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 unimpressive. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unimpressive. 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!
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Fist of the North Star (1995)
Ever seen the movie? Not the animated series or any of a number of similar titled films, but the one at that we linked to here at IMDB?
Well, don't.
Well, don't.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Burnsville Paragon Odyssey Theater
Her perspective: C
This theater offers VIP Reserved Seating and D-Box.
We decided to go to a 3:30 pm show and wanted to try their VIP seating/service since we were so impressed with the Showplace Icon Theater in St Louis Park. We were hoping we could get a very similar experience closer to home - we were completely wrong.
Apparently, their Mezzanine (the restaurant/bar) doesn't open until 4 pm, so we were out of luck to get food/drinks delivered to us in the theater. They did give us 2 $5 vouchers for the "Mezz" but EACH one required a $20 food/beverage order so we would have had to have $40 worth of food/drinks ordered to be able to use both vouchers. We were just going to have a couple of drinks after the movie (since it was open at that point), but once we found that out from the bartender (we were not told at the box office where they were given to us), we gave the vouchers to a random couple on our way out the door.
Like I said, if you go to a matinee before 4 pm, you cannot get served in the theater, so you're not getting much for the extra money: you do get reserved seating and the seats are a bit wider than general seating.
Here are some more comparisons with the Icon:
*the seats are not bench loveseats (like at the Icon), but they do both have a fold-up armrest
*the Icon has a small table big enough for the plateware in-between each loveseat, the Paragon has a couple of slightly wider armrests in-between each loveseat with no padding for putting your plates on, which is not anywhere NEAR big enough for their plateware
*the VIP section is not a balcony or even separated from general seating in any way (Icon's is the balcony)
Also, regardless of which theater you are in, there is extremely limited space for sitting down in the lobby before your theater starts seating.
I might try to go to dinner at the restaurant, then sit in regular seating, but it's worth the drive from Lakeville to St Louis Park to go to the Icon where it is a TRULY VIP experience.
This theater offers VIP Reserved Seating and D-Box.
We decided to go to a 3:30 pm show and wanted to try their VIP seating/service since we were so impressed with the Showplace Icon Theater in St Louis Park. We were hoping we could get a very similar experience closer to home - we were completely wrong.
Apparently, their Mezzanine (the restaurant/bar) doesn't open until 4 pm, so we were out of luck to get food/drinks delivered to us in the theater. They did give us 2 $5 vouchers for the "Mezz" but EACH one required a $20 food/beverage order so we would have had to have $40 worth of food/drinks ordered to be able to use both vouchers. We were just going to have a couple of drinks after the movie (since it was open at that point), but once we found that out from the bartender (we were not told at the box office where they were given to us), we gave the vouchers to a random couple on our way out the door.
Like I said, if you go to a matinee before 4 pm, you cannot get served in the theater, so you're not getting much for the extra money: you do get reserved seating and the seats are a bit wider than general seating.
Here are some more comparisons with the Icon:
*the seats are not bench loveseats (like at the Icon), but they do both have a fold-up armrest
*the Icon has a small table big enough for the plateware in-between each loveseat, the Paragon has a couple of slightly wider armrests in-between each loveseat with no padding for putting your plates on, which is not anywhere NEAR big enough for their plateware
*the VIP section is not a balcony or even separated from general seating in any way (Icon's is the balcony)
Also, regardless of which theater you are in, there is extremely limited space for sitting down in the lobby before your theater starts seating.
I might try to go to dinner at the restaurant, then sit in regular seating, but it's worth the drive from Lakeville to St Louis Park to go to the Icon where it is a TRULY VIP experience.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Fogo de Chão; Second Coming
Grade: C
For Valentines Day, she decided we'd go to Fogo again to give it a second chance and such.
We went on the Friday evening before Valentine's, had an 8pm reservation. We arrived quite a bit early actually, so sat in the small bar area again while we waited for our table.
They were very busy just like last time, even this late at night on a Friday.
If you've read our previous review, then not much has changed.
The salad bar was the same as before.
The meat however was better. I don't know how or why but every piece of meat of every type had such flavor! Tasty, juicy, so very tender. Until it cooled off a bit that is, then all you tasted was meat and salt. Lots of salt. The cooled or cold pieces were next to inedible they had so much salt on them. We know about cooking meat with salt and do so ourselves. The apparent difference is that we don't use a pound of salt on a pound of meat. Really, it was that bad.
We also had similar service issues as before. We asked for a wine list and after getting it we were ignored. We had to flag down a server to order a bottle. Also, she had finished her salad portion before I did (I was eating slow) so she received a new plate and started getting meat right away. When I finished, I had to wait and wait. It was when we finally made order bottle order that we had to mention that I was ready for the meat course, after which I got a new plate. 20 minutes this all took, and that's just plain ridiculous.
The other issue is that many times, when we both had our cards turned to green (meaning 'please bring me more meat'), someone would stop and offer meat to her, but not to me. This didn't happen just once, but four times. Our cards were both on the same side of the table, both plainly visible, and yet I wasn't getting any food. The other issue follows this same line as meat would come out of the kitchen and walk right past our table. Repeatedly. We had right about 15 minutes at one point where we were not offered or asked about meat, and no one stopped at our table.
Speaking of tables, why are they so very close together. There is no hope of a private conversation (see our last post about the noise; still present) and since the tables are so close, the servers and meat guys and such were persistently bumping or moving my chair all evening. Makes it hard to eat when your chair suddenly moves as your raising your fork or glass.
All and all, it was a mostly pleasant evening, and she enjoyed our dining experience. I was a little distracted by lack of food, lack of drink at one point, and constantly being bumped and shoved, but the food was still quite good.
