Her perspective: C
We had been here a couple of years ago and did their tasting menu - without the wine pairings - but it was FABULOUS, so for our anniversary dinner this year, we decided to do that again because it was so good last time when every dish had been so delicious and they spaced the courses perfectly.
We did the wine pairings this time (one course was a beer pairing) and they were off. They either did not compliment the dish at all or they only complimented only one part of the dish - which was disappointing. The cheese course had a beer pairing, which did not sit well in my stomach with the rest of the wines that were served.
So, course-by-course:
Amuse: House Cold Smoked Salmon with Pine Yogurt, Watercress, Citrus, Jalapeno, Radish
Pairing: La Marca, Prosecco, NV, Italy
This was the absolute best dish by far! The salmon was buttery and all the flavors just blended together perfectly. I just didn't think the wine enhanced the dish.
1st Course: Sweet Corn Soup with Crispy Glazed Pork Belly, Cherry Tomato, Avocado
Pairing: Rose, Chateau L'Ermitage, 2012, Rhone Valley, France
The pork belly was fantastic and the wine did compliment that. Also, the cherry tomatoes were very nice. The soup was underseasoned and you could not taste the avocado at all. The dish as a whole was just OK, but I could have made a meal from that pork belly.
2nd Course: Roasted Duck Breast with Rainbow Chard, Sweet Corn Polenta, Cherry-Black Pepper Gastrique
Pairing: Pinot Noir, Martin Ray, 2010, Russian River
Unfortunately, the best part of this dish was the Gastrique, except for the big piece of black pepper I got at one point that set my mouth on fire. The duck was too rare (not fully cooked to a rare temperature) so I could not taste duck. I felt like I was getting more corn soup with the polenta (too much corn) and the combination of the components did not compliment one another. The wine was just - there. It did nothing to enhance or compliment the dish.
3rd Course: Grilled Petite Filet Mignon with Potato-Parmesan Gratin, Summer Vegetables, Sherry Jus
Pairing: Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Creek, 2011 Paso Robles
The filet was cooked a perfect rare. We like our steaks at least medium rare, but ate it as prepared, hoping it would be a better flavor with the rest of the dish. Again, the components did not go together and it seemed as if the Summer Vegetables were just whatever they had left over from other dishes, rather than a well-thought-out part of the dish. The Jus was very tasty, though. This particular Cabernet was too heavy for Filet.
Cheese Course: Pleasant Ridge Reserve with Rhubarb Compote, Almond Granola, Micro Greens, Honey, Sesame Lavasch
Beer Pairing: Lonely Blonde, Fulton Brewing Co. Minneapolis, MN
The cheese was pretty good with a smoky flavor, but got lost when you started putting it together with other things on the plate. The Almond Granola and Micro Greens were scattered around the plate, which made it pretty, but not very conducive to eating them. The Honey was only there to keep the whole berries from moving around on the plate and did not add anything to the flavor of the dish. I have learned since that this particular cheese is being served by every Tom, Dick and Harry restaurant in the area, so it would have been nice to have something unique. The beer is an IPA, and, while I don't like hoppy beers, I tried it anyway. I couldn't even finish the small tasting glass of beer and definitely did not go with this dish at all. I would have been much happier with a nice Pinot Grigio or some sort of medium-dry white instead of beer with this dish.
Dessert Course: "Cheescake and Berries": Cheesecake Pudding, Glazed Berry Salad, Graham Cracker Pavlova, Strawberry Pate de Fruit
Pairing: Moscato di Asti, Vietti Cascinetta 2011, Piedmont, Italy
There's a reason the title is in quotes - because it wasn't actually cheesecake. The Cheesecake Pudding was just plopped on the plate and seemed like it was cheesecake that they didn't wait until it was fully set. William commented that it was like a "deconstructed" cheesecake. The berries were very good and fresh - the best part of the dish. While I always like anything "Asti", it did not help with the richness of the dessert, so I ate as much as I could (leaving half the cheesecake pudding, and not because I was full), then drank the wine down so that would be the last thing I tasted. It did go well with the berries, though.
Our server did check back after each course, but did so when both our mouths were full, so all we could do was nod. William had gotten a Coke at the start of the meal and, even though he wanted a refill, he was never asked for one or given the opportunity to ask for it himself. After dinner, I got a coffee and William got an Irish Coffee. His was at least a double-shot and all the sugar was at the bottom (not mixed in), he almost couldn't drink it. All the regular sugar packets in the caddy for my coffee had been wet at some point. I could break them in half and pointed that out to the server, who guessed they had been left out on the patio. Funny, the Spenda and Sugar In the Raw packets were just fine...
One other note: the portion sizes were considerably smaller than the last time we did this, but the prices stayed the same. We understand that food costs have gone up and we would rather have paid a little more for the same experience we had the last time we did this.
If we go back, it will be a long time, and we'll think long and hard before doing the tasting menu again.
We're still looking for that restaurant in the Cities with consistently good food and service. If you have suggestions, please let us know.
Showing posts with label fine dining. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fine dining. Show all posts
Monday, September 16, 2013
Saturday, September 08, 2012
Enjoy! Apple Valley, MN - September 8, 2012
Her perspective: C-
It started out well - we were celebrating our anniversary (since it falls on a Monday this year) and Enjoy! has 2 glasses of champagne and free dessert for your anniversary. We were seated promptly and greeted promptly as well. The server was quite friendly, went through the specials and got us our first drinks. We were thinking of getting both the crab cakes and the scallops (to try since Bill had never had them and I had not had any good ones) as appetizers. It turned out they had an appetizer sampler on the specials menu that had crab cakes, scallops, shrimp scampi and calamari. Quite pricy at $38 (as was everything else), but we decided to try it. The crab cakes and shrimp were quite good, the calamari was just ok and the scallops were pretty good, they just cooled so quickly, I only got a couple of bites. I didn't eat much of the calamari, either, but that was because I wanted to save room for the main course. When we pushed the appetizer plate to the edge of the table to indicate we were finished with it, our server asked if we wanted the calamari boxed up. Um, that doesn't reheat well...so, no.
William ordered the 8 oz filet with herb risotto, topped with herb butter. I ordered the filet/lobster special which is a 4 oz filet (prepared the same as William's), a 6 oz lobster tail, herb risotto and asparagus. I also asked for a side of bearnaise. When we got our meals, the food runner did not ask if we had everything we needed, and I, of course noticed right away that the bearnaise sauce was missing. I cut into my steak to find out it was quite undercooked. It was Medium Rare when I had ordered it Medium Well. I am usually not that picky, but since I am pregnant now, I have to be very careful about eating undercooked meats. It took me until after I was done with my lobster and William was done with his entire meal before I was able to catch our server's attention and by that time the risotto was cold. I sent it back and the manager came out shortly to ask if I wanted to order something else or if there was anything else they could get for me or if I was too full. I told him I just wanted the steak I had ordered in the first place as I was still hungry. I would have been perfectly happy if they had put that one back on the grill, done some new risotto and added a side of bearnaise, but they had already thrown the other steak away so they had no choice but to cook a new steak. Meanwhile, William had to sit there with no food, no drink (he was finished and no one asked him if he wanted another one) while we waited for my new steak and then would have to wait for me to eat it.
