Janelle C.
Yelp
I don't usually write reviews, but I was truly disappointed that we chose this location to celebrate my 40th birthday. I've always enjoyed the other SD locations, so I felt confident this would be a great choice.
We were a party of 12 with a reservation made back in September for 6:00 PM. We checked in about 10 minutes early and were initially told our table was ready. However, as I was gathering everyone to be seated, the hostess apologized and said she couldn't seat us until after 6:10 PM. She asked if we were celebrating anything, and I mentioned it was my 40th birthday and was told she would notify our server.
It took quite a while for our server to introduce himself and take our drink orders. When we ordered a bottle of house red wine, he brought out white instead and seemed annoyed when we pointed out the mistake. After all drinks were finally delivered, we were ready to order food, but more than 20 minutes passed with no sign of our server. My husband eventually had to get up and find him to let him know we were still waiting. While walking back to our table, he stopped to assist another table that had been seated after us, which was frustrating to watch.
Once our orders were finally taken, we ordered two calamari appetizers, especially since most of our party were first-time visitors from out of state and we had been raving about how good it is. Instead, two orders of artichokes were delivered, which we never ordered, and our calamari never arrived. Our entrées eventually came out, but during the entire meal, our server checked on us only once.
After finishing dinner, we requested boxes and were simply waiting for the check. We assumed there might be a birthday dessert coming, but after another 20+ minutes of waiting, my husband had to flag down the server again just so we could pay and leave. While we understand the restaurant was busy, no customer should feel that ignored for such long stretches of time. It was especially disappointing that a 20% gratuity was automatically added, given the level of service we received.
Unfortunately, the service truly put a damper on what was supposed to be a special celebration. As we were leaving, I noticed a "Happy Birthday" panna cotta sitting on the counter that was never delivered.
Additionally, the women's restroom was in poor condition -- toilet paper all over the floor and no paper towels available to dry hands. My mom had to inform an employee to have it refilled.
Overall, this experience fell far short of the standard I've come to expect from SD, and it was disappointing to have such an important milestone overshadowed by poor service and lack of attention.