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David Coffin

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David Coffin

Negative Review

March 07, 2020

1.0 / 5.0

Reviewed on Mar 07, 2020

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I do not recommend this establishment. Arrived ten minutes early for our reservation on Friday, February 14, 2020 at 5:00PM. Greeted ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ by a non-smiling hostess in a robotic tone. A male host led to our table a few minutes later in a primarily empty main dining room closest to the wait station and away from the windows. He stood behind my chair but failed to pull it out. He placed menus in front of us and departed without a word. The ambience is throwback from a different generation and regulars were greeted by the waitstaff with familiarity. The staff to patron ratio is high as we walked through a line of waitstaff on our way to the table. Each one extending a greeting.Our server, Nick, approached cautiously and stared at me making me feel uncomfortable. He went through the Valentine’s 3-course menu and noted a dessert addition. He offered a pre-dinner drink; we declined. We ordered the tasting menu along with the wine pairing. We noticed other parties being seated and promptly provided a glass of sparkling wine. Our appetizer course arrived, and we waited several minutes for the wine pairing to be delivered. Nick quickly ran though a long monologue on the wine. Our appetizers (soup and carpaccio) were beautifully presented, appropriate temperature and paired beautifully with the wines selected. The quantity of wine in the wine pairing was a good deal for the value ($40). The quantity of each food course was quite large. The entrée (pork chop and swordfish) were both beautifully presented, moist and appetizing. The accompanied wines enhanced each dish. The dessert (pound cake and chocolate fudge cake) were well presented. The pound cake was dry, and the fudge cake was burnt looking (edges blackened) and had a burnt odor. Nick hovered on the edges of our table, but rarely spoke to us directly. Nick offered coffee or after-dinner drink and at that time, we inquired about the sparkling wine that was supposed to come with the meal. He stumbled saying, “It could have been brought ahead of time” or, “I can bring it now”. We said we did not want it and he finally said, “I’m sorry” but did not offer any type of compensation (nor did we ask for any). The fastest thing he did was pick up and process our payment which he set down with boxes of chocolates and no farewell. The Manager was seen in the dining room several times, walking amongst the tables, but we did not see him speak to any tables. Upon leaving the dining room, he said, “Thank you for coming in” but did not ask about our visit nor ask us to return. Two staff members struck us as having the professional service attitude 1. The gentleman who continually filled our water glasses was prompt, efficient and unobtrusive. 2. The gentleman who cleared our dishes and, since I ate very little soup, inquired if everything was okay. I appreciated his noticing and asking at the beginning of the meal. It was considerate and spoke to a level of service I anticipated from the moment we stepped in the door and throughout the meal. Upon reading the reviews on Open Table, I’ve learned that apologies are the only thing you get here. A common theme is for the Manager to apologize and suggest they ask for him at their next visit and he will make sure they have a positive experience. Good service should be given not requested.

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