While we were waiting, our server stopped by to see if I wanted anything in the meantime such as getting our dessert and champagne. Huh? Why on earth would we want dessert before I had finished or even gotten the correction of my entree???
When I got the new steak, it wasn't even on a plate, it was in a rarebit (boat), so it was difficult to cut. It was tasty and the bearnaise was excellent, but I had to ask for a fork since they had taken mine with the undercooked steak. William finally got his second drink and predicted it would be really strong (to make up for my issues and him having to sit and wait for me), which was correct. He had to let it sit and dilute with the melting ice to make it palatable.
I had two bites left when our server came back to ask if he could get our dessert and champagne started. At this point, I really felt like we were being rushed out of there. I told him I wanted some more time since I hadn't finished my entree yet. I had just finished my last bite when - there was the server again - whisking my plate away and asking if he could get our celebratory champagne. I said that was fine, but I didn't expect him to order the desserts right then, though. It took about 10 minutes for him to get our champagne and, actually, the food runner arrived with our desserts about 2 seconds before the server arrived with our drinks. Since I was still a bit full from dinner, not having had any time to let that settle before the desserts arrived, I didn't eat much of the desserts which consisted of a small sliver of cheesecake (which tasted like an oreo cheesecake blizzard from Dairy Queen), a tiny creme brulee (which had the consistency of room temperature butter), and a small square of tiramisu. The champagne was some cheap stuff that did not go well with those desserts. They need a lesson in food/wine paring, I guess.
We got to a point where the cheesecake and tiramisu were gone, but about half of the creme brulee remained,but we were done. Our server stopped by and asked us if we wanted the rest of it boxed up. Huh again? Creme brulee doesn't keep, folks.
Upshot is, we got the desserts and champagne for free for our anniversary and they took off my entire meal for the problems we had with it. Approximately $60 worth and our bill was still almost $100. Seriously overpriced: my filet/lobster meal was $42!
We might go back in a month or so to see if it's any better, but for this visit, we did not "enjoy."
Oh, and Happy Anniversary to us!
It started out well - we were celebrating our anniversary (since it falls on a Monday this year) and Enjoy! has 2 glasses of champagne and free dessert for your anniversary. We were seated promptly and greeted promptly as well. The server was quite friendly, went through the specials and got us our first drinks. We were thinking of getting both the crab cakes and the scallops (to try since Bill had never had them and I had not had any good ones) as appetizers. It turned out they had an appetizer sampler on the specials menu that had crab cakes, scallops, shrimp scampi and calamari. Quite pricy at $38 (as was everything else), but we decided to try it. The crab cakes and shrimp were quite good, the calamari was just ok and the scallops were pretty good, they just cooled so quickly, I only got a couple of bites. I didn't eat much of the calamari, either, but that was because I wanted to save room for the main course. When we pushed the appetizer plate to the edge of the table to indicate we were finished with it, our server asked if we wanted the calamari boxed up. Um, that doesn't reheat well...so, no.
William ordered the 8 oz filet with herb risotto, topped with herb butter. I ordered the filet/lobster special which is a 4 oz filet (prepared the same as William's), a 6 oz lobster tail, herb risotto and asparagus. I also asked for a side of bearnaise. When we got our meals, the food runner did not ask if we had everything we needed, and I, of course noticed right away that the bearnaise sauce was missing. I cut into my steak to find out it was quite undercooked. It was Medium Rare when I had ordered it Medium Well. I am usually not that picky, but since I am pregnant now, I have to be very careful about eating undercooked meats. It took me until after I was done with my lobster and William was done with his entire meal before I was able to catch our server's attention and by that time the risotto was cold. I sent it back and the manager came out shortly to ask if I wanted to order something else or if there was anything else they could get for me or if I was too full. I told him I just wanted the steak I had ordered in the first place as I was still hungry. I would have been perfectly happy if they had put that one back on the grill, done some new risotto and added a side of bearnaise, but they had already thrown the other steak away so they had no choice but to cook a new steak. Meanwhile, William had to sit there with no food, no drink (he was finished and no one asked him if he wanted another one) while we waited for my new steak and then would have to wait for me to eat it.
While we were waiting, our server stopped by to see if I wanted anything in the meantime such as getting our dessert and champagne. Huh? Why on earth would we want dessert before I had finished or even gotten the correction of my entree???
When I got the new steak, it wasn't even on a plate, it was in a rarebit (boat), so it was difficult to cut. It was tasty and the bearnaise was excellent, but I had to ask for a fork since they had taken mine with the undercooked steak. William finally got his second drink and predicted it would be really strong (to make up for my issues and him having to sit and wait for me), which was correct. He had to let it sit and dilute with the melting ice to make it palatable.
I had two bites left when our server came back to ask if he could get our dessert and champagne started. At this point, I really felt like we were being rushed out of there. I told him I wanted some more time since I hadn't finished my entree yet. I had just finished my last bite when - there was the server again - whisking my plate away and asking if he could get our celebratory champagne. I said that was fine, but I didn't expect him to order the desserts right then, though. It took about 10 minutes for him to get our champagne and, actually, the food runner arrived with our desserts about 2 seconds before the server arrived with our drinks. Since I was still a bit full from dinner, not having had any time to let that settle before the desserts arrived, I didn't eat much of the desserts which consisted of a small sliver of cheesecake (which tasted like an oreo cheesecake blizzard from Dairy Queen), a tiny creme brulee (which had the consistency of room temperature butter), and a small square of tiramisu. The champagne was some cheap stuff that did not go well with those desserts. They need a lesson in food/wine paring, I guess.
We got to a point where the cheesecake and tiramisu were gone, but about half of the creme brulee remained,but we were done. Our server stopped by and asked us if we wanted the rest of it boxed up. Huh again? Creme brulee doesn't keep, folks.
Upshot is, we got the desserts and champagne for free for our anniversary and they took off my entire meal for the problems we had with it. Approximately $60 worth and our bill was still almost $100. Seriously overpriced: my filet/lobster meal was $42!
We might go back in a month or so to see if it's any better, but for this visit, we did not "enjoy."
Oh, and Happy Anniversary to us!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Fogo de Chão
Grade: C
We went here for her birthday thinking it be like a similar restaurant we'd previously dined at in Las Vegas. Both are similar in that the salad bar is your appetizer, and then servers constantly come around offering a variety of meats prepared in a few different fashions until you signal that you don't want anymore.
