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| - Was here tonight with a group of friends, our party totalled 7. Overall, I liked the place. Nice ambience, our server was very attentive, cocktails were good, and food (mostly) was good. I Would love to give this place a higher rating, but I can't based on one, in my opinion, unforgivable reason: they served my friend raw chicken.
Here's the scoop. Three of us ordered fried chicken. As I watched one friend tuck into a drum stick i noticed a lot of red. I asked him if his chicken was ok. He said he thought so - only a little under cooked. I balked at the news. My chicken was fine, but I also thought a trick of the light may have made it look more red than it actually was. They use a lot of tungsten lighting so everything is bathed in a warm glow.
My other friend ordered the fried chicken sandwich. She cut it in half and immediately dropped her knife. It was about 75% raw. Basically breaded and fried and served raw. I almost spat out my chicken. Luckily she's in the habit of cutting her sandwiches and burgers in half - otherwise a mouthful of raw chicken breast.
I alerted the Manager and he promptly took the plate away. Our server came and apologized profusely (not his fault). They brought her an alternate shrimp Po Boy on her request very quickly which was good.
Still, I've worked as an undergrad for years in restaurants and this is a nightmare for the kitchen and overall reputation of a place. Raw chicken is so dangerous. The Manager should have come and spoken with us and at the least comped my friend's meal. He did nothing beyond remove the plate and made the server deal with it. Lame!
If my other friend ends up sick (the guy who ate the red looking drumstick) then we know what the deal is.
While I think Museum Tavern has great potential I can't get the image of raw chicken out of my head. And the way the manager dealt with the issues implies that it's not a big deal since we caught the mistake before being poisoned. Toronto's food scene is rich, eclectic and competitive. I'll not be coming back here again. For those who dine - check your food before eating.
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