highly overrated. why is this place getting good reviews? i am in no several times a year and enjoy finding new restaurants. i'm vegan and was excited to try green goddess because it had several recommendations from the vege/vegan community. despite the restaurant being busy, my boyfriend and i got a table outside right away. my omnivore boyfriend is always a little reluctant when i take him somewhere that is billed as vegan friendly because he's worried he won't find something he likes; however, he expressed his delight at the menu, pork belly in particular.
our waitress arrived at the table after approx. 6 minutes. she dropped off two waters and announced that she was going to go "visit with" another table and would be back after giving us some more time. she wandered off to refill two other tables' water glasses and bring a third table a round of wine. still we sat not even having given a drink order. after 5 minutes, she returned and asked if we needed more time.
we ordered a covington strawberry (covington's almost perfect answer to the limited abita strawberry ale) and a glass of rose. she returned with his beer in a bottle with no option of glass and my empty wine glass. another minute and she returned with a carafe of rose which she poured from a height that splashed rose on my arms. after pouring the rose, she placed the empty carafe on the table and walked off. maybe it was her first serving job -- an unavoidable but difficult to accept reality in a city renowned for its service and dining experiences -- but the inefficiencies and inattention to detail were astounding.
i'll move on to the food. we ordered the muhammara, a dip of blended red peppers, walnuts, and pomegranate molasses -- as an appetizer. it was completely unremarkable. vegans -- you know those occasions when you don't have the time to devote to preparing something great so you just grab the hummus and a handful of veggies our of your 'fridge to tide yourself over? that's the muhammara, for $11.
we ordered the tumblin' dice cubed watermelon and tuna and savory lentil pancake for dinner. the watermelon was flavorful but seared tuna way overcooked. the portion was what one would expect for tapas style dining but it was $15. the lentil pancake was abhorrent. the only flavor in the dish came from what was supposed to be chutney, though it did not resemble any chutney with which i am familiar. it had a burned licorice flavor that i just couldn't get past. i took two bites before passing it off to my boyfriend who took two bites and threw in the towel.
the check was quick to come, wet. we paid quickly and received our credit slip back, wet. we packed it up and headed down decatur in search of something that more resembled service with a smile and an edible dish.
i can't understand why this place gets as many good reviews as it does. the staff seems on the neurotic side. the price to quantity and quality ratio is off. in a city with suchamazingdining available, how is this restaurant still around?