The one thing that stuck to me about restaurants since I was 8 and my parents took me with them to a fancier French restaurant was this: the French restaurant was very different from the Jungle (our better version of Chuck e Cheese). Now you're reading this and going: "well, no shit, you weren't a very smart child, were you..."
No....no I wasn't.
But it does go back to a key point I learned from this (when I was older and thought about it). And that is when someone sets up a place of business, they set it up with a target clientele in mind. Then we have to take into consideration that we personally may not always BE among that target clientele. Case in point, that fancy French restaurant with quail egg and bone marrow and escargot wasn't exactly trying to cater to an eight-year-old Chinese-American girl whose idea of a good dinner was the freedom to eat AND run around at the same time.
So long story short, Spoonbar is one of those places that is frankly boujie as fuck and meant to aim for a crowd who are boujie as fuck. It sits beneath an eco-friendly hotel; the building is actually quite interesting to look at, and before we were going to eat at Spoonbar, I had been talking to my mom about how interesting it would be to live there. Spoonbar is suppose to act as both the hotel's restaurant and bar. Nobody was there at the time (we weren't allowed back there), but in the back of the restaurant, you can see couches and chairs meant for lounging. With the giant round bar/desk that sits between that lounging area and the restaurant, it's not hard to discern that it's aimed for guests to sit there with a drink to chat with other guests.
We were in Windsor for a weekend vacation and were looking for dinner. And...may have gotten lost. And then parked in the wrong parking lot. And then got off the car, left the parking lot, and then crossed the street BEFORE realizing we were about a mile off. Oops. So we decided just to eat at Spoonbar, because it was RIGHT THERE. The first thing I noticed was the spoon display. It was very beautiful, what with the water droplets causing the spoons the clink harmoniously. And really, I think that pretty much sets the precedence for the entire restaurant.
Yeah, turns out, the large, round desk the double doors led us to wasn't the right place. Rather than seat us themselves, they pointed us to the front to the guy who was in charge of the seating. So, awkwardly walking through the restaurant, we got to the front and the guy told us to "come in and we'll seat you". I thought it was kinda hilarious, considering we were more in the building than he was.
Appetizers were delicious and filling, savory and salty. The chicken wings were especially delicious. In particular, I like the fried brussels sprouts, which were VERY salty and personal experience says that this would go GREAT with a glass of wine or any kind of alcoholic drink. I couldn't at the time, but I'd recommend ordering something off the drink menu.
Actually, everybody in my family was quite pleased with the appetizers. It was the entrees that we had problems with. I had the sweet corn ravioli and I thought it to be completely charming. The display, placement, delicacy, and color stood out to me and were very memorable. Taste wise, it was divine (especially considering I had a delicate stomach at the time). Eating each pasta whole, it was savory and salty on the outside with just the right amount of chewiness before you got the refreshing, light burst of sweet corn filling. So, yes, I was pleased. And my mom did like her fish with the sauce, which they poured in front of her.
My dad, on the other hand, is a big eater. Yeah....if you've looked at any of the pictures, you can see how this doesn't quite work out for him. Though, to be fair, his two pieces of chicken were dry as fuck. It was better for me when I dipped it into my remaining pasta sauce. Afterwards, we had to go to a hot dog place for him to get more food because he was still hungry. Many of his complaints mirrors what you'll find in Yelp comments. Too exotic, too fancy, too expensive. He's just not a big fan of the whole delicate plating or small portions on big dishes thing.
To a certain point, I agree. It IS pricey and the portions ARE small. Ultimately though, this is one of the restaurants meant to be an EXPERIENCE, a PERFORMANCE. What should happen is that you gather a bunch of friends who you're looking to having a higher-end drink and meal with. You make a reservation and get yourself seated to the side of the restaurant where they have the loooonngg wooden table. You order your drinks (many, many drinks) and just ALL THE STARTERS. MULTIPLE of each starter. Because that's your main meal. You eat and chat and then the entrees come and it's the big reveal~! From start to finish, it's about the performance and the ambiance. And really, that's what it comes down to. That's their target audience and the kind of experience they're selling. read more