Teresa Lewis W.
Google
I loved it on Monday night & returned for an encore two days later in the middle of “Happy Hour”. The sign inside the entrance stated, “Please Seat Yourself”, so when I saw that the red velvet birdcage chairs I’d so admired Monday evening were empty, I sat down in one—only to be told quite loudly by a bartender that this “area” was reserved for larger parties & that I might be asked to move.
It was mortifying; I said that depending on how fast they served me, I might be spending all of 20 minutes here. (Of course, I had hoped to linger & soak up the atmosphere…)
The bartender told me my server would be Ava, & he left…I was thinking of just getting up & leaving; “customer service” is definitely a mystery to many Montana businesses, & this was no exception. It pretty much annihilated the gorgeous ambience of this establishment, which my late husband would have loved as much as I did (initially).
Ava brought a sample of the current “house punch”, a tasty concoction fit for Christmas, with brandy, eggnog, coffee liqueur, etc. So good I ordered it along with a Shrimp Cocktail, which was excellent.
When I asked about the Pretzel Bites, she described them as “chewy on the inside, with a tough exterior”, which again nearly took me aback—but I ordered them anyway because of the Beer Cheese Dip. The Beer Cheese Dip was not anything like any Beer Cheese Dip (or a chef-created Beer Cheese Pasta Sauce that I recall from.a restaurant long ago in Estes Park) I’ve ever had—it didn’t have the Beer Cheese flavor or “tang”; it tasted like plain ol’ ordinary cheddar!
The Pretzel Bites themselves were great, & the whole grain mustard was perfect.
The other odd thing about their service is that when they bring a beautiful cut glass tumbler of water, it’s tepid, with no ice. It seems out-of-place to serve a glass of water at room
temperature.
I asked Ava about the “priority seating” thing, & she said that it was company policy, & I calmly said that until it was an issue (me being asked to move, discreetly, if a “large party” appeared), that no one should say anything to me unless the probability became an actuality.
Predictably, the bartender came over a few minutes later & apologized, which was nice of him. He was sincere, but how does one rewind that loud & mortifying moment when I felt chastised for seating myself as their entry sign instructed?!
The ambience is great, & clearly, “customer service” training here needs an upgrade. I’m going to “pause & reflect” upon my two visits before recommending my friends check out this cross between a Victorian library & a bordello of a bar.