At this point, I think Fogo will become a once or twice a year visit for us. Other places offer better service, some offer better food, etc. but the experience of Fogo is part of the draw I think, and just for that change of pace would be the only real reason I'd go back again. For this visit, I don't think it was quite worth the price for all the hassles and failures.
For Valentines Day, she decided we'd go to Fogo again to give it a second chance and such.
We went on the Friday evening before Valentine's, had an 8pm reservation. We arrived quite a bit early actually, so sat in the small bar area again while we waited for our table.
They were very busy just like last time, even this late at night on a Friday.
If you've read our previous review, then not much has changed.
The salad bar was the same as before.
The meat however was better. I don't know how or why but every piece of meat of every type had such flavor! Tasty, juicy, so very tender. Until it cooled off a bit that is, then all you tasted was meat and salt. Lots of salt. The cooled or cold pieces were next to inedible they had so much salt on them. We know about cooking meat with salt and do so ourselves. The apparent difference is that we don't use a pound of salt on a pound of meat. Really, it was that bad.
We also had similar service issues as before. We asked for a wine list and after getting it we were ignored. We had to flag down a server to order a bottle. Also, she had finished her salad portion before I did (I was eating slow) so she received a new plate and started getting meat right away. When I finished, I had to wait and wait. It was when we finally made order bottle order that we had to mention that I was ready for the meat course, after which I got a new plate. 20 minutes this all took, and that's just plain ridiculous.
The other issue is that many times, when we both had our cards turned to green (meaning 'please bring me more meat'), someone would stop and offer meat to her, but not to me. This didn't happen just once, but four times. Our cards were both on the same side of the table, both plainly visible, and yet I wasn't getting any food. The other issue follows this same line as meat would come out of the kitchen and walk right past our table. Repeatedly. We had right about 15 minutes at one point where we were not offered or asked about meat, and no one stopped at our table.
Speaking of tables, why are they so very close together. There is no hope of a private conversation (see our last post about the noise; still present) and since the tables are so close, the servers and meat guys and such were persistently bumping or moving my chair all evening. Makes it hard to eat when your chair suddenly moves as your raising your fork or glass.
All and all, it was a mostly pleasant evening, and she enjoyed our dining experience. I was a little distracted by lack of food, lack of drink at one point, and constantly being bumped and shoved, but the food was still quite good.
At this point, I think Fogo will become a once or twice a year visit for us. Other places offer better service, some offer better food, etc. but the experience of Fogo is part of the draw I think, and just for that change of pace would be the only real reason I'd go back again. For this visit, I don't think it was quite worth the price for all the hassles and failures.
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.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Part 1
Unless your a huge Harry Potter fan and simply must see it now, wait for a rental.
Slow, plodding, lots of miscellaneous plot and storyline stuff... it all makes for a really dull movie. I understand that the last book of the series is simply too large to fit into one movie (which is why Part 1) but I'd think the screen writers or somebody could've at least made the movie more interesting.
The important bits: the threesome (Harry and friends) set off on their own yet again to find and destroy all the remaining horcruxes (sp?). They go alone because everyone else is in danger, Harry is being actively hunted buy the big V and his cronies, and Harry is afraid other people will get hurt (no surprise there). Ron and Harry of course get to fighting and Ron storms off only to return later to save Harry (go figure).
The biggest problem is that, in my mind, we've seen this movie already. They're not doing anything new yet (that's all in Part 2 I guess), and that makes it really boring especially when there are such long waits between the important bits. I guess you need to see it to understand what's coming, and that's a really weak reason to make a movie in my opinion, and understanding that I'd suggest you wait for a $1 rental in a few months. The second part is coming spring of next year if I recall correctly, and I'm sure they'll have this movie out on disc before then.
If you must see it in a theater, go for the matinee at least.
Slow, plodding, lots of miscellaneous plot and storyline stuff... it all makes for a really dull movie. I understand that the last book of the series is simply too large to fit into one movie (which is why Part 1) but I'd think the screen writers or somebody could've at least made the movie more interesting.
The important bits: the threesome (Harry and friends) set off on their own yet again to find and destroy all the remaining horcruxes (sp?). They go alone because everyone else is in danger, Harry is being actively hunted buy the big V and his cronies, and Harry is afraid other people will get hurt (no surprise there). Ron and Harry of course get to fighting and Ron storms off only to return later to save Harry (go figure).
The biggest problem is that, in my mind, we've seen this movie already. They're not doing anything new yet (that's all in Part 2 I guess), and that makes it really boring especially when there are such long waits between the important bits. I guess you need to see it to understand what's coming, and that's a really weak reason to make a movie in my opinion, and understanding that I'd suggest you wait for a $1 rental in a few months. The second part is coming spring of next year if I recall correctly, and I'm sure they'll have this movie out on disc before then.
If you must see it in a theater, go for the matinee at least.
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.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Angels & Demons
Ok.
We've seen it.
For a Prequel story, they worked awful hard at making it a sequel (seemed that way to me). BUT the main character, Langdon, doesn't do the same kinds of things he did in the first movie, doesn't even act quite the same way. You remember in the Code when he was thinking through a problem they did a nice special effect to show us what/how he was thinking? You won't see that here.
The story is good, though the plot twist was obvious and expected (I nailed it not an hour into the movie, and when I say nailed I mean dead on).
Still, it was interesting none-the-less, though I'm sure I'll think twice before I purchase it on DVD/Blu-ray when it comes out. It just wasn't that memorable. In fact, we created our own double-feature and saw another movie after this one (see next review) and after that movie I had to ask what we saw first because I simply couldn't remember. That's how forgettable Angels & Demons is. It was bad, it just wasn't all that great either.