Fogo did that, but not very well. For starters this place is listed as fine dining, but the plethora of persons in jeans and t-shirts says otherwise. And the noise! My god, we couldn't talk to each sitting at the same table without having to regularly repeat ourselves. And our reservation! We actually arrived just a few minutes late (we had called ahead to let them know we'd be just a few minutes late) and still had to wait 20 minutes in the bar because they were over booked. Annoying, and not entirely understandable, but I'd have guessed that with this style of restaurant you'd have people dining longer as they're waiting for more food to brought around, and since it's basically all-you-can-eat people would take advantage.
I'd hoped the food would make up for some of these negatives, but actually it didn't. Some bits of meat were quite good, the rest tasted like they came off my backyard grill. Now that's not saying its bad, but if I can do that same kind of cooking and get the same kind of flavors by cooking at home, why would I go there and pay 4-times more for the food? We also had to settle on the champagne side of things. They don't carry Dom! What fine dining establishment doesn't carry on of the beverage standards for fine dining?!? We went with White Star instead (same vineyard as Dom) and all they had were splits (small bottles for those not familiar with the term) as there was a wedding reception happening in another area and apparently they drank all the larger bottles.
The salad bar was not at all impressive, and in fact they were out of a few items when we walked through. I waited around for a few minutes for the ceaser salad to get replenished, but the empty bowl just sat there with all these employee's walking back and forth around it.
I was very disappointed with the whole experience, and Maryanne wasn't much happier than I. She enjoyed all the food of course, but we both had similar issue with the atmosphere and other clientele.
Still, if you've never been to a Brazilian style restaurant, then give it a try. I'd suggest going during the week instead of a weekend, and make sure you arrive hungry (and are a meat eater of course). I wasn't at all impressed, but Maryanne overall enjoyed herself and that's what counted.
We did decide on the way home however that we're now on a mission to find the best fine dining establishments in the Twin Cities. We've dined at too many places that call themselves fine dining to not notice a sorry trend: they aren't fine dining. Armed with that knowledge we're going to search for the top 5, best of the best that the Cities has to offer.
We went here for her birthday thinking it be like a similar restaurant we'd previously dined at in Las Vegas. Both are similar in that the salad bar is your appetizer, and then servers constantly come around offering a variety of meats prepared in a few different fashions until you signal that you don't want anymore.
Fogo did that, but not very well. For starters this place is listed as fine dining, but the plethora of persons in jeans and t-shirts says otherwise. And the noise! My god, we couldn't talk to each sitting at the same table without having to regularly repeat ourselves. And our reservation! We actually arrived just a few minutes late (we had called ahead to let them know we'd be just a few minutes late) and still had to wait 20 minutes in the bar because they were over booked. Annoying, and not entirely understandable, but I'd have guessed that with this style of restaurant you'd have people dining longer as they're waiting for more food to brought around, and since it's basically all-you-can-eat people would take advantage.
I'd hoped the food would make up for some of these negatives, but actually it didn't. Some bits of meat were quite good, the rest tasted like they came off my backyard grill. Now that's not saying its bad, but if I can do that same kind of cooking and get the same kind of flavors by cooking at home, why would I go there and pay 4-times more for the food? We also had to settle on the champagne side of things. They don't carry Dom! What fine dining establishment doesn't carry on of the beverage standards for fine dining?!? We went with White Star instead (same vineyard as Dom) and all they had were splits (small bottles for those not familiar with the term) as there was a wedding reception happening in another area and apparently they drank all the larger bottles.
The salad bar was not at all impressive, and in fact they were out of a few items when we walked through. I waited around for a few minutes for the ceaser salad to get replenished, but the empty bowl just sat there with all these employee's walking back and forth around it.
I was very disappointed with the whole experience, and Maryanne wasn't much happier than I. She enjoyed all the food of course, but we both had similar issue with the atmosphere and other clientele.
Still, if you've never been to a Brazilian style restaurant, then give it a try. I'd suggest going during the week instead of a weekend, and make sure you arrive hungry (and are a meat eater of course). I wasn't at all impressed, but Maryanne overall enjoyed herself and that's what counted.
We did decide on the way home however that we're now on a mission to find the best fine dining establishments in the Twin Cities. We've dined at too many places that call themselves fine dining to not notice a sorry trend: they aren't fine dining. Armed with that knowledge we're going to search for the top 5, best of the best that the Cities has to offer.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Kincaid's
Our Grade: D
We received some gfit cards to this place for Christmas, so when Valentines rolled around we (she) decided we'd give it another try.
This visit simply served to reinforce our reasons for not dining here anymore:
Poor service
Average food quality
Average food taste and appearance
Prices too high for what you get overall
Our steaks were steaks, hers cooked correctly but mine a bit over done and dry. They had no real flavor however. The menu talks about the dry rub they use and the aging process they put all their meat through, but I've had better $10 steaks off my $70 backyard grill than we had this night. And the potato's had no flavor, none! Not even 'potato like' flavor.
We had to ask for the dessert menu, were never asked how our food was, and had to sit and wait between 'courses' for our server to notice we were finished. Our expected 2 hour-ish meal turned into 3 hours easy with all the waiting we did, and the restaurant wasn't even that busy (about 30% tables available at the time of our reservation). And as for the fine dining atmosphere, it seems to have disappeared almost entirely since we dined here last. Much of the decor is gone, and the whole place is much darker now.
We stopped eating here because of the food and service quality, and we'll be waiting another long while before trying it again.
We received some gfit cards to this place for Christmas, so when Valentines rolled around we (she) decided we'd give it another try.
This visit simply served to reinforce our reasons for not dining here anymore:
Poor service
Average food quality
Average food taste and appearance
Prices too high for what you get overall
Our steaks were steaks, hers cooked correctly but mine a bit over done and dry. They had no real flavor however. The menu talks about the dry rub they use and the aging process they put all their meat through, but I've had better $10 steaks off my $70 backyard grill than we had this night. And the potato's had no flavor, none! Not even 'potato like' flavor.
We had to ask for the dessert menu, were never asked how our food was, and had to sit and wait between 'courses' for our server to notice we were finished. Our expected 2 hour-ish meal turned into 3 hours easy with all the waiting we did, and the restaurant wasn't even that busy (about 30% tables available at the time of our reservation). And as for the fine dining atmosphere, it seems to have disappeared almost entirely since we dined here last. Much of the decor is gone, and the whole place is much darker now.
We stopped eating here because of the food and service quality, and we'll be waiting another long while before trying it again.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Matty B's - October 14, 2008
Her perspective: D-
We hadn't been back here in a while and wanted a good meal. We couldn't have been more wrong.
