As locals we have dined here many times. Tonight wasn't up to the standards we have come to expect from Cowboy Ciao. It's been about 4 months since we've been in and it was pretty disappointing. We didn't have a reservation so we gladly sat at the bar. We ordered drinks which were fine. I will say the cocktail list needs work and there are better Prosecco splits on the market. We then ordered the Buffalo Carpaccio to start and our entrees at the same time just to keep things moving. Needless to say our entrees took forever. Well over 40 minutes. My boyfriend had the Swordfish and I had the New York Strip. We typically pick two things and share. The fish was good but not great and my steak was extremely tough and had 3 significant strands of sinue throughout making it difficult to enjoy. When asked how everything was we let her know that the flavor was good but it was incredibly tough. There was a lot of fat cap and tough steak left on the plate. Not a good meal at $39.00. Even worse is no manager presence at all!
During our meal guests who sat next to us in open chairs were chastised by the bartender for sitting there because apparently the other adjacent guests were saving seats for friends. This went back and forth several minutes until the couple finally asked for the check to leave. The manager came over at this time and the couple was told "no charge, have a good night" as if dismissing them from the restaurant. Mind you, we heard the couple apparently saving the seats tell these guests to go ahead and sit because their friends were late. This whole interaction wasn't necessary.
Once our plates were cleared we asked for the check. This took another 15 minutes to get. Once our cards were run we noticed we didn't have my boyfriends cc slips so we had to flag her down again. Once all transactions were complete the apologies started.
I can appreciate having a bad night or allowing a guest to fluster you. What I can't appreciate is charging prime prices for beef of this quality and then doing nothing about it. I don't expect a comped entree but what I do expect is a manager to stop by with concern and a sincere apology. A gesture of dessert or coffee would have been a nice attempt at recovery.
We have loved Cowboy Ciao for many years and hope you can recapture the service spirit that once lived here.