic Whole Belly Clams- $16.99. It was an 8 oz. portion of the whole belly clams, cole slaw & fries. I had never seen the whole belly clams on a menu anywhere near here. This is a specialty up North on the East coast too. I saw them talked about on a food tv show & they raved about how much better they were than just regular clams.
They tasted like an oyster, more juicy like one. But I think my order was over cooked so the clams were a bit too chewy & not as tender as I expected them to be. Slaw was good, fries were good.
The sauces that came with both platters were ok but they were both homemade. . "The tarter was homemade but looked like a creamy mayo with not much else in it. The cocktail sauce almost reminded me of a marinara sauce, a bit chunky and the taste was so so,. They had way too much pepper in that sauce. Oh & all the seafood, sauces, and even the chips with the ceviche was FULL of salt! Now, I like salt a lot & use it on just about everything so for me to say it's heavily salted than wow, it was on the verge on not being edible.
So with all that said, this place is an average seafood restaurant but with big prices. Should you go out of your way to visit it, no. If you have the money to splurge on an expensive seafood dinner, this isn't the place either.
So disappointed...it really COULD be a great place. Improve the food by getting a better chef! Add lunch specials and/or dinner specials. | 0negative
| 847 |
They gave us what I believed to be spoiled cider and still made us pay for it because of their "no refund policy". I've been coming here for the past three years. I used to love this place. I used to enjoy their food a lot but this is some crazy BS, guys! I've never seen an establishment anywhere ever serve bottles that tasted like they had gone bad and flat and act like it wasn't their responsibility to replace with a new bottle. It was the most bizarre experience I've ever had a restaurant.
The last few times I came here my boyfriend and I ordered the same bottled cider we order every time we come. Tonight we ordered the same two bottles and one of them tasted to us like it had turned terribly bad. One bottle was sweet and perfect and the other tasted completely different and off...it was flat and watery. We alerted the waitress and asked her if she could replace the bottle that tasted spoiled. She came back and said that it was due to the slight variation in the small batch so they will not replace/refund it.
We explained to the staff that it didn't just taste slightly different, but it tasted SPOILED and rotten to us. We've had these ciders several times before...we know what they are supposed to taste like. We weren't even asking for it to be taken off the bill. We just wanted a replacement. We had barely even taken two sips out of the glass because it tasted undrinkable...we weren't trying to game the system or anything. We even encouraged the staff to taste it for themselves to prove we were not lying and they wouldn't.
Instead, we felt like they were treating us as though we were trying cheat them out of 9 dollars. They said they can't replace it because there is fine print on the menu that says that some of the beers are funky in character and can't be returned for taste. We tried explaining multiple times that it didn't just taste like a cool, funky farmhouse cider. It tasted rotten and flat to us, and we have had these drinks before so we know this one doesn't taste right. They didn't listen and continued to tell us that this is how the cider is supposed to taste, but we knew this wasn't right. And how could they even know since they refused to taste it?
After being completely insulted, we finally gave up trying to argue with them and paid for the cider, cancelled our food order, and left. There was no way we were going to continue giving time and money to an establishment that served us drinks that tasted damaged and wouldn't replace them. We didn't even care about the stupid nine dollars we lost on the cider, we just wanted to get the heck away from there.
One of the workers then had the nerve to chase us down the street for tip and tell us that the food order we cancelled was coming out of the waitress's pay and that we are bad, terrible people. We understand that this wasn't the waitress' fault but we were not about to sit there and eat food from a place that just accused us of lying and is serving what tasted like spoiled products. Talking to this guy felt like being in the twilight zone. They sold us a bottle of cider that tasted spoiled and were now telling us that *we* are the problem?
We just wanted to get on with our night and it wasn't worth our time to keep standing there getting harassed in the street anymore, so we just paid the money for the food so the waitress wasn't left hanging and left.
We spent not more than 10 minutes at this place, had two sips of cider, were accused of lying and stealing, and ended up paying $40 for drinks that didn't taste right and food that hadn't even been brought out. Totally ruined our whole evening. Still in shock at how any establishment can treat anyone this way after THEY gave us an off-tasting bottle. Can't help but feel like we are now out a bunch of money for pretty much zero services or products rendered.
*UPDATE* I contacted the company that imports the exact cider we were drinking just out of curiosity to see if it's possible to have issues with a single bottle in the batch, since the smug, pretentious bartender told us this was not possible and implied that we "just didn't understand the cool, funky taste of the cider". When I described the flat taste of the cider, the importer said that it's definitely possible there can be damage to the cork based on the description of the taste. He said the corks on those bottles are real wood, and it very well may have been a bad one, or that a change in temperature can sometime cause the corks to shrink and allow pressure to release, resulting in off flavors and flatness. He said that was what sounded like what happened based on the particular taste I described to him.
So congratulations, Belgian Cafe! You did us dirty and still got paid out for it. Great job, guys!
p.s. - maybe get a bartender that actually knows enough about the drinks you sell to realize it is, in fact, possible for things like corks to occasionally cause bottles to go flat and taste off. | 0negative
| 923 |
Oh, yeah, brace yourself. I'm going to join the annoying ranks and stipulate for the jury that I really wish I could leave 2.5 stars. Uhuh. My experience with Apamate was better than some, but "A-OK" cringe-ingly sounds almost like an enthusiastic cheer leader shout.
As Ive posted before, I organize a foodie group and when I approached this restaurant I was presented with mixed messages, or to be fair: mixed vibes. The manager/hostess whatever she is, she was sunshiny and welcoming. When she returned my call the day after I contacted the restaurant, Apamate moved up the list immediately. You'd never believe how many restaurants (even in this economy!) are not really interested in a group of foodies being introduced to their menu. So, I felt encouraged until I started communicating with the chef/owner. At first I thought she was disinterested but I suspect like any artist, she was just busy. The price set for our 7 course chef's tasting menu of the mini tapas was fair but only available for a slower night, Tuesday, which limited our turn out.
This food-ie experience offered a nice array of different flavors, all were tasty and sometimes unexpected which definitely hit its mark as the chef's aim was to offer a meal about: "degustating" different flavors and textures and enjoying an "experience" not just a meal". We ended up a smaller group than usual, perhaps due to various factors but the company, and the sangria, was lively and the pace of the meal seemed right.
We started off with the small cup of potato and roasted leek soup topped with a farm-raised egg yolk and chorizo emulsion. For the veggies that skipped the emulsion, damn, you missed a great component of flavor, in my opinion. I enjoyed the balanced smokey chorizo influence. Next came the Plato con Charcuteria which I forgot to photograph, perhaps because it was the most photogenic dish. When it arrived, I must have had hearts in my eyes since it included a handsome display of hams and cheeses and bread - o my.
The wild mushroom confit with garlic, tomatoes, herbs and roasted pepper sauce were like heaven on my tongue. The Bechamel and Serrano ham croquettes dish followed with a rich creaminess that felt a bit like an indulgence. Next, the seared pork tenderloin stuffed with poached sherry wine figs arrived on top of a carrot-cocoa puree and wine reduction with some Marcona almonds as garnish arrived. One couldn't, at this point, help but notice how we were all becoming full yet it did not deter us from delving into the savory new experience of the mole-like rich sauce which the tenderloin sat atop. While the pork seemed roasted to a state of sausage-like texture, the fig filling was a great balance for it. I enjoyed it very much and pitied those poor vegetarians that missed it. (a moment of silence please, for the veggies). The seared sea scallops topped with a green apple-lemon and herbs infusion (looking like sea foam) were served as our final savory dish. It arrived in a half shell, and like Venus, it was beautiful in all ways. The scallops were a great size and perfectly cooked and I added a picture here to show you the larger portions they gave the group to share.
A final surprise was delivered with the tragedy of the churro machine's demise. Apparently Apamate's lauded churros ceased in mid-production. The restaurant was able to offer a few churros and chocolate dipping sauce that was shared between the group. I'm not sure what the consensus was, but I liked them for their freshness and surprisingly healthier texture than the greasy, cinnamon sugary carnival excuse of a dessert I had come to know in the past. These were good, light and tender. The chocolate sauce was pure good chocolate, though I almost yearned for it to include more unexpected flavors, as we had grown accustom to throughout the meal. So perhaps Le ban exaggerated his love of these churros, revealing his affection for anything close to donuts?
Additional dessert supplements were dishes of a chocolate mousse and rice pudding. Now don't go away yet. The mouse, which to me was a bit crumbly and reminded me of a hybrid of ganache and a truffle. The rice pudding, while sounding the most pedestrian, was my favorite. It was thicker, less gelatinous than typical pudding, and people, to me that's a good thing! It was a wholly new experience of rice pudding for me, which was topped with a slight golden creme-burlee-like top that made so much sense to me.I actually liked these substitutes more than their churros.
Over all, the dinner was interesting in flavors though the service and colder temp atmosphere were less than great. The chef never came out an address the group, though i suspect she was in the weeds.
*sorry about the long review. http://foodie-group.blogspot.com/ | 1neutral
| 821 |
Decided to try Diego's for takeout only, because Yelpers told me service sucked, and that the bar crowd is a bunch of wanna-be hipster-posers, and I listen to warnings such as these.
Fine.
I called to order. I could hear in the background that they were busy so I asked the waitress if she was sure they could handle a takeout order (I am sensitive to stuff like this because I waitressed for 5 years in my 20s). She said it was not a problem but that it would be a 45 minute wait. Fine.
My husband arrived 40 mins later to pick up our order. Someone brought it half-way out and sat it next to the Margarita machine. My husband sat there LOOKING AT OUR ORDER, WAVING HIS HANDS IN THE AIR AT THE BARTENDER and NO ONE HELPED HIM. This went on for 30--yes, THIRTY--MINUTES.
If this had been me, I would have walked out. Or, I would have waited for them to give me the order, dumped it on the floor, and then walked out.
My poor husband is a REALLY nice person, and frankly, it was one of those situations where he had waited so freaking long, and was so freaking hungry, that he just wanted his food.
Our total was $41 and change. We had graciously tried a number of menu items since it was our first time there. I had asked for a side of guac as well. My husband made sure to ask about the side. The bags were tied so he couldn't see in. They assured him it was there (it wasn't).
The place was packed with sloppy drunk idiots so my husband didn't argue and left.
When he got home, our meals were LEAKING OUT OF THEIR CONTAINERS. It was DISGUSTING. Half the food was lost out the container into the bag.
The rest? Completely COLD since it sat for a half hour beside a margarita freezing machine!
