Before I start this review, I will acknowledge my opinion will be unpopular, and I'm sure some will read it and think I'm crazy. I will preface this review by stating up front, the food here was amazing.
This evening the wife and I attended a Top Cats banquet here with my beautiful and amazing daughter.
The wife and I grabbed a seat and after some small talk with a few Top Cat moms, we browsed the menu. The menu is $35 a person for dinner, and $20 for lunch. The setup is a three course meal (appetizer, main dish, and dessert). There are upgrades on the menu for an added cost for a premium side or better main dish option. There is also a great selection of alcoholic beverages and attractive cocktail options. They also have fountain drinks, but beware, they are not refillable, and they will not warn you there is a charge per drink. Considering the mark up on fountain drinks is already high, the margin for profits works in their favor. I considered this to be a cheap shot.
The wife ordered the 2 piece Fried Mozzarella , the Roasted Garlic Chicken, the
Side Sexy Mac, and the Peanut Butter Mousse Tart. I ordered the same appetizer and dessert, but I opted for the Beer Cheese Burger for my main course.
The Fried Mozzarella came out and it tasted amazing. The presentation was amazing, the mozzarella tasted was perfect with a nice crunch to it, and was topped on a nice marinara sauce. Not one complaint. Wish it was more than two pieces!
Shortly thereafter, our main dishes arrived. The timing was impressive, and again, the presentation was amazing. My cheese burger was thick, juicy, and was complemented very well with the beer cheese. The cheese was perfect, and had a nice subtle kick to it. The fries it were paired with played second fiddle to this burger and were just your regular fries. Perfectly seasoned and crunchy, but the burger stole the show. My wife's dish was another story. While the presentation was phenomenal, the wife said her vegetables were cold and hard. Not long after, I glanced at the table to the right of me and saw the steak someone else had ordered and it looked out of this world. Steak was an additional $15 up charge.
We then realized we did not get our sexy mac (mac and cheese with four different cheeses and bacon). We were just discussing removing it from the bill, when it arrived late to the party. Already half full, we still gave it a shot and tried it. Again, presentation was perfect. The right amount of cheesiness, with a little extra flavor just so you know this mac and cheese came to win. The wife and I thought it was pretty good. It had a little too much of a garlicky taste for me, and the wife thought it was a bit salty. It did have a nice little subtle spice kick as the cheese burger, and did like that. Definitely would order again.
Lastly, the peanut butter mousse tart. The presentation was amazing. However, considering it was in a pie like presentation, it was served at the wrong temperature. The fork cut through it, and the texture seemed off. This dessert seemed like it needed to be served cold. Our guests across the table noted their cheesecake was served in a similar fashion with their dessert turning to mush when the fork cut in. The desserts tasted great, however, they were a bit underwhelming considering their price.
We received the bill and were hit with $12 in soda fees for the three fountain refills we got. Again, no warning for the per drink charge that is customarily free at a restaurant with soda. Again, a cheap shot. We handed the waitress my credit card to which she handed me an electronic drive to fill out and sign. When she handed me the device, it requested a tip starting out at 20 percent and went up to 25. To the untrained eye, it would have been easy to just assume those where the only choices, and forced to abide by a higher than the industry standard (which to me starts at 18, not 20).
I figured out how to make the device accept an 18% tip, signed the bill, and left. After food, drinks, tips, taxes, etc., we were out the door $114 lighter in the wallet.
Overall, again, the food: amazing. The presentation: some of the best, and my pictures do the dishes no justice. However, this place was priced too high. If I'm paying high prices, I expect perfect plates with no cold vegetables. I also expect sides to arrive on time as well. The food was really good, but not your average Joe can afford to eat here. The price point for this place is way off, and for $114, I could have gotten two steaks and a fancy steak house for that much. The portions also could be a little more generous as well.
While we enjoyed the food, this will be a one time experience for us. Great food, would recommend for anyone. We, however, will not be back. Give this place a try. But bring money.
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