Ashley P.
Yelp
I'm not sure if Rebelle is going out of business, but based on the desperation we were served I wouldn't be surprised. My husband & I took my mother-in-law to Rebelle for her 69th birthday last week. We booked through OpenTable and on the form it asked whether this was a special occasion. I believe that's where we went wrong, because we we said it was her birthday and when we arrived confirmed that with the host.
The restaurant and the hotel are very beautiful. We were given a large table in view of the room which was lovely. Then we met our waitress.
From the start of meeting, things began to get tense. The waitress constantly upsold us. When we ordered the scallops as our main entree she insisted we would want to up the amount of scallops to five or add on more seafood because "you won't want to share". Even though the dish was an entree, she made us feel like it wouldn't be enough food. Even though we had already ordered appetizers.
Per her recommendation, we ordered crab legs with our meals. So that's three scallop entrees + crab legs with each. When the crab legs came, I knew we were in trouble. It was a full plate of crab legs per person. As in: another full meal, not a side.
Here's what we ordered:
-1 dozen oysters (Happy Hour)
-Ceviche (Happy Hour)
-Deviled Eggs (Happy Hour)
All were delicious, especially the oysters.
For our mains we ordered (for four adults and a four year old):
-3 Seared Diver Scallops - Asparagus Risotto, Lemongrass, Dashi, Japanese Mushrooms
-Blackened Gulf Coast Redfish - Jalapeno-Crab Maque Choux, Red Pepper Cream Sauce
-St. Anthony Spinach Pudding
-White Truffle Cream Cavatappi Pasta with Smoked Gouda, Parmesan Breadcrumb
During this time we also had a round of drinks and ordered a nice bottle of white wine. We were not completely flummoxed by the prices, we intended this to be a special night out.
When the crab legs arrived however, things definitely took a turn because we all knew this had to be a very costly plate and we were already feeling full. We've eaten at many fine dining restaurants and normally staff advises how much a person should order. Odd Duck in Austin, for example, is a tapas restaurant and a place where one could easily overeat. Their staff, however, never does a hard sell, they advise based on appetite. I presume they advise correctly so that people will want to come back.
Our waitress at Rebelle was only interested in skinning the sheep. I don't know in what world she would think we would return.
After she half heartedly tried to upsell us on dessert, coffee, or an after dinner drink, then she brought a free dessert for my MIL.
The bill was one of the highest I've seen and let me tell you: the crab legs aren't $60 good. Best thing on the menu? The St. Anthony Spinach Pudding, which has apparently been an original recipe of the hotel since it's founding. The Caesar salad was also extraordinary.
It's unfortunate how things ended because it made my MIL uncomfortable and the table upset. Overall our food was good and the location was lovely. We left feeling like we'd been taken advantage of, and that's never a good feeling. We hope Rebelle will take note and give their staff more training.