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| - I really wanted to love this place. From all of the reviews and buzz, I've heard. It made me think to myself, "I've got to check this place out before I move from this town." It was good but not memorable.
I arrived here on a Wednesday night at about 6:30 pm. One hostess was nice and the other took herself way too seriously. I told them that I knew that they were booked heavily for that evening but when could I get a table. The evil one told me 9 pm with a serious scoff in her voice then asked if that would be suitable. The nicer one asked if I wanted to wait there or come back. I told them I would wait. (I didn't really want to, but I was curious as to what they would do.) The nicer one said, "Let me see if there's a table we can get you in the bar." The evil one stopped her and said, "No, she doesn't need a table in the bar." The nicer one, "There's no one sitting there. All I have to do is get a chair." The evil one, "No." The nicer one looks at me like "help me". I smiled and told them I would be back in a bit. I went out to my car to check my email and to see who kept calling me. Anyone works at a 24/7 type career field will tell you that your work is never really done, so I answered emails, phone calls, and texts. By the time I looked up, it had been 2 hours, so I went back in. Lo and behold, the evil one was gone, and I didn't have to deal with her the rest of the night. Thank God!
I told the nice one I would be in the bar until my table was ready because I had a few more loose ends to tie up. She smiled and told me my table was ready-- 1/2 hr early-- and started to apologize for the other girl. I raised up my hand and told her that the gesture is appreciated but the explanation is not needed. After I was seated, the wait staff was prompt. I had my sparkling water and declined the drink menu. I was driving, and I wanted to taste my food to see what the hype was about. The waiter handed me the menu and asked if I wanted some time. I told him I wanted the tasting menu ($80 with no wine or beer pairings. I believe it goes up to $115 for beer and $135 with wine or at least somewhere in that ballpark.).
It was five courses of better than average cuisine but nothing ground breaking. The first was the Creole Beef and Bison Tartar. That was very fresh. My second was the Cashew Crusted Salmon w/Wasabi Creamed Potatoes & Ginger Soy Butter Sauce. Well executed salmon, but my favorite part of the dish was the wasabi creamed potatoes. This was something to write home about. Course three was Pan Fried Veal Sweetbreads w/Black Beluga Lentils & Bloody Mary Butter. The waiter mentioned that this is one of his favorites, and it is for good reason. My main course was Roasted Rack of Lamb w/Kalamata Olive Creamed Potatoes & Balsamic Reduction Sauce. I must say now I know for certain that I do not like lamb, but this also was still very good. The dessert course was a trio-- creme brulee, chocolate cake, and a framboise lambic and hazelnut float. That chocolate cake was very rich. I took a bite and that was plenty for an non-chocolate lover.
My water was refilled periodically and kept on ice 2 tables away. They really weren't on top of that. Service, in fact, was average at best. Honestly, throw the wait staff from Yardhouse in different attire and give some of them European accents, and the service would have been better. The espresso I ordered after dessert was average at best. I didn't know that I came in on ladies' night, which meant my food was 1/2 off. That was a great surprise with the check and 18% gratuity was added in automatically even though I was dining alone. Maybe when the food is not 1/2 off it will live up to its reputation.
Overall, I would say that this place has all the dressings and presentation of a fine dining restaurant. It has its niche following. The ingredients were reasonably fresh and were seasoned to highlight the natural flavors but not accent them or to intrigue you. For me, it was all a bit unimaginative... And to get on my soap box slightly, a good meal can open your eyes to another place, challenge your beliefs, make you fall in love, remind you of a time gone by, or to raise you expectations of what can really be done in a kitchen! This why I dine out! None of this is happening here, which means I really could have cooked all of this at home myself-- especially since I could have gotten the cookbook on disc for an additional $10. A well-executed tasting menu can take you on a journey. Ordering it can be like telling a chef to tell you a story and/or to show you his wares. For me the story was ho-hum. As for his wares, he knows how to cook and can follow a recipe but cannot challenge his guests to something more... which makes this place grossly average.
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