"The hostess and two waitresses were busy clearing tables in a restaurant that probably had around 20 tables. I understand that many places are short-staffed these days, but this situation was unacceptable. Why change our reservation to an earlier time if they weren't prepared for us? We ordered cocktails and they didn’t arrive until 8:28. My drink was decent, though somewhat small, while my wife's pear pollywog cocktail was completely oversalted and unpalatable. My wife is diabetic and had taken her insulin beforehand, but after waiting so long for a drink, I let the waitress know about our frustration. She assured me that part of our order would be prioritized.
When the waitress passed by again, I inquired if there were any bread or crackers available for my wife to eat. She bluntly said no. The first two dishes finally arrived around 8:45. We had ordered devils on horseback, pork belly, onion soup, and sweet potato fritters. The stuffed figs were disappointing, lacking blue cheese flavor, and the bacon was overcooked with an unpleasant texture. While the pork belly was decent, it was far from the life-changing experience the waitress had claimed and was only about three ounces at best. The onion soup had good broth, but the bread (which I was told they didn’t have) was rock-hard and burnt. It was so tough that when I tossed it on the table, it bounced. The sweet potato fritters were overcooked and resembled deep-fried strings, making them completely inedible, even though I was very hungry.
I’m relieved we didn’t bring our kids; it would have been a nightmare. Our children have dined with us in various restaurants across the country, and we’ve always had better experiences. I’ve left reviews for other places we recently visited just to ease into writing this one. I might have been extra disappointed due to my high expectations, but I was genuinely excited to find a restaurant with a promising menu close to home. Unfortunately, the service, food, and overall management were lacking."
