"Right from the start, the customer service was disappointing. Upon entering, there was no hostess at the front, and three other groups were already waiting to be seated. We stood there for a considerable amount of time until a hostess finally arrived. To make matters worse, a server hurried over, waving his arms and instructing people to move out of the doorway, claiming it was letting out the air conditioning.
Once we were finally seated, it took ages for our server to approach us. When he finally did, we placed our orders and received our salads fairly quickly. However, our entrees took an excruciatingly long time to arrive. We waited, and waited, and waited—timing it at 40 minutes before we saw our server again. Although he did appear, he seemed more focused on the larger parties, likely chasing after bigger tips, ignoring our attempts to get his attention.
With our water glasses empty and thirst setting in, we managed to flag down a different server, who kindly sent someone to refill our drinks. In the meantime, tables seated after us were already enjoying their meals while we sat there, still waiting. Frustrated, I decided to walk toward the kitchen to check on our food. Our server emerged, gruffly stating, "I know, I'm still waiting on your food," at which point I returned to my seat and waited some more.
After a staggering 50 minutes, our food finally arrived—no apology, no explanation for the wait, and not even an offer of a discount or a complimentary beverage. Just a simple, "Here you go." Having worked in the restaurant industry myself, I know that this is not the level of professionalism one should expect.
As for the food, it too was a letdown. While the portion sizes were large—likely appreciated by the older clientele that predominantly occupied the restaurant—size does not equate to quality. I ordered the Salmon Piccata, which was drowning in a heavy red sauce overcooked with an abundance of spinach, far from the light lemon butter wine sauce it was supposed to feature. We also ordered the Linguini Frutta di Mare, but the seafood tasted anything but fresh.
The only redeemable aspects of our experience were the attentive bussers who promptly cleared our plates and brought us extra bread, as well as the talented singer providing entertainment. Unfortunately, those positives are insufficient to make me recommend this restaurant, and we will definitely not be returning."
Grilled Chicken Paillard
