Brian C.
Yelp
My wife and I came to this restaurant with a friend of hers and her family, based on a lot of positive reviews. Unfortunately, the kitchen let my wife and me down (our polite friends deflected on their opinions). Our server was attentive and entertaining, but she could have been more knowledgeable about food and been more persuasive with the chef (both to be discussed later).
First, the Caprese Salad and smoked salmon appetizers were gobbled up by our friends. The empanadas and paté that my wife and I shared were delicious, too. We thought the kitchen should have supplied more bread and mustard to accompany the large hunk of paté and generous pile of marmalade.
Second, when I asked what piece of chicken would be served with the jerked chicken plate, the serve said it would be a bone-in breast. It turned out to be a thigh, much less meat than a breast. Had I known that my entree was merely a thigh, I would have ordered something different. Also, the skin wasn't crispy, which wasn't so bad. But what happened to the jerk seasoning? I didn't taste habañero, allspice, nutmeg, onion, garlic, rosemary, paprika, ginger, rum (for a wet jerk), or any other distinctly Caribbean element. I've prepped jerk chicken and seafood for years at home and eaten it in the Bahamas and Virgin Islands. GG's chicken doesn't pass for jerk. I think the tablespoon of sauce on it was supposed to be mango-based, but it was difficult to tell. The saffron pilaf was cold and the sautéed kale (?) was crisp-fried but fairly tasteless.
My wife had the Mediterranean Meatballs with harissa, served over polenta. The meatballs, which were richly seasoned like falafel, were overcooked and very dry (like falafel). There was very little sauce to counter the seasonings and moisten the beef.
The owner or manager needs to train servers about the food and service. When I told the server, as she bussed our table, that she was incorrect about the chicken and the pilaf was cold, she said, "Well, the kitchen has a lot of chicken pieces back there." What? No acknowledgment of her mistake, along with a non-sensical explanation. Also, the owner needs to explain to waitstaff that chorizo is pronounced CHorizo, not Korizo, when describing the dish (maybe that should have tipped me off while ordering).
Finally, before we ordered, the server and were chatting it up about how we were all looking forward to the eclipse, I was from out of town, and it was my birthday. When it was time to order dessert, I asked for the raspberry truffle chocolate cake. She said it was the one dessert that she couldn't offer to me for free (I never asked for a freebie or expected it, but I've never heard that excuse before). I still ordered and enjoyed it, but the transaction came off as inconsistent with the rapport.
Based on all the positive reviews from others, this place may be shining on other nights. But on this Sunday night before the eclipse, it was in the dark.