Ever wanted to feel like a prisoner? You know a place to get bad food? Maybe have some undeserved…read moreshame thrown at you and be held under duress??
Well, there is need to break the law! Just make your way to XIX.
We went in on a Thursday evening and were seated in the lounge. The salad we ordered to share as an appie was good. Drinks were delicious. We ordered the Coconut Atlantic Salmon and the Tenderloin Steak medium rare. The salmon was good, but the steak was cooked beyond well done - so much so that it was chewy. I asked to have the steak sent back and ordered the Harvest Salad instead. After a little while, my partner was almost done their meal and my salad had not arrived, so I asked to have the order cancelled. The server said she would cancel it, then came back 5-10 minutes later to say that it was almost ready and asked if I still wanted it. By this point my partner was almost done with their meal. I said I'd still like it cancelled and ordered a dessert to take home.
The server arrived after about another 5 minutes with a box. Thinking it was the dessert, I was about to ask for the bill, but she said it was the salad and I could take it or leave it. I told her I did not want it, she said she would leave it, and repeated that I could leave it if I wanted.
The dessert came soon after along with the bill. The salad was still on the bill. I asked to have it removed and the server said she could not. She called over the manager who said they were not going to take it off the bill because I took too long to cancel it. I explained that I cancelled it, at least 5 minutes passed before it was "almost ready," and then it arrived another 5-10 minutes after that, so I did not want it, nor did I want to pay for it. She said they had already "comped" the steak so I had to pay for the salad. I told her there was nothing to "comp." The steak was inedible (I had one bite out of it and returned it), so not something to comp. It was an awful meal that no one should have to pay for. I had asked for the salad to be canceled, so again, I was not asking to have anything for free.
My night was ruined, I was upset, and just wanted to leave. At this point, I didn't even care anymore, I told her I'd pay for the salad and wanted to go home. The manager said she'd ask the chef if he would take it off the bill. Again, I said no and asked for the bill with the salad so I could just leave, but she left anyway.
What felt like at least another 10 minutes passed before she came back. This time she said the chef had taken the drinks off, but I had to pay for the salad. The whole experience was terrible, but the last bit felt like I was being held hostage. I wanted to pay and leave, but couldn't because they wouldn't give me the bill.
We took our boxes and left. I still don't know what the point of all this was. Sure they don't want to loose money. Then why offer a steak you don't know how to cook? And, comp? Do they know what that means? There is nothing complementary about having inedible food you cannot eat taken off your bill.
I ordered the salad and cancelled. I don't know how their kitchen works, even if I had taken too long to cancel, I did not deserve to be kept there after I agreed to pay for it.
They took the drinks off and not the salad? I think the difference what $8. Does the $8 matter that much to them? Was it some deranged power move?? ... like a "haha, we won't let you have your way!"
Oookay, you guys win!
Guess I shouldn't argue with a guy who can't cook a steak. He must know better than me.