Syndicate Ferndale — Restaurant in Ferndale

Alright, here's the deal. I've been around the world and always hunt for cool restaurants, from tiny spots to fancy Michelin ones. But, my niece picked this place for her birthday. Checking out the menu, I was a little worried because it said "seasonal." The Syndicate Ferndale, right? They usually do farm-to-table stuff, with local ingredients and women owners. The menu was all about pumpkin, apples, cranberries, and butternut squash. I knew choices would be limited, but I was still looking forward to it, especially the cocktails.

We started with spicy apple glazed meatballs – not spicy, but they were good. Then we had the Bruelled Feta with naan bread. For drinks, I got the Good Apple, and it was awful, way too much lemon. When I told the waitress, I thought she'd offer to have the bartender fix it. Instead, she asked if I'd read the drink policy! I hadn't, but I told her it's a $17 drink, I'm not worried about it. I told her she wasn't going to break my bank. My niece had two drinks (check out the photo of one), but I couldn't find the name of the second one she loved. The waitress asked if I wanted anything else. I said no thanks.

For dinner, my niece had the Maple pecan crusted chicken, I got the Reel Fish and Chips, and I told my brother to get the bone-in pork chop (the menu said it was brined for 48 hours with maple butternut squash puree and apple chutney – remember that).

My niece loved the chicken, and I tried it. It was delicious, and the butternut puree was amazing. My brother looked at the pork and said no... so I gave him my fish and chips. He said they were okay, but the malt dust was too salty.

Okay, let's talk pork. It was a little pink, but again, the butternut squash puree was the star. I struggled to eat the 48-hour brined pork chop; it was so tough, I almost didn't want to eat it. After the drink situation, I didn't bother sending it back. I ordered a side of mashed potatoes, which were great, and apple chutney, but that was it. I was bummed about the pork because it didn't seem like it was brined for 48 hours, maybe only 4-6, and brining should make it tender.

Overall Delicious Score 3 out of 5.

Cons: Seasonal menus 20% gratuity included (we didn't tip extra) Hard to tell if your food is fully cooked Mediocre house cocktails Limited seating

Pros: Good location with parking nearby Restaurant's look is beautiful Outdoor seating area Kitchen had a good turnaround time Chef's creativity is impressive with those ingredients.

Would I recommend it? Nah. Would I go back? Maybe... if I do, it'll be to try the spring or summer menu. I'll update my...

My wife and I visited Syndicate for our anniversary dinner. The spring menu had lots of interesting and fresh tasting items. We started with the lavender feta whip. It was very nice, not too floral or "feta-y". If anything, It could have had a bit more of a feta forward flavor and not been unpleasant. The honey drizzle made it a touch sweet, but a squeeze of lemon made it nicely balanced. For our entrees we had the tuna steak and the lamb chops. The tuna was seared nicely and had a nice texture. The terriyaki pineapple salsa it was topped with added a nice sweet and savory accent. The flavor of the tuna itself was nice, but could have used a bit more salt. The ponzu dipping sauce made all the difference. The lamb was nicely cooked, tender, and not gamey tasting at all. The peas added a nice pop of freshness. There wasn't a lot of pea puree on ours, and it might have been nice to have a bit more pea puree to have it feel more like there was an actual side with the lamb chops. In the proportions it was presented in, it seemed like lamb chops with a garnish of peas and a drizzle of pea puree. It didn't really feel substantial enough to be a side dish.

We ended our meal with the lemon tart. It was delightfully refreshing and lip puckeringly tart, just like a good lemon dessert should be. The flavor of the tart played nicely with the assortment of fresh berries and whipped cream.

We also enjoyed a couple of the signature cocktails. We had the ube luxe, the Gemini rising, the starry night, and the old fashioned. All of the drinks were flavorful, balanced, and beautifully prepared and presented.

Our server was attentive without being overbearing, knowledgeable about the menu, and very informative, answering of our questions about the dishes and drinks.

The atmosphere in the restaurant was nice, the only thing that threw me off was the club mix thumping over the speakers, which didn't seem to match the vibe of the decor, the menu, or the overall relaxed dining experience.

We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner, and if we could change anything, we would only have picked a...

Came in at 7:30 on a Saturday night and was told about a 90 min wait, totally understandable (very small dining area with extremely tight seating) So figured we can hang out in their lounge area with a drink while we wait, except they reserved it for a private party. The hostess suggested We go across the street while we wait and have few drinks so we did. As we got closer to our 90 min we got a text saying sorry but your wait is going to be longer so I went over to the hostess (who was very nice) and she apologized saying the tables are stalling and not leaving. So I said maybe it’s time to respectfully ask them to leave as others are waiting for a table. This is done in many establishments, as a lingering table is costing the business money! So we did finally get seated after a 1 hour and 45 min wait. Our server was very nice, We ordered some drinks they were ok. Appetizer was sweet potato pierogi, they were good not great and you only get 3 for $16. Entrees we got mushroom ravioli, excellent! Short Rib, absolutely disgusting! The meat was so tough and filled with fat.You could not rip it from the bone and just didn’t have a good taste, it was gross. I love short rib, it should just fall apart as it does everywhere else I get it. This was nothing like that, I had to saw at it with the dull knife that was given. In the beginning When we ask our waitress her suggestions she did say the ravioli is excellent which she was spot on but when I asked about the short rib she said yeah that’s good, but I could tell the way she answered it was not good but thought maybe she’s just not a meat fan, I wish she would’ve just said don’t get it. Dessert was French silk parfait, completely tasteless. So unfortunately I would not return for the food as it was overpriced and underwhelming. For me the icing on the cake was the 20% gratuity automatically added to the bill, I understand that being done to larger parties as it has always been known but for a party of 3 people? Very tacky! that doesn’t even happen at upscale...