There was not another customer in the restaurant, but plenty in the bar. They were all dressed very casually in what is supposed to be a fine dining restaurant. After standing at the host stand for several minutes, we were finally greeted and seated in a booth as we had requested in our reservation.
We were not given a wine list, but asked if we wanted something from the bar. I had happened to see a wine list up front, so I ordered a glass of Riesling and William ordered a coke.
We noticed that the menu was severely limited from the last time we were there. Apparently, they have cut back the menu quite a bit. William asked about it and was told that this was the menu each day. We thought it might have been a weekday menu as we could still see other menus up front.
Our server didn't seem to want to stay when we wanted her to. We were going to order crab cakes as an appetizer, when she abruptly stated that she was going to get our bread and walked away before we could say anything.
When we were mostly ready to order, she stopped by and I ordered the appetizer and my steak. William wasn't quite ready, but instead of asking if she should give him a minute, she said that she would order the appetizer so he would have a couple of minutes to decide and left. However, even though he had set his menu down, she proceeded to cloth and set another table.
William ordered a small caesar salad with chicken and we both ordered the NY Strip steak done medium.
My wine glass had stuff stuck to the outside. I had to scrape it off twice. After I had drunk several sips, I noticed some sort of sediment at the bottom. When the server came back, I requested another glass of wine. When she brought a new one, she said that the bottle was frosted, so it was difficult to tell if there was any sort of sediment in that one. However, both glasses of wine were warm and I had to put ice in them to cool them, which made them diluted.
I was surprised when the server brought out the appetizer and William's salad at the same time. She just assumed that we wanted both courses together. The appetizer was for both of us.
The chicken on William's salad was grilled, sliced and... brown and crispy? When I spoke with the server later about it, she said that she thought they might have finished cooking it in the deep fryer. That would explain the color. The chicken was also extremely hot and they had put it on a cold salad. He also said the croutons were stale.
The crab cakes were decent, but a little overcooked and black on top.
Both steaks were undercooked. William sent his back to be cooked longer, and when it finally came back, it was charred and burnt on the outside and still medium rare to rare on the inside. Mine was medium rare, but I ate a little bit and took the rest home.
The mashed potatoes looked old, perhaps cooked, then stored, then recooked. They were very bland. The asparagus was quite overcooked and wilted besides.
William visited the rest room and stood for a full minute trying to decide between the two stalls. One of them, the seat was cracked and broken. The other was very dirty and had toilet paper all over. He finally chose to clean off the dirty seat and use that one. He was appalled at the condition, though.
They did take the salad and William's steak off the bill, but we were severely disappointed and will think twice before trying this place again.
We hadn't been back here in a while and wanted a good meal. We couldn't have been more wrong.
There was not another customer in the restaurant, but plenty in the bar. They were all dressed very casually in what is supposed to be a fine dining restaurant. After standing at the host stand for several minutes, we were finally greeted and seated in a booth as we had requested in our reservation.
We were not given a wine list, but asked if we wanted something from the bar. I had happened to see a wine list up front, so I ordered a glass of Riesling and William ordered a coke.
We noticed that the menu was severely limited from the last time we were there. Apparently, they have cut back the menu quite a bit. William asked about it and was told that this was the menu each day. We thought it might have been a weekday menu as we could still see other menus up front.
Our server didn't seem to want to stay when we wanted her to. We were going to order crab cakes as an appetizer, when she abruptly stated that she was going to get our bread and walked away before we could say anything.
When we were mostly ready to order, she stopped by and I ordered the appetizer and my steak. William wasn't quite ready, but instead of asking if she should give him a minute, she said that she would order the appetizer so he would have a couple of minutes to decide and left. However, even though he had set his menu down, she proceeded to cloth and set another table.
William ordered a small caesar salad with chicken and we both ordered the NY Strip steak done medium.
My wine glass had stuff stuck to the outside. I had to scrape it off twice. After I had drunk several sips, I noticed some sort of sediment at the bottom. When the server came back, I requested another glass of wine. When she brought a new one, she said that the bottle was frosted, so it was difficult to tell if there was any sort of sediment in that one. However, both glasses of wine were warm and I had to put ice in them to cool them, which made them diluted.
I was surprised when the server brought out the appetizer and William's salad at the same time. She just assumed that we wanted both courses together. The appetizer was for both of us.
The chicken on William's salad was grilled, sliced and... brown and crispy? When I spoke with the server later about it, she said that she thought they might have finished cooking it in the deep fryer. That would explain the color. The chicken was also extremely hot and they had put it on a cold salad. He also said the croutons were stale.
The crab cakes were decent, but a little overcooked and black on top.
Both steaks were undercooked. William sent his back to be cooked longer, and when it finally came back, it was charred and burnt on the outside and still medium rare to rare on the inside. Mine was medium rare, but I ate a little bit and took the rest home.
The mashed potatoes looked old, perhaps cooked, then stored, then recooked. They were very bland. The asparagus was quite overcooked and wilted besides.
William visited the rest room and stood for a full minute trying to decide between the two stalls. One of them, the seat was cracked and broken. The other was very dirty and had toilet paper all over. He finally chose to clean off the dirty seat and use that one. He was appalled at the condition, though.
They did take the salad and William's steak off the bill, but we were severely disappointed and will think twice before trying this place again.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Landmarc Cafe
Her perspective: C-
I go to fine dining restaurants on my own for lunch for two reasons. 1. To treat myself once in a while. 2. To see if service is different for a party of one rather than two or more. Usually, service suffers when there is only one person at the table. Given the proper motivation, I will order 2-3 courses and tip generously. In this case, I was not impressed.
Let me start with a positive. The decor was beautiful. It was a fine dining restaurant in the sense that it was decorated like the traditional fine dining restaurants of the 60's. Gorgeous dark wood surrounds you and it has an air of class. There is even a white baby grand piano by the host stand.
I entered through the bar and there were a couple of tables occupied there. As I walked through the bar and restaurant to the host stand, I noticed there was only one table of businessmen seated in the restaurant. Since there was no host, it gave me a chance to look around and I was surprised to see that, with as empty as the restaurant was, there was still a dirty table in the middle of the room. I noticed the bartender come out from behind the bar and he seated me in the dining room without a word. I even had to ask if I could get a table for one. He showed me to a very private table, which I was grateful for, but the businessmen were on the opposite side of the partition wall that I was sitting next to.
The bartender left, again without a word, to give me time to look at the menu. I decided quickly and waited for him to come back. He did ask me if I was ready to order, but that was the first time he spoke to me. I ordered fried calamari as a starter, Steak Frites for my entree and a side of steamed seasonal vegetables. Up to this point, I was not given an opportunity to order anything to drink besides my water. Even after I finished ordering my food, he took my menu and silently walked away. When he brought my bread, I asked for some hot tea, then had to ask for sugar when he brought the tea set out. At least he gave me a spoon that I didn't have to ask for.
