blah - won't be going back. oct., 2012: i selected thisplacefor a small group (6) colleagues for a work luncheon last friday. my trepidation was the gigantic menu, b/c seriously, who can successfully create 300+ dishes?! however, it is new, and convenient to work, and the prices could accommodate different budgets. of note immediately were, a. the noise level (super loud, as in can't hear the person next to you loud) and b. how packed theplacewas with cubicle jockey types scarfing down massive plates of food.
first our group was inappropriately divided up between 2 adjacent 4-top tables (hello, we are a group, that means we want to sit together), then moved to a larger table. our bubbly waitress launched into her explanation of the menu. (not necessary, we get it, it's a big menu -- what are the specials, if any??). i stuck with breakfast, which was ok, except for having to ask for my side of turkey sausage 3 times, even after discussing it with the manager on duty (mod). when it arrived, right at check time, the turkey sausage was just like jimmy dean's frozen and it was overcooked. my breakfast dish selection was the "hobo banquet," a skillet full of hash brown potatoes topped with melted cheese and two eggs any style. it was not served in a skillet, but on a plate, i didn't taste any cheese and the potatoes were largely diced spuds, not your typical hash browns-- all woefully under seasoned. the eggs were delightful, though! they did the eggs right!
other oddities: a colleague ordered her omelet without mushrooms and instead got extra mushrooms; the waitress brought an "extra plate of food the kitchen had made, in case anyone wanted it;" our drink glasses were often empty; and the only compensation/acknowledgement for the mistake in the overly mushroomed dish was that it was ignored (by all, including the manager) until it was nicely removed from her bill. soooo, for over an hour, she is staring at a plate of her least-favorite food: shrooms!
a super-low-maintenance colleague ordered the spanakopita and ate nearly all of his, and his wife had some type of stuffed bell pepper dish. she is not one to complain, but i noticed less than half of her plate was touched and another tried the chicken cordon bleu, which he described as very bland. to their credit, city café diners' desserts are apparently wonderful and i was surprised at how gigantic each dessert item is! huge! the dessert prices gave us all sticker shock as the honoree of the luncheon loves desserts and picked 3 cookies and a slice of cake "to go." the price? 23.00!!!!
the waitress was apologetic, the manager on duty was, too, and they both mentioned that they've" only been open 6 weeks and are 'slammed' and to please try us again when things settle down" on our way out. i won't be back. the service is slow, but not heartless, the food is woefully forgettable and the crowd is noisy and cumbersome. i wish them luck, but, they're not even up to speed with their "partial" menu, now, so, unfortunately, i don't anticipate the dining experience here will improve. hopefully, for them, they will prove me wrong! good luck!