rev:text
| - We were walking down State Street and passed Zandru's. It was new, we like tapas, so why not?
The patio outside was nearly full but it was almost empty and air-conditioned inside. So we opted for the latter. The restaurant is basically a rectangle w/booths down one side, the bar on the other and tables in between. So we had a great view of the bar area. Our waiter was incredibly friendly. He told us it was his first day. I give him kudos.
We ordered beverages to start, a mojito and a martini. This is where the comedy begins.
After putting in our drink order, our waiter eventually returned to let us know our drinks were in progress and to take our food order. He was happy to make recommendations and suggestions. We opted for the casserole Zandru's, the gallician-style octopus, and the sauteed calamari.
Time passed. We began to wonder about our drinks. We noticed the bartender sometimes wondering outside, sometimes at the bar. He seemed perhaps confused. Our waiter arrived with white sangria. He apologized for the wait, told us our drinks were coming but that the bartender had only started a few days ago and told us the sangrias were on the house. We had the impression this was an on-going problem. I can't say the sangria was particularly good. Some of the fruit in it looked pretty battered but I did appreciate that our waiter realized there was an issue before we said anything and brought them free of charge.
Eventually our food arrived. (Still no drinks.) It wasn't the prettiest to look at. Everything had kind of a grey cast, but I will say all three dishes were actually very tasty. Despite the color, the flavors were quite good. Our waiter checks up on us and again apologizes about the drinks.
We're done eating. Finally our drinks arrive. Our waiter is again apologetic and we all have to laugh. The drinks were actually good when we got them. When the bill came the drinks were on the house. They had to be right?
It's a new place, there are bound to be problems. I thought our waiter was great. The food was tasty. Yeah, it wasn't pretty and yeah, the drink situation was so ridiculous it was comical. But give it time and Zandru's will hopefully work out the kinks.
|