I could hear the kitchen calling for service when my food came up, which kind of ruins the "experience" or "show" of fine dining.
My calamari was served with marinara and garlic mayo, which is a very good thing because it was so bland. It had only been dredged in flour and fried with no other seasonings and it was more chewy and tough than I have ever had. I was not given any indication that the bartender was going to give me a new fork for my entree, so to ensure that I would get one, I left my fork on the appetizer plate and pushed it to the end of the table.
The bartender came out a couple of minutes before he served my entree and side to set my fork and steak knife. The steak came with a bearnaise sauce, which was way too heavy on the vinegar. That was almost all I could taste, but the meat was so flavorless that I kept using the sauce. I had ordered the meat medium, and, although it looked like it was cooked perfectly, it wasn't very warm and ended up downright cold by the time I was halfway through eating it. The steak was served with frenchfries, which were honestly the best part of the meal. Nothing special, just fries seasoned with regular salt, but the best taste and texture of the entire meal.
My vegetable side was much smaller than I expected for $4: eight green beans and 3 carrots. They were steamed and crisp, but not very warm and not seasoned in any way.
I was very disappointed in this meal and the bartender said less than 15 words to me the entire time I was there. I'm not sure I even want to try this place again. If it were just the service, I would definitely try again, but with the food and service being poor, it gives me pause.
I go to fine dining restaurants on my own for lunch for two reasons. 1. To treat myself once in a while. 2. To see if service is different for a party of one rather than two or more. Usually, service suffers when there is only one person at the table. Given the proper motivation, I will order 2-3 courses and tip generously. In this case, I was not impressed.
Let me start with a positive. The decor was beautiful. It was a fine dining restaurant in the sense that it was decorated like the traditional fine dining restaurants of the 60's. Gorgeous dark wood surrounds you and it has an air of class. There is even a white baby grand piano by the host stand.
I entered through the bar and there were a couple of tables occupied there. As I walked through the bar and restaurant to the host stand, I noticed there was only one table of businessmen seated in the restaurant. Since there was no host, it gave me a chance to look around and I was surprised to see that, with as empty as the restaurant was, there was still a dirty table in the middle of the room. I noticed the bartender come out from behind the bar and he seated me in the dining room without a word. I even had to ask if I could get a table for one. He showed me to a very private table, which I was grateful for, but the businessmen were on the opposite side of the partition wall that I was sitting next to.
The bartender left, again without a word, to give me time to look at the menu. I decided quickly and waited for him to come back. He did ask me if I was ready to order, but that was the first time he spoke to me. I ordered fried calamari as a starter, Steak Frites for my entree and a side of steamed seasonal vegetables. Up to this point, I was not given an opportunity to order anything to drink besides my water. Even after I finished ordering my food, he took my menu and silently walked away. When he brought my bread, I asked for some hot tea, then had to ask for sugar when he brought the tea set out. At least he gave me a spoon that I didn't have to ask for.
I could hear the kitchen calling for service when my food came up, which kind of ruins the "experience" or "show" of fine dining.
My calamari was served with marinara and garlic mayo, which is a very good thing because it was so bland. It had only been dredged in flour and fried with no other seasonings and it was more chewy and tough than I have ever had. I was not given any indication that the bartender was going to give me a new fork for my entree, so to ensure that I would get one, I left my fork on the appetizer plate and pushed it to the end of the table.
The bartender came out a couple of minutes before he served my entree and side to set my fork and steak knife. The steak came with a bearnaise sauce, which was way too heavy on the vinegar. That was almost all I could taste, but the meat was so flavorless that I kept using the sauce. I had ordered the meat medium, and, although it looked like it was cooked perfectly, it wasn't very warm and ended up downright cold by the time I was halfway through eating it. The steak was served with frenchfries, which were honestly the best part of the meal. Nothing special, just fries seasoned with regular salt, but the best taste and texture of the entire meal.
My vegetable side was much smaller than I expected for $4: eight green beans and 3 carrots. They were steamed and crisp, but not very warm and not seasoned in any way.
I was very disappointed in this meal and the bartender said less than 15 words to me the entire time I was there. I'm not sure I even want to try this place again. If it were just the service, I would definitely try again, but with the food and service being poor, it gives me pause.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
St. Paul Bar & Grill - November 14, 2007
His Perspective: A
Her Perspective: B+ (not over and above, but a great standard to hold other restaurants to)
We've found our new favorite restaurant! Kincaid's has been slipping over the last few months, so we decided to try something new. Since the St. Paul Grill is right across the street (in The Saint Paul Hotel) we figured it was worth the extra minute walk.
Worth it is an understatement. Keep in mind that that everything will cost more compared to Kincaid's or Matty B's, but it is much closer to a fine dining experience (dress is business casual still).
Our steaks were perfect, our server was on the ball. The starters we ordered were tasty but not the best we've ever had (crab cake and escargot) and even the bread they offer to all tables was quite good. The soup and salad were nice though, and the sides they offer (all À la carte) are big enough for 3 or 4 people; the mashed potatoes were exactly that, no extra over powering flavors or anything.
For dessert, she had a chocolate creme brulee and I had a slice of plain cheesecake (usually offered with sour cream), both of which were excellent.
I can't think of anything bad to say about the St. Paul Grill except that it was quite loud in the dining area until just after 8pm, after that it was quite nice.
If you want a simple and excellent dining experience, you need to try the St. Paul Grill. 'Nuff said.
Her Perspective: B+ (not over and above, but a great standard to hold other restaurants to)
We've found our new favorite restaurant! Kincaid's has been slipping over the last few months, so we decided to try something new. Since the St. Paul Grill is right across the street (in The Saint Paul Hotel) we figured it was worth the extra minute walk.
Worth it is an understatement. Keep in mind that that everything will cost more compared to Kincaid's or Matty B's, but it is much closer to a fine dining experience (dress is business casual still).
Our steaks were perfect, our server was on the ball. The starters we ordered were tasty but not the best we've ever had (crab cake and escargot) and even the bread they offer to all tables was quite good. The soup and salad were nice though, and the sides they offer (all À la carte) are big enough for 3 or 4 people; the mashed potatoes were exactly that, no extra over powering flavors or anything.
For dessert, she had a chocolate creme brulee and I had a slice of plain cheesecake (usually offered with sour cream), both of which were excellent.
I can't think of anything bad to say about the St. Paul Grill except that it was quite loud in the dining area until just after 8pm, after that it was quite nice.
If you want a simple and excellent dining experience, you need to try the St. Paul Grill. 'Nuff said.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Mission American Kitchen - November 7, 2007
Her perspective: B+
I have been to this restaurant twice now for lunch and have had an excellent experience both times. The reasoning behind the rating is that there were no problems with food or service, but there was nothing "over-and-beyond" impressive about it. It's what I should be able to expect at any restaurant. I will be comparing other restaurants to this one as the standard for what should happen.
