Kelly S.
Yelp
We had a really mixed experience while here today, that turned sour as we were leaving and actually ruined the day.
Starting with the good: the restaurant is beautiful (though we were plagued by well fed fruit flies during our meal, which was gross). Unfortunately, the food ranged from mediocre to really great and is just unpredictable and expensive.
We went for lunch as a party of 3 on our way to Costco. My nearly 10 year old daughter (who stands on tippy toes to get on rides) and I are vegetarians. There's not a vegetarian item on the mains side and of the menu, unless you count the appetizers.
As we were ordering, I explained to our server that my daughter and I were vegetarians and would be sharing something. We ordered the mezze platter (good, but huge for two people--more than enough for an entire meal), and I said "my daughter wants to try your falafel." He nods and chimes in to say that the chef can make a vegetarian dish subbing cauliflower and (I think) falafel instead of meat. I couldn't understand half of what he said due to his own low tone of voice, the pronunciation of some of the words, and the volume of the music, but we are not really picky, so I said "Ooh, perfect."
Now, I take this on myself a bit. Who buys the special without asking for the price? I did not suspect my daughter and I would be presented with enough food for six people--or charged as such.
We also ordered a mango and an almond date drink. These cost us $20 but didn't come until after our food. They were delivered in tiny martini glasses with full size straws--gone in three sips. The almond date was lumpy and it was inexplicably warm. Between having to chew it, and the odd temperature, it was difficult to drink. My daughter loved the mango drink, which was like a tiny expensive lassi.
The mezze platter was huge. Hubby's flatbread was underseasoned. (He only ate one piece--no one asked why). And there's a plate of falafel. All of this is put down without comment. I said to my husband "I must've misunderstood him-- but this is already too much food so I'm glad."
Ten minutes later, we were done, with more than half the mezze platter, and leftover falafel, when the waiter suddenly delivers a rice dish to the table. I was surprised, and told him we were done at that point. He wordlessly put it down and walked away.
The bite I had of the dish was wonderful, don't get me wrong. I wished we had skipped everything else and just had that. Neither my daughter or I could eat much of it (see image).
At this point, we requested the check and some to go containers. They didn't have a proper package for the mezze. Unfortunately, all of the salads became a mixed jumble on the way home and have since gone in the garbage.
As he delivered the check, I said to the server "what has stopped me from coming in for dinner is the absence of a vegetarian main. You really should list it on the menu so vegetarians know!."
Instead of saying "thanks for the feedback, I'll pass it along" the waiter began to argue with me about the plentiful vegetarian options on the menu. Yes, I know there are a lot of appetizers--but as a grown adult, I don't consider eating an appetizer to be a stand-in for a meal when everyone else is having salad, proteins and sides. I tried to make it clear that it was just a recommendation. He was clearly frustrated and responded that they "have lots of vegetarians" who eat there. I just gave up at that point, and he left.
Now for the shock: check is $150. Hubbys part was $20. My nearly 10 year-old daughter and I were charged $125 for the "we are headed to Costco" lunch we received. II asked for clarification that I was told we had been charged the same price as a meat entree even though they'd substituted out the most expensive ingredient (halal meat) for a few pieces of cauliflower. Needless to say, the falafel was also not included in the $32 we were charged for this rice dish. That was an extra $11 on top of the $29 mezze and the ~6 fluid ounces of drinks at $20.
The waiter was already argumentative. I still paid. I still tipped 20%. But I was not expecting to spend $150 on a casual, alcohol-free lunch in downtown Somerville (it was this or Cava, haha!). I left feeling terrible about the whole experience.