The taste? There was no taste. So how can I describe it? Cardboard? Sawdust? It was all dried out, cold, and was worse than public school cafeteria food. Absolutely nasty.
I called Diego's as soon as my husband got home and told them about the cold food, the missing side (that my husband went out of his way to make sure they included, and they lied about it), and the fact that it all leaked out of the containers into the bag, a feat that no takeout I have ever gotten has managed to do except crappy Diego's (and this includes SOUP from Wawa--yes, Wawa does a better job than a $41 takeout place).
The manager, Shanna, didn't get around to calling back until 2 days later. She was kind of apologetic but mostly defensive--a sign that I am not their first, or even tenth issue, why else be defensive?
She'd say she was sorry, then point out that they were so busy like it was an excuse. Then she'd say she wanted to comp us a drink, and when I told her I am in my 30's and married, and hanging with horny 20-year-olds at a bar is not my thing, she seemed to not understand why I didn't think Diego's was as cool as she did (even though she sounded as old as 45-50).
I told her we just wanted a refund for the side they charged for that they never gave us, and a courtesy credit for the food that leaked out of our containers, and the fact that it was all cold after a 70-minute wait (I left the disgusting taste out of it because she was defensive enough as it was).
To me, it was more than warranted to be offered a partial refund. To me, I should not have had to ASK after I described what I did.
Shanna's reply? She claimed our side was only $1 (though we were never given an itemized receipt), and she said it like I was in the wrong to dare ask her to refund $1 even if they charged me for something I didn't get, because it was only $1. Seriously? She was arguing me? I would expect such idiocy at Chuck-E-Cheese's, not at a "decent" restaurant.
I think she and I were on different planets because when I pay $41+ for takeout, and I am a new customer, who was made to wait 70 MINUTES, and half my food spilled out, and the other half was cold because it sat beside a cooling machine instead of a heat lamp, to me, that is the main issue. To me, that is a HUGE issue. The fact that they charged me for a missed side is only further embarrassment for THEM, not me. But the bottom line is, any decent restaurant would be appalled by such shoddy service, and would have comped someone for it, no questions asked.
The fact that Shanna was NOT appalled, is bizarre.
The fact that Diego's has Shanna using such judgement as ambassador for the establishment, tells me about the level of class they are capable of rendering.
In the end, Shanna showed all of the professionalism and fairness she could muster by refunding me $4 off my $41 meal.
$4 back for a 70-minute wait, leaky/cold/gross food, and a missing side.
It was an exceptionally awful experience. We will never go back. | 0negative
| 897 |
Tashan has always been on my radar. The fact that they offer a tasting menu filled with contemporary takes on Indian cuisine only piqued my interest.
Still water is triple filtered here, which is always appreciated, and served in a
Voss-like artesian water pitcher. Continuously replenished without any hint of obtrusiveness.
Tasting Menu ($45 pp)
The tasting menu is the way to go at Tashan, though I've noted the a la carte pricing for the dishes we were served.
Agni ($10)
Bluecoat gin, lemon, honey, Hellfire bitters
A refreshing libation with notes of sweetness and a bit of heat from the bitters and chili pepper.
Broad & Catherine ($12)
Tres Generaciones Anejo, Solerno blood orange, Agnostura bitters
This drink highlighted the triple distilled tequila. Aged 3 years, this offers smooth agave flavors. The blood orange was subtle and the bitters offered an aromatic note. A cocktail meant to whet the palate, rather than down in one shot.
Palak Chaat ($8)
Crispy baby spinach, masala chaat, yogurt, pomegranate
One of my favorite dishes was the first offering of the night. The crispy baby spinach was quite similar to kale chips - simply a delicious preparation, tossed with a subtly sweet pomegranate sauce. The prototypical sweet and sour notes of the chaat masala spice mix were prevalant, but not overpowering. The yogurt helped to add a creamy texture and clean notes to the dish.
Gol-Gappa ($7)
Hollow durum puffs, spicy potato filling, tangy mint-cilantro
These durum wheat puffs were filled with a spicy potato filling, which provided a smooth textural contrast to the rest of these bites. The accompanying squeeze bottle of tangy mint cilantro helped heighten the herbal notes of the dish. These are best enjoyed by popping them in your mouth whole.
Peshawari Naan ($6)
Cashew, pistachio, almond, coconut, raisin stuffing
One of the GF's favorite dishes was this iteration of the oft-enjoyed naan. The naan was prototypical in its great texture - deliciously chewy. But what was really spectacular were the innards. The melange of coconut and raisin helped to provide sweet notes which melded well with the creamy nuttiness of the cashew, pistachio, and almond.
I could easily eat this every morning with a cup of tea.
Tandoori Shrimp ($15)
Herbal fenugreek, toasted pea flour, basil-seed-coco yogurt
Cooked in a tandoor oven, these shrimp were perfectly cooked - snappy and meaty. The herbal fenugreek imparted a curry-like flavor, with the yogurt tempering the subtle spice. A pat of basmati rice accompanied the dish.
Alaskan King Crab Cake ($17)
Mustard seeds, curry leaves, citrus aioli
Cooked on a tawa, a flat griddle oftened used in South Asia, the Alaskan King crab cake was all sweet, meaty crab, and essentially no filler. The citrus aioli had highlights of saccharine lemon and brightened up the dish. The caviar provided pops of subtle salinity. The surrounding tortilla bowl was a bit chewy, but provided a necessary saltiness to each bite.
Palak Tikki ($10)
Screw-pine scented spinach patty, paneer-pistachio center, saffron-morel mushroom cream
The palak tikki was also cooked on a tawa and featured a 'spinach patty' with heft. The paneer cheese and pistachio center added extra weight and some tang to each bite. The saffron-morel mushroom cream sauce offered earthy notes. The dish could have used a bit more brightness or acidity and unfotunately, the bottom of the patty was a bit burnt. Still, the dish had great elements and was quite savory.
Naga Beef Sumi ($14)
Snake River Farms wagyu, soy reduction, onion pakora, cucumber-peanut relish
I was happy that the tasting featured American wagyu sourced from Snake River Farms. While I prefer my wagyu rare, the skewers of meat kebobs were incredibly tender and flavorful, highlighting the marbled nature of the American wagyu.The cucumber-peanut relish helped to act as a light and fresh counterbalance to the weight of the meat.The onion pakora 'fried fritter' had hints of smoky spice and were surprisingly lightly fried. The soy reduction was a nice addition to the pakora.
Tashan Free-Range Butter Chicken ($20)
Tandoori chicken, fenugreek-scented tomato cream sauce
Cooked in a tandoor, the butter chicken is a classic Indian Punjabi dish and Tashan offered a perfect representation of the dish. The chicken was juicy and moist, while the cream sauce was luxurious, with some acidity from the tomato.
The dish was accompanied by a huge dish of basmati rice and an endless supply of naan, perfect to sop up the last of that gorgeous tomato cream sauce.
Dessert Trio
Mango sorbet, chocolate mousse, Tashan crème brulee
Dessert was served as a trio for each of us. Sorbet was a perfect palate cleanser.
Tashan is easily one of my favorite restaurants in Philly. Dishes are clearly inspired by Indian classics and are elevated to a level that remains delicious. Service was exceptional and our server Casey took good care of us. We'll be back soon! | 2positive
| 811 |
As a rule, I loathe chain eateries and especially those with order counters. As exception, I love MOD which is a chain with that ordering set up. As a rule, I dislike flash fired pizza joints that offer 'all the toppings you want' formats. (I'm talkin' to you Blaze.) As exception I love MOD which has this very format.
I'm a MOD fan based on multiple good experiences with MOD outlet in Oregon and my first at this newly opened (roughly mid November) location near Boise Towne Square Mall reinforced why that is so.
That this MOD was "lightly customered" on a weekday at the height of lunch time suggests many mall and Nordstrom Rack shoppers may be unaware this is now open since both are nearby. But it is. So here you are. Now you can go.
THE DRILL: Menu for pizzas (salads too) is posted on the wall if you want to choose one of their recommended creations. Or you can choose to create your own with any toppings in any amount as you talk to the nice people behind the service counter and they move you on down the line from crust type to sauce type to cheeses to toppers. Pay at the end. Stand aside or take a seat. They'll call your name at the pick up counter when your eats are ready. (You can also order online and pick up at this same counter.) Bus your own.
EATS & PRICES: Pizzas in small (feeds 1), MOD (11" and for us easily feeds two) and a larger one. Crust in standard thin, thick and I think they have a vegan or GF one too. Price for MOD size with any toppings = only $7.97. Top that for good deal! On the topping topic, all of MOD's (unlike some competitors) are top shelf quality. For what it is - this is a convenience food chain after all and not a hand thrown Neapolitan pizzeria - the crust is pretty darned good too.
DOES GOOD SERVICE MAKE FOOD TASTE BETTER?: It seems the people who work at any MOD are friendly and efficient in moving through people in line, even those who are MOD newbies and need a little extra help for the first visit. True here too. MOD was started by a former Starbuck's Exec and leverages what works well at that chain too for friendly people serving customers. They're still working out new place wobbles here but headed in the right direction.
LIBATIONS: Help yourself fountain drinks like real lemonade (Marionberry is a fav), iced tea (one with pear too), sodas in bottles, floats, draft beer and new learning for us today - MOD has milkshakes. Not that I'd choose one with pizza, but maybe one day I'll order a salad with MOD-est calorie content and pair a shake with it. No coffee service it seems.
OTHER EXTRAS: Another reason to love MOD is their No Name cakes. These are, as you might guess for the way they are wrapped in silver foil, MOD's riff on the Hostess Ding Dong. But in the case of the MOD, No Name it is a tender really good chocolate cake with luscious vanilla kissed cream filling and enrobed in chocolate ganache. I know...I thought cake as dessert chaser to a pizza was an odd idea too. But carried out to eat later with a steaming hot cup of coffee it is "splendelicious".
SPACE WITH LOTS OF SEATING & NOT TOO MUCH NOISE: As a rule, I'm not such a fan of eating in MOD's spaces just for the noise level created by hard surfaces, high industrial ceilings and really loud, head banging music mixes. But at this location the music was not turned up too much over the top and I got to listen to the likes of Eric Clapton and CSNY so what's not to love? Lots of seating in 3 separate indoor areas and looks like outside set up for nice weather. And a BIG woohoo that among the options of booths for 2 or 4 people, lots of tables with chairs or benches and maybe seating for 80 in total, only 8 of those seats were high chairs at high tables. Very nice. They get it that standard height seating works for everyone.
PARKING: Private lot but it was packed as there are several convenience food eateries in the complex. Like a Zupa's next door.
