middle-of-the-road food for the price, long waits, and poor execution.. i went with a group for a work lunch. due to the size of our group, we ordered two days in advance in order to simplify things. this place serves greek inspired tapas, so we were told to order at least three to four items, as the plates were small.
it’s a very nicely decorated little place. therestaurantis located in a house that they converted so the layout reflects that. the front seating area is where i imagine the living room was. to get to where we were seated in back of the house, you went down a narrow hall past the bathrooms and kitchen.
we arrived at noon on the dot and took our seat. drinks were ordered and served. everyone was having a good time while we patiently waited for our food. an hour had passed and nothing came out. no salads or appetizer like plates. our patience began to wane as many of us had busy schedules. another fifteen minutes later and a few plates started trickling out of the kitchen. by one thirty, i had yet to see any of my food. an hour and a half for small plates that we had pre-ordered? unfortunately that was the case for 99 percent of our party. some of the other one percent received all his or her dishes at once, which everyone found odd. people started grumbling and to be honest i had pretty much lost my appetite since it was going on two o’clock. when the food finally arrived, most of us wolfed it down, as we needed to get back to work. the food was pricey for what you get, so getting it late only made things worse. some people did not get their food until two o’clock. two hours for measly chicken brochettes! the greek poutine that sounded great on the menu was dismal. for 10 dollars we received a small bowl of tepid fries with stone cold st. albert curds, a few pieces of stewed lamb, and gravy. the curds were the only redeeming quality of the dish. the 10-dollar pulled lamb tacos came out after a nearly two-hour wait with burnt tortillas. the tacos are about the size of a small coaster were also cold. this story repeated itself through out our time there. by that time everyone just wanted to leave because this “lunch” was taking way longer then anyone expected. in some cases people were asking for their bills before receiving any food. blackberries and smart phones were abuzz as people scrambled to reschedule meetings. others just left their money with someone else to pay and left. the poor souls who were served last did not get out of there until 2:30 in some cases.
the waiter did his best under the circumstances. complaints to the owner were met by feeble excuses that i considered unprofessional. do not blame customers for you lack of preparedness. whining that we are large group and therestaurantis busy does not negate the fact that a two-hour wait for pre-ordered food is unreasonable at the prices you charge. this was a cash cow for your establishment. i have gone to many work and social events and have never had this happen.
i doubt we’ll be back.