We've seen it.
For a Prequel story, they worked awful hard at making it a sequel (seemed that way to me). BUT the main character, Langdon, doesn't do the same kinds of things he did in the first movie, doesn't even act quite the same way. You remember in the Code when he was thinking through a problem they did a nice special effect to show us what/how he was thinking? You won't see that here.
The story is good, though the plot twist was obvious and expected (I nailed it not an hour into the movie, and when I say nailed I mean dead on).
Still, it was interesting none-the-less, though I'm sure I'll think twice before I purchase it on DVD/Blu-ray when it comes out. It just wasn't that memorable. In fact, we created our own double-feature and saw another movie after this one (see next review) and after that movie I had to ask what we saw first because I simply couldn't remember. That's how forgettable Angels & Demons is. It was bad, it just wasn't all that great either.
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, June 09, 2008
Grand Casino Mille Lacs, Onamia, MN
Actually, it's not in Onamia but it's the closest real postal address I guess. I give this place a low D (would've been higher if they at least made an effort).
Because Maryanne's treatments haven't been going so good for the last couple weeks, and there is a real possibility of her having to take some time off work for sets of more intensive treatments each week, I thought I would take her for at least one night somewhere out-of-town, out of the way maybe, where she can just relax and enjoy herself.
I decided on Grand Casino Mille Lacs. I would've gone to Hinckley instead but two things stopped me: 1) we've had two previous bad experiences at Hinckley, 2) The MS 150 was going through there the same weekend, and they were very booked.
I also decided that I didn't care what it cost, so I went for the biggest suite available and some extras. What I had reserved was the Arrowhead suite (4-person hot tub!) that has a nice view of the lake with the Romance Package add-on (price was about $350 with the package). The Romance package adds two $50 gift certificates (food and gift shop respectively), free valet parking, a whirlpool or fireplace suite, a gift basket full of 'goodies' and a later checkout time.
We arrived at around 2:30pm. I had deliberately kept Maryanne in the dark as much as I could about where we were going so as to surprise her. I was expecting a nice big room with a bunch of extras that would just make her happy.
What I got was a Northwoods Suite (jetted bath-tub for two but only big enough for one) with a nice view of the rear parking lot and street. The Romance Package actually gave us a wicker basket full of popcorn, chocolate covered peanuts, yogurt covered pretzels, a box of crackers and a couple of small tubs of cheese spread (no utensils of any kind were provided for the cheese spread). We did also get the gift certificates and we mostly used them (I'll get to that in a sec). I called the front desk right away about this screw up, and they right away transferred me to the general reservation line.
Turns out they had a different confirmation code than the one I was given (very different, not just one letter off) and said I was booked for exactly what I had. This was just the start of my disappointment for the weekend as it turns out.
Valet parking is free for all hotel guests I was told at the front desk, and I was a bit annoyed since the Package description made it sound as though Valet was free with a Package, not otherwise. The other thing was that I expected to pull up, get our bags from the car and have a valet come out, take the keys and park the car. Instead, I had to go to the front desk, and after checking in they called for a valet attendant (the little valet booth just inside the door was dark and empty) to come get my car.
After all that we went to the casino for a couple hours.
We had dinner Saturday night at the Woodlands, which is their fine dining establishment. The only entry is through the middle of the casino area, and I'd thought that it would be noisy and smelly in the restaurant because of that. I was happy to find that it was quiet and comfortable. Good thing since the food was not very good at all.
We ordered crab cakes for an app, she had french onion soup and I had a Cesar salad for starters. the cheese cover on her soup has burned in a couple spots, but she said it really was very good. My salad had about 2-cups too much vinegar in the dressing, so I only ate a portion of it and set it aside (good thing too). We both order the fillet Mignon; hers with Bearnaise (instead of bordelaise) and mashed potato, mine with mushrooms, bordelaise and baked potato. She had soda to drink and I had a glass of alcohol free wine (they serve no alcohol anywhere at this casino/hotel).
Her steak was bare on the plate, the sauce on the side as she requested. Mushrooms on the plate around it. Bordelaise on her mash potato like a gravy, though she said she didn't want bordelaise. She said her steak was a little undercooked but good. Everything was a bit cold for her taste.
My steak was also undercooked and quite tough. It *looked* as though it had been cooked quite well though on the outside. Lots of charred bits and burned patches. Inside was slightly warm and rare. My baked potato was plain (butter and sour cream provided) and uncut, and nicely warmed to the touch though it was also undercooked (it was almost crunchy in the center like a raw potato or apple).
I ended up eating less than half the steak, all of the potato and finishing with my salad. Our server asked us shortly after delivering the food how things were. I hadn't cut my steak yet (was still working on getting my potato set to eat) so I said I don't yet, haven't had a chance to try my steak yet. She said she'd come back in a few minutes and check again. She didn't.
When our server did come back it was to offer refills, clear our plates and ask about dessert. It was at this point that I became quite offended instead of just annoyed. She asked us what we would like, mentioned a couple things not on the menu and we were discussing options. I was going to get a plain cheesecake (not a fan of any berry sauces) and Maryanne ended up getting the Tiramisu that wasn't on the menu. The funny part is that after Maryanne ordered her dessert, our server walked away. She didn't ask me if I wanted anything, and didn't wait for me to say what I wanted. So, no dessert for me.
The Tiramisu was almost completely frozen anyway, and Maryanne only had a little bit of it.
I left a small tip. Maryanne took what was left of her steak back to our room (we had a mini fridge).
