Treadwell Cuisine

The vegan options they promised are omissions not substitutions….

So the Treadwell is a well reviewed swanky restaurant with a prix fixe menu. They have a four course menu: Appetizer, second menu, main and desert.

The menu is a mix of sea food, meats and vegetables. They also offer a sommelier pairing with the food as an option for extra money.

What you should know: They are very busy and you cannot expect to just show up and be seated so plan ahead. On open table there is a $90 deposit required to confirm your reservation on busy days maybe. But I could not get the reservation set without the credit card info.

Expect to have your meals served in or around 4 hours or so. I got there at 7:30 pm and the main meal (third service) did not occur until 10:00 pm.

The staff: The staff is very good and but not very accommodating in that they are limited to the seating options are limited and the restaurant structure is also set. So no ordering off menu and no special menus. The food is the food. Also, they are warm but defensive when they mess up. Normally at high end places an apology is all that’s required not an explanation of their motive.

The chefs don’t wear any head covering in the kitchen and that was a first for me because I am used to seeing head covering in kitchens that prepare food for the public.

The establishment: The bathroom is accessible friendly and clean. There are also another two bathrooms downstairs. They have an elevator in the back. The restaurant is modern and the open kitchen is cool and clean.

There was no music playing and the place was quiet for the most part with people talking in the background. You can carry out a conversation with no effort.

So what’s the issue? If you go to this restaurant expecting them to accommodate your dietary restrictions, they will try and accommodate you by omissions not with substitutions. This is not only terrible but disgusting. For example, a tomatoes salad missing cheese to make it vegan which balances the sweetness of the tomatoes with the saltiness and acidity of the cheese taste like a sweet desert and not a properly balanced salad. This is really bad for a place that charges premium for its food. Also the wine pairing is designed for their regular menu and when they delete the cheeses the pairing does not work. Yet you are paying another premium for the alcohol.

As far as the portions are concerned, the quantity is not going to fill you up if you come hungry. But for a high end establishment, it is pretty generous.

Recommendation: avoid this place if you have a dietary restrictions because they will delete stuff from the meal and not substitute it with something equivalent but vegan. My strict vegan friend did not eat the food because it was not balanced and not integrated. If you have a taste bud you will notice that. If French fries is your thing then you will believe that the vegan food is good.

So the two stars are for their amazing non-vegan food and atmosphere. I took the three stars because they advertised vegan options for deletions, food safety, the fact that they don’t have sommelier on staff (no master sommelier) and defensive staff.