anise global gastrobar

bad service!!   forced to pay a tip. and food was not prepared as we requested

on august 7th i met 5 of my friends for brunch. their were only 3 other tables with customers in the entire restaurant. and there were no patrons at the bar either. (that should tell you something)

although there were not many customers, i waited almost 15 minutes for the waitress to come over to take my drink order.
she had no personality and hardly said a word. i ordered a bloody mary to drink. she came over and placed a tall glass with 5 ice cubes and clear liquid in front of me. i thought the ice cubes had melted. i asked her what it was. she advised me it was for the "bloody mary bar" and pointed near the door. it was my vodka. if i had not asked she would have said nothing.

i went to the so called bloody mary bar. there were two carafes of tomato juice on the table not in ice. i would think it should have been kept on ice so it would not spoil so i consider that a potential health risk. it made me wonder if they are doing that out where the customers can see what health risks are they taking in the kitchen where we cannot see? there were a few dishes with olives and peppers. some were empty. for a restaurant that had no customers you would think they could keep them full. there was no celery which i usually like. but i made a drink.

after moretimepast, she finally came and took our orders. again she hardly spoke, she would just look at you when it was your turn to speak. after ordering, the waitress brought out the appetizers others had ordered one at a time. i did not think much about it until it wastimefor the main courses.

the main courses were brought out one at atimewith a long gap oftimein between. now, i was brought up and my friends were to, to wait until everyone has their food before eating. because of the long time between each plate so we could not do that. eggs do not stay hot long.

after four others got their food there was another long gap oftimeand i still had not gotten mine. so i asked where our food was. her reply was "we serve tapas style." i guess the restaurant really does not know what that means. here is a definition of tapas style "tapas are as a wide variety of small plates, finger foods, and appetizers. the entire meal consists of these smaller dishes that are shared around the table, encouraging guests to order many of the different dishes."
i think she needs to understand that eggs benedict is not a small plate that can be shared. nor my rice bowl. if they want to serve tapas style they need to have a menu with small plates to share not individual meals.

after finally getting the last two meals neither of ours was cooked the way we asked. my friend specially asked for her egg yolk to be hard because she has digestive problems when it is not. well, the yolk was not hard. the waitress never came back to check if everything was ok. so both of us ate the food the way it came out because we figured we would have to wait a longtimeto get it corrected and most of our friends were almost done with the meals served so much earlier than ours.

here is the real kicker. when she brought our bills there was an automatic 20% tip on the bill.
when i asked if i could reduce it she said no, it is management policy. i do not recall seeing that anywhere on the menu. i am usually a very good tipper, tipping more than 20% at times because that is how i put myself through college but she did not deserve even 20%. i could see having to wait as long as we did if the restaurant was busy but it was not. i can't image how bad it would be if the tables were full.

it took 2 hours to be served. that was ridiculous.

i do not recommend this restaurant to anyone.

even with the liver of a drunken sailor. let me not cry or get emotional. let me try to be less fabulous. but i must. anise... what is anise to me since i have lived downtown and it became my “cheers”? i have visited anise way too many times. i have just thought about linking my personal savings account so that kevin, the owner, can just go ahead and deduct what he must as direct payment. i have promised myself to keep trying new places in tampa and not return for a while, but addiction is addiction and i just can’t help myself. what do i adore about anise? i will try to break it down without breaking down. i love ny pisco sours. they are not in the menu... but do ask for them... they are sexy and layered. like i am, and if you are bothering to read this... you are. get personal. anise is, most likely, the only place i have found in tampa where the ny piscos are worth it. i love the really personal bartending of ryan, and justin and drew... they get personal... they know what you want even before you, yourself, have a clue you have craved that. but if you are into deep conversation at the bar, they are service that is invisible. how do you get your refill without interrupting a great conversation? i don’t know. but you do! okay, i have tried all the specialty drinks... yes, the whole menu of drinks because i carry the liver of an alcoholic sailor and own the curiosity of pandora’s grandmother. yes, i have made faces... i am not into girly sweet stuff... i might look like a lady and act like one but i drink like a lonesome cowboy without the benefit of stress relieving smoking. even the very girly drinks are great. and then there are these dedicated people behind the incredibly stored with spirits bar...and they take theirtimecrafting the drinks and stirring your round ice, and smiling pensively over your drink as if they knew something you don’t know... and they do. oh, they do!... and the drinks do taste like a secret... forget the chic décor, and the “your are too hot for this life” vibe of the place--- let’s talk grub. fancy? drunk food? i love: the stinky buntz (yes, all 4 of them), the lobster mac and cheese, the truffle tots, the deviled eggs, the manchego sandwich, the burger, the porkbelly bowl, the chili bowl. all good. and again, because it is so close to me, i have tried everything...and when my steak or my low carb cauliflower is anything but what i wanted (has happened only once in 2 years of binging) there is no face. it disappears and a new one shows up. no questions from a server whose eyes say “i aim to please”---fifty shades of gray--- loving attitude.