We also had a little incident with the host that seated us. He came by after we had been mostly finished eating our meal to check on us. He asked if I needed a refill on anything, and I said no. He then turned to my wife and asked if she needed anything to which she said she would like a box for her steak. He then waved his hand as if to dismiss her and walked away (he didn't say anything, just waved). She thought this was very rude behavior, and it was.
We spent a few hours in the casino before dinner, and I went back again after we'd spent a bit of time in the pool area (had to stop and get suits first, so we used our Gift Shop certificate for those). The air in the pool area was so full of chlorine and that chemical smell that we didn't stay long, maybe 30 minutes. She was feeling a bit tired after that and went to bed early. I went back to the casino for awhile, returning to the room around 1am and went to bed.
The bed mattress was so hard, I wouldn't have noticed if I accidentally ended up on the floor. I'm not kidding, it was almost rock hard. Maryanne commented on the exact same thing that next morning when I ran into her again. It was so terribly uncomfortable that I only got a couple hours sleep in the bed. I ended up napping on the couch in the sitting area for an hour.
I ended up waking a few hours before Maryanne (which has been the norm for the last few months) so I went back to the casino for a couple hours (not much else to do here as it turns out). I went back to the room at 9am only to find that she wasn't there. I found her in the casino near where I had been playing for the last hour, and we went to the Grand Northern Grill for breakfast. We'd forgotten to use our $50food gift certificate for dinner, so used it on breakfast instead.
I ordered the Ranch Breakfast - 2 eggs (over medium), hashbrowns, toast and sausage. She had eggs Benedict with hashbrowns, toast and bacon. I also ordered some pancakes, and (forgive me) CHEESE CURDS! I love those things, and there's were pretty good with ranch or seasoned sour cream.
The rest of the food was less than good. Her eggs were undercooked, both of our hashbrowns were burned on one side (the bottom, go figure) as were parts of my pancakes. My eggs were nicely cooked on one side and almost burned on the other, so they ended up being very tough. The toast was also quite tough and chewy, almost like old (not dried) bread.
I ate half the pancakes, the eggs, the toast and part of the hashbrowns. My sausage was almost raw so I didn't touch it. She ate the eggs, ham and one piece of toast. Most of our food was cool or cold when it was brought to the table anyway.
We paid with the food gift certificate, and ended up getting the whole meal free since the price was less than the certificate (about $34).
We went back to the casino for another couple hours after that (we had a later than normal checkout time as part of our Romance Package). Right about noon we decided to go back to the room, pack up and relax for a bit before checking out.
We couldn't get back into our room. Someone had turned off our key cards, and housekeeping had to let us in (after the housekeeping people harangued us about letting them know when we had left so they could clean our room). When the hell did it become the guests job to tell Housekeeping when they were checking out? Didn't the Front Desk do that??
That was it for me, and I told her to pack it all in cause we're leaving right now.
About 15 minutes later we were at the front desk being told that we had additional charges to pay for our room and the Grand Northern Grill.
After a few minutes speaking with the girl (same girl that checked us in as I recall) she went and got a guy who looked at things a couple minutes, said we didn't owe anything other than the room and package charge, and apologized for locking us out of our room before our checkout time (she was calling Valet to get my car during this exchange). He said something about how the front desk clerks are supposed to change the checkout time in the computer when people with a Package check in and that they've been having a lot of problems with that lately. I didn't care, and I still don't. It shouldn't have happened in the first place, and what angered me is that they made attempt to remedy the problem. Actually, NO ONE ANYWHERE attempted to remedy any problem that we experienced anywhere in the hotel.
We had to wait outside for another 10 minutes for my car to show up (after spending between 12 and 15 minutes at the Front Desk). I think the Valet guy was waiting for a tip, and I didn't care. I was quite angry by this point and didn't give him a thing.
We left, driving back to the Cities hours earlier than I had planned to. We were going to stay and play in the casino for another couple hours after checking out, and maybe get a late lunch before leaving. Instead, we got fast food on the way home.
Grand Casino (either of them!) at this point is one of the last places I want to go for an evening or a weekend. We've had bad experiences now at both locations (overnight stays) and I won't be giving them anymore of my money. We haven't been back to Hinckley since the giant screw up they had on 7/7/07 and our weekend stay last year (which we've previously commented on), and I still have no intention of going back there. Now Mille Lacs is on my no-fly list too. The Mille Lacs casino was kinda tight anyway. We were up a few hundred at one point, but ended up down overall as Maryanne had no luck at all.
I'm beginning to think that the only way to get a real casino experience is to go to a real casino, like in Vegas. Either way, we're done with Grand Casino. We are players club members, but other than cashing in our session points for money I doubt we'll be back anytime this year.
One other thing I noticed here is that the casino employees, especially those involved with cleaning the casino, quite simply do not look where they are going. I lost count of how many times one of these people bumped me, backed into me, turned into me or just got right in my way as I was walking at the last possible second. Not once was any of them actually watching where they were going or looking to see if someone was coming or anything, and at no time did anyone of them apologize, ask to me excused or pardoned (most never even looked up or said anything). What happened to simple common sense and common courtesy?
Maryanne was not involved with the planning of this trip in anyway. I specifically wanted to surprise her with our destination, and I didn't want her to stress over any part or detail that ended up not meeting expectations. This resulted in my being extremely stressed and annoyed at check in, upon seeing our 'suite' (I hate calling it that cause it wasn't), upon seeing the extras the Romance Package gave us (room was just $172, package made it $350!!!) and at how poorly we were treated overall and at how poorly run the hotel and casino in general are.
Basically, I was very disappointed in the whole thing. Not remotely close to being worth what I spent; the room, the food, the extras are simply just very over-priced for what you actually get.
