I can almost blame my gf for going here. ;) When I said "I think I'm going back to Todd English's place" she said "um, again!?"
Whilst walking toward it I saw this gleaming beautiful restaurant at Aria, looked at the menu and decided to try it. I should have checked yelp first, though.
The waitstaff was very nice and the service was prompt. So I guess the design, decor and waitstaff are about the best things about this place. I mean ... I know Serrano's reputation ... so ... what the hell.
The "marinated" olives were ... what ... marinated in friggin' olive oil? I think anyone could do that. They were bland. The chicken croquetas were ... equally bland. I started to wonder if the chefs were opposed to using any seasoning. Then the albondigas came out and ... well ... equally as bland.
About three quarters of the way through one of the waitstaff asked if everything was good and I asked if the chef had salt or pepper in the pantry. With one bite left -- yes, I ate everything as it was my first meal of the day -- they begrudgingly brought salt and pepper to my table.
The server told the manager what I'd said and he came over and in essence said "Everyone loves this place; there's no way it could be bland." Since I had my macbook pro open -- as I was editing photos from an assignment -- I showed him his yelp rating and the fact at least half of the people felt the same way I did. He still stuck to his guns.
I was like, "Cool, bro, I'm not the only one who feels this way."
Unless this chef gets chewed out by Serrano and is told/taught how to season food I wouldn't be charmed into this place by decor alone.
Not only ... I'm totally checking yelp next time before venturing in somewhere shiny and pretty.
This place is a total pass for me.
Perhaps they should put salt and pepper on the tables?