ACCESSIBILITY: Accessible (aka ADA) spaces in lot, level in the door and throughout the eatery, the cattle chute order line could be difficult for a wheelchair user but payment counter is at standard height, standard height seating tables. Loos are accessible but the door opening weight far exceeds ADA and Idaho code maximums of 5lbf and so near impossible for mobility disabled person to open. Easy for management to adjust - it should have been called out as violation by city of Boise building inspectors.
PS: There is another MOD that opened a month or so ago on Capitol Boulevard near Trader Joes. I do not know if the two are franchised by the same entity or corporate owned. MOD allows both as part of their business MOD-el. This small chain launched @ 2008 by a former Starbuck's exec ensures controlled expansion is quality centric by having stores either corporate owned or franchised to a select set of applicants with XX years of documented success in food service enterprises and $XXX,000 in cash on hand. | 2positive
| 914 |
I have never been so shocked by such awful service at a restaurant. I understand some people have their "off days", but reading these other yelp reviews, I see that I'm in the company of other dissatisfied people. I will try to make my complaints as short as possible. I am not a yelp "regular" complainer. I've had my share of restaurants that have let me down, but I've never felt the need to take it to the pages of yelp until now, because the service and treatment was just horrendous.
We had reservations at this restaurant and showed up on time to be greeted by the server asking our name on the reservation. She said she remembered seeing the reservation, but had to apologize because she forgot to hold a table for us. We were a group of 3, and all 3 of us have worked in the industry, so to make it easy for her, we said we'd be happy to sit outside even with the chance of rain.
After waiting for her to seat us, we awkwardly sat ourselves, because we weren't quite sure what was going on. It took about 15 minutes until we got menus. We were brought bread and politely asked for olive oil and butter, the server told us they had both and would be right back with it. When she came back to tell us the specials, she said she had forgotten the olive oil and butter and apologized, so we ordered our appetizer. When she came back to take our entree order, which we were not ready to order yet, I politely again asked for olive oil and butter, which she apologized for forgetting again. No exaggeration, after 3 times of us asking, and approximately 30 minutes later the olive oil, NO butter arrived. Then we realized it had been 25 minutes or so since we ordered the appetizer, that easily should have been ready, then about 40 minutes later she came out to apologize, that our appetizer had been delivered to the wrong table, and they had eaten it. I understand people make mistakes, but she should have noticed sooner than 30 minutes that we hadn't gotten our appetizer.
Soon after, a male had come out to take our entree order, I specifically asked what kind of noodles came with a sausage dish and he said, "you can pick any" so I choose spaghetti noodles, and repeated that twice because I prefer this kind of noodle over any other.
After about 35 minutes our server came out with the salads apologizing because they had taken so long and obviously they had been forgotten.
When our entrees finally arrived, I saw they had made my sausage dish with rigatoni. Let me just mention, I'm easy to please, and don't feel comfortable sending things back, which is why I made this clear in the first place about the noodles. These were not the noodles I had ordered, so again we had to wait for something simple to be corrected.
After our plates had been cleared, I asked to see a dessert menu and our server said, "I think the kitchen is closed, let me go check." When she came back she said the kitchen was closed, which was a shock to us since we were never given word that the kitchen was closing, a verbal "last call", "would you like any desserts before our kitchen closes" or anything! I had about had it with this place.
I brought this to our servers attention and she snapped back saying, " Fine I'll grab you the menu and just make it myself or something." I was so appalled by her attitude and the way everything was handled during this dinner that I just asked for the check. After looking over the check, and paying the check in full I asked to speak to a manager. I had done this after paying because I didn't want them to think I wanted any hand outs or comps, but our server told us that she was the manager on the floor at that time... go figure.
I told her I was very dissatisfied with the service, and not being given the option to get dessert, she apologized and said they were short a server, she's not very experienced and that they were busy that night. I'm sorry, but that's not my concern. When I come out to have a nice dinner with friends that I see once a year, commuting from New York City, I'm not dining to hear about the establishment being understaffed, and you not being experienced. As for them being busy, there were maybe 2 other tables inside while we were dining, again not my problem.
I really wish this place the best, and would have loved to tell my Philly friends about it, but until they "up" their service with experienced servers, this place unfortunately will not be getting the reviews they would be hoping for. | 0negative
| 833 |
I've had very few dining experiences where, after paying the bill, I felt 'had' or 'cheated,' rather than satisfied or, more rarely, delighted. And 'had' is how I felt after dinner tonight at The Chocolate Pig.
At somewhat last minute (for a Saturday) the husband and I decided to dine out tonight, peeped Yelp, and called The Chocolate Pig just after they opened at 11am. Despite all the positive buzz and reviews, they had a table for 5:30pm. Score! I thought we'd lucked out. That should have been a sign...
The background: The Chocolate Pig is a New American fusion of Southern BBQ and chop house, leaning toward the latter. The interior is impressively elegant: spot lighting, upholstered banquets, open kitchen, lots of blond wood and shiny surfaces. Very nice. The menu is similarly high-concept, mixing church-picnic staples (like deviled eggs) gussied up in imaginative and promising ways. Entrees ranged from ~$15--$45 (and there was a $500 bottle of wine on the wine list). Though, in the rear-view mirror, the marriage of cocoa and bacon (alluded to in the restaurant's name)--an oh-so-very naughties food concept--should have been a tip off. Let's just say the shiny interior sets you up for a pretty hard fall...
The food: we ordered two apps, the aforementioned deviled eggs and "chicken fried" Brussels sprouts. Two halved eggs were the usual funeral-wake affair but topped with a bit of smoked chicken and scattered with arugula, all on a bed of house-made BBQ sauce and a few small pieces of deep-fried chicken skin. (Fried fat: what could be more American?) The Brussels sprouts were breaded and deep fried, then topped with pickled peppers and caramelized onion, next to a shallow pool of buttermilk dressing. The eggs were so-so but the Brussels sprouts were very, VERY good and I would come here again just for those (but not much else).
For entrees, the husband ordered the half roasted chicken with fingerling potatoes and broccolini and I got the roasted acorn squash. Steak, pork chop, scallops, lamb, and other typical chophouse dishes rounded out the mains, though a fish dish like salmon or halibut was (disappointingly) not among them. (The Southern BBQ/picnic theme didn't carry through to this part of the menu...) Though the husband's chicken and potatoes were serviceable, if unimaginative, the broccolini was under-cooked and tough. Like "can't cut with a table knife" tough. This was another sign...
My acorn squash was a bright, multi-colored melange of numerous shaved root vegetables over pieces of roasted acorn squash on a bed of ancient grains. Though beautifully presented, this was an absolutely tasteless dish. The grains seemingly hadn't been salted or cooked in seasoned liquid; the squash hadn't been spiced or glazed prior to roasting; and the root vegetables were cold and raw. It's a dish that caused me to employ words hardly ever heard in an American restaurant, "This needs salt!" And a whole lot of other seasonings. Most of this dish went into a carryout box and I'll season with soy sauce before having for lunch tomorrow. It was very, very disappointing. (Or, perhaps it was a message to vegetarians: "Go away! Your kind is not welcome here!")
The kicker was dessert. Important to note: ALL the numerous dessert options here are ICE-CREAM or SORBET based. ALL OF THEM! So, you'd expect the ice cream to be decent ("you had one job," etc.) We ordered two scoops: chocolate and maple bacon. Let's just say I've had better generic grocery store ice cream... Both scoops were foaming in the dish (not a good sign) and both left a glossy mouthfeel, like something went awry between the mixing and freezing stages in the kitchen. The chocolate didn't taste like chocolate; the maple bacon didn't taste of maple. Each scoop was served alongside a pile of mealy graham cracker crumbs with a dollop of brown whipped cream of uncertain parentage. (The Chocolate Pig is LITERALLY a 5-minute drive from some of the best ice cream in St. Louis: Clementine's and Jeni's. I wish they'd served that instead of whatever we had tonight!) Both dishes were left half-finished when our server brought the bill. The final sign: ***WE DIDN'T FINISH DESSERT!***
On a positive note: the waitstaff was knowledgeable, efficient, and attentive. Our server was especially friendly and I saw many other servers moving quickly to serve a busy restaurant. One bugaboo: the very large serving spoons we were given to eat dessert barely fit in the small dishes of ice cream--which was fine: it kept us from eating much of it! And the offer of coffee would have been nice (I would have had some if it'd been suggested...)
Tl;dr: The Chocolate Pig is an ambitious, high-concept fusion restaurant that just doesn't follow through on the promise of its interior or menu, in both big and little ways. And that's a real disappointment, especially given its prices (the bill with tip was ~$130). We won't be back. | 0negative
| 827 |
Really bad cake and horrible experience that ended with the police being called and the owner smacking my hand. Yes really and not in a playful way! Could write a book on all the issues. This won't be short but here is what happened.
I purchased a birthday cake from her for my daughter and it didn't make the ride home. It cracked and fell apart completely as shown in the pictures. The next day was a holiday weekend and she told me she would not be working. So I figured I would talk to her when I returned a tote she loaned me.
When I went in I explained the situation and showed her the pictures. She had several customers in her shop when she asked me if we had tried to eat it. I had thought she was a nice person and hadn't gone in there to insult her so I didn't even mention that we had thought about trying to salvage it so cut a slice and it tasted horrible. There was so much powdered sugar that the favor was bitter. Not only that it was a carrot cake and there were no visible carrots, raisins, or nuts.
She asked me to wait until the customers left, I said sure and sat down off to the side. Once every one was gone she immediately started yelling about how I should have called her sooner. She said because of this she would only refund half. I had approached her nicely and wasn't angry at all so I asked her why she was yelling and she said she was frustrated with me not calling her that night even though it was a holiday and my daughter's party was the next morning. She said that she would have made another cake at 7:30 pm that night and driven it an hour to our house.
I wasn't really opposed to taking half but I didn't like the way she was trying to bully and scare me so I told her I would have to leave a review.
She instantly said that she would offer me nothing in that case, she just kept screaming and waving her arms, getting more and more out of control. I was feeling uncomfortable and said maybe I should call the police. She was more upset about that and I explained I only said it in hopes that she would calm down. She however insisted on calling the police and I left the shop to wait.
It seemed like a long time and the police didn't come so I walked up to see if I should keep waiting. She told me she would still give me half if I would sign a paper that she had written out a statement on.
