| rev:text
| - I judge restaurants on three key criteria: food, ambiance, and service.
In this case, while the other criteria are worth mentioning, I will start with the service, which was the most significant fail of the evening and thus the aspect I will recall most formidably upon making future dining decisions.
Immediately upon entering, the host asked if we had a reservation, which, as a moderately priced pizza joint in N. Scottsdale which issues LivingSocial deals, came across as pretentious and unnecessary. In any case, my date and I were promptly sat outside in the end of a large high-top table already filled with another party. This would have been okay, but the party was (admittedly so) loud and rather vulgar. They apologized repeatedly in recognition of their poor behavior, but it didn't change the fact. It would have been better if we were being taken care of well by our server, but they had a different staff member. They were eating, drinking, and being merry with a highly attentive member of the waitstaff, while we sat starving with empty water glasses for most of the night without any sort of attention at all (see details below).
After sitting for what seemed like an eternity without notice, our server finally arrived and asked if wanted water. We order still and sparkling, and said we may order drinks in a moment. Fifteen minutes later, we received the water, my date order a draft Nitro Milk Stout (note solid draft beer selections available). My server REPEATEDLY asked if I wanted wine. It came across as a ploy to up the tab, and I assured him that if I wanted wine I would say so (thank you SO much for your attention on the matter).
He left to fetch the beer, and returned again 15 minutes later without said beverage. He took our order, and we reminded him of the stout order. He finally brought it and AGAIN asked if I wanted a cocktail. I declined, again, and that was the end of him almost for the rest of the entire night.
Mussels took about 20 minutes, salad showed up 20 minutes following that, and FINALLY the pizza 30 minutes after the salad. The food was solid, but we're talking about service so I'll get back to that. At this point, the server was simply MIA. Bussers, other servers, and the food expediter did provide us with moderate service (water, red pepper, etc.), but only when flagged down and asked explicitly for assistance.
With that said, a note on food:
1. Mussels: Solidly cooked in a white wine lemony broth. Good texture, but nothing out of the ordinary.
2. Beet salad: Totally delicious, with an excellent balance of three different kinds of beets and a lovely heirloom tomato salad offset by fresh, peppery arugula, a sprinkle of barely caramelized walnuts, and goat chess. It was a subtle sweetness that really highlighted the beets and tomato without overpowering them.
3. Autumn Pizza: So good. The crust was just perfect with a charred crispness on the outside with a light doughy-ness on the inside. Blue cheese was certainly noticeable but well balanced with the roasted veggies and balsamic reduction.
This would be an entirely different review if the service/ambiance matched the quality of the food.
The food was gone, and the server returned to ask how everything was and to drop the check. I had a living social deal, but was informed it was only good from Sun-Thurs. It did not clearly say that on the voucher, but I trust it's in the fine print. That is SUCH a scam, and only infuriated me more after the complete lack of service. The server informed us that "See, we're busy on the weekends so we don't need that. It's slower during the week so we're trying to get people in here."
Well, if they are SO busy during the weekends, they clearly do not need our business. The mussels/salad/beer/sparkling water/pizza was $51, so not so cheap I can overlook the total service fail. They acted as though didn't need our business, and certainly didn't want it. Thus, while I will return to use my LivingSocial during the week, I will return their attitude towards me and not ever return for a third time.
For a failing shopping area hidden behind Desert Ridge (CityNorth, which my date characterized as the post-Apocalyptic urban cityscape), you'd think they'd go over and above. I'll stick to the Mill location, which beats this place on every account.
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