Brooke F.
Yelp
I don't expect much from a night out, but when I walk into a place like Cala, a restaurant that's supposed to be more than just white tablecloths and a well-curated menu, I expect competence, especially when it's my best friend's birthday. The reservation was for six people at 7:00 pm, so I'm there ten minutes early, cake in hand. I've already called ahead--cake's cleared, everything's fine. I walk in, drop the cake off, and they sit me at a table for three. Apparently, the reservation is at 7:30, or so they say. Something's off, but fine. I work in restaurants; I get it. Things go sideways sometimes.
Then my friend shows up, and we realize it's not even our table. Okay, no harm done, just a bit of confusion. I talk to the hostess, make sure the cake's going to land on the right table when the time comes. "No problem," she says. Famous last words.
We order drinks. Two are wrong--twice. The third time, maybe out of sheer exhaustion or the grace of the cocktail gods, they finally get it right. But not before we've waited 20 minutes. One of my friends asks for Malbec. Simple request. She has to remind the waitress three times before it finally shows up. How hard is it to pour a glass of wine?
Now, it's cake time. I give the signal for the surprise. This is the moment. Waitress nods, disappears. And then, out comes some random cake from the dessert menu. Not the one I brought, not the one that's been sitting in the back for over an hour, waiting to surprise my friend. This, this right here, is the kind of mistake that makes you want to tear your hair out.
I pull the waitress aside and point it out. Her response? "But this cake is no-charge." Great. Free cake. Except it's not the cake I brought. Not the cake I specifically organized with the hostess. So I ask again, and after she asks me to describe the cake I brought in, she finally manages to bring out the right one.
By the time the bill arrives, I see they've charged me for the cake we didn't even want. She refunds the $18, sure, and throws in a comp for the first two drinks they botched earlier. Gratuity's already built in because there are six of us, but if I had my way, that tip wouldn't be anywhere near the bill.
Cala, you were supposed to be better. You've got the bones of a great restaurant, but this night? A disaster. I won't be back.