I've been wanting to try this little hole in the wall for years! The cuisine didn't disappoint. We had the sampler appetizer platter, so we could try a little of the menu. It had the correct combination of various types of hummus, the garlic variety was especially delicious and the pita bread was endless! Next (totally unexpected) was a large, beautiful salad with a citrus vinaigrette which was just lovely and the tomatoes weren't bad for a November crop. By this time, we were quite satisfied and regretted we'd ordered dinner :( My partner received the chicken breast kabobs which he said ( I had a bite and I agreed) were very tender, not to mention the delicious yellow rice was more than ample! We enjoyed the same rice on the appetizer plate:) Next, I usually request the lamb shank, yesterday was no exception! The lamb was literally mouth watering, with additional rice! It was served in a red chili (not too hot) broth with carrots and onions etc. with more rice. There was plenty to take home for dinner tonight.
Then we come to the downsides, the waitress/"hostess" was having a bad day, or something? She wasn't rude per se. Just disinterested, in her own world, very neglectful, and SLOW! No drink refills, despite asking repeatedly, we had to help ourselves, then she wanted to help HS ha! That usually gets some attention lol! Then it took forever to get anything we asked for, which was rather a lot because no ice was offered (the soda machine didn't have ice, and was very dirty! ) There was a big, poorly written sign that said "we are out of ice!" No s....! How about a repair person?By the appearance of the sign it wasn't written in November ha ha! No silverware, no plates, no napkins that were repeatedly requested and forgotten over and over! No silverware because "we are out?" Kabobs are fine with plastic ware, but not lamb or broth! Surprisingly, our food came out as requested except she switched our food, when we proceeded to tell her she didn't want to hear! She lacked the intestinal fortitude to pick up on us making eye contact for additional requests! I loathe consumers who yell, or snap their fingers at waitstaff, yet in cases like this it's sometimes warranted, we however remained composed! Our compliments go out to the wonderful chefs! However, the food was luke warm, a sure sign of waitstaff being neglectful, as I have never had cuisine in a Mediterranean establishment that was cold, it's usually prepped prior marinating in its special sauces; yum! Moreover, our appetizer was piping hot, with the exception of our bean salad, yogurt and hummus; which is obviously served cold! In her defense, it was a steady flow of consumers, eating in and waiting for food, but hardly unmanageable; if one is not more interested in their cell 'phone, a novel and a a LONG obvious personal call, while customers were getting up to find items Urgh! Despite the mountains of food left, she never once checked on us, we literally waited until almost closing time to ask for a box, and if we hadn't requested the bill, I'm sure she would have been happy with us not paying, as it appeared, she was done for the day by 6:30 pm when 9 was the official closing time! We still left her $5 on a $43 bill, because she didn't have a rude bone in her body! She was timid, which is not acceptable in the customer service world. I must note, she "appeared" very much as a young, beautiful, typical "American" young lady! However, we must rarely look at stereotypes as we are often incorrect. I personally thinks she just needs a little guidance from her employer, which should have been performed prior to the hiring process and observed frequently. That is on them, not her! Hint, hint!
I did offer some advice rather politely, she apologized and said "I'm not usually like this, I'm having a bad day!" I apologized for jumping to conclusions, and offered a few tips, which she seemed to be quite happy with and thanked me! Yet, I had my doubts! What else would she say? "You got me, I did it!" (from flight with Jodi Foster). She didn't again "appear" upset when on her cell, or talking with friends who dropped in to see her, not eat! However, it's possible that other consumers that night, were not as patient as we were, although we didn't witness anything in the 3 and a 1/2 hours we were there, as I had to wait almost an hour for my partner to arrive! We will return at a later date to to give Sultan Grill another attempt to make an amends, as everyone deserves a chance to redeem themselves! read more