Traveling C.
Google
🍽️ A Night of Missed Marks and Unsold Promises
My recent dinner at this perpetually booked establishment, despite its considerable hype, proved to be an exercise in unfulfilled potential and culinary missteps. The bill, a steep $135 before cocktails, left a bitter taste matched only by some of the dishes themselves. One truly wonders how such a performance secures a full dining room night after night.
Service: A Side of Salesmanship
Our server, Mr. Jimmy, was undeniably pleasant, yet his attentiveness was overshadowed by a disconcerting, almost theatrical "used car salesman" charm. The service, while well-intentioned, felt less like fine dining guidance and more like a high-pressure sales pitch—a dynamic that detracted significantly from the evening’s flow.
The Appetizer and Main Course Woes
The kitchen’s execution was, frankly, jarringly inconsistent. The beef tartare, a classic test of technical skill, was served not as the expected finely minced preparation, but rather as coarsely chopped up meat, fundamentally altering the intended texture and elegance of the dish.
The main courses offered no redemption:
• Pork Belly: This dish suffered from a heavy-handed application, tasting overwhelmingly as though it had been submerged in barbecue sauce before being hastily "toasted" to a questionable finish—lacking the crispness and rich, unadulterated flavor expected of perfectly rendered pork belly.
• Pork Chop: While certainly generous in size, the chop arrived noticeably dry, an unfortunate oversight that stripped the cut of its inherent succulence. The accompanying vegetables—plainly frozen green beans—were a truly unforgivable shortcut for a restaurant operating at this price point and purported caliber.
The Bar's Blunder
Finally, even the libations failed to impress. The cocktails were clearly in need of significant refinement, further suggesting a lack of attention to detail that permeates the entire operation, from the bar to the back of the house.
In summary, this dining experience was a collection of culinary compromises and service theatrics that simply do not justify the hefty price tag. The reservation ledger may be full, but the promise of a memorable meal remains stubbornly empty.