Maryanne was happy though. She wasn't happy about me being upset over everything that had gone wrong, but she was still happy to be away from the Cities with me for a couple days.
Next time we feel the need for a weekend get-away, we won't be doing it at Grand Casino (either of them).
UPDATE
June 10, 2008 0640:
Just got done looking at my credit card and bank statments (all online). I just found out that Grand Casino charged me twice for the room and package. So, our weekend at Grand Casino Mille Lacs wasn't just $350 but instead was $700! I've already called them and they '...don't understand why it would be charged twice." Gee, human error? They're going to call back at some point and let me know when they've taken care of it.
Because Maryanne's treatments haven't been going so good for the last couple weeks, and there is a real possibility of her having to take some time off work for sets of more intensive treatments each week, I thought I would take her for at least one night somewhere out-of-town, out of the way maybe, where she can just relax and enjoy herself.
I decided on Grand Casino Mille Lacs. I would've gone to Hinckley instead but two things stopped me: 1) we've had two previous bad experiences at Hinckley, 2) The MS 150 was going through there the same weekend, and they were very booked.
I also decided that I didn't care what it cost, so I went for the biggest suite available and some extras. What I had reserved was the Arrowhead suite (4-person hot tub!) that has a nice view of the lake with the Romance Package add-on (price was about $350 with the package). The Romance package adds two $50 gift certificates (food and gift shop respectively), free valet parking, a whirlpool or fireplace suite, a gift basket full of 'goodies' and a later checkout time.
We arrived at around 2:30pm. I had deliberately kept Maryanne in the dark as much as I could about where we were going so as to surprise her. I was expecting a nice big room with a bunch of extras that would just make her happy.
What I got was a Northwoods Suite (jetted bath-tub for two but only big enough for one) with a nice view of the rear parking lot and street. The Romance Package actually gave us a wicker basket full of popcorn, chocolate covered peanuts, yogurt covered pretzels, a box of crackers and a couple of small tubs of cheese spread (no utensils of any kind were provided for the cheese spread). We did also get the gift certificates and we mostly used them (I'll get to that in a sec). I called the front desk right away about this screw up, and they right away transferred me to the general reservation line.
Turns out they had a different confirmation code than the one I was given (very different, not just one letter off) and said I was booked for exactly what I had. This was just the start of my disappointment for the weekend as it turns out.
Valet parking is free for all hotel guests I was told at the front desk, and I was a bit annoyed since the Package description made it sound as though Valet was free with a Package, not otherwise. The other thing was that I expected to pull up, get our bags from the car and have a valet come out, take the keys and park the car. Instead, I had to go to the front desk, and after checking in they called for a valet attendant (the little valet booth just inside the door was dark and empty) to come get my car.
After all that we went to the casino for a couple hours.
We had dinner Saturday night at the Woodlands, which is their fine dining establishment. The only entry is through the middle of the casino area, and I'd thought that it would be noisy and smelly in the restaurant because of that. I was happy to find that it was quiet and comfortable. Good thing since the food was not very good at all.
We ordered crab cakes for an app, she had french onion soup and I had a Cesar salad for starters. the cheese cover on her soup has burned in a couple spots, but she said it really was very good. My salad had about 2-cups too much vinegar in the dressing, so I only ate a portion of it and set it aside (good thing too). We both order the fillet Mignon; hers with Bearnaise (instead of bordelaise) and mashed potato, mine with mushrooms, bordelaise and baked potato. She had soda to drink and I had a glass of alcohol free wine (they serve no alcohol anywhere at this casino/hotel).
Her steak was bare on the plate, the sauce on the side as she requested. Mushrooms on the plate around it. Bordelaise on her mash potato like a gravy, though she said she didn't want bordelaise. She said her steak was a little undercooked but good. Everything was a bit cold for her taste.
My steak was also undercooked and quite tough. It *looked* as though it had been cooked quite well though on the outside. Lots of charred bits and burned patches. Inside was slightly warm and rare. My baked potato was plain (butter and sour cream provided) and uncut, and nicely warmed to the touch though it was also undercooked (it was almost crunchy in the center like a raw potato or apple).
I ended up eating less than half the steak, all of the potato and finishing with my salad. Our server asked us shortly after delivering the food how things were. I hadn't cut my steak yet (was still working on getting my potato set to eat) so I said I don't yet, haven't had a chance to try my steak yet. She said she'd come back in a few minutes and check again. She didn't.
When our server did come back it was to offer refills, clear our plates and ask about dessert. It was at this point that I became quite offended instead of just annoyed. She asked us what we would like, mentioned a couple things not on the menu and we were discussing options. I was going to get a plain cheesecake (not a fan of any berry sauces) and Maryanne ended up getting the Tiramisu that wasn't on the menu. The funny part is that after Maryanne ordered her dessert, our server walked away. She didn't ask me if I wanted anything, and didn't wait for me to say what I wanted. So, no dessert for me.
The Tiramisu was almost completely frozen anyway, and Maryanne only had a little bit of it.
I left a small tip. Maryanne took what was left of her steak back to our room (we had a mini fridge).
We also had a little incident with the host that seated us. He came by after we had been mostly finished eating our meal to check on us. He asked if I needed a refill on anything, and I said no. He then turned to my wife and asked if she needed anything to which she said she would like a box for her steak. He then waved his hand as if to dismiss her and walked away (he didn't say anything, just waved). She thought this was very rude behavior, and it was.
