I care a tremendous amount about food and the renewed Cleveland food scene. But, let me express how bummed I am. I've been thinking about going to Washington Place since I moved back to Cleveland over a year ago, and I've been genuinely excited about my ordering dinner for over a week. I'm going to provide a synopsis of my experience below.
I made a reservation for 2 - to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday - earlier in the week. I talked and debated while consulting with friends and family about what to order when we finally sat down to dinner on Friday.
So, we arrive at Washington Place Bistro and Inn right on time on Friday at 7:58. Upon exiting my car for the complimentary valet service, I asked the valet attendant how his night was before he could ask me. He replied, "Well, I'm here." I should have taken that negative comment as foreshadowing, but I brushed it off and continued to be excited about my food.
The ladies at the front desk appeared happy and genuinely eager to take us to our table. The table was situated on the glassed in front porch - which was chilly. With no background music at all, we were in a cold glass box forced to listen to a near screaming party of cliche "businessmen" discuss just how awful Obama supporters are and how democrats stole the election - not to mention the strategy of the defeated Republican Party for the next election.
I absorbed all of this while waiting for our waitress to arrive with water. I asked about which wine option she might recommend, and upon to receiving one, I said, "How about the Malbec, " to which she replied, "Yea, that's good." Not exactly a resounding review, but fine, nonetheless. At this point, nothing was going to get me down, even after a rude valet, old screaming republicans, and late-arriving waitress.
We ordered Oxtail Perogies - we had to, they've been raved about - the "Mack and Cheese" - also, raved about on national television, and salmon for a lighter dish.
The perogies were our starter - they were the first food disappointment of evening. Dried out around the edges and covered in fatty oxtail and watery horseradish sauce, we ate them and expressed slight dissatisfaction - perhaps we were just expecting too much.
Our main courses arrived next. We tasted the salmon first. We were told the salmon would be prepared medium rare, but instead we got something that was WELL, and I mean WELL DONE. Still, it's flavors were nuanced and tasty and it's crust was crunchy. The potato and fennel hash that accompanied it was amateur at best. Some of the hashbrown-style potatoes were literally COLD and RAW. At this point, I was in disbelief.
Next - and the real issue of the evening - was the Mack and Cheese. The dish was cold, as well. I thought maybe it was the temperature, but it seemed a bit chewy. As we continued to eat, the noodles seemed chewier and chewier. A few bites in, the waitress inquired about our meal. I told her that I had never, ever sent a dish back at a restaurant, but that this dish wasn't eatable. She took the dish back and the manager came out to apologize, but also explain that if they re-prepared the dish, it wouldn't be any different.
I told him that we were really looking forward to eating this and were sure the first version was just a fluke. We anxiously awaited the arrival of the re-do. The next dish had even more play-doughy noodles. We both couldn't even get the food down our throats. We're both Italian and have never meet a noodle we didn't like until now. The conversation we had was mostly trying to reassure ourselves that we weren't crazy- that is to say that our food was really this bad.
Our waitress took this plate away, too and explained it would be removed from our bill. I then ordered the glazed donut bread pudding, because I had heard so many good things about it. It arrived quickly, and we ate it. It was okay, disappointing to go along with the theme of the evening.
Here is the kicker: Our waitress brought me the check BEFORE we were done with our dessert. Is this Waffle House? Are you kidding? At this point I felt like the staff just wanted us to leave, so we devoured the last bit of our pudding and I opened the bill. To my surprise, the Mack and Cheese was still on the bill.
Our waitress approached us and asked if we were ready to pay. I explained the error. She replied "I assumed it was wrong by the way you looked at me." Again. Really!?!?
I'm one of the easiest customers a restaurant can ever get. I usually love whatever food I'm eating, I love talking to restaurant staff, I love celebrating a good meal, and I love to tell my friends about where to eat.
Everyone should have the opportunity to experience an awesome meal and feel good about spending their hard-earned money. This is not the place to do it.