| rev:text
| - Tried Big Grove Tavern last night for the first time - two around fifty year-old couples.
- We wanted to sit outside, lovely evening, but BGT has very few tables outside. I guess they must not have bought Jim Gould's furniture because JG had a large area of outside dining. So they put two tables together for us but didn't have enough chairs so they brought one out from inside - it wasn't the correct height so made for awkward sitting.
- I read about the popcorn they bring out as free munchies. Last night's was rosemary - I was worried because that can be a really strong spice, but it was good, couldn't really taste the rosemary. It was funny though, BGT serves it in tiny pails which the waitress kept replacing over and over as there wasn't much in each tiny pail. Might as well go to bigger buckets and save yourself some effort?
- I would describe the menu as eclectic, pricey, and limited. For people with big budgets / high-end taste I guess it will work. But for middle-class Americans, like myself I don't know how people can afford it / go there very many times per year. Our bill for two entrees, one side, two iced teas, no dessert -appetizer - salad/soup - alcohol -- was close to $50 with tip. We were just wanting to have a decent dinner before a movie and not go to a chain restaurant.
- On the positive side, the food was very good. My husband had the free-range roasted chicken and I had the mac and cheese w/ an asparagus side. Very well made, very high quality. But (you knew there'd be a but?), my husband's chicken dish was described on the menu as: free-range roasted chicken w/ herb dumplings, asparagus, mushrooms, fingerling potatoes, & roast chicken jus. For $18 , there was ONE fingerling potato cut in half, ONE asparagus cut in half, and three dumplings. He was still hungry after he ate it. Since this restaurant does not offer bread (cornbread is available, for purchase of course), there was nothing else to fill up on. Had we ordered salads our bill would have approached $75 for a mid-week meal. My mac & cheese and asparagus were also very good, excellently prepared - asparagus grilled just right and sprinkled w/ I believe sea salt and pepper. But, I was trying not to spend too much - if I had ordered a salad and some cornbread my bill alone would have been close to $25. BGT and Bacaro and Carmon's Bistro , with all three you receive so little food for the price you pay -- I want to love them all because the quality of the food is sooooo good but we just can't afford it.
- The biggest faux pas of the evening though, which I was surprised to not see mentioned in the other reviews of BGT on this site, was "pitchin' for the kitchen". Has anyone else ever heard of this?? We have not..... and we eat out a lot here and in other cities. Not only was "pitchin' for the kitchen" mentioned at the bottom of the menu but our waitress had to point it out to us as well. What?!!! So awkward. One of our companion diners said it put a sour note on the dining experience for her. It came off as -- the restaurant doesn't pay its kitchen staff enough that they ask for tips? We are already paying the current 20% for wait staff tip and now kitchen staff is going to ask too? Un-freaking-believable.
I doubt we'll be back any time soon. Silvercreek is just as good and you can enjoy their homemade bread free. And also actually be full when you finish dinner......................
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