We spent a few hours in the casino before dinner, and I went back again after we'd spent a bit of time in the pool area (had to stop and get suits first, so we used our Gift Shop certificate for those). The air in the pool area was so full of chlorine and that chemical smell that we didn't stay long, maybe 30 minutes. She was feeling a bit tired after that and went to bed early. I went back to the casino for awhile, returning to the room around 1am and went to bed.
The bed mattress was so hard, I wouldn't have noticed if I accidentally ended up on the floor. I'm not kidding, it was almost rock hard. Maryanne commented on the exact same thing that next morning when I ran into her again. It was so terribly uncomfortable that I only got a couple hours sleep in the bed. I ended up napping on the couch in the sitting area for an hour.
I ended up waking a few hours before Maryanne (which has been the norm for the last few months) so I went back to the casino for a couple hours (not much else to do here as it turns out). I went back to the room at 9am only to find that she wasn't there. I found her in the casino near where I had been playing for the last hour, and we went to the Grand Northern Grill for breakfast. We'd forgotten to use our $50food gift certificate for dinner, so used it on breakfast instead.
I ordered the Ranch Breakfast - 2 eggs (over medium), hashbrowns, toast and sausage. She had eggs Benedict with hashbrowns, toast and bacon. I also ordered some pancakes, and (forgive me) CHEESE CURDS! I love those things, and there's were pretty good with ranch or seasoned sour cream.
The rest of the food was less than good. Her eggs were undercooked, both of our hashbrowns were burned on one side (the bottom, go figure) as were parts of my pancakes. My eggs were nicely cooked on one side and almost burned on the other, so they ended up being very tough. The toast was also quite tough and chewy, almost like old (not dried) bread.
I ate half the pancakes, the eggs, the toast and part of the hashbrowns. My sausage was almost raw so I didn't touch it. She ate the eggs, ham and one piece of toast. Most of our food was cool or cold when it was brought to the table anyway.
We paid with the food gift certificate, and ended up getting the whole meal free since the price was less than the certificate (about $34).
We went back to the casino for another couple hours after that (we had a later than normal checkout time as part of our Romance Package). Right about noon we decided to go back to the room, pack up and relax for a bit before checking out.
We couldn't get back into our room. Someone had turned off our key cards, and housekeeping had to let us in (after the housekeeping people harangued us about letting them know when we had left so they could clean our room). When the hell did it become the guests job to tell Housekeeping when they were checking out? Didn't the Front Desk do that??
That was it for me, and I told her to pack it all in cause we're leaving right now.
About 15 minutes later we were at the front desk being told that we had additional charges to pay for our room and the Grand Northern Grill.
After a few minutes speaking with the girl (same girl that checked us in as I recall) she went and got a guy who looked at things a couple minutes, said we didn't owe anything other than the room and package charge, and apologized for locking us out of our room before our checkout time (she was calling Valet to get my car during this exchange). He said something about how the front desk clerks are supposed to change the checkout time in the computer when people with a Package check in and that they've been having a lot of problems with that lately. I didn't care, and I still don't. It shouldn't have happened in the first place, and what angered me is that they made attempt to remedy the problem. Actually, NO ONE ANYWHERE attempted to remedy any problem that we experienced anywhere in the hotel.
We had to wait outside for another 10 minutes for my car to show up (after spending between 12 and 15 minutes at the Front Desk). I think the Valet guy was waiting for a tip, and I didn't care. I was quite angry by this point and didn't give him a thing.
We left, driving back to the Cities hours earlier than I had planned to. We were going to stay and play in the casino for another couple hours after checking out, and maybe get a late lunch before leaving. Instead, we got fast food on the way home.
Grand Casino (either of them!) at this point is one of the last places I want to go for an evening or a weekend. We've had bad experiences now at both locations (overnight stays) and I won't be giving them anymore of my money. We haven't been back to Hinckley since the giant screw up they had on 7/7/07 and our weekend stay last year (which we've previously commented on), and I still have no intention of going back there. Now Mille Lacs is on my no-fly list too. The Mille Lacs casino was kinda tight anyway. We were up a few hundred at one point, but ended up down overall as Maryanne had no luck at all.
I'm beginning to think that the only way to get a real casino experience is to go to a real casino, like in Vegas. Either way, we're done with Grand Casino. We are players club members, but other than cashing in our session points for money I doubt we'll be back anytime this year.
One other thing I noticed here is that the casino employees, especially those involved with cleaning the casino, quite simply do not look where they are going. I lost count of how many times one of these people bumped me, backed into me, turned into me or just got right in my way as I was walking at the last possible second. Not once was any of them actually watching where they were going or looking to see if someone was coming or anything, and at no time did anyone of them apologize, ask to me excused or pardoned (most never even looked up or said anything). What happened to simple common sense and common courtesy?
Maryanne was not involved with the planning of this trip in anyway. I specifically wanted to surprise her with our destination, and I didn't want her to stress over any part or detail that ended up not meeting expectations. This resulted in my being extremely stressed and annoyed at check in, upon seeing our 'suite' (I hate calling it that cause it wasn't), upon seeing the extras the Romance Package gave us (room was just $172, package made it $350!!!) and at how poorly we were treated overall and at how poorly run the hotel and casino in general are.
Basically, I was very disappointed in the whole thing. Not remotely close to being worth what I spent; the room, the food, the extras are simply just very over-priced for what you actually get.
Maryanne was happy though. She wasn't happy about me being upset over everything that had gone wrong, but she was still happy to be away from the Cities with me for a couple days.
Next time we feel the need for a weekend get-away, we won't be doing it at Grand Casino (either of them).
UPDATE
June 10, 2008 0640:
Just got done looking at my credit card and bank statments (all online). I just found out that Grand Casino charged me twice for the room and package. So, our weekend at Grand Casino Mille Lacs wasn't just $350 but instead was $700! I've already called them and they '...don't understand why it would be charged twice." Gee, human error? They're going to call back at some point and let me know when they've taken care of it.
