I'm busy. I'm lazy, sometimes. Sometimes I just want to give up. That's where I've wound up with the JTR Group, i. e. Tavalo, 624, PRHYME, Juniper, and whatever else comes down the pike. At Tavalo we've been treated rudely & for whatever t? Mediocre food. Juniper, I enjoyed the food/service in the beginning, which quickly went downhill (sent scallops back 3 [three] times last visit @ Juniper. Friends have laughed and said, "Well, yea, you didn't order ceviche".) PRHYME, too many mediocre to poor reviews from friends.
This review is for our Valentine's Day Dinner experience at 624, an absolutely beautiful venue. BUT, I must prelude. Short version: We made brunch reservations there for our daughter's b'day last year. We three arrived on the dot & after hem-hawing around, the hostess said, "We don't have many tables for 2 or three." REALLY? Hang onto your chairs, folks! She then proceeded to sit the three of us -- alone! -- in an empty back room! I stood up & said, "No. I'm not sitting here."
We were then seated at a table for 5-6 near the bar station. Unmemorable food.
So when we made Valentine reservations, daughter said, "How could you?" I said, "Well, it's his last chance."
I could go on & on about the hassle of making the reservation. If you read my reviews, you've perceived hubby doesn't drink. So, I called, per instructions in the newspaper, to make res for one w/ one w/o alcohol. Per their published prices and instructions. No. They did NOT reduce the non-alcohol price nearly as stated, AND -- GET THIS -- they wouldn't take a non alcohol reservation unless it was prepaid. I guess sober people simply cannot be trusted!
You know, I cannot make this stuff up. I still have it all on my computer should anyone choose to dispute. They emailed me a cc form, requiring signature, in order to make a res'. Creatively, I modified the form, made up an electronic signature & emailed it back. WHEW!
Diplomatically, you could sit anywhere. And this wasn't their fault although I came close to asking for another table: a six top by us filled in w/ someone whose cologne was so STRONG (male) I spent 1/2 the night fanning the order away.
The wine was absolutely mediocre (& the wine guy spent mega more time dispensing wine at the six top. Well, we had one non-drinker. That is so discriminatory.)
Food: perhaps I'll include a pix of what sounded like an intriguing menu. Bluuu. Hard to write that noise, & rarely feel that strongly. AND, too many nuts! Peanuts, hazelnuts. . . Course 1: peanut crusted seared tuna w/ lime & soy vinaigrette, red sorrel, charred pineapple, black sesame. I liked the 2 pineapple pieces & 1 (ONE) sorrel leaf. Course 2: hazelnut veloute/ braised pork belly, pickled strawberry, arugula. The veloute was so thick, so nutty. Too rich, not enough offset. Okay, course 3, main course: herb crusted tenderloin & poached lobster tail, cauliflower purée, roasted heirloom cauliflower, black truffle Demi-glacé, SHAVED asparagus.
Right.
I ordered my filet medium-well, as always. A little pink please, no blood. Thank you.
We got seconds on the Pinot. Was that because they knew the mass produced entree was crap? See photos, please. And I did not take enough.
I could hardly cut the raw meat. Of course it was cold. Hubby said he didn't see how I ate *any* of it.
The cauliflower was COLD
The poor lobster was MUSH
Shaved asparagus? I think not. Very inelegantly chopped. GOOGLE "shaved asparagus" plz.
Fourth course, chocolate mousse blah blah blah. Really, by then it wouldn't have mattered would it?
Hubby said, "We could do so much better," he sighed. "And for $200." read more