| rev:text
| - Ok, let's start with the good stuff (which was not readily apparent when I arrived). Elements gets snaps for:
Suggesting on the bottom of the menu that people turn off their cell phones
A decent wine selection, including good by the glass options (perfect for the lonely traveler)
Having foie gras on the menu since it's all but disappeared most places
The views do indeed seem to be good
You can sit at a 'community table' to meet fellow lonely diners
Back to the story: the restaurant isn't so much off the lobby as it is *in* the lobby. This is bad because you don't feel isolated from the hotel at some tables in the restaurant, which hampers the ambiance. When I first arrived, the staff was mingling and chatting amongst themselves and took a moment to acknowledge me. This would be accepable at Mel's Place, but not at a supposedly high end restaurant. The decor was obviously trying hard to be asian inspired, but misses the mark of being really beautiful or even cohesive.
The menu didn't inspire me. I'm not really a picky person, but the combinations just didn't sound good for the most part, or inlcuded something I don't like. I usually see 5 or 6 things at a restaurant that I want to try, but I had to look it over twice to find anything that sounded appealing. I finally settled on the swordfish with chorizo, shrimp, black beans and a morrocan cream sauce. I had ordered the foie gras as soon as the waitress came by and later found a Franciscan Merlot that turned out to be quite good.
The foie gras came out and it was absolutely wonderful. I was a bit worried as I really like crisp toast and liver that's been prepared so that you can actually smear it across the toast. This came on a somewhat soggy something called French toast and had been pan seared so that only the inside was creamy. However, it was still a delight to eat and I would go back just to get this $23 appetizer. Based on the implausibly good experience here, I was now more excited about dinner.
Then my entree arrived. I saw a piece of chorizo, which I love, so I speared it immediately. It was way over-cooked and not really spicy. In fear, I quickly tried the shrimp. It was also way over-cooked. The dish also came with tomatoes, which I hate and would swear weren't listed on the menu. The black beans were almost totally tasteless, which is near impossible, since the black beans I get in a can for like 50 cents taste better than this. The swordfish, oddly, was cooked perfectly and tasted buttery and delicious. However, as a complete dish it was an utter failure.
Based on the lackluster service, imperfect ambiance and ok to mediocre food, this place gets 2 stars on the value for your money scale. I'll go out and spend $150 on dinner for myself. But I expect the whole experience to be over the top. Here I spent $90 including tip and have had better food and service at Red Robin. In fact, I consistently get better food and service at Red Robin.
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