Mazati VIP Mediterranean Restaurant — Restaurant in Sherwood Park

I will definitely not be returning. Having experienced The Melting Pot many times, My husband and I wanted to support a local business so figured this would be a great date night. We were wrong...

First off, the service was decent. The girl we had was very pleasant and not pushy at all. So that is something they have working for them.

The decor is nice and upon first impressions seemed very nicely laid out. We were wrong about that part though. Also, it was very bright in the restaurant for a fine dining experience, it wasn’t the end of the world, just not as relaxing. We were seated in a small room at the from of the restaurant, and at the time of our arrive there was only one other couple in that room. Shortly after we were seated however, two large groups were also seated in that room. This made it very difficult to carry out any conversation at our own table.

The food was ok, cheese course was AMAZING, and I loved that they made it at our table! The soup and salads were decent, although the salad course was very small for the cost. The only cooking style available is a broth base, which isn’t the end of the world, but I very much prefer and oil fondue. The meat wasn’t great. Very small portions and I had the Cost to Coast which include scallops. The scallops were not good at all, to the point where I am not sure if it’s because they are previously frozen or if they were actually going bad. The veggies provided with the entree were also disappointing for the cost. We got potatoes, the same mushrooms and broccoli as the cheese dip as well as carrots and cauliflower. We didn’t even make it to dessert as we needed to leave to get away from the noise level.

The manager/owner came to our table to apologize that we are leaving, but did nothing to try and entice us to stay, not even offering to switch us to another table to a quieter part of the restaurant. No discounts were provided despite not getting our fourth course (even though we still paid for the 4 course meal). When we commented that maybe that room wasn’t great for a mix of couples and large groups, he simply replied that the system auto generates placement with the reservation. He also let us know that we could have requested another table when we were seated if we didn’t want to be in there. Given that this was our first experience, and there was only one other couple seated when we arrived, how were we to know we should request to sit elsewhere.

It was also sad that we had seen the manager/owner visit every table in the room we sat in and talk with them, but didn’t even stop at ours until we refused our last course and left. But I guess if you don’t drink wine, they aren't too worried about the table. Wine is also by the bottle, so be prepared to spend if you are a wine drinker.

We paid our bill and left. I was very disappointed as I would much rather support local that’s big chain, but I’m not wasting my money...

Please take a moment to hear me out. This in no way is meant to hurt anyone's feelings or smear this establishment for lack of a good reason. But these restaurants need to be held accountable if they choose to be in the food industry and charge these kind of outrageous prices for below average sub-par food. This is the god honest truth and I felt compelled to share my experience since the price paid didn't sit well with me. The front entry way was nice, intriguing, dark and slightly moody. I had high expectations going into this place considering the occassion. Here's a tip, if your over 6 feet tall, and they try seat you at the 2 person table/booth you will be very uncomfortable, I would be surprised if it was built to any code. Really that was when things started to spiral out of control for me. The table was too small, barely enough room for drinks let alone a flat top burner. the booth would be better for kids or smaller people. We started out with one of the infused cheese fondues which in all honesty was good but it was paired with plain apple slices, stale bread, one raw mushroom sliced and a few grapes.... I was really confused by the lack of creativity and/or someone that preps the food taking these ingredients to another level of some kind. Dipping raw mushrooms into cheese isn't special, Apple slices..? They completely missed the mark here, if I wanted apple slices and grapes at an expensive restaurant clearly a reasonable person would think they would elevate this in some way, but they failed to do that. This kind of preparation was laughable but considering the occasion it was quite sad to see and unpleasant to experience truthfully. Next was the hot pot, a flavored wine broth I believe. Let's call it what it really tasted like... Boiled flavorlous meat. Nothing resembled a delicate flavorful broth that enhanced the chicken, beef and shrimp proteins in any way. Boiled meat is what it is but you'll never hear anyone say it. Last and certainly the best tasting thing on the menu, was Marshmellows dipped in hot chocolate sauce. This one reminded me of the big bags of marshmallows you buy for a couple dollars when camping. There it is folks, over $300 dollars on your anniversary not including a tip for something I could have prepared, and executed better at home for maybe $50. I would never come back here nor recommend this restaurant to anyone that has an appreciation for quality food at a...

After hearing so much hype about this place we decided to give it a try, was very dead when we arrived and were greeted by a very friendly server who also hyped how good the food was. Both parties ordered the couples 4 course. The cheese broths were both good having the Welsh rarebit and the house special. The Cesar salads were salads and nothing to complain or rave about. This was about where the quality stopped for the night. We both had ordered the Canadian coast to coast. Once again the server assured us how good it was all going to be. This was far from the truth. The beef tasted like liver, both the pork and chicken had a foul taste. Upon alerting our server. She made light of the situation telling us this has never been an issue. Not overly interested in hearing about what your opinion is when were the ones paying to eat the food. The dishes were removed and we were told there was no manager to speak to. After this we brought out our chocolate dishes which were decent. At the end she had removed one of the meals which is fine we weren't looking for a freebie. At the end of it we had $120 worth of cheese and chocolate. Would not recommend bleu flames for a meal and would not go back for more than maybe cheese and wine at most. The overall handling of the situation was unprofessional. Sometimes things are better left unsaid. I was going to avoid writing this review however after another party that was with us that evening had the owner reply it sounded their review was paid for by competitors I was shocked an establishment of this caliber would respond in such a way.

If you're going for appetizers or dessert...