She was out of control again and said that was absolutely the only way I could get even a partial refund. I wanted to go home but wasn't sure if this was kosher with the police on the way. At this point because of her volitile behavior I was filming her. I thought she had some deep issues and wanted the protection. Wanting it to be over and knowing that her behavior was off I told her I would sign whatever she wanted. She kept yelling about lawyers and asking about my phone. We stepped inside and I waited for the paper. She came up to the counter and said "you keep doing this. Who are you talking to? What are you doing?" At this point she smacked my hand and my phone fell. For the first time I yelled back. I said "hey" and told her I was filmimg her and why. She shreiked "You are not filming me, you are not" I picked up my phone and went back outside.
The police did come eventually. They told me she is just sensitive and I was technically not allowed to film on private property. They said that since I was not seriously injured there was nothing to do. They said that she told them she would offer half if I would sign her statement. The police seemed to think I should go with them back into the shop and accept a partial refund. She was going to get the paper again when she raised her voice to the police and waived her arms around saying "I want to know what she's doing with that video first. I want to know". I said I wasn't sure. The police officers asked her to calm down and then asked me if I would be keeping or deleting it. I said that I planned to keep it. She then said that she would not refund any portion of the purchase and finally I went home. | 0negative
| 796 |
I really wanted to like this place.. In fact, we tried to go to this restaurant last year and made the big mistake of just walking in without reservations.. We were immediately asked if we had reservations and when we said we didn't, we were told that we could wait an hour or so and they might be able to put us at an outside table. Um, no thanks. I chose not to wait an hour to find out if I could sit outside the actual place!! So, since then, I have been super hesitant about trying it again.
Well, we went yesterday with reservations and 4 other people. We walked in, were seated immediately inside this time and basically this set the stage for the whole evening. The hostess seemed less than enthusiastic as she seated us and even though we were one of the only tables in the place, it took a particularly longer than should have been amount of time for anyone to even come over to the table. When our very nice (insert sarcasm) waitress came over, she seemed irritated and no interactions had even taken place. I didn't get her name bc I don't think she gave it to us, but she was a tall thin girl with red hair. She finally came over and asked if we wanted drinks. I knew what I wanted, but a few people in our party struggled with answering right away bc they were not sure what they wanted, and she just left the table. Seriously?? You can't wait a minute for everyone in the party to order something??? When she came back, one person had decided on a glass of Merlot to which she sharply replied.. "we don't sell that by the glass only by the bottle!" And she again walked away from the table... My aunt agreed to try another type of wine that was ordered by another person in our party, but it might have been nice for this waitress, since attending to our needs, is actually the JOB of the wait staff to have suggested a comparable wine that did, in fact come by the glass or to point out other cocktails on the cocktail menu that we didn't even know existed bc the hostess just placed it on the table, in the middle, and didn't bother to tell us that there was a separate wine and drink menu!!! This really set the tone for everything else.
Our drinks came and were fine and we were told about one special that they had.. it seemed more like an afterthought by the waitress right before we placed our orders.. Again, complete apathy on her part for her job, for us as customers, and this overall feeling of imagined superiority that surely can't exist to be a good waitress/waiter.
Our food came and actually was quite good. The portions are super small, almost like tasting plates, but I had the scallops and they were very good. We ordered the duck, the roasted chicken, and the mahi mahi fish. Everyone seemed very happy with their entrees. Again, I felt that perhaps the waitress, for lack of a better term, could have suggested some appetizers or side dishes by simply mentioning that entrees were on the small side or by some way indicating or suggesting or selling up on the apps or trying to add a soup or salad. The menu is kind of strange and doesn't really fully mesh so as a diner, I kind of felt confused about what I should order or the way I should proceed and there was zero attempt to offer assistance.
We were never asked if we wanted dessert or coffee and the bill was brought to us much the same way everything else was handled with us, so we promptly walked across the street to Brocata's to get coffee and dessert.
I really wanted to like this place,but the overall vibe is that I left with feeling that I wasn't really appreciated there and that they didn't really need me to be there. I have dined at some of the best places in New Orleans, like Emeril's and Commander's and what I always remember is the experience, not just the food. I didn't have an experience there.. I felt it was lacking and leaving me wanting more of everything, so I won't be back. There are just too many options, maybe even places where the food isn't as good, but the experience is a thousand times better and makes me feel good about dining there. I felt irritated that I had dropped a few hundred dollars at a place that didn't appreciate me...
Enough said.. words to the restaurant management.. Get over yourselves.. You're good, but you're not THAT good for all the attitude!! | 0negative
| 803 |
Going for a family birthday party (my Nan's 90th!!) I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this place. Obviously this place is known for their exquisite cocktails, but I was very curious to to find out what kind of food would be served to paired with 15 dollar drinks. Let the journey begin.
We arrive for 530, nice and early for a 90th bday bash, and as to be expected the place isn't very busy yet. Our waitress came over and started to take out drink orders. 10-15 minutes later our drinks start to roll in, a little longer than I would ideally like to wait seeing as with the exception of two everything else was beer and wine.
Once the cocktails finally showed up, they were marvellous! I had a classic Negroni which was masterfully mixed. My cousin had some kind of concoction that came to the table with the smoke of a burnt sage leaf still trapped in it! Incredible presentation to say the least. The one annoying thing about this place is they only really have a specialty cocktail menu to look at. You can order whatever you want obviously, but you have no idea what kind of price you are stumbling into. I had a pretty good idea of what my drinks were gonna cost and was right on the money. But for someone on a budget or not as experienced at punishing their liver as much as I, the pricing could come as a shock.
We ordered one of everything off the small plate menu, with the exception of the pork belly which they were currently out of. Guess which appy I was most looking forward to trying. Sigh... Oh well onward and upward with the rest of the plates.
An amazing maple smoked salmon plate came by. Some of the best salmon I've had in a long while. Juicy, nice smoky flavour, and the glaze was a hopeful start to the rest of our journey. What came after was all pretty mediocre. "Popcorn Chicken" which texturally weird with the outside really hard and the inside really mushy. Fried chicken pushing the boundaries of raw at the bone but not bad. Meatballs so heavy handed in cumin they were inedible to my palate, and a bevy of other small taster plates that were all...ok.
Some of the more hungry members of our party decided entree's were also needed. I had seen enough at this point and was quite sure I wasn't dropping 24 or more on a main. Out of 4 mains offered, one was unavailable to order this evening...another one?? If you don't have one of your four entree's throw a special on for the evening chef! Yeesh! They got a couple of pastas with tomato and basil and a portobello "steak" with gnocchi. The pasta was pretty run of the mill. Homemade pasta but the sauce was just under seasoned and bland. The mushroom steak by all accounts was amazing, not a fleck of fungi was left on the plate.
Our server was a nice gal, but she wasn't particularly good at serving the middle of our long table. She came by to ask about desserts to us at the ends but didn't really make it to the heart of the table. I mentioned this to her on the way the facility's and she returned and promptly told us she asked everybody. The correct play darling is "sorry if I missed anyone". An answer I'm sure she would have come up with if the 18% gratuity wasn't rolled in to the group rate. I absolutely hate that rule, but that's for another time.
We made the reservation weeks prior and specifically mentioned it was for a birthday party...a 90th birthday party...I didn't expect the staff to gather around a bust out a tune, but couldn't you stick a candle in a piece of sorbet or something?? We kinda just waited for something to happen and then "here's you bill." Disappointing
So all in all this place is a cocktail bar and not much else. They make a mean drink and the best latte I've ever had. I would suggest this is the place you go for a drink before dinner. It serves that purpose perfectly in my opinion. Just don't make this place the whole date just a precursor to the next stop. I would definitely go back just to see what the mixologists behind the bar would come up with next.
Cheers
Andy | 1neutral
| 752 |
This review is regarding Scotland Run as a wedding venue and their food service.
I would like to start with the good things- Marlo, in their sales department is beyond wonderful. I started talking to her more than 2 years before our event. We live in Texas and were planning our small wedding (50 people) back home in NJ, which to say the least is difficult. We had a very strict budget and were looking for a Friday brunch wedding to accommodate a specific date we wanted. Marlo met with myself and parents and went over everything as well as gave us a tour.
A couple months later I reached back to Marlo after debating which venue to go with- even though I was IN LOVE with this one- purely because it was going to be over budget. Marlo was able to MAKE IT HAPPEN for the price per person we needed it to be. She was super responsive to every email- and there were MANY.
When it came to dropping everything off before our event, it was super easy. They even gave us a cart to load it all on. My husband and I told her where everything went and they even set it up for us- great!
Day of the wedding, the bridal suite even had fruit and champagne for us! Marlo and Alex even came over to discuss last minute details for the ceremony at their outdoor pavilion- which was honestly the biggest selling point. The landscaping is breathtakingly beautiful and didn't require for my florist to do very much. I couldn't go downstairs and risk my husband seeing me beforehand, so they made sure it was perfect. They were also able to put a dispenser for water and cups. We had an August wedding and you know how humid it gets in NJ then. They also had fans going in the pavilion which were appreciated.
The space was wonderful. Pavilion, for the ceremony was everything I could have dreamed of, and looked beautiful in photos. Completely covered in the event of rain which we were fortunate not to have. Cocktail hour room had gorgeous light- it was recently added- and we used it for some "getting ready" photos. The full ballroom was too big for our event, so they did have to put a divider up- which was fine. Easy access to the cocktail hour space, you could walk right into the main room. And also easy access to the bathrooms.
I will say, the food was EXCELLENT. We received numerous compliments on how good it was. I mean, brunch is pretty difficult to mess up, but it was wonderful. French toast especially. There were tons of options, different pasta salads, bacon, eggs, sausage, pastries, seafood dish, chicken dish, fruit, omelette bar.. there was event a dessert table- too full to even try this!
We did have a small cocktail hour- cocktail franks, mini quiche and a big cheese platter. We didn't participate since we took our photos during this time, but we were impressed they saved us some quiche and cocktail franks. Nice detail!
Now I will go into some of the things we were disappointed on....
First issue was there seemed to be a miscommunication about the wine service. We paid per bottle that was consumed, however, they only served the wine during the reception. Essentially, we had a dry cocktail hour. We just didn't know until afterwards. This made us the most upset. I knew that we weren't charged for many bottles of wine, but couldn't figure out why until later... We truly wish someone had asked us. It seems that there was an issue where their system does not let them put on the contract for both parts.... however, this was not communicated until later when we brought this to the managements attention. The wine that was bultered also was not brought around as much was we would have liked. You would think that they would want us to spend more, but I did see people having to go in search of the wine. Also some guests went to the bar downstairs because of this issue. We did not want our guests buying drinks.