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.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
The Nook
Her perspective: C-
After seeing a special on this place on the Food Network, we decided to head out and see if it's as good as Matt's Juicy Lucy that we love.
This is a very small restaurant with barely any waiting room. We had to hear from someone in line that the bartender was taking care of the waiting list. I was hoping that the long line meant the food was worth the wait. It was completely packed. We waited about a little less than an hour and ended up sitting at the end of the bar, in perfect view of the kitchen. Bill ordered a Coke and I ordered a Cherry Coke (Coke and grenadine). They both tasted a bit odd.
For an appetizer, we decided on cheese curds. They seemed undercooked and didn't have much flavor. The Ranch dressing they were served with it was really tasty, though.
We both ordered their signature burger: "Juicy Nookie". It mentioned in the menu that they are all cooked to medium and all are served with their fries which we had learned from the Food Network were "marinated" in vinegar. When we got our burgers (which have the cheese in the middle of the burger, in case you're unfamiliar with a Juicy Lucy), we noticed that they weren't very hot, especially the cheese in the middle. The meat tasted better than the burgers we get at Matt's, but not by much, and my burger was cooked Medium Rare to Rare, rather than the Medium it said in the menu. My stomach is very delicate right now due to my medical issues, so this was not good news. Also, both our orders of fries were very overcooked. We had noticed that the cook had cooked some fries, left them sitting over the fryer (which makes them soggy), then popped them back into the grease when he got an order for them, just to heat them and crisp them up a bit. That explains why ours were overdone.
We heard the bartender talking to the party next to us at the bar and she was saying that they were busy before they appeared on the Food Network, but were even busier afterwards. There is a second location about a mile away, but neither of us remember them saying anything about a second location on the show. So all the extra business is going to this location, which can't handle it. It just seemed like they were so busy, that the cooks were just trying to get the food out to the guests, but not making sure it was properly cooked.
The bartender had mentioned that the other location (which in the menu was called "The Irish Nook") was on Randolph and West 7th St. We looked for it and couldn't find it. The only pub that was there was a place called Shamrock's. When we got home, I looked on line and found out that the actual name of the second location is Shamrock's Irish Nook. The words irish nook were nowhere to be found on the sign outside, so there was no way for us to know that it was the right place.
Overall, we were very disappointed. It is definitely not worth the wait. I might go back for appetizers if I want to go someplace that's packed - and that will never happen... We will probably give the other location a try at some point, but most likely not soon. We would much rather get our Juicy Lucy's from Matt's at 35th and Cedar on Minneapolis.
After seeing a special on this place on the Food Network, we decided to head out and see if it's as good as Matt's Juicy Lucy that we love.
This is a very small restaurant with barely any waiting room. We had to hear from someone in line that the bartender was taking care of the waiting list. I was hoping that the long line meant the food was worth the wait. It was completely packed. We waited about a little less than an hour and ended up sitting at the end of the bar, in perfect view of the kitchen. Bill ordered a Coke and I ordered a Cherry Coke (Coke and grenadine). They both tasted a bit odd.
For an appetizer, we decided on cheese curds. They seemed undercooked and didn't have much flavor. The Ranch dressing they were served with it was really tasty, though.
We both ordered their signature burger: "Juicy Nookie". It mentioned in the menu that they are all cooked to medium and all are served with their fries which we had learned from the Food Network were "marinated" in vinegar. When we got our burgers (which have the cheese in the middle of the burger, in case you're unfamiliar with a Juicy Lucy), we noticed that they weren't very hot, especially the cheese in the middle. The meat tasted better than the burgers we get at Matt's, but not by much, and my burger was cooked Medium Rare to Rare, rather than the Medium it said in the menu. My stomach is very delicate right now due to my medical issues, so this was not good news. Also, both our orders of fries were very overcooked. We had noticed that the cook had cooked some fries, left them sitting over the fryer (which makes them soggy), then popped them back into the grease when he got an order for them, just to heat them and crisp them up a bit. That explains why ours were overdone.
We heard the bartender talking to the party next to us at the bar and she was saying that they were busy before they appeared on the Food Network, but were even busier afterwards. There is a second location about a mile away, but neither of us remember them saying anything about a second location on the show. So all the extra business is going to this location, which can't handle it. It just seemed like they were so busy, that the cooks were just trying to get the food out to the guests, but not making sure it was properly cooked.
The bartender had mentioned that the other location (which in the menu was called "The Irish Nook") was on Randolph and West 7th St. We looked for it and couldn't find it. The only pub that was there was a place called Shamrock's. When we got home, I looked on line and found out that the actual name of the second location is Shamrock's Irish Nook. The words irish nook were nowhere to be found on the sign outside, so there was no way for us to know that it was the right place.
Overall, we were very disappointed. It is definitely not worth the wait. I might go back for appetizers if I want to go someplace that's packed - and that will never happen... We will probably give the other location a try at some point, but most likely not soon. We would much rather get our Juicy Lucy's from Matt's at 35th and Cedar on Minneapolis.
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.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Margaux - August 4, 2007
Her perspective: D
A brasserie is an informal French cafe serving beer, wine and simple, hearty food. I wish I had known this before I went, it would have changed my expectations. I was expecting a fine dining restaurant from what I had heard about this restaurant.
The waitstaff was somewhat casual, which didn't seem to fit to me. The floor had obviously not been swept and there were ants running around under our table. The appetizer plates were sitting on the table as part of the setting under the folded napkin. Both of our plates were dirty and mine was chipped. I also noticed that all the tables had linens except for the largest table in the center of the main floor dining room which seats 10 comfortably.
