Sunday brunch not good
There's something wrong with this place. This should be a busy place for brunch, but it's not. I mean, it's a beautiful place, inside and out, and is at a great downtown location, so why they can't get this right is a mystery. Their Sunday Brunch (although it starts much too late, at 10:30am) used to be packed. But we went there in July 2008, and there were only 2 cars in the parking area - we should've taken that as a hint. The food at their brunch used to be good, offering some nice options on their menu (I guess prior to 2007?), although they only ever had one 'sweet' option (french toast with berry compote), and then like 5 or 6 'salty' options (frittata, duck hash, etc etc). Although, even back then, getting someone to even stop at your table to ask you if you want a coffee re-fill was like asking to get the space shuttle launched. It is still a problem. Once you have your food and your first cup of coffee poured into the tiny coffee cups they use, they just buzz right by you as if you're not even there.

A staff person once explained away this 'problem' saying that they used to brew their coffee in the coffee pots that sit on the hot-plate to stay hot, like most other eating establishments. But someone once complained that the coffee tasted burned or something. So they totally changed their coffee making 'process' (as if), such that after they brew their coffee, they then pour it into separate coffee pots, so that it doesn't sit on a hot-plate too long, b/c otherwise it starts to taste burned. But folks the coffee wouldn't sit on the hot-plate long enough to taste burned if you had wait staff asking the customers if they wanted more coffee. That's a no-brainer. Plus, next time someone says their coffee tastes burned or too strong, if you told them it's some exotic Kenya blend they'd gulp it down. :-)

Their brunch is no longer served as a menu to order from, now it's just a buffet. Most people like to sit in the front tap room, b/c it has windows and a nice view of downtown. But the brunch buffet is set up all the way in the back. Ok fine. So we serve ourselves, and the food is stale. The waffles were as hard as rocks, the eggs benedict was stale, with hard, dried out muffins with shriveled, dried out eggs on top. Their brunch is from 10:30am-2:30pm, so if you arrive anytime after 12pm, my guess is the food's been sitting there since it was made around 9:30 or 10am. In the short term, they should at least have someone regularly checking to see if any of the food needs to be swapped out for a fresher batch. Overall, their 'buffet plan' just seems to potentially waste alot of food.

Their brunch is $17 a person, with no drinks (coffee, mimosa, etc) included. That is all separate. Also, they then add on their own 18% gratuity to the bill for you. However, what service did they provide at brunch? One gets up to serve themselves brunch from the buffet, and we had to practically trip and tackle someone to get a coffee re-fill. So 18%, are you serious? Part of the idea behind leaving a tip, is being able to send a message about what you think of the service. No, this didn't merit 18% folks. But you got it from us anyway!

My advice to them is brew your coffee the old fashioned way, and go back to having a brunch that customers order from the menu, such that the food is made when it's ordered. Yes, I realize that requires having a cook and staff that knows what they're doing. At least you'll have less wasted food. Your customers will be happier, then they'll tell all their friends and families about your place, and then you'll be hopping busy and successful like you used to be. This restaurant depends on locals, and if the locals are staying away now, that is bad news for this restaurant's future.    [12 Aug 2008 17:09:03]

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     ­Kathy