Another few issues was the maitre de dropping our cake topper at the end of the event and it breaking. A shame. Our challah bread for the ceremony was also left in the big plastic bag because they didn't think to ask how we would like it- a previous wedding kept theirs in the bag. Its made it awkward for the blessing.
And lastly, since our event ended at 3:30pm, and they had another event at 6pm, they rushed us out at the end. We were told to clean out the bridal suite even before the last song was played. And our centerpieces were deconstructed before the end.
We were able to resolve our biggest complaint, with the sales manager, which is why I am leaving a good rating because overall, they made my dream of the outdoor space happen. It was a beautiful wedding. We just wish the wine service was discussed more thoroughly due to the issues we encountered.
I would still suggest this venue to anyone who asks, the food is excellent. My mom and I also stopped by during one of my visits home to try the restaurant downstairs. Also good.
I will say, this venue will make for gorgeous photos and the staff is very easy to talk to. Thumbs up. | 2positive
| 918 |
I've been to Tiki's 3 times since opening. The food & atmosphere is amazing. The service has been the issue.
Let's start with the positives.
First of all, the decor and atmosphere is great. If they have live music at the outside bar it streams live in the restaurant. The merchandise store has tons of cute stuff though a lot of people don't see it because it's inside. We brought the boat there one night & love all of the boat slips. It's a great Friday night ride.
The food and drinks have been great too. The Weeki watermelon is a must try. I know it sounds weird but it's sooo good. We had wings last night (Buffalo and Hula) I would say the buffalo tasted more like blackened than actually buffalo but BOTH were extremely flavorful with a little kick fo spice. The trio chips and salsa is another great appetizer although I would just get 3 of the green salsa because I'm not a fan of fruit salsa. My boyfriend has ordered the perfect 10 dockwich twice. He has liked it both times.
My favorite drinks so far have been the classic margarita (mostly because it comes in the adult caprisun bag) and the Shipwrecked mule. I do really wish they had Corona Lite on draft instead of Corona.
Ok so the bad...
The service.
The first time I went was the second day open & service was good, but it was only 2 of us and we just got drinks and easy apps.
The second time we sat at the outside bar at a a table. The service started off great, but then they disappeared. I ask for a side of salsa for my tacos & he said they couldn't do that. My bf ask for a side of ranch & they never brought it. Once the food was brought out our server never came back. We actually had to get our check from someone else because we didn't see him again.
Last night the service was absolutely terrible. We went for my friend's 30th birthday. I arrived around 8:30 and ask for a table for 7. They estimated a 20 min wait which was fine. We walked over to outside bar and the policy is you must have a chair to sit in to be served (due to Covid) and I am completely fine with that BUT I saw one bartender serving several groups not sitting in chairs. I feel like they just need to be consistent and stick to the rules.
So after the 20 minute wait turned into an hour I went to check on the table. They showed me that the table was ready but they were "giving the server a minute" well 15 minutes later I ask again and they set us 5 minutes later.
We first ordered drinks and apps. It took almost 20 minutes to get our drinks (4 of them were draft beers) when the drinks were finally brought she dropped them off and walked off. She did not take our dinner order and we still did not have our apps. The server kept walking to the table behind us and talking to the guy sitting there by himself for very long periods of time and I'm pretty sure it was her boyfriend or coworker.
At 10:45 a manager named Brittany walked up and ask how we were. I nicely explained how we still hadn't ordered dinner after 45 min and they closed in 15 minutes and how long the drinks took. She apologized and assured the order would be fixed. When we finally got our apps one of the orders was wrong, but they finally did bring it out.
When we did get our dinner almost an hour and half after sitting down the food was good, but half the orders were brought out and mine and my bf's took 5 extra minutes (I had a salad) . By the time food got there no one was hungry bc it was so late. We took most of it home as leftovers
Brittany checked on us several times and honestly she tried her best to save the night. I really hate to complain about waiters but ours really struggled. She spent most of her time talking to the guy at the other table instead of checking on why everything was taking so long.
I love this place and I want to continue to go, but now 2 of 3 times we've had terrible service. I see a ton of workers walking around so I think they need to find quality over quantity. | 1neutral
| 773 |
This is a review of the recent Noord popup, but we are planning to go to opening night next week, so I'll be updating this soon...
Chef Joncarl Lachman's Noord is probably one of the 3 most eagerly anticipated restaurant openings in Philadelphia this year (I would say Cheu Noodle Bar and Serpico are the other two). Joncarl, whom I had a chance to hang out with a few weeks ago at Fond, is best known for HB Home Bistro, his New American BYOB in Chicago (Michelin Guide 2012: Recommendation), which he will be retaining ownership of, but is turning the kitchen over to his CdC. With Dutch parents and having grown up in Philly, he's now returned home to open what will undoubtedly be one of the most unique restaurants in Philly's thriving BYOB scene, and right in the center of it all, East Passyunk Ave.
With that as a backstory, a group of 4 of us (including @PhillyFoodDude, who arranged the outing) were excited to take in a popup preview of Noord, held at The Farm & Fisherman on April 22nd. Noord itself will be opening on May 8th.
There was an early and a late (8PM) seating, and we were fortunate to pick the latter, since it gave us the opportunity to linger over our meal and chat with the chef afterwards.
Here is the menu (verbatim; don't ask me to translate!). Between Google and chatting with Joncarl, it is apparent that the meal featured cuisine from a number of northern European countries, as will Noord. At least a couple of these dishes will appear on the opening menu.
DE BOERDERIJ EN VISSER - menukaart (see photos)
AMUSE-BOUCHE:
Maatjesharing (pickled fish, cucumber, pickled onion, toasted whitebread rusk)--We actually had this as our second dish (may have been a mistake). As Google indicates, this is "soused" or lightly pickled fish (presumably herring, but I didn't ask), a Dutch classic. Interesting, but not exactly wine-friendly or my appetizer of choice. Which brings up the point that this is not the easiest of cuisines to pair wine with, whether that is due to my inexperience with it or its inherent nature, I don't know. Beer might be a better bet, perhaps. But we did what we thought was best, and enjoyed the experience.
~2007 Peter Jakob Kühn Oestricher Lenchen Riesling Kabinett
1ST COURSE:
Lohikeitto (Finnish salmon chowder, with leeks, cream, dill, parsley, savory-ish cookie)--I only had a couple of spoonfuls of this, but it was the consensus Dish of the Night, smooth, rich with seafood flavor and herbs, and likely to be on the opening menu.
-or-
Snert (Dutch pea soup, with smoked sausage, braised pork, mustard, rye)--My choice, this was closer to refried beans than soup in consistency, or as Joncarl said: "The spoon should stand upright in it!" Not my necessarily my favorite dish of the evening, but favor-full and satisfying--a great wintery dish that I enjoyed. And no, it is not named after Hagar the Horrible's cartoon dog (but I assume the dog was named after this dish, amusing given that was one of my favorite cartoons growing up and it's taken me until now to make the connection!).
2ND COURSE:
Suriname Curry Lamb Shoulder (Madame Jeanette pepper, buttered pigeon peas, and mint)--My choice, a slightly sweet, dark curry, more of a ragu in my mind, with the shock of the chili on the side. Overshadowed by the Zuurkool (wasn't that one of the demons in Ghostbusters?), but I would definitely order this again.
-or-
Pan Roasted Quail (or thrush) Zuurkool (with Dutch sauerkraut, roasted fingerling potatoes, and apple gastrique)--Another dish that was among our favorites, utterly tender, with a sweetness from the apple that balanced the acid of the sauerkraut.
-or-
Konijn in het Zuur (Rabbit marinated in vinegar, wild boar belly lardons, turnips, brussels sprouts, caraway butter, and brasing jus)--Another dish everyone enjoyed sharing, again quite wintery, and the tender, moist meat avoided the overcooking so common in rabbit dishes.
~2010 Veramonte Pinot Noir Ritual
3RD COURSE:
Shellfish and smoked salmon waterzooi--I only had a bite, but this was a much lighter fish stew than the other choice.
-or-
Shellfish zuurkool (shellfish steamed with braised cabbage, and pork bits)--My choice, this was a huge plate of mussles, clams and other goodies, in a rich dark sauce thick with porky cabbage. The opposite extreme from moules frites, but I wish I had some frites and a dark beer to go with it.
~2009 Ernst Bretz Gewürztraminer Spätlese
This is Part 1 of a 2-part review...click the link below to see Part 2... | 2positive
| 766 |
I'm sad to say my experience here was not what I had hoped it would be. I really wanted to like this place and was looking forward to supporting a local small business for my future bakery needs. Unfortunately, it just didn't work out that way. Here's a break down of my experience if you care to read:
My son and I first stopped in out of curiosity to try some of the cupcakes and to inquire about ordering a birthday cake for my twin daughters' 1st birthday a month later. My overall impression of the store was that it was a new, small business that was still working on organization (especially the front counter area) but the staff was friendly enough. I ended up ordering a two tiered cake for my daughters birthday and before we left, my son and I tried four cupcakes, two of which were the same flavors of the cake we ordered. They were delicious and I was confident the cake would be just as good.
Fast forward a month to July when it was almost time to get the cake. The owner Cathy, sent me a photo of it via text message. It wasn't what I had ordered or pictured (at all) and I was pretty disappointed with how it turned out but was sure it would taste wonderful so I eventually got past that part. Hey, I'm a nice person. Anyway, I asked her if I could pick up the cake on Saturday instead of Thursday and she said that was fine because she could freeze it until then. So I run out on Saturday, pick it up and everything seems to be in order. In addition to the cake, I bought two larger cupcakes for my daughters smash cakes.
Later that afternoon when it was time to cut the cake, I was happy to see it had defrosted perfectly, no issues there. The girls seemed to like their little cupcakes so that was great too. The problem was with the two tiered cake. I of course, served the guests first. Before I even took a bite, I asked my husband and my mom how the cake tasted. They said it was really bland. Ugh. Understatement of the year. It was tasteless. I tried it myself and was so disappointed. There was no flavor at all. The icing was supposed to be buttercream but instead tasted more like...well, nothing. It had maybe a teaspoon or two of sugar in the entire batch, seriously. No one finished their cake and I ended up throwing out everything that was left of it (half of the bottom tier) because no one wanted to eat it. Keep in mind, I had tasted the cupcakes in the same flavors and they were fine. The frosting on the cake was just plain flavorless. Not even close to being as sweet as whipped cream. I tried a bite again the next morning after the party and it was the same thing - totally bland. Because we were all really tired after the party on Saturday and I don't like bothering people on Sundays, I didn't talk to the owner about it until Monday. She sent a text message to ask how it turned out. Keep in mind that at this point, I wasn't mad, just really disappointed and considered it a lesson learned, albeit a very expensive one. I was totally honest with her and told her the cake had defrosted perfectly but that the frosting was very bland. Rather than just apologize and ask how it could be made right, she began blaming it on me...
