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| - A few major blips--mostly in service--detract from good food and good intentions at this west side pizzeria.
I had to go way over and out to this neighbourhood at lunchtime recently, so I popped in. I've heard the pizza's good, but I've been hankering for AGES for a real-deal Philly Cheesesteak sandwich, so I was excited about trying theirs.
The first disappointment was that apparently they were out of these. At 2.30 in the afternoon? But yes, it happens, so no big deal, although already my disappointment was tainting the experience. I didn't want to get a whole pizza to myself, and the server encouraged me (with a free taste--excellent sales strategy) to order the homemade black bean chili.
What actually convinced me, though, was the description of the chill on the board, which stated it came with a side of jalapeno cornbread. That clinched it for me--what better on a cold day than a slab of warm, homemade cornbread?
So my second major disappointment was that the chili arrived without the cornbread, and a chunk of ciabatta instead. The bread was fresh and chewy, but it wasn't the cornbread I wanted. Worse, I wasn't told when I ordered that there would be no cornbread--and I may well have ordered something else had this been the case. Instead, when I mentioned the missing cornbread upon paying, the server said, "That's because I haven't made it yet." Okay, first of all, if you managed to get to 2.30pm without having time to cook a featured item on your daily menu, maybe reassess your scheduling.
Second of all, and more fundamentally, if you don't have it, don't put it on your menu. Simple. This subtle deceptiveness is all over menus and the restaurant industry, and it means customers trust menus and restos less and less. When I order a meal, I expect to receive it as described, and when you're dealing with a chalkboard (as at Buddha Pie) rather than a printed menu, it's even easier to make the necessary alterations to the menu--and there's no excuse for not doing so.
In their defence, the chili itself was excellent: rich, thick, with complex but balanced spicing, and a generous dollop of sour cream; liquidy enough but not watery, with pleasant crunch from corn kernels and heft from beans. (But then again--I also make a great chili. Chili is not hard, and I could have made it at home.) The music was great too, though, and the staff seemed cheerful and nice enough. The styrofoam bowl the chili was served in was a bit of a turn-off, but again no biggie--it is a takeout joint after all. However, the final problem came when I paid the bill.
The meal I ordered was advertised as $7.95, and I ordered no drinks or extras. Yet my bill came to $10.12. Even with 13% HST added, the total should have only come to just under $9. So where did the extra dollar and twelve(ish) cents come from? The bill I was handed wasn't itemised so I have no way of knowing. Again, this kind of thing comes down to trust. They may seem like small things, but the fact that a) I didn't get the meal I ordered and b) I was apparently overcharged for it are enough to make me really skeptical about whether I would go back (especially if the same inconsistency that means they hadn't got to the cornbread yet also means I can't be guaranteed that I'll get the sandwich I actually wanted in the first place). I won't be back until I happen to be in the neighbourhood again, when I'll be happy to give them another chance, but if the same problems resurface, no more Buddha Pie for me.
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