"Every business has an off day, but how management handles that tells us all we need to know about the business and ultimately determines our opinion and experience. Sadly, Succulent’s management fell far short in dealing with not one, but two, servings of fish that was significantly undercooked. We ate at Succulent with another couple during a recent visit to Solvang. We were seated fairly promptly and our waitress was friendly and helpful. I ordered the halibut special. When it came it was lukewarm on the edges and cold and raw in the middle. The waitress immediately offered to put in another order, which I gladly accepted. Unfortunately, my dining companions were finished with their meals by the time my replacement fish was served. While somewhat more cooked than the first round, it was only lukewarm in the middle and still significantly undercooked. Our waitress was sweet and offered to order me something else from the menu, but my friends were already finished with their meals and I didn’t want to have them wait another half hour for my dinner to arrive. At that point, a gentleman who appeared to be management approached our table and said he’d heard there was a problem with the fish. I explained what had happened and he plunked down some sort of ice cream/liqueur concoction in a small cordial glass and offered it to somehow make up for my dinner. He then proceeded to tell me that the halibut special is one of their most popular menu items, and while he could understand perhaps one mishap, two undercooked meals was an anomaly. Translation…I didn’t know what I was talking about and the fish was perfectly fine. He asked if we were local, and when I explained we were visiting but staying in a guest house, he suggested I put my fish in a “doggie bag” and cook it more at our accommodation. DIY dinner??!!!! Bottom line…he was patronizing, thought some sort of ice cream/liqueur drink more than made up for my lack of dinner and also did not reduce or remove the charge for my inedible fish from our bill. In all fairness, my friends enjoyed their short ribs, but I left hungry and angry. I should also mention that my husband and I spent years in the food industry and know our way both around the kitchen and cooking fish. Management needs some lessons in customer service!"
