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| - The initial blog reviews and pictures gave me very high hopes for this place, and as a fan of the owner's excellent Dirty Bird locations, I expected another hit, but the end result left a lot to be desired. While many menu items seemed enticing, I stuck with a few safe bets to begin with, namely the Jerk Chicken and Mac Pie (Coconut Milk Macaroni N' Cheese). The mac & cheese side was probably as expected for such a side: reheated, lukewarm, with the cheese somewhat congealed and not entirely melted, yet not by any means horrible, and completely edible. The Jerk Chicken was however only barely acceptable. It was dry (obviously cooked hours before and re-warmed before serving), yet not quite to the extent of a KFC order left under the heat lamps for hours. The molasses in the jerk sauce were much more evident than any jerk seasoning, and although I ordered a medium spiciness level, it was no hotter than one would typically expect for a mild rating. Surprisingly, the most acceptable part of the plate was the coleslaw, which is something I usually despise. It was mildly sweet and vinegary, but a refreshing contrast to the rest of the dish. The worst part of the meal however were the slices of "hard bread" that accompany the dish. They're dry, dense, tasteless, and add nothing of value to the meal. They'd be much better off using Wonderbread, or simply leaving the bread off the menu entirely. It's unnecessary. It doesn't matter if it's "authentic", it's horrible.
Outside of the meal itself, the entire seating and payment system is a bit awkward. You order and pay at a booth up front, and presumably leave a tip in the plate provided there after paying, yet you receive service from a server after the fact, who brings you your drinks and food, which leaves one to wonder are the initial tips shared properly, and should you tip for the second time on top of the initial tip if the service is good/exceptional? What if one requires additional drinks: Do you order from the server or go back up to the booth? It's a really unorthodox and needlessly confusing set-up. Also, the drinks are not listed on the order card you fill out and hand in, nor is there a board with their selection and prices (a few but not all options are displayed intermittently around the order booth, but could easily be mistaken for decor). The mildly clueless/spaced-out girl at the cash didn't think it necessary to explain the options either, so it meant having to squeeze their selection out of her. While the cloth napkins are a classy touch, they don't really lend themselves well to the cuisine being served. Disposable napkins would be more appropriate.
And as many online reviews have stated, the music is unpleasantly loud. You'd think they would have read about this and adjusted it after nearly a month of complaints, but apparently not.
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