Even though I came in by myself both times, I was treated just like any other party. They did not skimp on the service just because I was the only one at the table (which happens all too often, not as high of a check, not as high of a tip, "so why should I work hard for one person?"). This is a fine dining restaurant and I can't wait to try it for dinner.
Both times I ordered the lunch sirloin, medium. It comes with a bacon hollandaise sauce, which it to die for! It is served with french fries that have a wonderful seasoning, but I couldn't quite place what it was. I usually don't eat many fries when they come with my meal, but I ate almost all of them because they were so good. The steak was always perfectly cooked and the service was impeccable both times.
I would highly recommend this restaurant based on these two visits. If you have the money, go.
I have been to this restaurant twice now for lunch and have had an excellent experience both times. The reasoning behind the rating is that there were no problems with food or service, but there was nothing "over-and-beyond" impressive about it. It's what I should be able to expect at any restaurant. I will be comparing other restaurants to this one as the standard for what should happen.
Even though I came in by myself both times, I was treated just like any other party. They did not skimp on the service just because I was the only one at the table (which happens all too often, not as high of a check, not as high of a tip, "so why should I work hard for one person?"). This is a fine dining restaurant and I can't wait to try it for dinner.
Both times I ordered the lunch sirloin, medium. It comes with a bacon hollandaise sauce, which it to die for! It is served with french fries that have a wonderful seasoning, but I couldn't quite place what it was. I usually don't eat many fries when they come with my meal, but I ate almost all of them because they were so good. The steak was always perfectly cooked and the service was impeccable both times.
I would highly recommend this restaurant based on these two visits. If you have the money, go.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Kincaid's - October 23, 2007
Her perspective: C
His perspective: D
William and I both belong to the Kincaid's Birthday Club, so every year, we get a certificate e-mailed to us for $20 off sometime during our birthday month. It just so happened that we were able to go on my actual birthday.
I made my reservation via opentable.com, and put in the notes that it was my birthday. We were seated right away. The service was quite slow, it took more than 10 minutes to get our bottle of champagne. We got a champagne that is made by the same vineyard that makes Dom Perignon, named White Star. It was excellent for half the price of Dom!
We both ordered steaks done medium. Usually what happens is that William has the problems with food, service, cleanliness, etc. However, this time was special... just for my birthday. My steak tasted like metal. It was terrible. I tasted William's steak and it was excellent. When the server finally came back, William was almost done eating, but they offered to cook another steak for me. I accepted, but could only eat a couple of bites by then and had the rest boxed up. William had also gotten a side of scalloped sweet potatoes which had quite a lot of onion in it. The menu did not say it had any onion in it. William did not eat the potatoes, there was too much onion and they got taken off the bill. They offered to buy us dessert, but we just wanted to go. They replaced my steak, but did not take anything off the bill for that. I expected at least a small discount since William and I had to eat at separate times. We expect more at fine dining restaurants.
**I'd like to make a side comment: I am very disappointed in the content and descriptions of menus. There are things that need to be in there that aren't. Things such as if something is spicy or if it has certain ingredients that people may be allergic to such as onions. Some people can't take something spicy so if the menu doesn't say so, then that duty falls to the server to check with the customer. I happen to not mind things that are spicy and I'm not allergic to any foods, but I've been in the restaurant business long enough to see dietary restrictions due to dieting, medical conditions and allergies. I would think that in such a litigious society, restaurants would be more careful about these kinds of things. Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now.**
We ended up going to the St. Paul Grill for dessert and were very glad we did. My chocolate creme brulee was amazing and William really enjoyed apple crisp. He took some of it home because he couldn't eat all of it. We will have to go back there for dinner.
We have now had three bad experiences in a row at Kincaid's and it used to be our place to go for consistency in food and service. We will be thinking twice about going there in the future.
His perspective: D
William and I both belong to the Kincaid's Birthday Club, so every year, we get a certificate e-mailed to us for $20 off sometime during our birthday month. It just so happened that we were able to go on my actual birthday.
I made my reservation via opentable.com, and put in the notes that it was my birthday. We were seated right away. The service was quite slow, it took more than 10 minutes to get our bottle of champagne. We got a champagne that is made by the same vineyard that makes Dom Perignon, named White Star. It was excellent for half the price of Dom!
We both ordered steaks done medium. Usually what happens is that William has the problems with food, service, cleanliness, etc. However, this time was special... just for my birthday. My steak tasted like metal. It was terrible. I tasted William's steak and it was excellent. When the server finally came back, William was almost done eating, but they offered to cook another steak for me. I accepted, but could only eat a couple of bites by then and had the rest boxed up. William had also gotten a side of scalloped sweet potatoes which had quite a lot of onion in it. The menu did not say it had any onion in it. William did not eat the potatoes, there was too much onion and they got taken off the bill. They offered to buy us dessert, but we just wanted to go. They replaced my steak, but did not take anything off the bill for that. I expected at least a small discount since William and I had to eat at separate times. We expect more at fine dining restaurants.
**I'd like to make a side comment: I am very disappointed in the content and descriptions of menus. There are things that need to be in there that aren't. Things such as if something is spicy or if it has certain ingredients that people may be allergic to such as onions. Some people can't take something spicy so if the menu doesn't say so, then that duty falls to the server to check with the customer. I happen to not mind things that are spicy and I'm not allergic to any foods, but I've been in the restaurant business long enough to see dietary restrictions due to dieting, medical conditions and allergies. I would think that in such a litigious society, restaurants would be more careful about these kinds of things. Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now.**
We ended up going to the St. Paul Grill for dessert and were very glad we did. My chocolate creme brulee was amazing and William really enjoyed apple crisp. He took some of it home because he couldn't eat all of it. We will have to go back there for dinner.
We have now had three bad experiences in a row at Kincaid's and it used to be our place to go for consistency in food and service. We will be thinking twice about going there in the future.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Intercontinental Hotel, Milwaukee, WI - September 23-24, 2007
Her perspective: C
His perspective: F
To start off with, this hotel was very hard to find considering it was downtown. The directions on the website were incorrect due to all the construction. We had to get off on an exit farther down than the one we were supposed to take and call to get directions. We finally made it there (after having to turn around). The loading zone outside was full, but we had to park in the ramp under the hotel anyway - there was nowhere else to park. Consequently, it's $20/day to park in their ramp, EVEN if you're staying in the hotel!
We went up to the front desk and a lady at the end waved us over. Unfortunately, the place where William was standing was right in front of the door to get behind the desk and back to the office. There is a peephole, but nobody uses it, apparently. He got hit twice with the door, one of those times was quite hard and hit his hip. The guy that hit him in the hip kept apologizing, but was smiling like it was all a big joke. So we checked in and went up to our room.
