I really wanted to like this place, I mean I REALLY wanted to like this place. Ya the location kinda stinks (it seems that no one has been successful here). I actually kinda liked Ama Ama but this is does not compare by any stretch of the imagination.
Our server was nice, not totatly attentitive, and slow, so very slow. I had to ask for a drink menu, then she walked past multiple times without asking if I wanted anything. All the while my girlfriend was sitting there with a glass of wine waiting on me to get a drink. When I finally got to order my drink I was shocked to learn that they are charging $8 for a bourbon drink with Jim Beam as the star. Their wells include Jim Beam, and Smirnoff, not horrible but better than most places.
My biggest issue was with the food. The menu items do not even come close to living up to the descriptions on the menu at all!! I ordered a Shrimp Etouffee that came served on a plate over some white rice with a sauce that looked and tasted like an Al A Vodka sauce, not an Espagnole at all. I must say though the shrimp was cooked expertly and were a generous size to boot. There were also 5 stalks of (over) grilled asparagus on the plate as well that were very bland. One of the managers (or owners) came by to inquire how our dinners were and noticed that I was not eating, he asked what was wrong with it and I told him, he promptly left the table and returned with a new menu and asked me to select something else off the menu. When I mentioned it to the waitress, she seemed shocked, so I asked her if she had ever had Etouffee before she said, 'Ya, sure, wait only here though'.
I then decided on the Rigatoni Bolognese that is made with ground Kobe beef, I figured I'd try it, how hard is it to screw up meat sauce (I should have known better). This was brought out very fast, I'd say 5 minutes at the most, great right? Not so fast, this dish was akin to burning napalm, the sauce and pasta was so hot I thought I had just shoved spoonful on simmering lava in my mouth! The sauce was thick and full of ground beef (couldn't tell if it was Kobe or Choice) but tasted like a No. 10 can of Hunts Tomato Sauce mixed with a handful of, oh wait there was no spice or seasoning element to it at all. But, on the bright side, the pasta was cooked expertly.
All the while my girlfriend had ordered a bowl of Crab Bisque, this was like Campbell's Tomato Soup with a handful of old over cooked crabmeat tossed in, let's not forget how watered down it was too. What a shame! She also ordered the Caprese Salad that claimed to have 20 year old balsamic vinegar, olive oil and fresh basil on it, oh ya, beefsteak tomatoes too. So, there were no beefsteak tomatoes, only nearly under ripe roma's and maybe a pass over the plate with a bottle of 20 yr old balsamic vinegar, and a handful of mixed greens on the side of the plate. Even the Buffalo Mozz that was supposed to be there was a little lacking both in flavor and appearance.
Bottom line, this was not a happy experience for either of us. The decor inside leaves a little to be desired as well. It just feels disconnected and in need. I do however give props to the Chef for the execution of some of the components of the meal, they were done just right. Just did not come together on the plate for either of us. In the end we paid only for our drinks and left a decent tip for the server.
Ultimately, we will likely be back for Happy Hour sometime, maybe while waiting for seats to open up at Mashiko down the street some night, or for a quick nitghtcap. I hope that they can get it together and make a good run of the business.
