Black+Blue — Restaurant in Vancouver

I've been to Black+Blue a handful of times but this was the first time for our group of friends, as we were celebrating a 65th birthday and work retirement for one gentleman who has earned every bit of accolade.

The hostesses up front were very gracious in greeting, as I was about 15 minutes late embarrassingly, as there was a large concert and sporting event in town that really snarled up traffic everywhere. They didn't make a point about it and took us to our table.

Kent, our host for the evening, was a consummate gentleman and a professional that genuinely made the night special. If the management of Glowbal is reading this, I want to stress that you need more people like Kent at your other establishments.

It's not easy working customer service but when you are able to do it well and do it with an effective passion, it definitely is noticeable, and was greatly appreciated by our table. Kent was able to read the energy of the table and vibe accordingly. This is a very important nuance to point out. I believe had the table shown a more introverted or quiet energy, he would be able to adapt and still make you feel comfortable. It's one of those personable traits that comes with experience and a lived life I guess.

Kent went through The different steak offerings and what would be the right choices for what preferences we would have. We ended up going with porterhouses, tried and true. And one member of our group preferred a different temperature, and Kent accommodated and made sure that she got her food exactly how she wanted. The steaks were excellent. Cooked right, nice char, proper meaty flavor.

A couple of other guests that are table also ended up getting a tour of the restaurant and other areas of interest.

Some of the sides that were ordered were the wagyu fried rice. I'm probably the wrong person to ask about fried rice because My experiences have been the humble east van cafes, So I liked my rice more MSG and flavor packed than the subtlety offered here. The fried mac and cheese sticks are the most popular side option. And is a very safe bet.

In past visits, I've had the risotto and that usually would be my go-to suggestion to pair up with your protein.

We had not indicated the celebratory nature of our dinner until near the end, but when Kent and the staff found out they made sure to bring out a complimentary dessert for us and that was much appreciated.

The restaurant manager of the night was there helping out too and we made sure to tell him of our wonderful experience at this Glowbal restaurant and with Kent in particular. It is actually refreshing to see the restaurant manager serving flaming drinks, and being personable with the other tables too, "getting his hands dirty", as one would say. Verses just asking "is everything at the table okay?" While you as a customer have a fork of salad in your mouth. It was a more quiet night but a nice personable touch seeing everyone on the floor.

Our party are a group of working joes who don't demand much, but know what we like. We were never made to feel anything less, amongst the backdrop of the polished feel or surrounding area.

In a time where being great is now the norm and the expectation, the efforts of Kent and the staff at Black+Blue are even more special because of the human aspect of just feeling right. Where we could just be and individuals like Kent could be. That authenticity. The vibe of it all. And at the end of the day that's what's memorable and that's what matters.

So thank you, Kent, and staff for making our dear friend's 65 birthday and retirement...

To the Management of [Black+Blue], Subject: Complaint Regarding Poor Service, Suspected Racial Discrimination, and Severe Disruption of Customer Experience

Dear Sir/Madam,

We are long-term patrons of your restaurant and have dined at your establishment many times, even recommending it to friends. However, during our birthday celebration dinner on the evening of May 5th, we encountered an extremely unpleasant experience, including what we perceived as discriminatory behavior from an Asian male staff member, which deeply disappointed us regarding your restaurant's professionalism.

Incident Details: Polite Inquiry Before Taking Photos: Before taking any photos, we specifically asked a white female staff member for permission and only proceeded after receiving her explicit approval. We made sure to avoid other guests, and the complaining customer (a white woman) was not visible in any of our photos. Yet, she rudely interrupted our celebration, claiming that we were "disturbing her meal."

Unprofessional Handling by Management: We approached an Asian male manager to explain the situation, emphasizing that we had obtained permission from your staff. However, he showed no remorse, responded with a dismissive tone ("What happened?"), and completely disrespected us without attempting to mediate or understand the situation. In contrast, another male manager (non-Asian) at least apologized politely, making us question whether the Asian manager harbored a "white-favoring" attitude, treating Asian customers differently.

Hostile Behavior Upon Departure: What angered us further was that when we left, the Asian male manager stared at us impolitely, with a look of contempt and hostility, as if we had done something wrong. Is this how your restaurant treats loyal customers?

Our Concerns and Demands: Poor Internal Management: Why was a permitted action (by your staff) treated as a mistake simply because another guest complained? If there was truly an issue, the manager should have politely informed us first—we would have cooperated immediately—instead of treating us with such rudeness.

Suspected Discrimination by the Asian Male Manager: His dismissive response, lack of apology, and hostile glare made us feel deeply disrespected, leading us to suspect racial bias in his behavior. We demand that your restaurant investigate this matter seriously and provide a clear explanation.

Loyal Customers Treated Unfairly: We have visited your restaurant multiple times, but this experience completely ruined our birthday dinner and made us question whether we should continue supporting your business.

Our Demands: A Written Apology: We demand a formal apology from the Asian male manager and the restaurant management, along with an explanation of corrective actions. Staff Training: Improve customer service training to prevent such discriminatory attitudes...

My partner and I went to Black and Blue for happy hour to celebrate our anniversary before a concert last night.

We really wanted to try out their prime rib special after seeing their Instagram pictures.

To say the least, I was quite disappointed in it. I'm a bit shy to raise these issues during the actual meal because I wasn't sure if this was the way it's supposed to be prepared or not as it was my first time there having prime rib.

Cons - Size. The thickness / size of meat that we got looked much thinner than the advertised one on social media. I had actually asked the waiter about this afterwards and he said the picture on social media might have been the "regular" size one and not the happy hour 12oz. To me, that is very misleading as many people refer to pictures to decide on the food they want to get. If what he said was right, I would suggest updating the pictures.

Fattiness. Our piece of meat had quite a bit of fat. I had probably cut off a good 2oz of fat right from the side of the meat already. The inside fat pieces were fine but I felt like I wasn't getting all the meat that I bought.

Cutlery. Dull steak knives? The meat was quite tender but there was a tendon that was nearly impossible to cut through. Some parts it felt like the knife was tearing my meat apart instead of it slicing through.

Au Jus. When the prime rib came, I was initially shocked at how little au jus was on the plate. It's certainly not enough for us to dip our Yorkshire pudding with it. Luckily a kind waitress brought us more without charge.

Yorkshire Pudding. Maybe I'm not used to how they cook things here but it was a big let down. I was actually looking forward to how a famous restaurant would make their Yorkshire pudding. Ours was very dry.. and could barely absorb any au jus.

Pros Tenderness. My partner said it was one of the most tender prime ribs that she had and she's been to multiple places. So kudos to that!

Carparcciao pizza. This was honestly so good. We both felt that this $18 dish was better than the $44 prime rib. The thin slices of meat were tender and the crust was crispy and had a great chew at the same time.

Dessert. They gave us a complimentary dessert for our anniversary and it was delicious! It was their signature butter cake! This was very nice of them and we greatly appreciated it.

Drink. Spicy Pineapple Mule was pretty good! It had a good kick of spiciness to it!

Overall, we were quite disappointed in their prime rib and I would hesitate to come back for it again. Having been here previously for their roof top happy hour, I know their HH food seems to be a way better quality and value.

I would give our prime rib experience this time 2/5. But I would give...