Our server did not seem very knowledgeable, although she seemed pleasant enough and did seem to really be trying. However, she was quite inattentive.
We did not get our bread until shortly before we got our appetizer, which leads me to believe that, even though we had a reservation, they were not ready for us. However, it was served hot and was very good. Our escargot was tasty, very hot and not gritty, but the menu stated that they would be in garlic butter. They were served mostly in olive oil with a little bit of butter and little bit of garlic - not what we were expecting. We did not get a salad included with our entree, which is unusual for even the low end of fine dining. My friend and I ended up sharing a 14 oz. ribeye. It was cooked perfectly and was very tasty - served with mashed potatoes, asparagus and a very well done bearnaise. The meat was quite tender. We both really enjoyed it.
At one point, I noticed the host running down the stairs to seat a party that was waiting at the door. On his way down, he picked up a small ramekin of ketchup that had apparently fallen off a plate earlier. It appeared to have fallen upside down, but he just picked it up and no one ever cleaned the ketchup up off the stairs. I was hoping that no one would slip and fall.
We asked for a dessert menu which mentioned that a list of dessert wines, cognacs and ports would be on the wine list. When I asked to see the wine list again to see the dessert wines and ports, the server stated that she might need the bartender to come out and talk to me about them since they just printed new wine lists and these were not listed on there anymore. When she returned, she was carrying a bottle of port, mentioned two more and did not mention any dessert wines at all. I ordered the flourless chocolate cake and a drink on the dessert menu called Vanilla Royale with vanilla cognac and espresso. My friend ordered a Keoke Coffee. When our drinks arrived, mine was room temperature and served in a snifter. I was confused since the menu had stated there would be espresso, I was expecting a hot coffee drink. The server seemed confused as well. She stated that she had never served one of them before and that's what the bartender gave her. She asked if I wanted something else and I asked if they had Godiva liqueur. She said yes and I ordered a Godiva and coffee. She served the cake without any forks and I had to ask her for them. When she brought my new drink, it looked white, which made me think that they had used Godiva White, which is not what I had asked for, but something I would still enjoy anyway, so I didn't press the issue. The chocolate cake was very good, not too rich, but still rich enough to require coffee with it. We took our time and savored each bite. However, there was a hair on the rim of the plate when it was served. We could see back into the kitchen and only one chef was wearing a hat or hair restraint.
To sum up, I was not impressed with the decor, atmosphere or service. The food was great, but I'm concerned with the numerous health code violations I saw. I will most likely not be back any time soon.
A brasserie is an informal French cafe serving beer, wine and simple, hearty food. I wish I had known this before I went, it would have changed my expectations. I was expecting a fine dining restaurant from what I had heard about this restaurant.
The waitstaff was somewhat casual, which didn't seem to fit to me. The floor had obviously not been swept and there were ants running around under our table. The appetizer plates were sitting on the table as part of the setting under the folded napkin. Both of our plates were dirty and mine was chipped. I also noticed that all the tables had linens except for the largest table in the center of the main floor dining room which seats 10 comfortably.
Our server did not seem very knowledgeable, although she seemed pleasant enough and did seem to really be trying. However, she was quite inattentive.
We did not get our bread until shortly before we got our appetizer, which leads me to believe that, even though we had a reservation, they were not ready for us. However, it was served hot and was very good. Our escargot was tasty, very hot and not gritty, but the menu stated that they would be in garlic butter. They were served mostly in olive oil with a little bit of butter and little bit of garlic - not what we were expecting. We did not get a salad included with our entree, which is unusual for even the low end of fine dining. My friend and I ended up sharing a 14 oz. ribeye. It was cooked perfectly and was very tasty - served with mashed potatoes, asparagus and a very well done bearnaise. The meat was quite tender. We both really enjoyed it.
At one point, I noticed the host running down the stairs to seat a party that was waiting at the door. On his way down, he picked up a small ramekin of ketchup that had apparently fallen off a plate earlier. It appeared to have fallen upside down, but he just picked it up and no one ever cleaned the ketchup up off the stairs. I was hoping that no one would slip and fall.
We asked for a dessert menu which mentioned that a list of dessert wines, cognacs and ports would be on the wine list. When I asked to see the wine list again to see the dessert wines and ports, the server stated that she might need the bartender to come out and talk to me about them since they just printed new wine lists and these were not listed on there anymore. When she returned, she was carrying a bottle of port, mentioned two more and did not mention any dessert wines at all. I ordered the flourless chocolate cake and a drink on the dessert menu called Vanilla Royale with vanilla cognac and espresso. My friend ordered a Keoke Coffee. When our drinks arrived, mine was room temperature and served in a snifter. I was confused since the menu had stated there would be espresso, I was expecting a hot coffee drink. The server seemed confused as well. She stated that she had never served one of them before and that's what the bartender gave her. She asked if I wanted something else and I asked if they had Godiva liqueur. She said yes and I ordered a Godiva and coffee. She served the cake without any forks and I had to ask her for them. When she brought my new drink, it looked white, which made me think that they had used Godiva White, which is not what I had asked for, but something I would still enjoy anyway, so I didn't press the issue. The chocolate cake was very good, not too rich, but still rich enough to require coffee with it. We took our time and savored each bite. However, there was a hair on the rim of the plate when it was served. We could see back into the kitchen and only one chef was wearing a hat or hair restraint.
To sum up, I was not impressed with the decor, atmosphere or service. The food was great, but I'm concerned with the numerous health code violations I saw. I will most likely not be back any time soon.
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