Partake recently had a soft opening night where you could go and sample the menu and see the facilities.
I got there much later than most of the folks I know who went there that night. Upon entry, I was greeted no less than 4 times. I was by myself and they put me at the bar. Some friends had gotten there earlier and were upstairs having hookah. I wanted to sit at the bar and do the sample menu before I joined them, as they had already done it.
There was a Jazz type ambiance with music playing - Dance/Electronic Music. Upstairs (which I found much later), there was hip hop playing and the DJ had left but I was informed that he was good and the vibe was great.
Seating at bar was cool with lit marble, an unusual but cool feature. The jazz club type lighting was accentuated at the bar vs a table. The tables have mood, the bar has ambiance.
I was greeted two more times by very nice staff members. John the bartender introduced himself and let me know I could scan the barcode for the menu and drinks. I spent time looking through the lunch, dinner and drink menus. It caught my eye that there was a coquito ($22) so I asked about it and was informed they had classic and ube. After a conversation with John, I decided that the Ube coquito was the way to go, as it was not something that I would readily find elsewhere.
The UBE Coquito had a Cinnamon stick in a uniquely shaped shredded coconut rimmed chalice. Very tasty. Good for sipping, unique and cool enough not to mind tipping, as said gratuity was included in my bill when I went to go upstairs.
The sample portion: I believe this was meant to be a tapas/finger food sized 8 or so item experience. I don't know because after sitting at the bar 15 minutes and being asked how things were and saying I hadn't gotten anything, I was literally handed a tiny fork with a spoon of the wok fried rice. It was tasty and had crispy shallots which added a crunch. A little later I received a Seafood empanada which was tiny with a flaky crust, not oily. About an 1x1 inch. Menu said could have had Shrimp, Calamari, Crab and Lobster. Tasted good and the crust was nice. I had to read through the menu to figure out what I was actually having. I never got any other food, but a lady who came and sat next to me later was given like 7 items at one time and it was at that moment I was just glad I got my drink, which I was enjoying. As such, I would say, that for ANY sampling or tasting experience, there should be a checklist and a person responsible for ensuring that the items all appear for a specific customer. Dry run or not. You play like you practice. The staff is awesome. They can do that. I mentioned it to the bartender who offered to get me some stuff but I had had a good experience with him and wasn't mad I didn't get a single course chicken wing, it was just sitcom like that the lady next to me did.
After I settled up, I decided to give myself a guided tour of the place, which went well. A staff member encountered me and let me know usually customers go through the front and not the back. I didn't know what that meant until exiting, when I went down a very cool stairway. Everyone was really nice and cool.
There is a huge garden with a gigantic TV/Screen on the first floor. There was also a big screen upstairs that I thought was projected but seemed to be LED.
There was a nice VIP type room with an ultrasonic misting fireplace that looked authentic enough to create a nice vibe in the darkened room. The second floor has its own bar and no less than four distinct zones which provide a different vibe. I found my friends eventually, didn't partake in the hookah but they seemed happy enough with it.
Before I left, I was greeted at least two more times. At the end, while discussing it all with friends, I decided to make sure I wasn't conflicted about my experience. I sat and thought about it. My experience as a guest kinda sucked. My experience as a customer was great. I had a cool drink and got to experience a nice new place. The place is blown away beautiful. read more