Have been here several times and always enjoyed it, so this review is for my most recent visit. Came here for my boyfriend's birthday and it was a horrible experience from start to finish.
I called the day before to make a reservation, which as others have stated, they call "priority seating." The gentleman I spoke with on the phone asked if it was a special occasion and i told him it was a birthday. When we got there, my name was NOT on the list. Hostess said we would be seated within 20 minutes. 30 minutes passed and no table. When I saw people coming in after me and being seated immediately, I asked to speak to the manager. One came over and said that he was the one I spoke to on the phone, apologized and got us a nice table in corner booth right away. Great! or so I thought.
Our waiter ADOLPHUS was unfriendly, uncouth & completely lacking in any social graces. He has NO reason working in the hospitality business. He gave us the wine list and stood there until we decided, rather than giving us a minute to decide & returning. We ordered wine and when he returned, he emptied the bottle into the glass, which was only 1/3 full, then departed. I was expecting him to return with another bottle, but when he did, he had no wine. I asked him about the amount of wine and his response was, "that's 'our' glass, I actually gave you more than I should have." Very nice, right? NOT!
So we ordered: Carpaccio appetizer, Cowboy Ribeye (MR) & Legendary Filet (M). We were only halfway through the appetizer when the entrees arrived, brought by a table runner rather than Adolphus. The M was waaay more rare than the MR, so we sent it back. When it returned, it was cooked alright but the potatoes were cold & quite honestly the Legendary Filet was completely without flavor. The waiter NEVER stopped by to ask how anything was & never brought us any water either, he pretty much ignored us the entire time. We sat there for a long time with unfinished food in front of us. He eventually stopped by and we told him we needed boxes.
Now, everytime i've been there, i've ALWAYS been asked if it was a special occasion. As i said above, when i made the reservation, the person I spoke with did ask me and i told them it was a birthday. ADOLPHUS never asked that at any point. Usually, our waiter always brought a complimentary slice of their chocolate ganache cake. Not this time. So when he brought the boxes, he grunted to us "You want dessert????" It felt like the rudest question I've ever been asked in a restaurant...like he couldn't wait for us to leave. We had minimal interaction with him the whole time and there was no reason to treat us that way. At that point, I just wanted to get the "F" out of there, so I asked for the check. Now, I almost always tip 20% or more, because I've worked as a waiter, but not this time. I had a $20 off coupon, and I know protocol is to tip on the total before discount. This time I only tipped 15% after discount, and honestly, I felt that was too much.
So not only did we not get the complimentary birthday dessert, but no offer of a free round of drinks or appetizer to compensate for losing our reservation! After I paid, I saw another manager whom I've seen there before and related the whole experience above and he was horrified. He asked if I had paid, as he wanted to pick up the total tab. I told him that I had and he then gave me a gift card funded for $100 to come back and give them another chance. That was most appreciated, but I still feel the need to document this experience for other diners.
While speaking to the manager, my bf was waiting for me by the entrance and overheard the hostesses speaking amongst themselves, saying 'oh, he's talking to Bobby, i wonder what's wrong now???' I hope the unprofessional behavior of these girls catches up with them soon and they are either fired or seriously reprimanded.
In closing, let me say that we have been here several times before and ALWAYS enjoyed it, so I would encourage anyone coming here to ask for ERIC as your waiter, because he is top-notch and has always treated us wonderfully, making it a memorable occasion. read more