Tom M.
Yelp
After learning that the restaurant was made popular by Guy Fieri from the Food Network, I had to give it a try! I specifically ordered the Boot Dumplings which was supposed to have shrimp, beef, pork belly, etc. and it sounded like a great combination especially with the drizzled sauces in the presentation. As you can tell by the photo, I don't see much inside besides mushy beef. Such a disappointment and not very tasty - just like a wonton that was leftover from a chinese restaurant!
The deviled eggs looked nice but were equally bland. Most of the times, I have found that restaurants will either add other ingredients, like bacon, or some type of sauce to give it a slight kick. Unfortunately, I found these to be a complete waste of money and tasteless (as well as a little soggy) although the presentation looked professional.
The brisket was certainly a highlight and very good, although the portion was small considering it was the dinner entree. To give the impression it was a good portion, they did load me up on cole slaw. However, that has to be the most poorly tasting, almost watered down, version of any cole slaw i have ever eaten. The brisket is the only reason the restaurant gets a star. Oh wait, that's the lowest score any review can get!?!
The biggest disappointment is the inconsistency and overall atmosphere. After I arrived around 4 to beat the potential dinner rush, I waited at the front but no one was around, not even the bartender. There was a table occupied in the dining room who were wrapping up, a couple at the bar, and someone who was sitting at the high top. I waited for 10 minutes and after a few stares from the bar patrons decided to walk around looking for someone to seat me. Not only did i walk around the entire dining area and the back office which was empty, I ended up going to the back of the restaurant in the cooking area and was met by apparently the hostess who was talking to one of the cooks. I told her that I had been looking for someone and she said someone should've greeted me. As it turned out, one of the individuals up front (the one at the high top) was too busy eating or taking a break to say anything turned out to work there as the bartender. I had to walk past him to get to the back of the restaurant and he never once said anything. The hostess eventually comes back up to the front and tries to seat me at the bar before I ask to get a table. She claims that she has to check since they have reservations. At this point, there is NO ONE left in the restaurant and unlikely anyone will be showing up any time soon! She looks at her screen and decides to put me at a high top. The bartender who's finished with his meal now will be my server. He turns out to be attentive and friendly but the hostess is now leaving with someone who just came in and is likely drunk or high as she regularly uses profanity LOUDLY and feels compelled to hug the bartender, complements another waitress' body, and suggests that she wants to work there. The bartender tells me after they leave that she must be on drugs.
At some point, the manager comes out because the obnoxious friend of the hostess yells, "there's the boss man!" He either didn't hear it or decides to ignore her and goes behind the bar to count the money in the register drawer. He seems oblivious to everything that's happening and doesn't seem to care that the register and back office was left open unattended. This also doesn't make me feel comfortable about their food safety protocols.
So, I would not recommend going to this restaurant with all the dinner options across the area. There are much better experiences, particularly for bbq!