Upon arrival at the restaurant, we noticed we were one of the first couples to arrive for dinner. We were 5 minutes early for our reservation, and briefly stood there, until we made eye contact with a server (who was actively working to finish setting a large table near the entrance - for another patron that was waiting in front of us).
After just a few minutes, the server pleasantly greeted me and my wife and wished us both a happy anniversary. She then escorted us to our table.
The restaurant was very beautiful and our seat near the window, was an absolutely beautiful enclave.
Within several minutes, the server that escorted us to our seats arrived and said, " I will be your server for tonight". She was pleasant, professional, and very knowledgeable of the menu.
As my wife attempted to place her sushi order, the server said "oh I am so sorry, but we don't offer sushi on Sundays". It was unfortunate, because one of the primary reasons we chose this restaurant, was because of the sushi menu. My wife loves sushi and really wanted to have sushi with the other course offerings.
We then ordered several menu items: the wagyu meatballs, the crab cake, the Parker House Bread, and the greens salad. For the main entrees, my wife ordered the salmon and I ordered the ribeye with Gorgonzola crust, the creamed spinach, and vegetable du jour.
As for the food, I really expected an "experience" and hoped that this African American owned restaurant would deliver. I had seen several post on Tiktok and the reviews had been really good.
Unfortunately, this food was one of the most average meals I have had at a so-called 4star restaurant in a long long time.
The 3 meatballs tasted like the Costco meatballs, that are sold in the frozen section. They neither tasted like wagyu beef and definitely were a bland mixture of some lower grade meat. The gravy reminded me of canned gravy they used to serve at the college dormitory for the Thanksgiving dinner. It definitely did not taste homemade. The meatballs were below average and just unremarkable.
When I tried my wife's crab cake, it was mostly breaded filler and was very average. The salad was warm, was a smaller portion size, and also was just average.
So that left my so-called ribeye steak. I am almost positive it was not a ribeye. When I placed my original order, the server failed to ask me how I wanted it prepared, so I went to her and advised I wanted it medium rare. Well, when I cut into that steak, it was pure fat and gristle. It was a piece of scrap meat that they decided to served, rather than discard. It was well done, over cooked, and one of the toughest pieces of meat I had ever eaten. It reminded me of a piece of strip steak that is often served at some of the local buffets. It was a bad piece of meat, cooked horribly, and just terrible. Even the Broccoli was tough and barely edible.
To me, it is obvious that this restaurant is in survival mode. They used a cheap cut of meat disguised as a ribeye, and the overall food quality was horrible. My wife's salmon had great presentation, and she said it was decent.
As things got a little busier in the restaurant (maybe two other couples and the large group at the table the table our server was preparing when we arrived), the Chef came over to clear our table. We were happy that he was acknowledging us, given the limited number of people in the restaurant. However, we would soon learn that his real intention was actually to clear the table, which he did multiple times, because they were short staffed. At that point our server became more and more sparse (literally disappeared).
I should have known the word was already out on this restaurant, because there were only like 3 other total couples there during our visit during the Sunday dinner hour.
The best part of this meal was the creamed spinach (with red onions), which was delicious. My wife also said the sweet tea they created for her was really good.
However, paying $333.00 for an excellent creamed spinach and an above average iced sweet tea was not really what I expected.
You win some and you lose some, but this restaurant is definitely losing. You would be better off going to a Pizza Hut, Olive Garden, or Burger King for a more flavorful meal.
Other than the decor and awesomely decorated bathrooms, this restaurant is not good. Save your time and money. read more