The Foundry — Restaurant in Dayton

Soooo, I had the opportunity to try The Foundry, the rooftop restaurant downtown above the Marriott Hotel. I asked what was the sweetest drink they had, and was told the Quartz Radiation. I gotta say, if that’s the sweetest drink, then the others must be pretty potent. Friend one ordered the same drink and did not feel it was sweet enough either. Also ordered was the carnivorous pizza that consisted of pepperoni, roasted peppers, hot Italian sausage and bacon. It was felt that the pizza was really good and would be ordered again. Due to having already eaten, friend two ordered a starter, charred meatballs, for their meal and really enjoyed them. It was felt that they had a little spicy kick. Friend three as a whole gave the place two thumbs down. Why? Because the only vegan option was bar snacks. I kept thinking they probably just opened a can of planter’s mixed nuts and called them vegan. Friend three did order the steak fries w/ truffle oil on the side. The truffle oil was enjoyable. Friends four and six ordered the loaded potato pizza, which consisted of roasted garlic, Yukon, rosemary, bacon, raclette cheese, and sour cream, and it was enjoyable. Friend six had been to this restaurant before, having previously ordered the margherita pizza. It was felt that the loaded potato pizza was better. Friend six had to send the dirty martini back as it was too salty, no doubt with too much olive juice. It did look awfully cloudy and yellow. Friend five had the reuben and liked it a lot, and for dessert had the tiramisu which was served in a mason jar. I heard no complaints about it. Friend seven had the steak and potatoes and gave it a ten out of ten. Friend eight ordered a pepperoni pizza and had them add mushrooms, along w/ a salad. It was thoroughly enjoyed. Friend nine had the 24-hour chicken w/ cauliflower and carrots. The chicken was very moist and juicy although it lacked seasoning. The sauce was the only thing that gave it flavor. The carrots were hard, but the cauliflower was good. I ordered for a starter the crab cakes. There was a little too much corn in the crab cake itself, but I did like the pickled onions and fresno peppers, along w/ the saffron aioli. Friends one and eight sampled the crab cakes and thought they were delicious. Friend nine also sampled and thought it left a fishy aftertaste, but I did not get that at all. I also ordered the pork belly, which comes w/ red beans and rice, sweet plantain, and avocado. I asked if I could substitute the beans and rice for something else and was told yes. So I got the raclette potato instead, which was basically a sliced potato w/ melted cheese in between the slices. When my plate came it looked like something was missing, but I couldn’t remember what else came with it. As I am writing this and looking at the menu, I realized they didn’t add the plantain or avocado. I don’t know if they considered that to be w/ the beans and rice or not, but in any event, the pork belly lacked seasoning. I assume the glaze was supposed to make up for that, but not enough in my opinion. They did provide me w/ a peppercorn au poivre sauce, which I don’t believe was supposed to come w/ it. I have had better pork belly and this was not something I would order from there again if I were to return. Friend one and I ordered the bananas foster crème brulee to go. It was extremely obvious that the dessert was meant to be eaten there. In the to-go container, it looked like it had been dropped on the floor. I can only imagine what the tiramisu would have looked like in a to-go-container. Bottom line, I was not that impressed. Perhaps in a few more months when the kinks are worked out it may be better and perhaps they will expand their menu a little more. Some were saying that there were items listed on the initial menu that aren’t there now. I think it will be a draw and people will go to experience the idea of a rooftop restaurant and to have a couple of drinks, though I think the bartenders need to work on...

