We had 7 for lunch there on Saturday around 1:30 for an after-graduation celebration meal.
I'd like to preface this by saying I really *wanted* this to work out. I was hoping. I read the reviews, I have been before with mixed results over the past 10 years, but I rolled the dice. I'm a local, so I am part of the off-season potential business, not just someone in for the weekend.
Short version:
Overall it was OK but not great, still a lot of room for improvement.
Long version:
We were seated quickly, and the waitress came over to take drink orders soon after. She started by announcing that the kitchen was backed up because "everyone showed up at the same time" so we should be prepared to wait for the food to come out. Fair enough, good to know, but...at the time I think there were 4-5 other tables occupied (significantly fewer than half the tables) where we were in the middle area, near the bar. I was left wondering why that was considered heavy traffic. The back dining room was closed, and nobody was in there. To be fair, I came in through the lobby door in the back, so I don't know how many tables were occupied in the front area. I'm pretty sure there was one other table occupied outside also.
Drinks came back promptly, although there was some awkward 'please pass this down' deliveries due to the close proximity of the table next to us. That was not a big deal, but it was a little weird.
Because of the delay warning, we decided to order some appetizers. Nachos, onion soup, and a couple of salads. They arrived a little later than I would have liked, but...we allowed for it due to the warning, so it wasn't a big deal.
By this time the drinks were long empty, and the waitress asked about a second round. One person asked for a glass of water. The refills arrived...without the water, so a second person repeated the water request. The waitress came back a couple of minutes later with a pitcher of water saying we could all fill our own glasses. Only problem was...she didn't bring any glasses. A third request brought one empty glass for the person who had originally asked for the water. Later I asked for a glass of water, and got...a glass of water. That was fine, but I'm not sure what the point of the pitcher was. If the place was hopping, I could understand some crossed signals, but...not for 4-5 tables.
The nachos were good, the salad was good (we passed on the salad bar due to its small size and comments earlier on this thread about still working out the details) and the onion soup was...fair. The broth was weak, the cheese was unidentifiable, and there were no bread/croutons in it.
The main course arrived after the apps were finished (late as we were warned, but...the apps bridged the gap) and again there was some 'please pass this down' deliveries. The main courses were good. People in the party had sweet chili chicken, steak tips, and burgers, all done to their satisfaction.
Around this time the table behind us was being bussed. There were two women doing the work, and one of them kept repeating quite loudly "was the day care seated here or something?" as they cleaned up. Not exactly an ambiance-enhancer.
The bill came to about $145, or about $20/person before tip.
It wasn't a bad meal...it just had an awkward feel to it, not quite on the mark. I know the comparison is probably wearing thin, but...I've had much more memorable experiences at The Restaurant for that same $20/person.
Great:
Seated quickly, drinks order taken quickly
Good:
Nachos, Salad, Mains
So-so:
Onion soup, awkward service, slooow kitchen with light crowd, drink refills
Bad:
Trying to get water, clearing adjacent table
I guess my bottom line on this experience is that the service and food do not live up to the appearance and expectations. It *looks* like it should be something comparable to The Restaurant/Canoe/The Woodshed in those qualities, but it ended up *feeling* more like Longhorn/Applebee's/Chili's.
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