I set my expectations pretty low when it comes to any restaurant around the Garden. Why? Because they have a built-in customer base due to shows, events, and games at the Garden. So they don't have to try and actually put out decent food in a reasonable timeframe.
A&B looks nice, with glass garage doors that can be opened in nice weather. When we arrived, it was 92 degrees outside and the A/C was on high. Unfortunately, someone decided to open one of the garage doors halfway, overwhelming the poor A/C, and making it very, very warm in the restaurant. I'm not sure whose bright idea it was to do this, but it demonstrates an amazing lack of understanding of the restaurant industry and the importance of maintaining climate control when it's really, really hot (or cold!) outside.
You know you're going to get subpar service when even the waters take 10 minutes to get to your table after your seated. That would've been a great time, given that we've already been waiting 10 minutes, to take our drinks order. Nope, the waiter ran off and said he'd be "right back."
That "right back" was about 20 minutes later! By that time, the table next to us, seated *after* us, had already put their orders in with the same waiter. Not keeping track of your tables is just poor service all around.
Finally put our drinks and food order in at the same time and thought we'd get our drinks within 5-10 minutes. Nope. Not even close. It was about another 20 minutes later when he came back with our drinks order. No apology or acknowledgment at all about the slow service bordering on criminal. A man in the desert would find a drink at an oasis before you will get yours at this place.
Maybe the food will make up for the atrocious service? Dream on. My salmon burger was dry and tasteless. The way they try and make up for lack of seasoning (or even a rudimentary understanding of cooking) is to throw red onions on everything. And a lot of them. Overuse of a red onions is always a red flag to me, because the taste obliterates every other flavor.
So of course they also use red onions for their fried onion rings. Because the batter itself has zero flavor.
All around our table of 6, the comments and feedback were the same. The food was serviceable (e.g., we'll eat it because we have no choice), but it was definitely nothing to come back for. The mac and cheese was bland and flavorless. The two grilled chicken sandwiches -- which were supposed to be exactly the same! -- came out as two different dishes. One was fried(!) and had no mayo/sauce on it, and the other was grilled with mayo/sauce (they both ordered them dry).
About the only thing not horrible were the fries (but again, they weren't very well salted). Oddly, I had to ask for ketchup, which the waiter served to me in an old-fashioned glass ketchup bottle. There's a reason nobody uses these anymore at restaurants, because they don't work very well to actually get ketchup on the plate.
I would avoid this place at all costs. There is nothing redeeming here. Like a street food vendor would've been a quicker, better-tasting meal. read more