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| - The plus: I had a delicious dinner of pretzel-crusted chicken with a hash made of brussels sprouts and squash.
The diappointments: Seating and service. Seating: I was part of a group of 10 that was seated in the "snug," a little wooden cubby off the bar. The table would seat six appropriately, not 10, and the stools we sat on were low and uncomfortable. With ten people in there, the voices bounced off the sides and made for a loud and irritating space. What's more, every time someone needed to get out of the space to go to the bathroom, those at the table between them and the entrance to the snug needed to get up and step outside the space, then repeat when they returned. What a bad concept!
Service: The bartender, who served us through a window in one of the walls, seemed to rely on charm rather than knowledge or good service. I indicated that I was thinking about having the reisling with my dinner and asked if he thought that was a good pairing. His response was that it was good becuase red would be ordered with red meat. (If he thinks that's what makes a good wine pairing, he is really ignorant and should not work at a bar that serves only beer and wine!) It didn't matter, though, because I never got my wine. He spent at least five minutes telling us why separate checks might not be possible, then provided them anyhow. (Either you do or don't -- make up your mind. Personally, I understand why a server would not provide separate checks and I would not have even asked, but someone else in the group did.) His recommendations of items on the menu seemed entirely based upon telling us about the awards that the pub had gotten. I was not impressed.
In addition, being served through a window at the end of the table meant that all food and drinks needed to be passed down the table to those of us at the other end; the same with dirty dishes/glasses. Annoying.
I was SO glad to leave that noisy, crowded, and poorly served place. I felt like I was bursting into freedom as I left the restaurant. A good piece of chicken does not make up for the unplesantness.
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