Rosemary & Sage Riverdale

[SunnyNJ]

Hi everyone – I’ve been an avid reader here for a while, first time posting. And my reason…Rosemary & Sage in Riverdale. I have been eager to try this place for sometime and finally made it last weekend. It was very poor, one of the most disappointing meals we have had in a long time.

Based purely on their website I was expecting the interior to be quaint, eclectic even, but it was fairly lackluster. When we first walked we were greeted with a view of a double closet door and a coat rack. The place is tiny (no problem with that) but crammed full of so many tables the wait staff could barely get around. Walls are painted plain yellow with industrial drop ceiling tiles. Yawn – again not what I was expecting - I love places that are cool or interesting but I can forgive the lack of decor if the food is splendid.

After an interminable wait at the coat rack (14 minutes with an empty table right in front of us) we were seated. The wine by the glass list was a joke – only 4 or 5 choices, we chose soda. The service was ridiculously slow. I don’t mean it was slow in a have-a-relaxing-meal-take-your-time-slow, I mean slash-your-wrists-slow. Our waiter who, it turns out, is the brother of the owner was fairly clueless and completely unsophisticated. He stopped reading the specials to us twice – once to talk to another table about their order and once to tell a waitress to bring water to yet another table. We ordered the fish special and the stuffed sole. Before our meal came out we ate a rather wilted salad which seemed a few days past its shelf life and listened to the table next to us saying “no really, he must have forgotten about us – he must have really” and they had a different waiter to us. Our waiter came back out to ask us again what we had ordered (seriously) and went back to the kitchen to get it. The stuffed sole was ok. Bland like my grandmother cooked it, but passable. The fish special was raw in the inside. Yep raw. My husband called over a different waiter – a young lady who took my husband’s plate back to the kitchen – not a word of sorry or “I’ll be right back”. I continued to eat (I know it’s not polite but eh, we have been married a long time and I was about ready to eat my own arm). Our original waiter eventually came out with he food (same piece of fish reheated) and put it in front of him, again not a sorry in sight.

We declined dessert and asked (begged really) for the check. Took 10 minutes. Was brought over and mutely handed to us. We went to A&P and bought brownies and that was the best part of the night.

OK – I feel better I got that off my chest. I know oodles of people like that place and it gets great Zagat ratings. I really wanted to like it but, alas, it was not to be.

This weekend we also went to the Strip House and it was a better time, next weekend Restaurant.MC.

Edited February 5, 2008 by SunnyNJ (log)

[Shmily]

Hi everyone – I’ve been an avid reader here for a while, first time posting.  And my reason…Rosemary & Sage in Riverdale. I have been eager to try this place for sometime and finally made it last weekend.  It was very poor, one of the most disappointing meals we have had in a long time. 

Based purely on their website I was expecting the interior to be quaint, eclectic even, but it was fairly lackluster.  When we first walked we were greeted with a view of a double closet door and a coat rack.  The place is tiny (no problem with that) but crammed full of so many tables the wait staff could barely get around.  Walls are painted plain yellow with industrial drop ceiling tiles. Yawn – again not what I was expecting - I love places that are cool or interesting but I can forgive the lack of decor if the food is splendid.

After an interminable wait at the coat rack (14 minutes with an empty table right in front of us) we were seated.  The wine by the glass list was a joke – only 4 or 5 choices, we chose soda.  The service was ridiculously slow.  I don’t mean it was slow in a have-a-relaxing-meal-take-your-time-slow, I mean slash-your-wrists-slow.  Our waiter who, it turns out, is the brother of the owner was fairly clueless and completely unsophisticated.  He stopped reading the specials to us twice – once to talk to another table about their order and once to tell a waitress to bring water to yet another table.  We ordered the fish special and the stuffed sole.  Before our meal came out we ate a rather wilted salad which seemed a few days past its shelf life and listened to the table next to us saying “no really, he must have forgotten about us – he must have really” and they had a different waiter to us.  Our waiter came back out to ask us again what we had ordered (seriously) and went back to the kitchen to get it.  The stuffed sole was ok. Bland like my grandmother cooked it, but passable.  The fish special was raw in the inside.  Yep raw.  My husband called over a different waiter – a young lady who took my husband’s plate back to the kitchen – not a word of sorry or “I’ll be right back”.  I continued to eat (I know it’s not polite but eh, we have been married a long time and I was about ready to eat my own arm).  Our original waiter eventually came out with he food (same piece of fish reheated) and put it in front of him, again not a sorry in sight.

We declined dessert and asked (begged really) for the check.  Took 10 minutes.  Was brought over and mutely handed to us.  We went to A&P and bought brownies and that was the best part of the night. 

OK – I feel better I got that off my chest.  I know oodles of people like that place and it gets great Zagat ratings.  I really wanted to like it but, alas, it was not to be.

This weekend we also went to the Strip House and it was a better time, next weekend Restaurant.MC.

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So sad that I need to agree totally with you...after many many visits several years ago, we stopped eating here due to the poor attitude of the staff...I believe that when I am a guest in a restaurant I am paying for not only the food but the attitude and atmosphere...and if I feel as though I am not welcome...I talk with my feet and do not return....I hope you had a better experience at MC since I have not heard wonderful food comments about it either....

[SunnyNJ]

[Shmily]

So sad that I need to agree totally with you...after many many visits several years ago, we stopped eating here due to the poor attitude of the staff...I believe that when I am a guest in a restaurant I am paying for not only the food but the attitude and atmosphere...and if I feel as though I am not welcome...I talk with my feet and do not return....I hope you had a better experience at MC since I have not heard wonderful food comments about it either....

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[coughy]

It is so funny how people have such different experiences in the same places. My husband and I went to Rosemary and Sage in December with 2 friends. We had a 7pm reservation and yes, I did think it was odd to walk in to be faced with a coat rack. We were seated and ordered some wine. I think their prices were very fair. I can't remember exactly what we ate but I do remember that we were all pleased and liked what we ordered. The wait staff couldn't have been nicer and the service was timely.

We have plans with other friends to introduce them to Rosemary and Sage in a few weeks.

[bobferdon]

I have always had good experiences there. We use it for special occasions. I should go there more often.

[scarlet knight]

We went to Rosemary and Sage on 1/30/10. Our order was taken by a woman who seems to be the co-owner or spouse of the owner. I am sure that she is a perfectly nice woman in another setting, but her reading of the specials was lengthy, unintelligible and tragi-comic. The gist of it was that they were out of most kinds of seafood , both specials and regular menu items. I found this odd for a Saturday night at 7:30pm.

A gentle reminder to another waitress produced our appetizer salads after a one hour wait.

The food was rather uninspired. There was a quarter bottle of our wine left. The hostess portioned it precisely among the other three diners and gave me none of it. My wife noticed it and we don't know why she did this. I didn't ask or complain. I didn't want to make her any more nervous than she was.

It was somewhat entertaining in its ineptitude, but I would not return. The staff meant well, but it cannot execute. The food was forgettable and that is more regrettable than the service.

[Andres]

The bad reviews are much more descriptive than the good ones. I will never try this place.

[Shmily]

We had eaten there so many times and had so many wonderful experiences...until a few YEARS ago when it totally went downhill...food was poor, service was poor..and worst of all NO ONE CARED including the owner or the owner's wife...they never remembered their regular customers

and we have learned to sadly walk away when no one cares...

[scarlet knight]

We are "regulars" at several restaurants. We are really treated well there. If you are in the restaurant business, you have to recognize your regulars and show them appreciation.

If not, there is competition right down the street that will care more.

It's a tough and unforgiving business.