The room was an king suite, more set up for a traveling businessman than a couple - including one set of towels, etc. There was a sitting room with a flat screen tv mounted to the wall and a couch that was rock hard. The bathroom was extremely tiny and the bedroom was almost completely taken up by the bed. There was a desk in the bedroom that the tv sat on which had some space to sit, but it also doubled as the dresser. Not to mention that the beautiful view of downtown Milwaukee advertised on the website was actually the grungy, dirty roof tops. Since there was no room for our suitcase out in the room, I unpacked it into the drawers. They would not stay closed - they kept rolling open. Also, the closet doors were sticking. While I was dealing with that, William was in the bathroom cleaning the ice bucket which was covered in dust. Looking around, there was quite a lot that was covered in dust. I called the front desk and told them about the drawers and that we didn't think we would need to clean the room when we got here. They said they would send someone up from housekeeping.
However, the assistant engineer came up instead. As a temporary fix for the drawers, he put velcro on them. What it required was re-leveling of the whole desk/dresser and that would require some time and more manpower. We started telling him about all the things that we were finding and that we had expected more for $230/night. He tried to offer us free movies and free drinks to try to make up for some of our issues, but part of the reason for the trip was to go to a restaurant/bar called The Safehouse, so we weren't going to be there to watch movies and we would be getting our drinks at the bar. He then suggested an upgrade to their Grand King Suite. We agreed and he left to check on availability. When he returned, he had keys for the other room and we went up to check out the room before we moved all our stuff.
This room was much more like we had been expecting for a four star hotel. It was roomier and had a much better view as well as a wet bar. We got our stuff and settled in a bit before heading out to dinner. The restaurant is in walking distance from the hotel, which is one reason we picked it. We got back late and fell asleep watching a movie on tv.
When William got up the next morning, he realized that there were things missing in the wet bar, yet we hadn't touched it. However when he mentioned this to the desk staff at checkout they said we wouldn't be charged.
We went for breakfast later that morning at Kil@wat. This is advertised as elegent and fine dining, and is part of the hotel.
In reality, it was dark, oddly decorated with mismatched colors, and did I mention it was dark? The 'best table in the place' overlooked the intersection in front of the hotel which was currently under construction.
The food was OK, but highly overpriced. We paid $13 for eggs benedict, $22 for steak and eggs, and $8 for oatmeal. The steak went back; William asked for it Medium and recieved it Well Done. The food was fine, but really doesn't warrant such high prices. If you also account for the decor, then they really need to lower the prices, add some lights and other interesting electrical features to match the name of the place, and advertise. It was dead while we were eating.
They also need to work on the staff. We spent a lot of time waiting for a server or someone to come out from the back area and check on us. We waited 20 minutes for drink refills, had to wait 15 minutes to send back my steak, and neither of our servers (we had 2 apparently) came back to check on us after we were served the food. Very bad form folks.
Having to swithc rooms, and still reclean the new room just after it had been services, poor food quality and very high prices all culminated to a poor overall experience.
Note from William: We spent a lot fo money on this weekend stay for our wedding anniversary, which they knew about since we told them in the reservation, when we checked in, and when the nice maintenance man got us a new room. If this is how they treat prospective regular customers, I'd hate to see how the real regulars get treated.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Matty B's - September 7, 2007
Her perspective: C-
I made a reservation for our anniversary dinner at one of our favorite places, Matty B's, in downtown St. Paul, via opentable.com. There is a section on the site to put in special requests, so I put in that is was our anniversary and we would like a booth or at least a quiet table. They called us a couple of days in advance to let us know that they did not have any booths available due to a wedding reception that was taking up that whole side of the restaurant. I was glad for that level of service so we wouldn't be surprised when we walked in the door. It's what I expected from them.
However, when we got there, the only tables that were being seated, other than the wedding party, were in a room that was still quite open to the rest of the restaurant. We were given our choice of table, and we chose the table farthest away from a group of four rather loud ladies. Unfortunately, that meant that we could not get away far enough from them. They were being disruptive to our nice quiet anniversary dinner, they were so loud. We stayed, hoping that they might quite down once they started eating.
To our dismay, once the wedding party arrived, the din in the restaurant was akin to going to Friday's or your local sports bar. We were only barely aware of the food as we were so distracted by the noise.
We got an appetizer of bacon-wrapped, blackened shrimp. Some of the bacon was burnt and it seemed a tad overseasoned. William got a meatloaf that he's had before and it was decent. I had a halibut that was quite good. They did buy us a dessert since it was our anniversary, for which I chose the Bananas Foster. It's very hard to find a restaurant that will do a flambe since it tends to be a fire hazard if the one who's preparing it is inexperienced. It was fun to watch the chef prepare this flaming dish tableside. However, it didn't have much flavor to it. I've had much better.
All in all, we were disappointed. Had we realized beforehand that it was going to be that noisy in there, we would have gone another night or gone somewhere else. This is not necessarily the restaurant's fault. They did inform us that there would be a wedding party and we should have realized that it would be loud, being that our own wedding wasn't that long ago. We would have appreciated it, though, if the hostess had been thinking along those lines and asked us if perhaps we would like to come in earlier to try to avoid that party or if we would like to reschedule for another night that wasn't that busy, especially since I had specifically requested a quiet table. Keep in mind that September 7th is not our actual anniversary, the 10th is, so we have no problem celebrating on a different day. I know not everyone is that flexible, but I would rather go out on a Friday night to celebrate when neither of us have to work the next day, than stay up late on a "school night."
I made a reservation for our anniversary dinner at one of our favorite places, Matty B's, in downtown St. Paul, via opentable.com. There is a section on the site to put in special requests, so I put in that is was our anniversary and we would like a booth or at least a quiet table. They called us a couple of days in advance to let us know that they did not have any booths available due to a wedding reception that was taking up that whole side of the restaurant. I was glad for that level of service so we wouldn't be surprised when we walked in the door. It's what I expected from them.
However, when we got there, the only tables that were being seated, other than the wedding party, were in a room that was still quite open to the rest of the restaurant. We were given our choice of table, and we chose the table farthest away from a group of four rather loud ladies. Unfortunately, that meant that we could not get away far enough from them. They were being disruptive to our nice quiet anniversary dinner, they were so loud. We stayed, hoping that they might quite down once they started eating.
To our dismay, once the wedding party arrived, the din in the restaurant was akin to going to Friday's or your local sports bar. We were only barely aware of the food as we were so distracted by the noise.
We got an appetizer of bacon-wrapped, blackened shrimp. Some of the bacon was burnt and it seemed a tad overseasoned. William got a meatloaf that he's had before and it was decent. I had a halibut that was quite good. They did buy us a dessert since it was our anniversary, for which I chose the Bananas Foster. It's very hard to find a restaurant that will do a flambe since it tends to be a fire hazard if the one who's preparing it is inexperienced. It was fun to watch the chef prepare this flaming dish tableside. However, it didn't have much flavor to it. I've had much better.