-I didn't let her know right away so the cake is no longer any good and she can't even taste it to verify my "claim" that it was bland.
-All bakeries are different and maybe because they use less sugar, her's just isn't the bakery for me.
-She is sure the frosting was good even though she didn't taste it herself and has a history of her employees not making the frosting correctly but has no way of knowing for sure if I'm telling the truth.
-She was happy with the cake she made for me and confident in her work, so basically that should be good enough.
So on and so forth. I told her I wasn't mad, didn't expect anything out of it but wanted to let her know. However, by the end of the conversation, I was pretty PO'ed. It was insinuated that I was a liar with no taste buds who had never eaten a real bakery made cake before and had made the whole thing up. Hmm, I guess in Cupcakery land, customers are only acceptable if they give you their money, eat their cake and shut up.
Moral of this story, if you want cupcakes, you should be fine. If you order a cake, good luck my friend. She can take positive feedback all day long. But offer a suggestion or heaven forbid, have an issue with something she made and it will be YOUR fault, not hers.
Note to the owner: If you can't take criticism (even given in the nicest possible way) you wont last long. I'm sad to say I wont be recommending this business to anyone. Ever.
ETA: See below? Customer is always wrong. I never asked for a refund. I wasn't even mad until I was basically called a liar, which is my main complaint. The cake wasn't left out for 3 days. I picked it up on Sat at 2pm. When she text me Monday, it had been less than 48 hours. It was left in the box on my counter (think about it, they make cake stands with covers for a reason). | 0negative
| 962 |
First, read this before you buy a Groupon for this place. The food at this place is not bad. The portions depend on whether you use a coupon/groupon or not... It seems that take out entrees come with more food (at a lower cost) than dining in. We had ordered takeout via Grubhub and got a lot of tasty food (which included rice**).
Because we had liked the take out we ordered a week ago, we decided to go there for dinner last night. I had bought a groupon, so we also used that. When we entered the restaurant there was a sign on the door that indicated that if anyone was using a groupon they would have to mention it prior to ordering, else they would not accept it. We noticed that the place was completely empty and I got an uneasy feeling about it...
There were three of us in our party. The hostess of the restaurant came over to take the order. We told her that we had a groupon, and right away the look on her face changed and she wanted to immediately redeem it even before we ordered anything. Fine. For starters we ordered a veg hot and sour soup, spring rolls, veg sushi and an order of California rolls. For main course we proceeded to order eggplant with garlic sauce, and general tso chicken, but she said to us that we would have to order the rice separately because it was not included with the entrees! That came as a bit of a surprise to us because when we ordered the same items for takeout, we got two containers of rice with it! nevertheless, we decided to order an entree size of fried rice for all of us to share.
All the appetizer items were good tasting, but the sushi was not worth the price charged for 6 tiny pieces.
For the main dishes, the fried rice and eggplant came out first. I was shocked to see how small the portion was of the eggplant entree! It was very obvious that they had cut down the portions because we used a groupon! When the general tso chicken was ready, the owner's wife who was in the kitchen came out with it on a tray along with a bowl of white rice**. But as soon as the hostess server saw that, she immediately said something in chinese to the lady who quickly turned around and went back away with our meal and the rice! What???? She came back a few seconds later, minus the rice! So I asked her why she took it back and whether the rice came with the entrees, and she said YES!!!! Her name is Yun Yu and she was so nice and although she did not seem to understand english much, she was obviously embarrassed about what just happened. At that point the hostess again mumbled something and the rice came back. This means that the hostess lied to us all along, and because we used the groupon, she was trying to make up for it by charging us extra for the rice and giving us smaller portions. This is bad! The hostess was obviously also embarrassed and did not have anything to say. Whilst eating our meal, not once did she ask us how our meal was.
When we finished our meal, she brought our bill and had already tacked on a 20% tip. We like to eat out a lot and we always tip the servers very fairly, but in this case after what we experienced, we were certainly not going to let her add a 20% tip which she most certainly did not deserve. My husband called her out on her obvious lack of customer service, her lying to us, and having an attitude the whole time. We told her that it was our prerogative as to how much we wanted to tip and in this case, she did not deserve the 20%. She made excuses of how she is not normally the server and therefore she did not know how things worked! Really?? We did tip them 15% because the food was good and the owner's wife was nice, so we did not want to penalize her business because of an ignorant worker. They obviously need to retrain this girl because if they don't, they will lose customers because of her. We will certainly not be going back to dine in, but we like to support family owned small businesses, so we will probably order take out. | 0negative
| 761 |
I have traveled the world and eaten at some of the finest restaurants that exist. I only mention this because I don't mind spending a lot of money on a meal if it is worth it. Let me explain my evening tonight. 1) The reservation was for 9pm we sat at 9:45 2) The martini that we ordered at the bar was in very small glass but I can let that slide. 3) We asked the waiter for his suggestion between two wine choices. He said, "I don't know, I will get the sommelier"... The sommelier comes over, we ask him about the two wines and he says, "I don't know I haven't tried either of them". So we decide on the Red Zin. The sommelier comes to the table to present the wine. Then he walks away to another part of the restaurant with our bottle, opens our bottle and pours himself a taste of our wine. Then comes back to our table to pour our taste. It was the most bizarre thing I have ever experienced. And when I questioned him about it, he just stared at us like we had 3 heads. 4)We ordered an appetizer, then salads, and then main course. The appetizer was this pathetic 4 olives, like a tenth of a carrot, 3 tiny tiny balls of falafel, such a pathetic joke for a only $12. Maybe $0.50 worth of product (including labor). Then the beet salad. It is R2L's motto, the smaller the plates, the dumber the customer. Soon they will serve all of their food in a sushi soy dish so that you feel like you are eating a full meal. I am not a fool so don't treat me like one. I know you are using small plates so dream that my food is more that it really is... Then the Veal dish. Literally, I got two thinly slices of veal the size of a silver dollar. Maybe not even that big or thick. It was beyond a pathetic joke. 5) still starving after our small plates of fantasy, we ordered desert. I ordered the Rice Pudding. It came out again on the tiniest plate with 4 pea sized fried balls of something. I looked at the waiter and said, "Don't insult me" and sent it back. Give me a break. 6) Then the bill comes. We had ordered a $55 bottle of wine. The bill came and it was shown as $65. Everyone should check their bill there, they show one price on the wine list and charge you a higher price on your bill. We paid our bill and decided to go to the bar to have a drink. We asked for the wine list. We noticed a glass of champagne for $18 per glass. We ordered 3 glasses. First, she pours the end of the bottle into our glass filling only the bottom 20% of the glass. Any classy establishment serving $18 champagne would not pour the bottom of a bottle in your glass. They would open a fresh one. Then the bartender said $74 ($23 per glass). We said there must be some mistake the wine list says $18. She gave us total attitude, and said "we charge $23 per glass".. we asked for the wine list to show her. She could care less. So we walked out without touching the glasses of Champagne. They tried to steal from us once at the table with miss-pricing the bottle of wine, we were not going to let it happen again. As we were in the elevator a swat team of the owner and a few hostess tried to force us to pay for Champagne that they miss-priced and we did not even touch. There was no apology for the mistake, no "come back and have a round on us for the confusion", no care about the customer. This place has a lot to learn about customer service. I understand that mistakes happen. I own a retail food establishment myself and if we make a mistake we apologize and treat the customer like gold. R2l treated us like convicts after we spent $300 for 3 people and were ripped off at every turn. I am starved and aggravated. It was supposed to be a special birthday celebration. The place is beautiful however, so I do recommend an afternoon drink to watch the sun set. But other than that, save your money. But you'd better do it fast because they will be out of business by 2011 the way they treat customers. We over heard several people complaining and asking to speak to a manager or owner... Ok I have ranted enough and now I have to go get some pizza because I am starving. | 0negative
| 795 |
I wanted to like Lilly's, I really did. Since there's a notable Vietnamese presence in NOLA, I really wanted to experience some good homestyle pho. What I got was some of the worst pho I've ever had. Allow me to explain...
First off, this place was hopping! No biggie, we didn't have to wait or anything, but our table was filthy when we were directed to our table. The young lady who seated us noticed and "tried" to wipe it away in one swipe of a semi-damp cloth. It did nothing. Then, an older man came by with menus and noticed the still dirty table and tried to pick up the crumb-like remnants on the table with his hands.
My boyfriend also had to wipe off his chair. They really weren't setting a good precedent for service or environment. I ended up wiping the table MYSELF with some wet wipes that I carry around for emergencies. It probably made me look picky, but honestly, I just wanted somewhere clean that I could feel like I could put my hands and phone down on the table and not end up with gross food remnants on them from previous patrons.
We ordered waters from the man that I previously mentioned. Then another woman came by and asked what we would like to drink. My boyfriend informed her that we had ordered waters already, and then a third woman came by and dropped the waters off. It was just a mess in communication. I get that everyone is trying to serve everyone in a timely manner, but they would have been better off with specific roles, instead of taking on every responsibility.
We got the Saigon Spicy Rolls to start with. It came out fairly quickly, which leaves me to believe they have them pre-made. I suppose it's possible they're really just that quick with making them, but I doubt it, due to the texture of the rice paper. You can tell when they're pre-made because the rice paper will harden over time, due to evaporation, as they sit out.
The rolls weren't bad by any means, but not mindblowing either. I've had better. The sauce was definitely not peanut sauce, so I'm not sure what they were serving with it. A fish sauce of some sorts, perhaps? Our main dishes came out shortly after we finished the rolls, which was also pretty quick. Probably the only positives during this whole meal.
My boyfriend absolutely LOVED his Rice with Grilled Chicken. He couldn't stop raving about it. I had a few bites and found it to be average. My Meatball Pho looked promising, but that's about it. While they put plenty of meatball pieces in it, they were lacking in the noodle department. I had more bean sprouts in there than noodles. Seriously. That wasn't even the worst part.
The worst part was how peppery the broth was. I mean, it was LOADED with black pepper. It was literally a sea of black pepper at the bottom of my bowl. I would swirl it around, and it looked like a colony of tiny ants. I can usually handle heat, but I don't like too much spice in my pho - ruins the flavor for me. The pepper ended up being all I could taste -- black pepper in something reminiscent of traditional beef broth.
