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| - We were regular denizens of Carefree Station and were unhappy when it closed up at Spanish Village. We watched carefully when Scottsdale Station opened T-giving weekend and figured we'd give it some time to "find it's legs". It's not fair to judge a restaurant when it's just opened and working out the kinks. I figured six weeks is enough.
Experience: well, you remember how you finally get a date with your biggest crush of all times and then it falls flat because he eats like a pig and talked non-stop about himself and his Mom? Yeah.
Ambiance: Hasn't the charm and coziness and quirkiness of Carefree Station, but it's a beautiful place. It's just very Scottsdale---kind of urban and elegant and poised. Although I do wonder how they are going to keep those neat little chain-draped chandeliers from collecting copious amounts of dust as time goes by. At least they aren't really over any tables. Speaking of which, the tables are nicely arranged so that you do enjoy some privacy and you can talk to your dining companions.
Menu: My heart thrilled! It was--as best I recall---the old CS menu! All my faves were on it!
Service: we'll discuss that later.
So DH and I order glasses of wine and immediately requested our beloved sushi nachos at the same time. We LOVE the sushi nachos!
We ordered the roasted beet salad and the spinach salad (btw---Pt Reyes blue cheese is exceptional!) and then DH and I decided to try items we had never had before----usually he gets the Steak Diablo and I love the Shrimp Habanero---so he ordered the Pollo Fundido and I ordered the Korean Shortribs.
First of all---the Quality of Food was Excellent as ever. DH's Pollo Fundido was fabuloso! OMG, if I were ever to return, I would consider ordering that dish for sure! Tender chicken, incredible pastry, delicious sauce. Wow! DH would only share one bite!
My Korean Shortribs. Hmmm. Well, what came out was on a bed of something tasty and pureed---it was not the miso-mashed potato eggroll the menu promised and there was the merest WHISPER of Asian flavor. The Asian veggie mix was good. But it wasn't what I expected---which was a rich mahogany glaze with a bit of sweet and a touch of spice---not necessarily heat. And you would have to invite me into the kitchen and let me observe the dish being made, because I do NOT believe those were shortribs---at least nothing like any I had. Basically, it tasted and looked like Yankee pot roast. A really GOOD pot roast, but pot roast. I know, because I make pot roast maybe once a month. This was a hunk of chuck, imho, not shortribs. But it was good! But not what I expected or wanted. Should have stuck with the Shrimp or the Whole Enchilada or the Steak Tampaquena.
I took a couple of bites and then we flagged down our server (Tammy) and I asked her if this was the right dish and she said it was. She said they were out of the miso-mashed potato eggroll because they make them fresh every morning and they had run out so they subbed.. Ummm....we sat down to dinner at 6 pm when the restaurant was half full----sounds unlikely to me. Plus, shouldn't you tell the diner when making a substitution?
We never got our sushi nachos. We realized it wasn't happening when our salads came out. No nachos. Then the entrees. But they were on the bill. So we told her and she said almost accusingly: well, why didn't you say so? 1) It's not our job to manage the tables; 2) pet peeve: the serving of food out of order and not properly paced. Also, Tammy, you never came back to the table unless DH waved you down, like when we asked about my dish or he wanted a 2nd glass of wine. When she brought our bill, she blamed the kitchen and the runners. Actually, everything that went wrong with the service was someone else's fault, never her's. I can overlook having too many tables to properly serve, or incompetence, but I have an issue with not being accountable. Anyhow, I think DH was aggravated enough with her performance he didn't leave her a tip or a very small one---I didn't ask. He doesn't verbalize like I do---he notes his unhappiness financially.
We got out to the car and we were laughing: OMg---what just happened?
Maybe they are still working things out---I don't know. I saw Robert and Linda working their tails off, as usual---but sadly, it comes down to it's only good as the people they have working for them. And there are a lot of restaurants in Scottsdale... I keep saying I am looking for a place we could love like Carefree Station---I don't think Scottsdale Station is it! Not a great experience.
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