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| - Garlic & Shots
909 E. Elliot
Tempe, 85284
I arrived by myself around 6:45 p.m. While the restaurant was somewhat busy, I counted 5 empty tables. The hostess wanted me to wait for 10 minutes, though I can't for the life of me figure out why, when 5, clean tables were empty. About 3 minutes later she came back with the excuse that the people who wanted the table weren't interested any more. What people? There were 5 open tables. She then went back to her perch on a stool with a laissez-faire attitude.
Fortunately, my waitress was a lot better. She arrived promptly and didn't keep trying to push liquor on me, instead graciously accepting my order for diet Coke.
After giving me some time to look over the menu, my waitress took my order. I asked for the 8th Street Mussels ($10), Caprese Salad (?), and the Pork Chop ($10 I think)(not overdone) along with Pomme Frites.
While the web menu lists Lobster Bisque ($6), it was nowhere to be found on the menu at the restaurant. Shame, because I love a good Lobster Bisque especially when served with a bit of sherry. In fact, many of the things listed on the web menu are not to be found on the regular menu. This is not good for the person who likes to look at menus in advance and plan their dinner.
In a reasonable amount of time, my waitress brought the Mussels. They were tender and succulent and swimming in a very nice broth. No taste of garlic was present, but the flavor, was none the less excellent. It was served with a side of crusty bread covered in melted cheese. The bread was very good, but the cheese suffered from lack of flavor, and did not pair well with the mussels. The same bread served with some garlic butter on it would have been dynamite.
Unfortunately, the waitress brought out the Caprese Salad at the same time as the mussels. She took it back, but just put it in the refrigerator instead of throwing it out and making a new one a la minute. The result was a terrible tasting and looking Caprese Salad that I sent back. The cheese had fully absorbed the balsamic and discolored, and the chiffonade of basil was wilted and dried out.
Busing was not a strong point, and I had to wait quite some time before my plate was removed.
Next was the main course, the Pork Chop. I must admit it was excellent. Cooked to perfection, covered in nicely sautéed onions and well seasoned. I had ordered Pomme Frites, but it came out with Garlic Sweet Potatoes, which were very tasty. They were quickly replaced with the restaurants version of Pomme Frites, which while nothing like the French or Belgian versions, was very tasty and arguably one of the highlights of the dinner. Served with a sweet chile sauce, they were absolutely divine. On the weak side, was the yellow squash which was flaccid and without seasoning. Yet the broccoli which was served with it was terrific, not being overcooked and nicely bright green. Obviously, the kitchen needs some consistency.
A live band was playing in the lounge, and thankfully, they were not trying to overpower the conversations in the restaurant as so many others do. I consider this a plus.
The restroom could certainly use a bit of cleaning up, as the trash can was overflowing and the sink had dirty towels in it.
The restaurant is wheelchair accessible, and most of the staff is very friendly.
Keeping in mind that this is a fairly new place, at this time I would give them 3 stars with the possibility of moving to 4 stars in the future as they become more settled in the menu and service.
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