Eden — Restaurant in City of Syracuse

Eden called and informed us the OpenTable app booked us an outdoor table in error. They were implying that they had no service outside, I asked if they would serve us since it was booked for a graduation celebration, they agreed to it, though it seemed reluctantly.

We arrived on time and we’re escorted to the front patio where there were several outdoor tables; all tables outside were Unoccupied at 7pm.

Immediately the server asked us if we could place the food order as we received our first drinks because the kitchen was “very busy”. We quickly ordered on his advice.

Surprisingly our appetizers arrived 5 minutes after putting the order in to a “very busy” kitchen, a palette cleanser arrived a minute after the appetizers. The entree arrived 9 minutes after that.

This was an intentional speed service overload at the table by our server. (The server was the one on the phone encouraging us to not keep the reservation). He was determined to ruin the graduation celebration because we kept, in his mind, the questionable reservation.

I have never witnessed this psychotic behavior by a lead service person. He tried to apologize but he was not sincere and unconvincing since intentionally slamming the table with all ordered items after 15 minutes of being seated.

This is not an exaggeration, we were there for 15 minutes and the table had appetizers, a palette cleanser, and our entree in addition to our first drink order. It was shocking to all 4 of us to say the least.

I asked him why he is treating us in this fashion, and was it due to the an OpenTable malfunction, he responded in weird whispers while heavily perspiring. I firmly explained to him his fully intentional behavior cannot be forgiven.

The restaurant food was ok, we made the best of it,however this server just got off the bus...

Overall Assessment: Terrible value for money. $250-$300 per couple for “7.5 out of 10 star”-quality food and lots of issues. We will be one-and-done customers.

Good: Food was good (not great) and seemed to be made with quality ingredients. Good atmosphere save for the bright lighting. Wood fire grill visible to diners is a nice touch. Good drink selection. Mushroom, bacon and egg appetizer was great.

Bad: Drinks way over-priced. All beers cost mid-double digits. Menu very limited. 4x appetizers, 4x entrees. Octopus appetizer featured on website and online menu does not exist. Waitress was unfriendly. Politely asked at the beginning of the meal to split checks between couples in our party. Waitress hemmed and hawed, but agreed. At the end of the night, waitress came with one check and tried to convince us not to make her split it. Chicken entre is a drum stick. Not a breast or half-chicken….for $35. Filled plate with biscuits to try to fill you up/make you think you were getting a full entre. Bone marrow is one tiny bone. Don’t think I got a single teaspoon of marrow off it. $15 wasted. Food was super salty. Had to kill several glasses of water. Despite having an early reservation, restaurant was out of 1 of their 2 desserts. Waitress told us to “fight amongst ourselves” for remaining desserts. No espresso or espresso-based drinks available if you like a cafe or a latte/cappuccino with dessert. Strange for a fancy restaurant. No sugar substitutes if you are calorie-conscious…which is why we chose a meat and vegetable-based restaurant like this. Lighting super bright. We had trouble finding the restaurant because it looked like a business cleaning up...

This is something I have been anticipating to review since last year before the Pandemic came crashing in to screw up our lives. In all gladness I am happy that Eden is still here and still cooking up amazing dishes and the items I got prove it! For the Starters got a Sliced Apples with a little goat cheese on top which is a nice little plate to have before your main starter arrives. Of course I got the Pan Roasted Scallops with the Arugula, Preserved Lemon, Bacon and Strawberries and to be clear the sauce that goes with the scallops is such an unbelievable combination! The Scallops are cooked perfectly with a nice sear on top of all of them, the bacon cooked to a perfect crisp and there was a fair amount on there for 3 Large Scallops! For the Main dish I got the Ember Roasted NY Strip Steak with smashed potatoes, creme fraiche, basil chimichurri, and arugula. The Steak was cooked beautifully, the potatoes nice and crispy on the outside and melt in your mouth on the inside especially when paired with the creme fraiche which is a rarity in nice restaurants about 300 miles north of New York City. Before the main dish I got some greens with a vinaigrette which is a simple yet healthy dish before your main course arrives. For the Dessert I got the Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Blueberry and Lemon Zest which was really delicious. I might do a Brunch post on this place at some point maybe pointing towards Spring as I am curious on how they do, till then it was an Amazing Dinner and highly recommended for anyone who is eating alone, or your first date or just need a night out for the happy couple who needs a break from the norm. . 📍Eden CNY - Syracuse, NY Review...