In planning our Friday evening adventure, a consensus emerged to seek out a martini.
Over the years, my wife and I have hit 85 Dry 10-12 times, and my impression is that it is noisy, crowded, and hardly spectacular. However, based on Google's ranking we made it our first destination. Alas, false news from the Internet once again.
The evening began poorly. Ordering my drink, I requested a martini made with Bombay Sapphire Gin, only to discover this alleged "one of the best whiskey bars in America" did not carry this call brand - routinely stock in any commercial bar/saloon/private club serving gin.
Our surly waitperson rattled off six or seven "boutique" gins until mentioning the time-tested Tanqueray brand, so I ordered a "Tanqueray martini, up with a twist." Then gal had the audacity to ask what kind of twist? Huh? A lemon twist, of course, because that is how you serve a martini.
This lack of understanding is not her fault but the result of a lack of basic training by the restaurant.
Next up, our friend asked for a French Martini, and our waitron asked how they should make it? Our guest responded - vanilla vodka, Chambord Liqueur, and pineapple juice.
First to arrive was the orange liquid alleging a "French Martini" which was frankly undrinkable, so we politely sent it back. This request made our waitron even more unpleasant (if possible), asking what exactly did we want? Once we shared the ingredients of vanilla vodka, Chambord Liqueur, and pineapple juice, when told abruptly this purveyor of cocktails did not stock vanilla vodka or Chambord, so they made the drink with Tito's and "something else" that she could not describe.
FWIW, I sampled the drink in question, and it was dreadful - an awful aftertaste. None of us make it a regular practice to send back drinks, but from time to time it happens even at the best of restaurants.
Our visit to Dry 85 continued to deteriorate when the waitron brought the check, still including the $14 charge for a Make Your Own Cocktail. When I politely inquired as to why, she got testy saying they gave us Tito's, ignoring the facts that they did not: 1) produce a French Martini, and 2) the cocktail tasted dreadful. Such poor customer service stunned me.
A few minutes later the "manager" stopped at our table to get our side of the story, which we shared. The manager chose not to credit the $14, and the check was presented.
We usually tip generously. However, in this case where the tip would have been entered, I wrote "Zero, credit the bad cocktail if you want a tip," plus the words "We won't be back."
Twenty years ago, unless you were keen on Zagat's, few outlets made it easy to share p*ss-poor service and dining experience. Checking this morning the detailed reviews of Dry 85, several persons of color commented on their unpleasant experience.
Sincerely from the Velvet Toad and over a lousy $14 drink, AMF Dry 85 - a pub not worth the walk up the hill. read more