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| - So, as a former Eat'n Park employee, it was my obligation to go to the restaurant on their opening week. I'm writing my review late, so I imagine some things have changed, but seeing that I probably won't be back for a while, I wanted to put my 2 cents in.
The layout and atmosphere was beautiful and unique. It's a real shame they opened in the late fall, because The Porch is definitely a place built for the warmer months. It has a lot of large garage-type doors meant to blend the outdoor area with the diners. While it was still gorgeous on the inside, even in the cold, there was clearly something missing when you looked around and noticed that the nuts and bolts will compliment a Summer breeze better than snow.
The food was pretty decent. We ordered 2 appetizers, which were wonderful. My meal, the roasted pig sandwich, was good, but a little salty and bland. I'm not knocking them here by the way, because I do understand that it takes time for a restaurant to figure out the flavors and it doesn't always happen within the first week. It isn't until a lot of patrons are able to offer feedback that they begin to refine their dishes.
The price is where it gets a little bit tipsy for me. Our meal was $80, which isn't terrible, but it comes off a little more casual than the receipt. But I'm not dumb either, we did get 2 beers each, 2 appetizers and a meal each. The money was well spent, but it was difficult for me to understand exactly what type of restaurant they wanted to be. Classy? Casual? Either way ... go try them out! They are a welcomed addition to the Oakland area.
Before I close this ... one pitfall did hit me. My friend ordered a pizza and it came on a huge cookie sheet / pan. While this aesthetically was kinda cute, it took up a ton of space and downgraded the experience slightly. It goes back to my statement about what they were trying to be. Who wants to eat slightly pricey pizza on a pan that takes up most of their table space? Just a thought!
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