We have been looking forward to trying Ninevah Assyrian for quite a while. Between the great reviews and some coworkers who fawn over it. Maybe this just made the expectations a little high.
We were a walk-in on a Saturday night around 6:00. We were told it would be about a 25 minute wait, and we put our name on the list. We didn't really pay a lot of attention to the time as we popped into the few shops in the area that are open at that time. An amount of time I would deem "reasonably close" to the predicted 25-minute wait time passed and we received a text at 6:26. By then we had already returned to the restaurant, so we popped right in when the text arrived. So far, so good.
We were seated at the table second-closest to the door. This is unfortunate; it was around freezing outside, so we were blasted every time the door opened. We knew that was a possibility when we saw the layout. So unpleasant, but not a surprise and no one's fault. Just something to be aware of if you go.
So we were seated right after that 6:26 text. A minute or two later, a couple was seated at the table next to us. They were greeted and served first. Normally I wouldn't complain about that at all since they were seated relatively soon after us, but in this case it was a sign of things to come.
When we were greeted, the server took our drink order (my wife got a glass of wine, I stuck with water). The couple got their drink order. We waited. Finally, half an hour after being seated and twenty minutes after ordering, the glass of wine arrived. (Those table ready texts are helpful so I can really, really tell how slow service is instead of going by vibes.) When the wine finally arrived, the server mumbled an apology about the wait and took our appetizer order. The wine glass, for its part, had water and wine drops and dribbles on the outside, enough that my wife had to wipe down the glass with the napkin. Ew.
Our halloumi appetizer came out and while the flavor was okay, it was just a hair over room temp and the texture had firmed up quite a bit. To be fair, maybe this is how it's supposed to be, but when I've had grilled halloumi in the past, it was right off the grill and still had that very soft but not melty texture. This was that squeaky-teeth texture that I don't love. Again, maybe I've been spoiled with hot halloumi, but I much preferred it that way. The fried arugula and the butternut puree that came with the halloumi were okay but we found them a little boring and they didn't add much to the dish.
We ordered entrees, she the duck biriyani, I the 8oz beef tenderloin skewers. The skewers were cooked perfectly and well seasoned, and the meat was melt-in-your-mouth tender. It was served with an arugula and herb salad and some fresh pickled vegetables, both of which were light and fresh and tasty.
The duck in the biriyani was rich and unctuous, like duck should be, but we both thought the pomegranate glaze was overpowered by the meat, and ended up a little too subtle. The rice was okay, but JUST okay. I'm used to biriyani that explodes in flavor, and this was aromatic and nutty, but again, we found it a little subtle.
That all said, though, the main criticism, the loss of stars was the service. Just not there. Besides the very delayed/messy wine, our server was inattentive and unhelpful (on her), and seemed overloaded with tables (on the business). Waiting for wine, waiting to order, waiting for food, waiting to get checked on. When the water for the table ran out (it's all I was drinking), our server took the bottle but didn't return with another one. I did notice the table next to us got theirs replaced. Again, not in itself a huge deal, but it just added to our feeling forgotten.
"How are you doing this evening? Have you dined with us before? Do you have any questions about the menu? How is everything tasting? I completely forgot to grab your wine, I am so sorry, that's on me. Any plans for the rest of the evening?" Just some cordiality would have made a positive difference.
We'll be trying the food truck in the future, but between the so-so food (on average) and less than so-so service, we do not feel compelled to return to the brick-and-mortar. read more