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| - We've tried both of Chef Ramsay's other restaurants here in town decided it was time to get the last one out of the way. We stopped in after work on Friday afternoon after work (about 4:00) and got good seats right near the kitchen where we could watch everyone working. We really wanted to like the place, but it just didn't live up to expectations.
Initial observations:
1. The wait time was short--only about 5 minutes from the time we got in line until we were seated.
2. It's a hundred and a bazillion degrees outside--why is the line right next to flaming "artwork?"
3. More tacky outfits for the hostesses and waitresses. We understand the premise, but they just aren't flattering; at least not on the women here.
4. Hostesses are carrying around the iPad paperweights just like at GR Pub & Grill. We thought we'd be looking at them to order our drinks, but after seating us, she took it with her.
It was only a few minutes after being seated that the waiter showed up and took our drink orders. I thought that this was also a bar where I could order a bear with my burger, but apparently not. No beer in sight on the menu--strange since they have beer glasses for sale at the front of the restaurant. Learned later that yes, the airhead that was our hostess was supposed to leave the iPad with us. Of course, our waiter (who never gave us his name) didn't even ask about alcoholic drinks or let us know that they were available.
We thought we'd order different burgers and split them between us so we could sample more than one while we were here. Brenda ordered the Hell's Kitchen burger (avocado, jalapeno, and roasted tomato) without the jalapeno, and I ordered the Farm Burger (duck bacon, fried egg, and French cheddar). We also ordered both the sweet potato fries and the truffle Parmesan fries. We had them bring the fries out first so we could snack on them while we waited for the burgers to arrive. The waiter left with our order and we never saw him again until it was time to pay the bill.
While we waited for our food we watched the drama in the kitchen. One of the food runners must have been having a bad day because every time we saw her in the kitchen area she was crying and the expediter was spending his time consoling her. Another of the employees working the pass was so short that she couldn't reach the food that the staff was putting under the heat lamps. We watched two orders of fries sit there for the 15 minutes it took to get us our food.
A food runner brought us our fries and we think she was explaining what the different dipping sauces were that came with each order. The Parmesan fries come with an aioli mayo and ketchup and the sweet potato fries come with some sort of jalapeno dip and a powdered vanilla sugar. The sweet potato fries were excellent--nice and crispy although Brenda thought the sugar made them just a bit too sweet. The truffle Parmesan fries had good flavor, but were limp and soggy without any hint of crispness; almost as if the oil they were cooked in wasn't hot enough. I enjoyed the sauces that came with both fries. Brenda really didn't care for either and thought they overpowered the sweet potato fries.
When our burgers arrived, we cut each and half to share. Both burgers were cooked as ordered--medium on the Hell's Kitchen burger and medium rare on the Farm. The Hell's kitchen burger was OK, but nothing to get excited about. The burger itself was seasoned well; however, it just lacked that wow factor. It could be that the jalapeno was supposed to add that, but unfortunately, not everyone can eat jalapenos. The Farm Burger was fantastic. As soon as we sliced into it, the egg yolk oozed down the sides. This is one burger you probably want to eat with a knife and fork. The duck bacon added a nice smoky flavor to it, although Brenda thought it was a bit heavy for her tastes.
All during dinner, one of the busboy/runners kept our drinks filled at all times. He was by our table when our waiter finally showed up to give us the check and noticed the card was from USAA and immediately struck up a conversation about the military. Semper Fi, Marine! You were the only bright spot out of the entire wait staff. When the waiter came back with the receipt and card, he made the mistake of handing it to me and ignoring Brenda (who was paying the bill). If we hadn't found out from the Marine that they pool tips here, this waiter would have gotten a big fat zero tip.
All in all it wasn't a bad experience--it just wasn't what we were expecting after eating in Ramsay's other restaurants. The food was ok, but for the price it should be a lot better than Red Robin. The service, with the exception of one person, pretty much sucked--not sure if the Culinary Union has their hooks in this place, but if they do, that could explain the service problems. Hopefully this will be like GR Pub & Grill and the second visit will be better than the first.
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