What went wrong! This place used to be excellent. To say that my last visit was a disappointment is an understatement. We were have celebratory dinner. But the food and service especially were so abysmal we will need to have another one Our waitress was an abomination of poor hospitality. We had to ask several time just for a straw for water. She payed no attention to us. She did not know the prices of the specials. We had no silverware or plates when our appetizer arrived. We had to ask another waitress for it. Also when we had to return a meal for being ice cold she purposefully ignored us. Once again had to ask another waitress for help. As for the food. Alqueria used to be great because it felt each dish was made especially. Now to call it mcfancy would be an understatement. The staff and kitchen are clearly coasting. They don’t care because they know they have earned a loyal clientele. But if they don’t get it together they will lose them. Like they lost me.

The meals were very bad. The only good thing was the seared scallops on the fettuccini. But truely there seemed to be no goal or purpose in what they were making. They just threw whatever seasonings and veggies they had into the pasta, not caring how they complimented each other. This was even worst in their special lobster risotto. It was an abhorrent mixture of dozens of different ingredients and none of them worked well of each other. This everything but the kitchen sink Risotto was an insult to food. To say you couldn’t taste the lobster is a huge understatement

The lamb shank came cold. A lamb shank should be served bund your mouth hot. But I would have settler for room temperature. Nope cold. It was the only meal we sent back, since if they asked what was wrong with the other dishes I’m afraid I never would have stopped. The lamb was admittedly cooked well. But when it returned , clearly having been thrown it the oven to heat it up it came dry. Furthermore the distilled balsamic did not compliment the lamb shank at all. A pomegranate molasses would have achieved the effect they were going for better and even been more authentically Greek. One small point, the meal that was sent back was kept on the bill. I don’t care about the money but it’s what any half prestigious restaurants the seem to be failing to emulate do. Just came off as cheap and tacky on their part. This was embarrassing. I even share in some part in the embarrassment. I used to love this place. I recommended it to people. I took clients here. I can only hope I can save my own reputation by getting in touch with my friends and company and tell them to steer clear before they make the mistake I of going here.

Alqueria was a once a neighborhood restaurant that wanted to be more and cooked to a high standard to do so. Now that it’s achieved some reputation it’s content with mediocrity. This was not just a horrible restaurant experience. It was a representation of everything that can go wrong with a good restaurant place. A meal that leaves you with a depressed feeling and a bad taste in your mouth.