All in all, we were disappointed. Had we realized beforehand that it was going to be that noisy in there, we would have gone another night or gone somewhere else. This is not necessarily the restaurant's fault. They did inform us that there would be a wedding party and we should have realized that it would be loud, being that our own wedding wasn't that long ago. We would have appreciated it, though, if the hostess had been thinking along those lines and asked us if perhaps we would like to come in earlier to try to avoid that party or if we would like to reschedule for another night that wasn't that busy, especially since I had specifically requested a quiet table. Keep in mind that September 7th is not our actual anniversary, the 10th is, so we have no problem celebrating on a different day. I know not everyone is that flexible, but I would rather go out on a Friday night to celebrate when neither of us have to work the next day, than stay up late on a "school night."
Monday, August 13, 2007
Kincaid's, St. Paul - August 10, 2007
Her perspective: C+
His perspective: C-
This restaurant is one of the reasons we started this blog, but since it's fine dining, we can only afford to go there on occasion. This is usually one of the most consistent in service and food.
However, this visit was not up to their usual par. We were seated immediately, even though we were a few minutes early for our 8:15 reservation. But looking around the restaurant, I wondered why we were unable to get a reservation for 7:00 or 7:30. The place was not even half full. We were seated in the upper level of the dining room, in the more contemporary side. The lower level looks a little more formal and quiet. Also, we were seated right next to a family of four with two small children. Considering that we were obviously a couple, it would have been nice to be seated farther away, especially since there were quite a few tables available. Luckily, the children were very well behaved, but I have been next to my share of unruly children when all I wanted was a quiet dinner.
Our server was rather unattentive, even though he only had one other table, and didn't have much personality. It seemed like he was rushing away from our table to take care of his other table. That's just plain rude. He was knowledgeable about the wines and took the time to explain what we had ordered since it was obvious we had never tried that particular wine before. Our busser was right on top of things the whole night, which, unfortunately, was better than our server.
We noticed that the menu had changed, and William commented that there wasn't much on there that he would order anymore. I think if I'm willing to try something new, there would be plenty that I could order. And there's always their steaks...
I don't usually like seafood, but I'm trying to try new things, so we ordered crabcakes as an appetizer. There were two sauces on the plate under the two crabcakes. I liked the "sweet and sour" sauce better than the white one, but the crabcakes were fairly tasty, although a little dry without sauce. Shortly thereafter, we were served our caesar salads. Warning: there is a deep fried anchovy on this salad. If you don't like them, please be aware.
Several minutes after our salad plates had been cleared, our server stopped by to inform us that the printer had gone down in the kitchen and it would be about 10 more minutes for our entrees. Having worked in restaurants, I know that there is always a contingency plan in place for this kind of thing which should make it seamless for the guests. Honestly, I do think the printers went down, but I also think that our server forgot to send for our food once we received our salads, which would be unacceptable.
William had ordered king crab legs and I stepped completely out of my comfort zone and ordered their cedar-wrapped salmon special. I was very pleasantly surprised; this dish was phenomenal! I had fully expected to not enjoy this, but I ate the whole filet of salmon and would definitely order it again if it's offered. The flavor was spicy, without being spicy-hot and there was so much flavor, that I was quite amazed that I was eating fish! William's crab was decent, but he wasn't impressed.
We did order dessert: William got cheesecake with chocolate sauce and an Irish Coffee while I got a chocolate torte and a cup of coffee. William devoured his cheesecake as usual. I was a little disappointed that the torte wasn't heated more. Interestingly, though, there was both vanilla bean ice cream and creme anglaise accompanying it - not a bad thing, just interesting. Very tasty, though, especially with the sliced strawberry garnish.
We will be back, because we know that this is not typical of the service here. The food is always good and it is still one of our favorite places.
His perspective: C-
This restaurant is one of the reasons we started this blog, but since it's fine dining, we can only afford to go there on occasion. This is usually one of the most consistent in service and food.
However, this visit was not up to their usual par. We were seated immediately, even though we were a few minutes early for our 8:15 reservation. But looking around the restaurant, I wondered why we were unable to get a reservation for 7:00 or 7:30. The place was not even half full. We were seated in the upper level of the dining room, in the more contemporary side. The lower level looks a little more formal and quiet. Also, we were seated right next to a family of four with two small children. Considering that we were obviously a couple, it would have been nice to be seated farther away, especially since there were quite a few tables available. Luckily, the children were very well behaved, but I have been next to my share of unruly children when all I wanted was a quiet dinner.
Our server was rather unattentive, even though he only had one other table, and didn't have much personality. It seemed like he was rushing away from our table to take care of his other table. That's just plain rude. He was knowledgeable about the wines and took the time to explain what we had ordered since it was obvious we had never tried that particular wine before. Our busser was right on top of things the whole night, which, unfortunately, was better than our server.
We noticed that the menu had changed, and William commented that there wasn't much on there that he would order anymore. I think if I'm willing to try something new, there would be plenty that I could order. And there's always their steaks...
I don't usually like seafood, but I'm trying to try new things, so we ordered crabcakes as an appetizer. There were two sauces on the plate under the two crabcakes. I liked the "sweet and sour" sauce better than the white one, but the crabcakes were fairly tasty, although a little dry without sauce. Shortly thereafter, we were served our caesar salads. Warning: there is a deep fried anchovy on this salad. If you don't like them, please be aware.
Several minutes after our salad plates had been cleared, our server stopped by to inform us that the printer had gone down in the kitchen and it would be about 10 more minutes for our entrees. Having worked in restaurants, I know that there is always a contingency plan in place for this kind of thing which should make it seamless for the guests. Honestly, I do think the printers went down, but I also think that our server forgot to send for our food once we received our salads, which would be unacceptable.
William had ordered king crab legs and I stepped completely out of my comfort zone and ordered their cedar-wrapped salmon special. I was very pleasantly surprised; this dish was phenomenal! I had fully expected to not enjoy this, but I ate the whole filet of salmon and would definitely order it again if it's offered. The flavor was spicy, without being spicy-hot and there was so much flavor, that I was quite amazed that I was eating fish! William's crab was decent, but he wasn't impressed.
We did order dessert: William got cheesecake with chocolate sauce and an Irish Coffee while I got a chocolate torte and a cup of coffee. William devoured his cheesecake as usual. I was a little disappointed that the torte wasn't heated more. Interestingly, though, there was both vanilla bean ice cream and creme anglaise accompanying it - not a bad thing, just interesting. Very tasty, though, especially with the sliced strawberry garnish.
We will be back, because we know that this is not typical of the service here. The food is always good and it is still one of our favorite places.
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