My wife and I were regulars here for nearly 10 years. We loved everything about it, from the food and service, to atmosphere and entertainment. It was a staple of Cicero, and it was the only place I would recommend in Hamilton County. I even included a screenshot of my first review for comparison.
Unfortunately, the 10 West that we came to love and appreciate no longer exists. As of March 2024, the heart and soul behind what made this restaurant what it was - Bill and Lisa - parted ways with their business partner.
Before the switchover, the social media presence and communication was top notch. After the FaceBook post announcing the departure and new staff, however, there was radio silence. No introduction of the new Chef or owners, and no recognition of the change. The new owners were merely trying to ride on the coattails of 10 years of incredible success by staying as quiet as they possibly could, hoping no one would notice.
For us, however, the change in management was blatantly obvious in our first (and only visit) after the turnover. Upon arriving, there was an empty feeling in the restaurant. No personality, no charisma, and a heavy sense of defeat in the staff. It was reminiscent of a funeral home, which was appropriate, given the circumstances.
At this point in time (04/2024) many of the same staff members were there, and we saw a few familiar faces. Those that we knew from the past decade were happy to see us, came over to say hey, and catch up on everything that had changed. We visited with 5 separate employees during our visit, which was the only highlight of the night.
Here are some of the issues/concerns we observed during this visit:
- We were given dirty appetizer plates and menus when seated
They changed the coasters to very thin tagboard material, which curled when it got wet, and eventually shredded itself when picking up your drink glass
- The spinach dip appetizer was no longer fresh spinach, but frozen. The drop in quality was very obvious. Additionally, they didn't even shred the frozen spinach similar to their predecessors did with the fresh spinach, which made it even more difficult to scoop with a chip
- Cocktails were watered down compared to before, but the cost was the same
- Dishes sat on our table for up to 20 minutes before being taken away, proving that they weren't touching the tables on a regular basis to keep everything clear for customers
- My steak was overcooked
- My wife's fish was burnt, not blackened
- The floor manager was making rounds to tables, and because he saw us talking to multiple employees he must have known we were regulars. You would think that would be a perfect situation to introduce yourself to your loyal customer base, ask for feedback, and bridge the gap between ownership. Instead, he made eye contact with us multiple times, but avoided us the entire night.
- The cake was one of the driest, most bland desserts I've ever had at a restaurant. The icing was very thin, and it tasted as if it was made no less than 5 days prior.
To summarize: I will never be back to this location. It's obvious they cut corners every way they could to maximize profit. It's an insult to what 10 West used to be, but you know they won't change the name, or it would be obvious to everyone that it's no longer the same. However, the regulars knew right away, just like us.
I have since been informed that after our visit that 10 West is under new ownership (again), only this time the owners of The Nesst in Noblesville. I wasn't impressed with them either, as their food was overpriced and underwhelming.
If you want to experience the culinary perfection that was here during the first decade, go pay a visit to bar ellis in Noblesville. It is owned and operated by Lisa, her sister Chamron, and Bill is still working his magic in the kitchen. You will see a lot of familiar faces/dishes, a higher standard in every regard, a beautifully restored building, and the REAL after dark menu, not the one 10 West copied and began doing after bar ellis opened.
10 West removed this review from Google (and all negative Google reviews in the past year) which proves that I was right. I'll be screenshotting this after posting, because I'm sure they will try to do the same again. read more