Man, do I want to give this place a higher rating, but there were a few things that just cannot…read morejustify a higher rating. Let's get into it. We arrived here on a Sunday, not by choice, but because of lack of options in this area on a Sunday. We wanted a sit down meal and not just a grab and go type of situation. Not many choices are available in the area on a Sunday.
When we walked in we were greeted warmly and guided to our table. Once we sat down we were looking over the menu and our server approached. We placed our drink order and were kind of given a 'heads up' about how service might be that day. Which isn't always that great of thing to hear when you basically exhausted all other possibilities in the area.
When our drinks arrived, almost ten minutes later, we finally started to place our orders. I went with an appetizer and entree. Let me tell you something, I'm ok with fusion food, but Cajun and Irish was not one I was expecting to stumble upon. I like taking in new experiences so I will give anything a chance at least once.
When you look over the menu, you can see how they fused the cuisines and some sound interesting, while others give you the apprehension that you should follow and not order. During the ordering process, my picks were readily available, but my friends weren't so lucky when they made selections. One friend just kept going down the list until one was available. However, one of my other friends ordered something only for the server to return and tell her that that option was not available at that time because they didn't have the items to make it.
Then the food started to come out, very intermittently. Remember how I told you I ordered an appetizer and entree? Well, my entree arrived well before my appetizer. Since my entree came first I went with Cod Fish & Chips. This comes with fries, coleslaw and hushpuppies. The highlight of this place were the hushpuppies. They were amazing, flavorful and of a decent size. The fries were dead cold. The cod was decent, lukewarm at best, and the coating was a bit much. It wasn't a fluffy, crunchy batter, it was like it was densely packed in cornmeal. The coleslaw, yikes. I've had vinegar forward slaw, but this one was a bit overpowering. And remember they are a fusion restaurant, the Cajun portion of this was the punch in the face that when paired with that vinegar forward slaw, is not a good mix.
The appetizer, Boxty, was definitely the highlight of the whole meal for me. This right here was redeemable and maybe that is why it showed up after my entree. It made me forget about the entree. Two perfectly, huge, traditional potato pancakes. It is served with a Cajun remoulade. If I would have tried this first, I would have seen how the fusion worked. Because this truly worked. The remoulade mixed well with the potato pancake. That plate, was absolutely empty when my plates were picked up.
What overshadowed all this was the service. Honestly, it really wasn't their fault, or at least totally their fault. It was the employees. Some kitchen staff, we were told, did not show up. Couple that with no prep work being done the night before or earlier in that day made for slow food preparation. On top of the kitchen staff not showing up, some servers did not show up as well. Our server, who was amazing and charming, was stretched thin.
She was humble and took everything in stride. She even thought, in her mind, that most of this was her fault. Honey, you did nothing wrong, you are doing your job and showed up. Your suggestions to us were spot on, and you need to remember you didn't prepare the food.
This place is redeemable, but only after they get the staffing straight and hire the right people. If I am ever back in the area, I will give it another try. Especially since the place is beautiful and kind of reminiscent of New Orleans. That two-floored restaurant with outdoor seating on both levels and the outdoor fans really give off the Big Easy.
