First review I've decided to write for a restaurant so far, but felt I had to after reading dozens of reviews prior to coming in, with certain expectations that were not met, and feeling that I wish someone had written what I'm going to write.
To start off, I'd like to come out and say we did not make it past a round of drinks here. This review is strictly related to the "experience", or in our case, lack there-of. We left after 30+ minutes, in large part due to the large gaps in time between the server coming back to check on us.
Our unfortunate experience was rather short, so I'll try to keep it to the point. It was the wife and I's 4 year anniversary. I made same-day reservations for a Friday night (9/5) at 7:15. We pulled up and used the valet out-front, which was nice. We walked in and were seated within a few minutes. So far, so good. We were seated at a 4-top in the middle of what I can only describe as a cattle yard. Everyone seemed so close together, with booths surrounding the room, apparently the only good seats in the house. The wife likes to sit next to me, so I thought I'd ask to switch. Upon getting up to request a booth, I was told they had already sat it... Oddly enough, said booth wasn't sat for another minute or two after I had returned to my seat. Not a big deal, as the experience I was hoping for could easily make up for it.
I returned to my seat in time to greet our server (40+ yo woman) who had only been there briefly. Rather than offering her name, all she said was "Cocktails?!". My wife said she was interested in a glass of wine, and asked for a possible suggestion. The server handed her an iPad to look through instead of, ya know, imparting knowledge that a seasoned server should do at a "fine dining" establishment. We told her we'd need a few minutes to look through the cocktail list, and upon her return she then asked us if we're interested in hearing the specials for the night. I wanted to cut off her butchered attempt at telling us the features, but didn't have the heart to do so.
Their beer/wine menu does not allow one to discern if the beer is draft or bottled. So, while I did not ask, I was not told how the beer I ordered would come, but at least my $7 bottled beer was delivered with a glass. My wife ordered a glass of wine, and at that point, I handed the server my card when she asked if we'd like to start with any appetizers. Clearly knowing something was wrong, she bleakly stated, "Oh, just the drinks? But it's your anniversary! I hope it's not something we did." and walked away.
The way she said it, she clearly could not care less and seemed glad for us to be leaving. I'm under 30, so maybe she assumed we were cheap. Both my wife and I have worked before in the restaurant industry for a combined 12+ years. We left a 50% tip to dismiss any conclusion on their part that we are "cheap."
While I am sure the food is great, as that's all the other reviews seem to cover, if you are looking for an intimate restaurant to visit with your significant other and are looking for a level of service that is on par with the price, then dine elsewhere. I personally am not willing to pay $50+ for a steak and $10 for a baked potato if the level of service I receive is that of a 2am visit to Denny's. I've only been in AZ a year, so perhaps the bar is much lower here for fine dining than it is in Seattle (El Gaucho, Palisades, Canlis, Daniel's Broiler, Salty's, etc).
Very discouraging visit for our first time. We won't be back.