What a disappointment. The writing was on the wall as soon as we arrived for our reservation New Year's Eve. Arrived and was told our table was not ready yet...no big deal, we were a bit early and just had a seat at the bar. Ordered drinks, me: gin and tonic wife: Moscow mule. Was served the gin and tonic in a Chardonnay glass, and Moscow mule in a tumbler. Was perplexed since that was the first time I was ever served a g&t in a wine glass, especially when my wife had a tumbler which I was used to drinking out of. Again, no big deal. But we were wondering where the copper mugs they had advertised on the drink menu had gone. A few minutes later, we seen them fresh out of the dishwasher. Apparently, drinkware was already in short supply.
We were seated in short fashion, no issues there. We were surprised by the "cavernous" layout of the tables. Seemed to add the privacy and coziness of fondue. Which later became an issue. There were tables seated on both sides of us. I noticed a very animated server who was helping both those tables, I found it odd that a different server came over and introduced themselves, considering that the other server seemed to have all the other tables in the area.
It all basically downhill from there. As mentioned in other posts, the place seemed a bit pricey for what you get. Now I have no issue with spending money on a good dinner, but I expect a good experience in return. For New Years they were offering a special 6 course menu where you choose the protein for your entrée and choice of fondue for dessert The first thing I noticed when we sat was how the seat was all torn up which is not acceptable for the prices they charge, in addition to the food splattered on the wall which separated out table from the next.
We placed our drink order, and soon became apparent that the restaurant had taken up too much for it to handle. We had already sat for an hour before our drinks came out. Had to ask while our server dropped our apps to see if they were forgotten. During that time had taken a trip to the bathroom which was a mess. Was a bit disgusted by the appearance, it was plainly obvious that no attention had been given to it, worsened by the fact how busy they were.
During that time, we were served our appetizer, a tomato bruschetta, with which we had no issues with.
Roughly an hour in, our salad came out. Again, no issues, but nothing spectacular. Cheese fondue came out next, made fresh by the server, again good, but not spectacular. At this point I should mention that we were starting to get a bit agitated by the length of our service we were approaching 2 full hours and was clear that our server was no where to be found, just to stretch our legs we took a walk around. One table next to us had not been reseated, another had been seated, and with yet again a new server. I had been keeping an eye on a table I could see at the end of our aisle which had been seated about an hour after us, which happened to be serviced by the waiter I had initially noticed by us when we initially sat down. The commingled service areas just seemed to be adding to the confusion.
Dinner came out about the 2 hour mark. Again good, but nothing exciting. This is the part that I am most confused about, nothing is cooked for you. You do your own cooking. Consider that, combined with the fact that you need a reservation to be seated (ie. The restaurant knew beforehand how many guests to expect) How can they possibly be that backed up other than lack of preparation. Literally everything is, or should be, prepped beforehand and is then just put on a plate or in a bowl placed in front of you. At this point, 2 and a half hours in I was flabbergasted by the delay.
Our server was a ghost, never checked in on us after about the first hour. My wife at one point walked down the aisle to try and find her and found her helping a table at the other side of the restaurant. We had to ask our neighboring server to try and get her for us. I heard her mention as she checked in with our neighbors that the kitchen was a mess **surprise**
After the two-and-a-half-hour mark, we quickly had the chocolate fondue, and asked for the check.
I have the receipt to prove that we were 9 minutes shy of 3 hours.
Honestly, if the place was nicer, cleaner, more comfortable, or even if drinks were served in a timely manner, and maybea server who was attentive (I will add, sever was nice enough. Was just..absent) or at least open about the current state of service, the money I paid would have been a bit easier to swallow.
The only thing that saves this from one star is the food. Otherwise, money is better spent elsewhere. read more