Jean G.
Yelp
My partner was contemplating returning to Ritcey East, and we found ourselves weighing the two experiences that we had recently. Our first visit was so great. Wonderful service, with a very charming, gracious waiter, who went out of his way to accommodate our wishes. The chef/owner even came out and asked if we would like our order split onto two plates, because we were sharing one entree. That was so thoughtful, and not something that all restaurants/chefs want to bother with. The food was so good, and we decided to indulge in a dessert, which was amazing.
Our second visit turned out to be very distressing. We had wanted to share a meal with two close friends, who had never been to Ritcey East. It was a Friday night, and besides being typically busy, there was a tournament at a field nearby, and they were apparently overwhelmed with the onslaught of guests. We agreed to the 30 minute wait, which was no ones fault, but then once we ordered, we ended up waiting another 30 minutes for our food. Our waiter was rushed, and had little to smile about. Another server that tended to us was cheerful, and sorry for the long wait. The food was very good, but at that point, we were very hungry, and would have eaten anything. The funny thing was, the last item to be served was a salad, which came out at least 10 minutes later.
The disappointing aspect of this visit, was that it did not occur to either server to offer some sort of compensation for the extremely long wait. It would have gone a long way in helping us feel better about the whole experience. We doubt our friends will ever want to return, and we our still trying to decide if we want to. Too bad...we love the vibe and politics of this unique restaurant, and very much wanted to support it.