We also never got water refills. We had finished our waters less than halfway through the meal, and by the time we were finished with our food, I was dying of thirst. I drink a lot of water, and the peppery broth wasn't helping matters. Staff would continuously walk past us, without even a glance towards us.
I get that it's busy, but this is what I mean about having specific roles. If there was a server assigned to certain sections, we probably wouldn't have this problem of being overlooked. They were so eager to get new customers seated that they didn't even bother with serving the ones already seated. And since we were seated by the door, we would watch group after group of people get service. Just thinking about it now irks me.
Not to mention, the price was a bit steep for the portions they give you. For how little noodles I got, it should have been a few dollars cheaper. And the rolls' price is higher than what I've paid at other establishments. With all these factors, it's amazing that this place is rated so highly.
I thought about giving Lilly's 2-stars, but honestly, a 2-star rating is probably too generous. Not only was the food terrible, but so was the service. It's highly unlikely I would ever come back again.
Overall: 1/5
Food: 1/5
Service: 1/5
Atmosphere: 1/5 | 0negative
| 794 |
Part one of a three part entry:
Oh, where to begin. It's 5:00 a.m. and I find myself on Yelp browsing...and then I remember why I came here so late/early--to see if anyone had written a review of Napolese. They had. Four of them to be precise. While it is late/early, and you may be wondering why I'm doing this review at this bird-chirping hour, I must be completely honest and tell you that I am not inebriated (still a difficult word to spell when you're sober).
I am, however, elated to be giving my first review on a pseudo-Neopolitan pizzeria...because I don't recall there ever really being one in the Indianapolis area in the 22 years I've lived here.
Martha Hoover has balls...big hairy Italian ones. Wait, those are just her meatballs:) No, seriously, it takes balls to close down a street to put in a ginormous gas powered pizza oven...wait, what? Did you say 'gas powered'? I'll get to the oven in a bit...
There are oh-too-many bad/mediocre Italian/pizza joints littered amongst the Indianapolis landscape that after living here for over 20 years, I had pretty much given up on the idea that a local restauranteur would ever open up an authentic pizzeria or pasticceria. Thanks for making headway in that respect, Martha.
O.k., let me tell you something funny about Napolese--the parking. And I'm not complaining about it, but, rather, am bringing to light something I read on IBJ (that's Indiana Business Journal to you acronym-phobic peeps out there). When Napolese got its variance approval, it seems that some locals in the Meridian-Kessler neighborhood were opposed to it because they felt it was going to create traffic issues and also because there wasn't adequate parking.
Well, that's just funny to me, because, when has Indy ever had "good parking" anywhere??? Wanna park in Broad Ripple on a Friday/Saturday night? Good luck. Wanna park for free downtown? Good luck. It's simply a moot point, because, everyone and their mama knows Indy ain't known for its parking...or it's numbered address signs on buildings.
Just grin and bear it, dudes. It's not like that area has tumbleweeds rollin' down the sidewalks...people are forever running/walking/biking. Let's not pretend that Napolese isn't going to be good for the community of Meridian-Kessler, because, well, that idea is simply moronic. And, besides, it looks nice. It's not an eye-sore. The storefront is inviting. It makes you want to walk in and see what's behind those tinted windows (is that Maria Grazia Cucinotta???).
So, since I brought it up, let's talk about the decor for a cool minute (you have the time for that, right?). I like the color black (o.k., I realize black isn't truly a "color" but, humor me). I like the black lights on the building of Napolese. I like their shape. Not sure what they're made of but they fit nicely. I like the simple font of the lettering used to spell out "Napolese" that appears twice on the building. I like the wrought-iron chairs and tables on the sidewalk used for the outdoor seating. And what I really like is how it plays so well off of the 3-4 earth-toned colored bricks that houses this establishment. It looks classy with just the right touch of an old-style pizzeria that one might find in the motherland (Italia is the motherland).
I'm not sure how many wrought-iron chairs and tables they have, but I'd venture to guess that once word gets out about this place, they're gonna need more--especially since summer is upon us. As for inside, it looks the part as well. The floors are lovely although I do not know what they are made of--I assume it's some kind of stone. And the dining tables appear to be made out of a high quality wood of which I am not familiar with because I know jack-all about wood(s). What I do know, though, is that it looks nice. Really nice. Basically, all of the furnishings look high quality and high cost. Doesn't appear Martha cut any corners in this regard at all.
Just a quick side-bar here...are you still reading by chance? You started reading 'cause you wanted to see what I had to say about the pizza, right? Well, o.k., you twisted my hairy Italian arm.
To finish reading, please go to my personal foodie blog:
http://feedmeorfeedmetosomething.myblogsite.com/entry1.html
**NOTE** I am NOT advertising anything on my blog or trying to steal viewership to Yelp. I have simply had to resort to putting this particular restaurant review on a blog site because it is too long to put on Yelp's website. Thanks for understanding. | 1neutral
| 773 |
The "old" Freret Boxing Gym has been turned into an open inviting space that to me both preserved the ethos of what that blessed business (service?) once stood as a gateway for and, with its minimal pretense and well-spent decoration dollars refuses the "holier (or whiter) than-thou"-itude of many of its "NF" neighbors. I brought my dog and sat outside, but inside the interior was clearly designed not only to proudly display the foodstuffs, the pristine and fervent (and surprisingly technical) work buzzing in the open kitchen, but with a wide open bar (big enough to hold plates and drinks but also usable for whatever lagniappe multitasking people and/or slobs like to get into) the whole space invites you to really pay attention to what's on your plate.
The duJour ("Dujour means Friendship." Full Dis: i've known the Chef for about a decade.) soup was a yellow split pea which, aghast, made my pea-hating compatriot regret ordering the not-to-be-disparaged regular offering of Tomato Basil. Good portions of great, thick, and fresh soup.
Next to arrive: a pairing of Boudin and Ratatouille Balls, fried with love and as good as any other good fried ball you might think is good. That last sentence is kind've an insult, honestly, but that's the closest to a negative comment i can make. Both were paired with some sort of sauce, but i cannot say that i tasted either before all the balls were in my mouth.
Pies followed. I believe the chef makes a daily selection variant on the classic nola meat pie, but i'm unsure if the regular menu pie if there is one was served. The two we sampled displayed quite eloquently many of the things i have over the years discussed as the beneficial traits the Chef here employs. One pie was filled with the classic pot sticker. Fresh garlic, ginger, minced pork, some other asian stuff maybe- this was the essential Jowza in mini-pie form. Like Chess: these flavors are simple to learn to construct, but when a master at such art puts her hands on the bishop... I don't know where that metaphor was going but NOMNOMNOM. The other pie illuminated another spectrum of this Chef's capabilities: A Russian-pallete in origin flavor spectrum, but Frenched up for a taste profile that does't insist you be snowbound or pumping vodka through your bloodpipes. The natural combo of Dill and Salmon, minced meat pie style with garlic and yummy textured tidbits of garlic and aromatics and tendrils of the fresh herb that masterfully not only bound the pre-maw tastes together but softly contrasted the well-precticed pie crust binding it all. This pie, while not for all in our region, demonstrated not only the blatant technique the Chef made me note him for at first long ago but also a simple thing (as the rest of our feast would prove) that people such as Chang and the fat ginger with the dumb shoes employ to make them greater than the sum of their parts: History. Knowledge of why the food and not simply that the food exists, and an employment not only of that technique and understanding but the application of a dialogue with the patron they are cooking for... You might note some yelpers do not understand that they simply do not understand certain cuisines, or certain ingredients, or why there is sometimes a different kind of pepper or pickle instead of that Sysco one they get everywhere else. To (mis)quote the great PSY: "Above the running man there is the flying man... Yeah baby, I'm a man who knows some things..." I don't even like dill.
The pernt at WAYFARE is sammiches. Check out their actual website so i don't have to repeat their very honest proclamation emblazoned there. We had five of them:
Toasted Reuben: This is a personal taste note not a criticism, but i like my reubens Carnegie style so i wanted more meat. It's not like there wasn't enough meat: there was, but I'm an Irish Carnivore so I prefer excess with my corned beef. The textures, however, even with "appropriate-amounted" flesh, is resonant.
Prochetta: Pork belly cubed with all the good parts intact and laced together with caramelized onions. At the end of the meal one quarter of this sandwich remained. Still i pulled the yummy cubes of oink tummy off the bread one by one... Then i ate the bread anyway. After Desert.
Cured Meats: In-house cured sausage shavings pressed together with in-house pickled peppers on a pistolette with a salty bottom and a refresh top providing a classic deli-to-mouth succulincia... This was the second-most perfect sandwich we tried.
Cuban: Perfect. So perfect after all four of us ate some, we still couldn't figure out which one it was because every other Cuban in this town is shit, apparently. I don't even like pickles.
Knuckle. Minced Roast beef (see my Mahoney's review) with a taste of the H-Rad on a Pretzel bun. This sandwich literally gave me an erection. Murder-good.
Pretty sure God has something to do with what's happening at WAYFARE. | 2positive
| 848 |
This place is new. Like brand new. I will be critical as I want to help a local place be great. I'm reviewing it as a restaurant first, brewery second. I'm happy to re-rate after a follow up visit.
The most comparible in this area is Iron Hill Brewery, which is both a franchise and established, making it a bit of David vs. Goliath but I'll be honest and fair.
The unannounced but grand opening was 3 days ago (5/18/2021). The website still says "coming soon". But Google and Facebook confirmed they were open.
Arrived opening weekend before 5pm on Friday. Party of 4 (2 Adults + 2 kids) was seated right away. Line was out the door shortly afterwards.
The atmosphere is terrific. Lots of spacious outdoor seating. Indoor seating was good sized but the bar was crowded. We sat inside. It did get really loud. Plus so new the TVs still had their plastic on them and weren't connected.
Our server Myah was fantastic. She knew the menu, was attentive, and stopped by frequently, even though the place was mobbed busy. Rarely had an empty mini glass.
We wanted to visit due to the "brewery" aspect of the restaurant and brewery. They don't offer flights. Rather, all their house beers are served in mini glasses, 7oz we were told, and ranged $3 to $4, where the 13oz seltzer was $7. They were all delicious. But at roughly $7-9 a pint it's pricy for a brewery and a restaurant. It's worth calling out that four of the eight things on tap were from this local brewery. The partnership options were good too, and somewhat better priced (per oz).
Had no kids menus printed. Server had to read menu from tablet. Kids meals. Please pay attention; if my kids want to go to a place with craft beer, that place wins every week. All year. Their meals were cheap, at $5, including a drink. But chicken fingers (2) with tortilla chips vs fries is strange. And most kids don't like charred quesadillas, nor salsa spread all over them. Please put salsa on the side, and don't have blackened tortillas. Kids are picky. Also, if there are fries, always offer ketchup.
