State & Main — Restaurant in Ottawa

Update:

Unfortunately I have to update my review. Stopped in with the fam (2 kids, 2 adults) for happy hour last Saturday. Walked in, and there was no hostess at the front. Someone nonchalantly came around and asked us where we wanted to sit, to which we replied booth. Sat at the booth for quiet sometime. Nobody came over to approach us or offer to start us off with drinks. Waitress walked by and started cleaning the table behind us. Mind you, it was not busy, a couple tables outside on the patio, one large party inside and one other occupied booth. We sat there awkwardly while the hubby and I said to each other "lets wait 5 more minutes, and if we don't get any service, lets just head out" Kids were getting restless, and we settled on what we were going to order, still no service, so we listened to our gut instincts and left. One waitress looked up as we were exiting and then just resumed duties. The vibe was soooo off and we felt such a relief once we left, like dodging a bullet. We ended up just going over to Moxies next door where we were served promptly, had amazing service, and enjoyed some happy hour eats. I think we will stick with Moxies going forward.

Stopped in for happy hour for some light eats. Got the baja brussels sprouts (hold the bacon), and a fish taco. The hubs got a chicken sandwich and soup dumplings. The kid got a side of fries and a scoop of ice cream.

Fish taco was passable, and only $5.00. The fish was just a tad on the drier side. The brussels were tasty. I believe they were deep fried, as they tasted on the oiler side. Good crunch. The hubs gave two thumbs up for the soup dumplings and sandwich. Fries were nice for sharing. Portions were on the lighter side. Everything was presented nicely.

Service was to the point.

Music was low (I read reviews that the music is too loud here. It was not at the time we visited during happy hour).

It would have been a 4 star, but I had to knock down a star due to the fruit flies being a pest while we ate. It's no fun swatting those pesky flies away...

Came in on Oct 20 at about 4:30 pm. Wasn’t busy. Maybe 2 other tables in the main dining area seated .Hostess sat us in the bar area (really didn’t want to sit there), when I asked to sit in the dining area was told “she didn’t want to “overwhelm” the girl serving those tables (one girl). I asked again to be seated in the dining area and she repeated the same “excuse”. Someone had to wait on us, why would it matter where we sat? This was not a large restaurant. Soon after, I watched as the front end girl sat 2 or three more tables in the dining area (still only one girl on tables). Add to this the hostess shuffled about the room moving slowly and we noted her not engaging w other customers; with an attitude on her face. Oh - and she lit every table’s candle in the bar area but our table. “Poor thing did we make you mad because we asked to be seated somewhere else?” Attitude much? No problem. We switched our unlit candle to one that was lit. BTW —- the bartender who served us was amazing! Great attitude, pleasant even though she was busy. I would have given her 5 stars for service but had to balance the one (or no star) service for the front end girl. Recommendation to owners - put the front end girl on dishes. She leaves a negative attitude w your guests. If it wasn’t for your bartender, you would not be seeing us again. Not because of how many wait staff were available (though not our problem - it does happens) but because of the attitude of your...

Part two of this review - After reading our initial review state and mains manager, Kyle was quick to reach out to us to make things right. We soon after visited again and had a incredible experience many thanks to Kyle and his staff at state & Main- Keep up the awesome work we will be visiting again soon. Great atmosphere, after making too attempts to dine there unsuccessfully, We made a reservation week in advance. We were seated on the bar side to find that the table was uncomfortably to far from the bench making reaching food and drinks an uncomfortable task. The sever was pleasant although forgot to mention any food or drink specials. The appetizer came quick enough but the main course took longer than expected but no explanation from the server. The artichoke spinach dip was very disappointing with no flavour at all, lacking seasoning. The fish tacos were very good and full of flavour. The steak was Cooked to my liking but the presentation lacked. One scoop of mashed potatoes and a steak. I asked to have a Caesar salad and as well as the The day veg. When it came to the table there was no day edge and a side Cesar. And when we wanted the bill it took forever. During our visit twice the fire alarm went off twice obviously it was no fire it didn’t make for a great dining experience. You’re willing to give it another shot stay tuned for our review. Lori and...