sp1187

He is the owner. There are bad, as well good, reviews already out there. As I said in my original post, I was wondering what other owner/chefs opinions would be. Not that I don't appreciate all you fellow foodies commenting. @Jaymes "PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN." one of my favorite movie quotes.

of course I left a tip. not the servers fault her boss is a chump. she did her job.

I'm just walking away. Not going to post any bad reviews. Not going to have any further contact. The last contact was in private and polite on my part thru email. I think his "Get a life." response sez he doesn't care if I'm a customer or not.

My wife and I went to a restaurant this weekend that we usually go to 2-4 times a month. I ordered oysters on the half shell as an app, and prime rib with a garlic mash. The oysters weren't seperated from the shell. The garlic mash had zero garlic flavor. The onions topping the prime rib were under cooked, in my opinion, based on how they had been served in past visits. The Chef/Owner stopped at the table and asked "How is everything?" I told him the PR was cooked to perfection but the mash had no flavor of garlic. His reply was most people don't like a heavy garlic flavor. I then said I didn't think the onions were completely cooked. His reply was, "Right....5 hours under the prime rib and the onions aren't cooked." . I was a little put off with his answers, so when I got home I hit their websight and sent a private message. I explained that in my previous visits the onions were carmalized, they weren't this time. That the garlic mash actually had some garlic flavor, and in my opinion, if people don't like garlic they probably shouldn't order the garlic mash. I asked about the oysters, and his reply was that they serve them that way so I would know they weren't coming from a can like everywhere else I ordered them. (not true, because in my previous visits they were seperated). Then I was told "I donate 200 meals to the needy. You should be greatful you can go out to eat. Get a life.". I wasn't rude with my answers. I didn't ask for anything to be sent back. I'm curious to what you Owner/Chefs think. Was I out of line for answering what he asked? Was I out of line for emailing with further questions and comments?

best thing is to look for a local club and go with someone who know's what's what. this book is a very good source of info on identification: Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America: A Field-to-kitchen Guide Amazon.com

People fight on-line? What a facinating concept. You assume that "Yes, they are." would have been their response and that "Ok". at that point would have been mine. You got a gift certifcate for something you paid for, but didn't receive. So you bought a gift certificate.

both meals look awesome. I have to say, those are the biggest smelt I've ever seen. when I clean ducks I will hand pluck the breasts, & then if you hold the skin tight to the body so it doesn't tear, you can rub it with your other hand. the fat/oil in the skin will cause the pin feathers to roll up and come right off. you can then finish up with a lighter to singe the little "hairs". I then cut the whole breast out and bone it (I'm sure there's a joke there some where)from the back side. leave the skin on. the rest of the carcass I skin, remove the legs & thighs (braise) and the back (stock). edit: forgot, make sure to save the heart, liver and gizzard. pan fried in butter, chefs treat. this is one of the dishes I made for the wife for valentines. it is an Asian 5-spice duck breast with citrus lemon grass risotto & apricot relish.

Suzy, no, it was my first time there, but I really don't see what difference that makes...1st time.....100th time. I understand that regulars might get extras (comped drinks, desert, lap dances?) because they are regulars but if you are implying they should have deducted the entrees only if I were a regular customer, I would disagree with that. K8, I didn't ask for them to be removed because I didn't feel like arguing with them. I assumed (bad) that they would make it right. (probably the Dewars on both accounts)

Now I'm confused. For them to have comped the entrees wouldn't I have to actually eaten more then a couple of bites. I assumed, as Jim put it, the comped desert, as in 1, for 2 unacceptable entrees was a goodwill gesture. (See what happens when I break dad's rule#1("Michael, don't assume anything.") I didn't say we were in a rush. I said we weren't interested in them redoing the dishes. If they scewed up both dishes when they weren't that busy,and now they are really busy, what expectation would I have of them getting it right the second time? I didn't want a rush job risotto. I wasn't angry that they screwed the dishes, I was disappointed, which is exactly how I put it to the waitress and then the manager. I was angry when I got the bill. Did I say anything? Nope. Should I have said something? Some nights I can be confrontational, others, not so much. That night I lost $45 dollars, less a "comped" desert, and they lost my repeat business, and that of my brother and friends who had them on their list of places to eat. No winners, disappointment all around. I have a question for those of you in the know...do restaurants generally premake or make to order their risooto?

JeanneCake, the tip was 20% on the total bill, as ordered, which is what I would have tipped even if they had deducted the entrees. the server was very good, not her fault the kitchen staff wasn't capable of cooking the menu. we had time for the desert because all they had to do was plate it. and yes I made the mistake of assuming they would take it off the bill. I guess that comes from lesser restaurants making things right, again in my opinion, with out being asked. I guess I'm looking at what I consider their bigger picture, I now won't return, and my friends and family, who were likely to, won't be going there either.

Plates were immediately cleared, and I told her we weren't interested in waiting for them to fire two more entrees. I was going to buy desert. No it wasn't a Michellin, (do they have those in the states?), but I guess I was expecting more from a Chef out of one of M. Ruhlman's books who is also an instructor at the local college. Anyways, thanks for all your points of views.

so I don't get what I ordered, and then I have to sit around and wait and hope they get it right the second time. if they can't get it right then they should go out of business. it's a service oriented business, especially with the economy being what it is. I had told the wife we would come back and give them another try. after I got the bill, I said not a chance. so now they've lost repeat business along with friends and family I've enlightened.

The wife ate 2 bites of the turf and half a shrimp. I ate 2 bites of the risotto and 2 bites of the trout. Everything was ordered alle carte, so the apps and salads were paid for seperate from the entree.

This past weekend my wife and I went to dinner at a local restaurant. When we arrived they were not very busy. The front of house service was very good. The appetizers were very good. The salads were very good. The entrees were terrible. The wife ordered surf & turf. The fillet was ordered medium rare. It was served medium-medium well & the shrimp were over cooked. I ordered the sauteed trout with a roasted red pepper risotto. The risotto was way overdone to the point of being like paste. The fish was served skin on and was plated over the risotto, so that even if the skin had been crisp, it wasn't when it was served. We informed the waitress of our displeasure. She sent the manager over. The manager asked what could she do to make it right. At this point we didn't want to wait for them to redo it, so she offered desert. Desert was very good. Now heres my problem, when we received the bill, we weren't charged for the $6 desert but were charged for the $27 for the surf and turf and $18 for the trout. Is this common policy?

Awhile back I was taking a few culinary arts classes. One class I took was Italian Cuisine. The chef went on and on about the virtues of truffle oil. Being that we never actually used it in the class I wouldn't know good from bad, and considering he gave me a B-, AND my last name ends in a vowel, I don't know if I believe him or not. So, how do I know good from bad? thanks.