So, this review will stand out as this place consistently gets great reviews, and if I were…read morereviewing prior to this past Saturday, I would have given a great review as all previous visits were very good. The reason for the about face is I have never been treated with such disrespect by management/ownership in my life!
We had a 7:30 reservation, showed up a few minutes early, and checked in. The hostess told us we can wait by the outside bar, and she would come get us. 20 minutes later, she walked over by the area and went back to the desk. I walked over and checked to make sure she wasn't looking for us. She says no, looks inside and says she's still waiting for guests to leave. OK, I go back. It's now 8, my friend walks over and looks in and sees there are 2 open tables and suggests we walk over to the desk. We do and another hostess asks us after about 5 minutes if she can help, we state were waiting for our table, she looked inside and said OK, we have a table for you.
So finally seated at around 8:10. We sit, server comes over in a few, tells us about the specials, sees we have our drinks from outside (the original drinks, more on that later) and says she will be back for our order. Bread (4 measly pieces) comes; she eventually comes back after taking an order from the table next to us who was seated after us and takes our order. Before she leaves my wife asks for more bread with our appetizers, to which she responds dismissively w/ attitude "I'll see what I can do". My wife is mad; we are all angry as it's 8:45 and the only thing we have been served is bread & attitude. I went outside to find the owner (and his son) who had been out there helping the staff. I walk up and start the conversation stating, 1st off we really enjoy this place and have always had a good experience, but I wanted to share what was happening this evening, specifically w/ the server. I didn't yell, I wasn't belligerent, just voiced my/our displeasure. His response was a rambling about their special bread, why it's limited, blah blah blah. Totally missed the point which was how she responded. So, I respond by saying he obviously isn't concerned with the feedback as all he did was defend their bread position and that I was going back inside. I went back in. The owner and his son proceed to follow me in (confrontational much!) and the owner CONTINUES his bread rant. The son then asks me why I dared speak to his "80 yr old father?". Well, he is walking around like the mayor, I knew he was the owner, so I gave him my feedback. The rest is a bit fuzzy, but it's 8:20ish, no food, a confrontation with ownership and a terrible server. The son comes back and challenges me on our reservation time stating it was 7:45. As if that mattered. It WAS 7:30 and I asked him to come outside, and I'll show him the reservation. I go outside, food/wine shows up, there's yelling (not by us) and they ask us TO LEAVE! WTF! I ask what is going on, wife/friends get up and start getting ready to leave, then another 'henchmen' comes out of the back and starts mean mugging me as if he's ready to throw hands and has the nerve to say, "your inebriated". We had one drink the hour we were there, we couldn't get served enough to be drunk! The owner yelling "this is a family place", blah blah blah. They initiated the confrontation, and the only thing I can think of is I may have used an expletive when OUTSIDE with them (away from any other patrons), never yelled and never was belligerent. I'm 63 and never got kicked out of a bar let alone at a restaurant.
So, I doubt anyone reading this will stay away, but if you do go, especially on a weekend, don't expect good service, and DON'T DARE complain or give feedback. You have been warned!