I'm a bit delayed in writing this, I came here for dinner with a friend, before attending a Jill Scott concert at the King Theater. We made a reservation, and were sat promptly, then given menus. The environment is very cute for sure, but I can't say the same for the service.
The best way to describe our server was cold and distant. She seemed completely disinterested in serving our table. What stood out most was the noticeable difference in how she interacted with another table of white women who were seated next to us. They were greeted with warmth, attentiveness, and genuine enthusiasm... something both my friend and I noticed repeatedly throughout our meal. In contrast, our interactions felt rushed, impersonal, and distant.
It was not terribly busy either, so I can't excuse it.
At this price point, I expect every guest to receive the same level of hospitality and care. Instead, we were left feeling overlooked and unwelcome, which put a real damper on what was otherwise a lovely meal.
The drinks were... ok. There was nothing that stood out per se, and I LOVE a dinner cocktail. The Painkiller for $15, did not.. in fact, kill my pain, and maybe I should've ordered something else. Who knows! It would've been lovely to receive the happy hour menu before we ordered drinks and apps. But I digress...
To speak of the food, we ordered the Ricotta & Potato Pierogis and the Miso Glazed Eggplant for apps, and two Arden Burgers for mains. I'm going to say that the flavor of everything was very good, however, the pricing was varied and didn't make much sense.
The pierogi dish we ordered was an appetizer at $22. It came with two pieces. The dish was creamy, with small pieces of Chantelle's and asparagus - which bump up the price, and it was quite tasty. But for that price point I would've expected four pieces. Three at the minimum for the sake of presentation at least. It honestly looked depressing when it came to the table. However the taste was excellent. There was also a main course option of this for $38. Which I'm assuming that comes with four pieces? So $9.50 a dumpling? It's a little egregious... just a touch.
The miso glazed eggplant (a side dish) was divine, it was a great portion for $11. The Ginger scallion sauce was just impeccable and it really saturated into the eggplant. The jalapeños really took it up a notch. Salty, spicy, and herbaceous. I actually think this price could be bumped up by two-three dollars for the size of the side dish that was received. I would order this again even for even more money.
The Arden Burgers were just ok. At $26 each, as we both got bacon, however it was beyond crispy (some people love this), it was dead. It felt like falling apart sheet rock in a home demolition. The burger meat was prepared well and the onions were slowly caramelized to perfection. The fries were the star of the dish. The malt vinegar on them was so delicious, and for the price point, it was equitable for what was received.
Honestly, the food is the only reason I'm giving this restaurant three stars. If I were rating the experience based on service alone, it would be one. Your staff could benefit from training on treating every guest with the same level of hospitality, regardless of whether they fit the image of the clientele you seem to prefer. The difference in service was extremely noticeable and deeply disappointing and this is something that deserves serious attention.
I don't know if I'll be back, and I don't know if I'd recommend this. Which is sad, because when booking, I was so very excited to dine in here, and treat my friend out to a lovely experience before our show. read more