The specials offered cheese curds. They were fantastic. The dip was great too. But for $9 the portion size was at least 40% too small.
The Chuck D salad was very good looking. But salty. I think the dressing combined with the shaved parmesan was too much. Two pieces of watermelon seemed lacking for $9. For $7 it would have been adequate.
Wife got the Steak Frites. It came as menu mentioned. She was impressed with the tenderness. Great flavor. Portions were on the smaller side, but for $15 it seemed ok.
I got the Fish & Chips. $14 seemed a good price (same price as Miller's Ale House). I didn't read that it was tilapia. I'm used to cod or halibut. Tilapia didn't work well, was very fishy/gamey. It was also undercooked and mushy. Looked great though. I barely ate half. I would strongly recommend changing the fish type or making smaller bites that are better cooked. Also the menu mentioned a cocktail sauce but that never showed up. Personally I'd prefer a remoulade.
The fries were great. No ketchup though.
Wife enjoyed the margarita, although there was a crazy wait from the bar. It was very good. $10 seems average price, but expected a bit less at a brewery.
We also got dessert. We got a Jalepeño and pineapple donut. This makes me angry. It was $10. It wasn't a donut. It wasn't hot. It didn't seem fried. The cream was lacking. It was like a cross between a potato and brioche roll. With sugar on top. And a picked Jalepeño. It wasn't good, not worth $5 even if it was good. The "fruit" parfait was Greek yogurt with some whipped cream and strawberry. Plus some cake I think. It was ok, but over priced for the portion.
The steak rang up at $19.50, no reason why, had to be fixed. After adjustment, cost for 2 kids and 2 Adults with apps and dessert was $133+. Had four 7oz (one big flight) and 4 13oz pours plus the Marg. Seems very high based on portions and actual quality.
Menu options were great I think. I'd have ordered most anything. I do prefer having prices printed though for drinks. Not knowing what you are going to pay doesn't jive with the "brewery" aspect of Ark Brewery.
Overall, we spent way more than we feel we should have, the place has promise but needs work on pricing, portions, and quality. Beer is good, really good compared to breweries in the area. Again, wish sizes and pricing were more equivalent to a "standard" brewery. Iron Hill offers 22oz servings for $6-9 (with membership). I also strongly recommend flight options, especially while new, since folks want to sample it all. | 0negative
| 828 |
Don't eat here unless you want to risk having an upset stomach event !
I was second to order after they opened on a week day. Had a standard meal. This was my second time here and like the first visit the flavors were good enough. I lived in South Korea for a year and absolutely love Korean food. On a side note, this place is really stingy with the kimchi as you just get a tiny portion.
On to the main event! During the period I ate here I was doing intermittent fasting, that's where you fast every day, for 14 or 18 hours, then eat during a window of say 4 or 6 hours. This meal was my first meal in 14 hours and I got "sick" just an hour after eating there. I had to make several trips to a restroom. It was quite unpleasant. I called and spoke to the person in charge just a couple of hours later and didn't even get a real apology, she said "I'm sorry that happened to you" but never accepted responsibility or offered any compensation.
Because of my eating pattern during those four months i KNOW it was Bab that made me sick and there was no possibility that it was something else. You know when you are eating normally, without fasting, you are mostly never 100% sure what you got sick from...not this time Bab, it was you...Bab Cafe. You didn't even own up to it and say sorry.
I will never visit a place that has given me bad food and made me sick for another try...that's it Bab, you can make other people sick....yuck....
I looked them up on the Reno Health Dept website and they had multiple violations during the period I got sick, this was summer of 2018. From now on I don't eat at places until I check the local health department for violations. The review ends here, below is a copy of the violations from summer of 2018:
________________________________________________________
06/25/2018
Critical Violations:
18. Proper cooling time and temperatures
Sauce cooked the previous night checked at 83F. Per operator, sauce was left on ice in sink overnight and then moved to back dry storage area (at room temp.) in the morning. TCS foods must be cooled from 135F to 70F within 2 hours and from 70F to 41F or less within an additional 4 hours to prevent bacteria growth. Facility must begin keeping cooling temperature logs until further notice This is a repeat violation from the previous inspection. Failure to properly conduct cooling processes may result in suspension of the process.
20. Proper cold holding temperatures
Cooked veggies in make-up units at 43F- 46F. Per operator veggies just loaded/prepped. within the hour - moved to 3-door reach-in and place in additional shallow container to cool to 41F All TCS foods must be held at 41F or below. Ensure TCS foods are cooled completely to 41F after processing prior to placing in make-up unit and adjust temp. of make-up units to ensure TCS foods are held at 41F or less. COS.
25a. Poisonous or toxic chemicals properly identified, stored, and used
Observed container of mouth wash stored above ice machine and next to clean dishware. Store all personal care items separate from food and clean dishware to prevent contamination.
28. Warewashing equipment installed, maintained, and used; proper sanitization
Observed employee wash frying pan and skip the rinse/sanitize/air dry step. Per operator, 3-comp. sink was being used to chill food, so employee could not properly wash pan. All dishes and utensil must receive a wash, rinse, sanitize, air dry step in either the 3-comp. sink or the dishwasher. If dishes cannot be properly cleaned due to other activities such as cooling, menu items or processes (cooling) may be suspended. Employee directed to run pan through dish machine. COS
6. Hands clean and properly washed
Observed several employees change tasks (washing dishes to food prep. or finishing a break to food prep.) without washing hands and prior to changing gloves. Employees must wash hands when changing tasks and donning new gloves. Employees directed to wash hands properly and put on new gloves. COS.
8a. Handwashing sinks accessible; conveniently located
Hand sink blocked with garbage can at time of inspection. Hand sinks must be accessible at all times for proper employee hand washing.
_________
Non-critical Violations:
39. Wiping cloths: properly used and stored
Observed damp wiping cloths stored on counters throughout facility. Damp wiping cloths must be stored in sanitizer solution between use. COS
1. Demonstration of Knowledge/Active Managerial Control
CFPM not aware of cooling procedures and time/temperatures and not monitoring cooling temps. or cold holding temps. Cooling logs and refrigeration storage logs provided to operator. Cooling logs must be used for all TCS food cooling until further notice and refrigeration cold holding temperatures must be taken at least 2x per day until further notice. Observed several activities (storing raw meats on ground, improper washing/sani.....(IT CONTINUES BUT I'VE REACHED THE YELP LIMIT) | 0negative
| 835 |
Full disclosure: I've only eaten here during the weekend buffet that they do (I think that this is actually Friday-Sunday, either out of a misunderstanding of the concept of a weekend or as part of a conscious effort to defy it) because home is the southerly parts of Pinellas and, given the existence of thirty-some miles of miscellaneous urban nonsense between where I am and where they are (I need to take three interstates to get here, each more stultifying than the last), it might as well be in one of the Dakotas, or else some forbidding slope in Kamchatka, where the wolves howl and the night does not end. Thus, I've never been here for a normal meal and ordered a normal item off the menu like a normal person. But I've been to the buffet many times, since the place is right across the street (or *almost* just across the street) from Lettuce Lake Park, a lovely place to wander and gawp at the alligators and weird birds for the princely sum of $2.
Utterly full disclosure: If I have any tiny trace of blood from the Indian subcontinent, it's been so diluted and diffused by generation upon generation of angry people who make angry-looking buildings that it probably now couldn't fill a grasshopper's coffee mug, and I'm pretty sure that I've never been within three thousand miles of Delhi. So I have no claim to judge what constitutes authentic Indian food of any stripe, and anyone who does should feel free to snort contemptuously and consign this review to whatever part of their brain they use to store voicemails about extending their car warranty or the phone books that regularly land in their yards and absorb rain and reclaimed water until they're a soupy mess.
But, even given the above caveats, this very well might be the best Indian restaurant I've ever visited. I've had a long and checkered career of visiting Indian restaurants, from the dismal downtown buffet where you eat too much chicken tikka for no discernible reason (it does not spark joy or create satisfaction, but still you keep eating it) and enter a state of such profound drowsiness that you immediately understand that you will never get anything important done for the rest of the day, to the smalltown restaurant putting on airs with white tablecloths and silver where the most complex item on the menu is saag paneer, to the grotesque and misbegotten Midwestern late-Fifties steadily-collapsing concrete-and-sheet-metal monstrosity where beef vindaloo (???) is on the menu and the servers mispronounce the names of dishes with the insouciant confidence of the utterly damned. So, whatever mitigating factors might be in place, I stand by my pronouncement.
The buffet, and the menu in general (which, again, I haven't sampled at length, but have browsed) seem to make reluctant concessions to American taste, offering some of the usual suspects (butter chicken, tikka masala, whatever vindaloo), but seem to be mostly interested in going beyond that. The weekend buffet reliably has goat curry, which is wonderful (and spicy!) and not something that is regularly included in the genre, and the chili chicken (which is usually interpreted as some soupy, sticky variant on Chinese food, as per its origins) is a sort of dry, fried, spice-encrusted dish, gloriously addictive. And many dishes whose names are unfamiliar to me--a sort of rice pudding, but not the kheer that is easily found at every five-and-dime buffet across the nation, instead a complex, spicy concoction with caraway and green chile, or a set of fritters (labeled "baby corn," though I'm not at all sure that's what they were) that become transcendent when dipped in one of the array of lovely sauces that they provide. And it's actually spicy, or, rather, many dishes are (the butter chicken is still, predictably, bland and inoffensive), which is damn near impossible to find in an Indian restaurant around these parts--even some of the buffet items have a decent bite. And the little (free!) cups of chai that they provide--strong, but not too sweet, not like the milky sugared-up lattes that you get at Starbucks. And this, and that, and more. Yes, it's slightly spendy (currently around $15 for the buffet), but you don't eat here every day and, perhaps, like me, you've driven for a while to be here, in a weird abandoned parking lot adjacent to a Holiday Inn Express adjacent to a huge tech park... so it's probably worth it.
But if you've just skipped to the end, here, in hopes of discovering whether this restaurant is good and whether you should eat here, the answer is, definitely, yes and yes. If you are even remotely intrigued by Indian food, and if you do not shrink from the notion of capsaicin-laced food as if it were the machinations of the devil himself, you owe it to yourself to visit this place. Yes, it's in the parking lot of a hotel, and it's tiny, and you don't know where you are or what's what (welcome to Florida). Just go in and eat the goat curry, you weirdo. | 2positive
| 854 |
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