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| - Since you're reading this, you undoubtedly already know that word-of-mouth is better than any other form of advertising a business can do. Utopia is one of the few restaurants that has repeatedly been highly recommended by friends outside of Yelp for years now. However, it was not until very recently that I finally committed to joining the long disorganized queue out front to find out what all the fuss was about. Boy, was the food worth the wait!
Despite the fact that the dining room itself is quite small and tight in spots, the weather which was arguably on the very verge of being too chilly still allowed the back patio to be seated as well on the evening of our visit. Luckily, we were able to snag a tiny two-top right beyond the door (and the cool gusts of wind that our server kept sternly telling eager queuers to stay outside and keep out) . The dim mood lighting and great choices of full albums (it was Belle and Sebastien's newest "Write About Love" and TV on the Radio's "Return to Cookie Mountain" that night) made for an enjoyable atmosphere to chew and chat to.
My super juicy medium-rare 8 oz steak and crispy (as promised) fries were sided with a generous handful of well dressed mixed greens and a large pot of satisfyingly flavourful gravy to dip into. My dinner date's grilled tuna salad was huge and reportedly surprisingly filling.
Although the food and ambiance were excellent, the service was the only thing that wasn't tops. Trying to figure out how the (non-existent) wait list worked outside was something of a puzzle. The guests who dared venture inside to see if they could put their name on a list were immediately (and apparently somewhat rudely) told to go back outside and just wait.
When we dared enter the front door ourselves, we were told firsthand quite abruptly to go back and wait outside. Frankly, we were a little bit confused as we i) had not checked in yet, ii) had seen a table open up, iii) were the next in line, and iv) saw a couple of girls who had just shown up walk right past the line.
Once seated, our orders were taken and served quickly, but we were never checked on again. No water was ever served and my empty wine glass (which I had wanted refilled) stayed as parched as my throat for the remainder of the meal. By the time we finally got our server's attention to come take away our crusty plates and bring the bill, we had decided to go elsewhere for more drinks.
If you're lucky (or can just look past the service), Utopia does have great food, great ambiance, and fantastic prices.
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