Carl F.
Yelp
Stuffy, snobby... this place is definitely nicht für mich.
I felt like Ace Ventura in the mansion party scene with the Monopoly guy. It was basically a less tongue-in-cheek version of THIS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj1wcs7SZj0 ... but with exponentially more old-timey aged Monopoly guys.
I think this place is meant more for the geriatric opera crowd or the grandmas and grandpas touring the city center, because our group of 4 was the youngest by about 100 years (swear.to.god... I saw the crypt keeper here).
But after looking at the menu it kind of makes sense. It was all that crazy carb-heavy, brown, beige, white gravy heavy foods that my grandma loves... because , well, she's old and her taste-buds are probably dead already. I, on the other hand, am clinging to youth for dear life and can't afford to eat that way in my condition (which isn't so much a condition as it is more of my not being able to afford a new wardrobe of pantalones if I get any fatter).
I was turned off as soon as we walked in here when went to head into the dining room and a bitter elderly woman with a yappy little purebred dog (allowed inside the main restaurant dining room) stood up and knowingly pushed her chair into our pathway. Then proceeded to call one of the male servers over with her fur coat and ordered him to put it on her... while the four in my group all waited, huddles and backed into a corner. Her entire old biddy group looked on while even her little dog had more room (and respect than us).
When we finally broke through, we were sat at an enormous square table that could have easily fit 12 people, only they took away the other chairs so we all had seats at the far opposite sides of the table, unable to even communicate with each other. What a great meal this should be, right? We asked to sit at one of 60 other open tables that were smaller in the dining room, but were told those were saved. ALL OF THEM. Really? Whatever. Fine.
We perused the menu and I not only couldn't find a single thing on the menu that I felt shouldn't come with a side of Lipitor, but we couldn't order even if we'd wanted to. We sat and sat and sat and sat. No drinks, not even water, no bread, no nothing. We tried to flag down servers who continued to tend to the other tables and even go and start new tables who had just walked in and been sat (in the tables that we were told we saved). Some of the servers would ignore us completely, some would bump into our chairs and say nothing as they passed, and others would make a motion like they knew we were waiting and that they'd be right over, but none ever came back. We waited 25 minutes before we ended up packing up our coats, hats, gloves, etc and deciding to leave.
As we got up to leave it was obvious that every one of the staff members noticed us and seemed relieved. It was so weird... mainly because in America, old people tables are known for being some of the most work and the worst tippers, while a table of young, bright whippersnappers like ourselves would be a pretty hot commodity. Not here, apparently.
The first and only verbal contact we had with a server was when I left my hat at the table, and a server found it and tossed it over to me on my way out the door... which was funny because they literally rushed to the table once we left to clear our menus and set the chairs back up but couldn't have cared less about coming over during the nearly 30 minutes we sat with nothing.
Let the record show that I do normally respect my elders, but that I also ask for a just a little r-e-s-p-e-c-t in return as well. Here, there was none of that.
I have no doubt that they deliberately treated us poorly, whether it was because we were young, weren't wearing stuffy turtlenecks or mink stoles, or maybe because we're American, and for whichever reason(s) it was, I can only recommend this place to as a decent hang if you're a classic board game icon, hoity-toity biotch, and/or wicked witch of the west... who all already appear to be regulars here.