3 times i have eaten here, and service is always bad. service is about thw worst i have ever expieranced. food is very tasty, but holy cow the service is really awful. the crazy thing is that it really wasn't busy.
i was seated outside and after about 15 minutes someone came out and said they couldn't find my server, so they would take my order. after awhile another person brought out the food. no silverware or napkin. i had go ask for something to eat with and for a drink. i got a napkin, and a glass of water.
so just used chop sticks from japcha and ate the pies of meat whole. what a wreck! but at least the food was good. i think it will be a longtimebefore i go back if ever.

slowest service ever. it took over 3 hours for our party of 6 to have dinner, but most of thetimewe were just sitting there looking around for our waiter while nursing our drinks, because we didn't know how long it would take to get another. took at least 15 minutes after we were seated to even have our drink order taken, then another 15 minutes or more to receive the drinks........it goes on and on like this. the check for me and my boyfriend was $130, including the 20% i regretted leaving. this was my firsttimeat anise and i was so disappointed, because i had been looking forward to trying it for a long time. there were plenty of staff with a lot of empty tables, no excuse at all.

small but tasty. secondtimehere,always like to give at least 2 try's before reviewing. the food is different, small imaginative plates.. arepa w pulled pork was a fave- both times . it can get pricey,for small plates. server was fine. go early,or go home. drinks are okay- still looking for an awesome gimlet somewhere ......worth the trip,if you know what to expect.

hello lilyonthelam.com readers: my name is lily … and i am in love … with tater tots. seriously, there is rarely a tot i don't like.  they are perfect little rounded cubes of potato-ey goodness.  if you hate tater tots, chances are i probably will hate you.  i'm sorry, but it's true. so when i see tater tots on a menu, i have to have them.  this past weekend was a two-tot weekend.  i went to two restaurants with tater tots on the menu.  had i died and gone to tater tot heaven?? for lilyonthelam, i have done comparison posts on pot pies, strawberry shortcakes, pumpkin pies and other delights … so it is abouttimei did a "tater tot duel" post. ladies and gentlemen … in this corner of the ring … the duck fat fried tater tots from merchants restaurant in nashville, tennessee … the picture above is a half-order of duck fat tater tots with chipotle mayo, béarnaise sauce and good old classic ketchup.  the chipotle mayo was my favorite.  a chipotle ketchup would have been a nice addition as w

global: pertaining to the whole world; universal gastronomy: the art and science of good eating **** fun fact about me: i really love food trucks. going to food truck rallies , even if it means having to sweat it out in the florida heat for food from each four-wheeled automotive, is usually the highlight of my week. in fact, my husband surprised me by coordinating for a food truck to come to our wedding for late night eats. i’m seriously about it, i tell ya! i can’t stand having to wait in a long line outside for a ride at disney, but you make me wait in the same line length, in the same heat, for food from a food truck, and i don’t have any complaints. i’ve experienced many a food truck, but one that i have neglected to visit and give my foodie heart to is stinky bunz , for which i am ashamed. i don’t have to feel too bad anymore because the owners of stinky bunz has opened anise global gastrobar  and i’ve decided to make up for losttimeand become a regular. you hear that, anise? i

alrighty.  all we need are a few more restos like anise and tampa might actually be able to pass itself off as a city with a "real" downtown.  recently launched by the folks who own the stinky bunz food truck (of which ud has been an avid stalker for a couple of years now), anise global gastrobar is a chill little oasis occupying a corner of the skypoint condos on ashley drive and pretty much blows away its next door neighbor, taps bar and lounge (not that that's  any huge undertaking, but it's meant to be a compliment nonetheless). after making the ultimate sacrifice for my beloved and suffering through the two and a half hours of martial arts fight scenes in the wolverine (really, honey...can i just give you a kidney nexttimeyou need me to prove my love?), underdog graciously decided to reward this extreme display of tolerance with food and alcohol.  one can easily see how marvel comic movies have become almost like pavlov's bell to this sweet polly dog. the restaurant is lovely an

this restaurants not going to last if they continue with the service they have. can manage with the small menu but there is no host for seating and they messed up on orders, waittimefor tartar was over 30 min (tartar is raw)... come if you have all night to wait to order....

firsttimein last night. only had drinks and apps but everything was amazing. everything the bartender recommended was amazing. great vibe...will be back!