Wasn't meant to be. We don't get out much currently as my wife is awaiting surgery with difficult mobility. Essentially home bound for the last 3 months and we still have 2 more to go prior to surgery. This was a big deal for us to go out. It was her birthday (which I made known at the time of the reservation) and we wanted to check out the rooftop dining. Did not sit out in the igloos, as it was just the two of us. Once seated it was just under 7 minutes to be greeted by our server. Menu was not clean and the round table seemed more appropriate for a cafe. Drinks ordered but missed the fruit for my g/t. We were halfway done with our apps before I had the chance to remind him, I would like the lime. Wife enjoyed the deviled eggs. Salty and quite tangy for my taste. Ordered short-rib French onion soup, as well. Flavorful, proper level of cheese, onion and broth. Short on the meat. Finished first cocktail during the deviled eggs as it came out first. Entrees arrived before I was done with my soup. Once we were greeted, we felt rushed. Server did not check on us til we were halfway through entrees. Should have tried to order a beverage from one of the food runners. When he did arrive, I asked for a glass of wine, specifically a malbec. Letting him know I had been done with my first for a while. Instead of prioritizing my thirst and providing a pairing for my meal, he proceeded to go to a couple tables, presented a check and processed one. Perhaps I should mention, I do not drink water during meals while dining out. So, I had nothing at all to drink. Only for him to return minutes later to remove my wife's plate. At this point I told him to cancel my wine order as I was near completion, myself. My wife ordered smoked cherry salmon and I had the pork belly. Entrees were fine and presentation on point. I am typically good for at least 4 drinks during the meal. My wife a couple. Dessert and drinks are always a part of our dining experiences. Our faith in service was long gone, so we passed and asked for our check. Eager to leave, despite what was supposed to be a special, infrequent night out for us currently. When presented with the check, I asked the server if he was new to waiting and/or The Foundry. He went on to say "no", stated he was quite busy with quite a few tables. Seemed to have only 4, 2tops. I guess one positive was our bill was about half our typical bill. As we left, my wife sat next to the hostess stand to adjust her "gear" that assists her ability to walk. I turned to talk to hostess. Asked if they were short staffed perhaps, to which she replied yes- "was it that obvious?". I shared that we were not happy with our experience and we here to celebrate my wife's day. At no point did she inquire to learn more or volunteer getting a manager involved. As I am talking to her, one of the managers did walk by, unfortunately my back was to him and didn't see the approach. I can't help but think there is absolutely no way he didn't hear bits of our conversation. Not loud inside at all, despite a "dj" playing appropriate music. As you leave the dining area there is a decent, wide hall towards the hostess stand and elevators. Zero issues holding a conversation. We exited building next to the handicap parking, only to see the manager that passed us upstairs smoking with a couple other people. Recognize this could have been one night or a bad server but I don't think I can give them a second chance. When dining, food certainly should be the centerpiece; however, the adage says- people buy from people and "the people" didn't show an...

This restaurant has several strong points. The ambiance is beautiful, much of the food was good, and our server was friendly and likable. Dayton benefits from cool, high-end places like this, but based on our experience tonight, I worry that management’s lack of attention to detail will jeopardize its future.

Our dinner for a party of five, averaging $90/person, was riddled with issues that shouldn’t occur at this price point.

Seating Issues: Upon arrival, our hostess attempted to seat us at an already-occupied table. We then waited approximately 25 minutes before being seated in the outdoor igloo we reserved. We were asked to sign a bizarre and confusing contract with irrelevant terms (e.g., replacing a Bluetooth speaker that wasn’t even present). Staff acknowledged the oversight with a casual, “Oh yeah, I guess someone took it.” The igloo was fine, but definitely not the "cozy" experience advertised. We were told the General Manager has been thinking about ordering more heaters for the colder weather we get in Dayton.

Unstable Table: Our table was not properly affixed to its base, so the table was annoyingly wobbly throughout our meal. Despite raising this with staff multiple times and asking to speak to management, the problem was never addressed.

Unavailable Menu Items: Several drinks, an appetizer, and dessert components were unavailable and a local beer was incorrectly described on the menu. We were told they were out of so many things because the bar was using up old ingredients to prepare for a new drinks menu.

Food Quality: A medium-rare burger arrived well-done, risotto was undercooked, and dessert was especially disappointing. We ordered a strawberry shortcake, which was served without the listed lemon mint whipped cream and with a "sorry about that." The cake without a topping was incredibly dry, so we asked for ice cream, which was eventually brought, but the dessert remained subpar. This wasn't removed from the bill despite us asking directly.

Managerial Inattention: We asked multiple times to speak with a manager about the above issues, but we were never visited. The restaurant was not busy. At the end of the meal, after bringing this up again, were told to locate the manager ourselves. When one of our party finally spoke to the manager, our detailed complaints were met with a “thank you for letting me know....we are working on attention to detail” without any attempt to reconcile the $450+ we just spent on such a frustrating meal.

While the restaurant shows promise and Dayton would benefit from a place like this being successful, the numerous issues we experienced signal a need for better management, or risk experiencing the same fate as neighboring restaurants that are...