Oh Heintzelmann's....
Your were quite the let down. Honestly, three stars is being pretty generous I think. I don't live in the area but my buddy does and he talked you up quite a bit. Sadly he was wrong. Now of coarse everyone has their own taste but, I'm sorry I just don't get it.
We came in last night, around 7 I think. We got a booth right away even though we asked for a table. Not a huge deal but I'm a big guy and prefer a table. We were told the tables were reserved for people who weren't there yet and didn't arrive till shortly before we left. So strike one. If your gonna have booths make sure everyone is comfortable in them.
Strike two was the decor, was the person who put your place together Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? You have carpet, in your dining room.... I don't think there any possible excuse for that. Hard woods, Fine. Polished Concrete, cool! Even Laminate would look better! And a drop ceiling? Really? Are we in a call center or a restaurant for god sake? Then instead of just going in on the whole weird call center vibe all the lights are Edison bulbs? It was a jarring discrepancy. I'm not even getting into the odd assortment of shtick on the walls.
OK so next up, food. If your going to charge me $8 for garlic fries they better be A) prodigious B) The best damn garlic fries ever. Yours were a far FAR cry from either category. An appetizer should stimulate the taste buds and get someone excited about the meal. When the result is the lamenting that they purchased such a sad sack of fries with some seasonings thrown at it, you have failed. Now they were not BAD. Nothing was BAD, it was all just levels of ok to meh.
Next up, New England Clam Chowder. When you read that either you thought "Blehk" like my wife because you don't enjoy it.... Or, you imagination began running wild about a nice, thick, creamy bowl of rich deliciousness, with chunks of clam and potato, a wonderful savory dish that warms the soul with just a hint of sweetness from the clams. That was not what you served, not remotely close. Your chowder was thinner than chicken noodle soup and I don't know if your taters were off or you used bad leeks or too much celery but I can still taste the bitterness of that stuff on my tongue.
My wife got nachos, they were fine, pretty large order but for almost $20 I expect that to be the case. Nothing else really to say there.
I got the half chicken and brisket with Mac and cheese. The Brisket was dry, not bad but def needed sauce and not much bark. The chicken skin was stretchy and gross, not crispy as Id expect. The mac and cheese was over cooked and pasty.
The corn bread was ok, we each got a 2 inch by 2 inch square that was a half inch thick. Is their a corn shortage?
We didn't get silverware till after our entrees were delivered, had to ask for it twice, as well as refills, straws, the check and to go boxes. The staff does not seem to be trained to anticipate or predict problems.
All in all, it was the least of Rochester BBQ places, from food to decor to quality to service. Can't say I recommend you stop by.
Also, we didn't get dessert because of how unimpressed the food was, but $7 for a slice of pie? That's like a $35 pie man, what are you putting in it??
IF the bill was half of what it was or the food\service were twice as good it would be four stars as is, its gonna just coast into 3 stars on fumes. read more