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| - I had dinner at the Maple Leaf Tavern shortly after it's reopening with my parents, husband and two children, ages 8 and 10.
The good:
- was able to get same-day reservations! Our table had a view of the kitchen, and it was very interesting to watch the chefs work
- the interior of the restaurant is gorgeous, dark, spacious and warm.
- excellent service! often when new restaurants get off the ground, service is a little shaky. Not so here.
- the lasagna, much talked about in the blogs, was excellent. My husband, son and father really enjoyed the sausages, which they ordered more or less a la carte, with a number of sides
- they were willing to accommodate my fussy 8 year old with some gnocchi that is not on the menu
The so-so:
- very pricey for what you get (portions are smaller than you'd expect). I suppose the $1M reno has to be paid for somehow.
The bad:
- the lasagna came with a side salad. The leaves were not cut bite sized in mine - one of the leaves had to be 6 inches in diameter. The dressing needed work as it was overly salty.
- while I'm thrilled that they were able to accommodate my 8 year old by providing her with some gnocchi, I think restaurant needs to get a better feel for just how much a child would eat when making a recommendation. It was suggested that a half-portion of gnocchi would be sufficient, but when it arrived the serving size was tiny - perhaps the serving size you'd give to a toddler, not an 8 year old.
- bread is not complimentary. Bread and butter is listed on the menu under snacks for $5!
The good (redux):
- when we asked about the serving size for the gnocchi, we were given another half portion of gnocchi free of charge (which is great, since the first half portion was $12 - expensive for a tiny handful of gnocchi).
Overall, I think the restaurant is worth going to once, to check out what has been done with the space, but I don't know if I would go back a second time as it's relatively overpriced and it didn't blow me away.
Edit: Just received a Yelp "compliment" from someone who I think may have been our waitress when we ate there berating me for posting this and calling me entitled! Keep it classy, Maple Leaf Tavern. Keep it classy.
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