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| - So here's the thing: my coworkers and I came during the lunch rush, we were a pretty sizable party, and this place is just getting off of the ground--all things I kept reminding myself during our experience here. That being said, places don't really hang around for long in this area if they can't figure out how to do lunch quickly and well.
Being immediately greeted by the ordering counter upon walking in is a little overwhelming. I felt pressured to make a decision immediately, as the line can hold probably 8 people before it's right out the door and into the scorching heat. The "build your own" section was a bit confusing to me, as there was no elaboration as to how many things you choose for a plate. However, a staff member was over fairly quickly to explain how everything worked, and even to give a couple recommendations, which I always appreciate. Seeing as they had just opened, they weren't offering their full menu yet--completely understandable, but guests should be made more aware of that upon entry/being greeted rather than being told at the register.
The food is stellar, that much can't be denied. I built my own meal, choosing the roasted broccolini ($3), farro mac and cheese ($3), and grass-fed steak ($5). The steak was cooked to medium-rare perfection, though they never asked how I wanted it done, so this might be a problem for others who like theirs well-done. The farro mac and cheese surpassed all of my expectations, with some of the best cheese sauce I've had in recent memory. However, the name can be somewhat misleading, as farro serves as the "mac" in this dish. The broccolini was topped with red pepper and Parmesan and also surpassed my expectations. My only issue with the food here was the quantity. I'm a small person, it definitely doesn't take much to fill me up, but even I was left looking for something more to munch on after my meal. It's hard not to be slightly irritated to pay $3 for approximately 2.5 stalks of broccolini, regardless of how tasty it is.
As I mentioned, we had a big group dining here and it's a fast casual place, so we had pretty realistic expectations that we wouldn't all be served our food at the exact same time. But there's a bit of an issue when the first person doesn't receive their meal until probably 40 minutes after sitting down, and the last half dozen are so fed up with waiting over an hour after that, that they request their food to just be boxed up so they could take it back to the office and eat. The manager did come out and apologize, promising refunds for those few which was appreciated. Pro tip: you can't market yourself as a fast casual restaurant if you're not fast.
The other big issue we faced was with the service. Again, I tried to keep in mind that they were a brand new restaurant and everyone was still trying to figure things out. But it's hard for a girl to remain understanding when the misters on the patio are essentially a monsoon storm in and of themselves. We were sitting on the patio, having moved a few tables together to fit all of us in, and there were probably 6-7 misters pointing at only our table. We noticed right when we sat down that they seemed to be on pretty strong, but underestimated how soaked everything would get. We asked an employee after a few minutes of it would be possible to turn them down, and he agreed to speak to someone about it. Upon his return, he said that due to a "technical error," there was nothing he could do about them. So in response, we explained that since we were the only table these were affecting, would it be possible to just have them shut off? I felt bad for the guy, really I did, but the look of exasperation on his face seemed unnecessary before he muttered a vague apology, repeated the technical error line, and said he'd see what he could do. I mean, all of our hair was drenched and matted to our faces, it was soaking the dishes that had arrived by then, and there were literal puddles of water on the tables. He returned and repeated the same line. A coworker went to speak to someone else about it, and had the misters shut off maybe 10 minutes later.
I love the farm to table concept, and the environment and brand that they've built is really great at capturing that idea. But it strikes me as odd that they'd choose to open right next to the Original ChopShop, which is an already well-established brand successfully executing the same general idea. For the quality of the food alone, I hope this place can quickly work out its kinks, but I'm not gonna hold my breath on that one. Until I hear someone I trust tell me that they had the best dining experience of their entire lives here, I likely won't be back.
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