Daniel M.
Yelp
I booked an 8pm dinner on sunday, which happened to be easter. They informed me it would be a $78 prix fixe menu, which is fine.
We arrived and were handed the menus. As usual we could pick an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert.
Except ... it was a brunch menu and they were sold out of several of the dishes, without adequate substitution offers.
Of the 5 mains, 3 were full-on breakfast dishes (pancakes, eggs benedict, avocado toast). There was a salmon dish that was sold out but they could prepare it with sea bass instead. And there was a lamb rib dish for $10 extra. Shortly after we sat down i heard them telling the next couple that came in that the ribs were sold out as well.
I don't eat lamb and did not come to this joint to pay $80 to eat pancakes at 8pm so my option was basically: "not-salmon salmon."
Having worked at restaurants in the past, I'm actively endeavoring to be as understanding as possible. So i explained my predicament to the server, noting it's late for most of the brunchier options and asking if she might be so kind as to check if any of the many options on the regular menu might be available. Anything!, i said, even something simple like a burger, pizza, or salad.
She just said "sorry, no."
I asked, "Would you mind terribly asking the kitchen if there's anything at all they could make as an exception in this situation?"
She went to check and later came back to say "they can do a burger but only a very simple one, just really a burger with cheese on a bun with french fries." How appetizing.
Whatever, i got what i wanted. Great!
Except the food was garbage. Seriously i'm super easy to please and could not finish eating this burger. I had a third of it and they did not bat an eye when they took this full dish away later. My appetizer was fine, a burrata with toast. Hard to screw up.
My friend's white asparagus was overdone. She had the pork chops (which were underdone).
For dessert, we had a forgettable molten chocolate cake and a almond cake that was actually quite nice despite being paired with an odd tropical fruit sorbet.
We saw some people who arrived after us walking out after getting the menu spiel. Wise of them.
Everything was also incredibly slow despite the fact there were maybe 4-5 other tables there at most.
For the record, none of this is any of the servers' fault. They were all trying but unprepared by poor management to explain the deranged decision to serve $40 egg dishes in the dead of night. Still, an unmitigated disaster of a dinner.
Also the decor is heinous: acid green banquet seating and bizarre arts-and-crafty exposed-wiring wall sconces... unsubscribe. I swear a lightbulb was flickering gently like in an Eli Roth film.