Cask & Pig Kitchen and Alehouse — Restaurant in Dartmouth

The Staff there is awesome. Ashlyn was friendly and pleasant as always. She’s earned every bit of praise I’m about to drop. I don’t like seafood, but I decided to try. Ashlyn was so very patient and lovable. She helped me pick out something I might like, and she nailed it. I hate seafood, but on this occasion, it wasn’t bad. BIG, HUGE kudos to Ashlyn for her help. She’s awesome. That’s a common theme with all the staff. Caili is the sweetest always attentive and on top of things, annd that girl can talk, she’s so very friendly , outgoing and lovable. Amanda has a smile that will melt my cold dead heart better still, she’s as warm as her smile. Jayci, I haven’t seen her in a while, but she’s cooler than the flip side of my pillow. We can talk marvel movies for hours, I would hate to be in a room trapped with jayci and Caili, the two of them would talk my ears off and I would love every second of it. They’re Simply awesome. Nicole behind the bar, she exudes sweetness, her charm will have me saying take all my money for a tip. Then there’s the other Nicole, the cutest little thing and every bit as lovable. Beatriz, she makes me nervous. Her beauty makes me forget how to talk. I become a knuckle dragging Neanderthal just pointing to what I want on the menu and grunting, plus she’s very kind, she doesn’t laugh at my lack of brain. Christine always looks so happy to see me, I feel like I’m her best friend when she greets me, she’s absolutely adorable. Val, he’s intimidating at first, but he speaks with a softy low-key tone that eliminates any intimidation you felt. Coolest guy on the planet. Nadia is quietly pleasant, she’s charming, friendly and kind. Daphne, she just recently started serving, but she nailed it. Her smile was genuine and she was so pleasant and helpful. Elija, now there’s a young lady that can charm a snake. What an absolute pleasure it is to talk to her. Skye is another young lady that can charm her way into selling ice cubes to an Eskimo. A very pleasant young lady. Let’s not forget Savanna who had to deal with me calling her Miranda cosgrove for a while, not once did she complain. She handled my dumb ass with class and grace, now she has to deal with me calling her savanna banana as a way for me to remember her name, she’s still keeping it classy. Gotta love her for how she handles it. I could go on and on because there’s a lot of people I could mention...Wait I Can’t forget Meagan, not only is she very outgoing, she’s a pre smart kid. Maya, dear God, how can I forget Maya, what a doll she is. She’s never had a bad day. Layla, I’m running out of great things to say, but Layla is the best… okay, I think I’m done, I don’t have the time to keep going. So I’ll be more general from here. The hostesses, they are so very polite, courteous and charming. I’m always greeted with a smile and a kind word or two. The runners, I don’t know their names, but they to run. Constantly on the move and always polite. The cooks, I’ve NEVER had a bad meal, I’ve been going there for 5 years and never had a reason to complain but I’ve Always had reasons to compliment their work. Fantastic job by the crew in the back. I don’t know any of you, but you guys rock the hardest! What the all have in common, they are all incredible at doing their jobs and doing it masterfully. They are all very attentive, they all make sure the customer is set up and in need of nothing, they are all very professional and friendly. This staff is...

We were planning to visit family in the area for the first time and I saw this place on the map before we left. I was excited to eat here because there was so much on the menu that sounded delicious. I may have built up my expectations too much to be objective, though.

We were concerned about huge portions and we weren't "starving" so we decided to order a few appetizers instead of entrees. Experience and the app prices led us to believe the apps would probably be meal-sized anyway. That turned out not to be the case. There was plenty for an appetizer but maybe not to justify the prices.

I'm not a poutine fan but my daughter wanted it so we ordered that. It was probably the best poutine I've had but that's not saying a lot because I haven't really had poutine that I've liked. I would call this one "ok". My choice was deviled eggs. They were good but nothing special, really, and were gone in about 30 seconds. My wife chose the brisket burnt ends. It's hard to go wrong with burnt ends. These were good but definitely "no frills". They were served with a horseradish dipping sauce. None of us like horseradish so we didn't try it.

We're often too full for dessert but since the apps were pretty small, we had room. We picked one from the menu but the server suggested fried ice cream which wasn't on the menu so we tried it. I don't recommend it. If you're used to the fried ice cream many Mexican restaurants serve, seasoned with cinnamon and covered with whipped cream, sprinkles, and/or a cherry on top, this ain't it. This was a small brown ball sitting in a puddle of chocolate sauce. A small scoop of vanilla ice cream in an unseasoned and very thick coating of dough and deep fried. The bragging was so thick, it was still raw inside and, when it mixed with the melting ice cream, it just made a gloopy, doughy mess. They were kind enough to take that off the bill even though we told them it wasn't necessary and we had eating almost all of it (it was small. By the time we all tried a bite, it was gone.)

The service was very friendly and efficient. The atmosphere is standard steakhouse-type dining.

We'll likely eat here again when we're visiting. Next time we'll try something more substantial and I'll update...

THE SERVICE:

Online ordering is straightforward and convenient. The pickup experience isn’t ideal because the takeout station is located in the main entryway, to your immediate left, creating a bottleneck effect for pickup vs dine in.

In trying to stand out of the way additional patrons arrived to pickup their orders. After a couple of minutes another employee arrived and immediately offered to assist the person in her direct line of sight (counter employee’s back was turned assisting someone on the telephone while we waited for service).

The gentleman indicated I was actually next in line. The employee then looked towards me, I provided my name and was handed my order. The employee wasn’t rude to me, but when entering a situation with several people standing for service and it’s unclear who’s next in line- simply ask.

Nonetheless, I appreciated my order being ready at the designated time.

THE FOOD:

The brisket and pulled pork were profoundly offensive, and partially inedible. Both items were remarkably brittle, and dearly departed. In an act of resurrection, they added pickled onions and a scoop of pickles directly on the meat. If there were any doubts, rest assured, pickling juice does not reconstitute dehydrated meat. I simply cannot comprehend why those items wouldn’t be in a separate container.

The baby back ribs, albeit dry, had a very nice flavor profile. The mashed potatoes were seasoned well and tasted good. The collard greens had great texture but an unpleasant sour back note I wouldn’t attribute to vinegar.

The cornbread was the standout bite and paired nicely with the accompanying butter.

THE FIXABLE:

After reading several reviews and responses from the restaurant, it became apparent my experience was not an isolated incident.

In my opinion, this restaurant is experiencing an expediting issue with respect to quality assurance measures. It’s extremely disappointing and unacceptable to be served old and improperly reheated food.

THE VALUE:

If my food was fresh and cooked properly, I would say the meal aligns with the price point. However, this wasn’t my experience so I unfortunately lost out in having to toss the majority of the brisket, pulled pork, and...