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| - We went to Down Under Wines and Bistro with anticipation for wine tasting and some good food!. I was new to Down Under and anxious to see what the fuss was all about.
It was a busy, bustling fun-looking wine restaurant with the Aussie flare I anticipated. Yet I was not prepared for the lack of service, lack of attentiveness, confused staff and negligence. I will say the wines were tasty and well worth drinking..( yet they did not make the wines so I give them little credit for this ).
We ordered our two allotted appetizers. The pot-stickers encouraged us as they were very tasty with just a touch of spice and tangy sauce. Not a fewd gasm moment, but worth tasting again.
Loving bruschetta we decided to brave the combo of four : Wild Mushroom/ goat cheese with hint of citrus. This was unattractive, bland soggy mushrooms with some slimy white substance that didn't resemble any goat cheese I know of. Artichoke hearts with Lemon / parmesan cheese. Canned artichokes, hint of teeny lemon, and again unrecognizable bland white sauce
Smoked Salmon ( smoke was non- existent) , mascarpone( decent not remarkable) . The salmon was said to have the chef's special sauce. It was so special we couldn't find it nor taste it.
Loving fig with Prosciutto and Brie., I thought surely this one is going to rock! The fig was a cheaters version that tasted like a sad fig jam. We had barely a tiny piece of prosciutto The cheese they called Brie - I've no idea what it was --and it was ,,, again , runny and bland.
This was disappointing along with the fact I filled mine and my companion's water glass all night. There was a mixed drink shaker edging its way toward us with a white liquid oozing out that we had to point out ( several servers went past it all evening). It was not appetizing nor acceptable. Our bartender would laugh these comments off. The water pitchers were filled right in front of us and yet not one server noticed our glasses.
We had been rather hungry but after very poor service and disappointingly bland food we decided our leftover lamb shoulders at home surely would be better than what this attractive , initially intriguing bistro had to offer.
We knew the service would be better .
I think it has potential and flare. Service can make or break a dining experience. Perhaps they need more servers or more training....
In the end, the bartender tried to make up a bit by offering a taste of a big red that was from Lodi winery resembling a lovely Truchard.
It was pleasant but sadly did not leave us with a desire to return.
Giving one star was being generous.
We were almost served the wrong thing several times. The staff seemed very confused. They were attentive to their regulars .
Customer service means you treat a person so they cant wait to come back.
There are many more tasty, intriguing restaurants of the valley I would rather feed my hunger and my soul.
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