Alan G.
Yelp
Recently, my wife and I had dinner at a new restaurant - Shadow 66 - located in Ghent, NY. We have only written positive reviews previously, but, we had a negative experience to convey. We are NOT recommending to avoid this restaurant. Instead, we (as former restaurant professionals) are making a point that our situation could have been handled more professionally which we hope is taken to heart by the owners.
We each began our meal with an appetizer (mussels and crab) - both of which were very tasty. For the main course, my wife ordered salmon and I ordered a steak. When we placed our respective orders, we asked the waiter if each of these dishes could be made rare. He assured us with an "of course."
When our meals arrived, my steak was medium rare to medium. I decided to eat it as is. My wife's salmon was decidedly overcooked. We politely told the waiter that we wanted to replace it with a rare piece. He said that he told us that the salmon could not be cooked to order. That was untrue: he clearly stated that it could be rare. My wife did not want to order anything else so she did not eat a main course.
The chef's wife (both owners of the restaurant) then came over and berated us for complaining. She said that, in their 30 years in business, they have never received ANY negative feedback which is not believable. She also said they work hard for their money and do not deserve this kind of "treatment." We replied that we also work hard and deserve our food to be prepared as promised. She walked away in a huff.
My wife and I have never encountered anything like this in our 40+ years of dining out. Being an owner does not excuse this inappropriate behavior; rather, it compounds it..
