We stopped at Becket's after Oshkosh, expecting a nice meal to cap off a great trip. Instead, we…read moreaccidentally participated in what felt like a live kitchen stress test.
First, the good news: the atmosphere is beautiful, and our server, Marcus, deserves a raise. He was friendly, attentive, and handled a table full of increasingly confused diners with remarkable professionalism. None of what follows is on him.
Now for the food.
The mac and cheese was mostly mac with only a passing acquaintance with cheese.
My mom ordered the halibut, and I'm fairly certain the chef mistook the salt shaker for a seasoning suggestion rather than a serving size. It was so aggressively salty that we asked Marcus to taste a bite from the untouched side because we honestly thought maybe we were crazy. He took one bite, his face instantly said, "Oh no," and he apologized before offering to replace it.
Since the rest of us had already finished eating, my mom just asked for a salad. Somehow... that was worse. The blue cheese dressing tasted like blue cheese that had filed for retirement weeks ago. Vinegary, strange, and just plain off.
My half chicken was the smallest half chicken I've ever seen. I'm still trying to figure out what happened to the other half of the half. It was cooked fine, but "not ruining chicken" isn't exactly a culinary achievement.
My brother's prime rib was... okay. Not memorable, not offensive--just existing.
The cocktails joined the theme. We sent two back because they simply weren't good and switched to beer. Thankfully, whoever made the beer knew what they were doing.
I completely understand that every restaurant can have an off night. But when the mac and cheese has no cheese, the fish is inedible from salt, the replacement salad tastes questionable, the cocktails get sent back, and the rest of the food is merely surviving, it's hard to chalk it up to bad luck.
Five stars for Marcus.
One star for the kitchen.
If those two teams ever get on the same page, this place could be excellent.
**Update:** I want to give credit where it's due. After my wife posted her review on Google, the owner responded very thoughtfully and acknowledged that our table clearly did not receive the attention it should have. We never asked for a refund, and I wasn't expecting anything, but the restaurant refunded the bill and made sure our waiter was still compensated.
That doesn't change the fact that the food and drinks that night were really disappointing, but it does say something positive about the ownership. Mistakes happen, rough nights happen, and I appreciate a business that takes responsibility instead of getting defensive. Marcus was excellent, and the owner's response was classy. I hope our visit really was just a bad night, because the way they handled it afterward deserves credit.
