A lousy meal with a cheeky waiter
There were 8 of us. It was last Thursday night. It was a retirement party for my wife. The city was Minneapolis. The food was touted as the greatest before the meal. What a huge letdown.

Prices were as expected, but not the waiter. He announced himself as a "dork" because he carried 5 pens in his pocket. He called all the women "Miss" (at least better than Missy), and he took on a half comical, half cheeky role for the whole meal. I would have appreciated someone who knew food better than how to act like a cute 19 year old. I didn't get his name.

My wife got the halibut. It looked OK - I tasted it and found it bland. But I supposed it has to taste that way.

But, I made the mistake of ordering the scallops. This got me 6 scallops for the grand price of $25. If that were not bad enough, the scallops were literally buried under greens, raw onions, and sorted veggies. They were then pushed down into a long trough of rice, which had first been doused with - get this - HOT SAUCE!

The taste of each of these 4 dollar units was just awful. They were so hot with spice that their actual taste was lost in what must have been Tabasco or chili power or curry - I couldn't tell which because it was burning my mouth so much! I know for a fact that I drank 7 glasses of water before turning aside the plate with half of this forest of greens left for the garbage disposal to deal with.

The scallops must have been grilled on a stick - those in the middle of the plate were not well done, and those on either end were burned. I could tell by looking - didn't the chef have eyes to see what his or her food looked like before releasing it?

Well, why didn't I turn them back in? The host, who was picking up what must have been a $400 tab, was my wife's boss. He had rented a van to get all of us up there, had a nice speech for her, gave her jewelry for her many years of service, and announced beforehand that this was a "special place". Can you see me being the one to turn my dinner back and ask for something that tasted better and was properly cooked? I wasn't asked how my food tasted, and I just kept quiet - at least until now.

I have eaten scallops at Jimmy's Pier 4 on the back bay in Boston and loved them. They should be sauteed in butter, perhaps with a pinch of garlic at the most, and served with some light potatoes. Jimmy's gives you a nice dish of them. M&S should contact Jimmy's to see how to cook them properly.

What misguided chef came up with the idea of burying scallops in hot sauce on rice and smothering the whole thing with pea pods, some kind of weeds, and many, many hot onions? M&S management should be made to eat them!

Well, maybe it was just one dish, and just one real dorky waiter. But I remain unimpressed. My recommendation - don't waste your money.    []

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Never again M&S- you really turned me off big time

     ­Dr. John Walters