Flavors In The Park — Restaurant in Glendale

I'M TOO WEARY TO RETURN DUE TO AN UNEXPECTED EXPERIENCE. Read on to find out.

I decided to give this place a try as I heard raving reviews by mouth. I had not eaten in the morning because my sister date mentioned this place was amazing so I only drank water up until our early brunch. (This is important to know later)..

Upon entering I noticed the inside was small. I'd describe this place as Quaint & Cozy with a Mexican upscale twist. Seating provided a great talking space for two to four guests per table depending on where you'd sit. There was also outdoor seating which offers a nice breeze without the extreme heat as umbrellas protect with shading.

The waitress was a young gal who was kind, patient and thoughtful. She offered a small tasting of their Cafe which I was blown away by. Literally this was the most Beautiful coffee flavoring with the perfect hint of cinnamon and the best part - no added sugar needed when using their cream. Hands down - it was the best l've had in a LONG WHILE and it amazingly brought back beautiful memories of my childhood with my Nana.

I also opted to try their Prickly Pear Lemonade which was $5.95 plus tax. That was also a symphony of flavor. Not too tart and somewhat sweet. It was topped with a lemon wedge & floral. I did decided to give it time to sit on the table top to allow the ice to melt a bit & then I stirred in the melted ice. It was perfect once that occurred. (I've personally cut down on artificial sugar in my diet - so having this drink could have just been my pallet being over sensitive to the sweetness). Overall - it was great!

I was impressed and could not wait to try their food so I ordered the Alebrijes Chilaquiles: Fresh corn tortilla chips tossed in 1/2 red guajillo & 1/2 salsa verde. 2 eggs. Topped with cilantro & red onion. Crema and queso fresco on the side w/added Pulled Pork. This cost $17 plus tax.

Upon food arrival - I noticed my food was not steaming hot (the way l prefer) but it wasn't super cold either. The chips were soft yet still crunchy all the way through my meal which offered a nice textured balance. Both red and green were delicious and the eggs were cooked exactly as ordered (over medium). The food was balanced amazingly and needed no additional seasonings.

HERE’S WHERE THINGS GO SOUTH: The pork gave me issue. I'm a stickler about cleaning out or rendering the fat from pork... so as I ate - I came across pork fat in my mouth that I removed which was sticky and bouncy. Personally this was not my favorite experience. I then attempted to sift through the rest of the pork on my plate to execute a removal of the fat before eating. Once that occurred - I was able to enjoy my meal.

Finally when I was finished - something felt off.. I was a bit bloated. So I decided after my meal to go for a walk. This helped a bit - but I couldn't eat for the rest of the day.. bloat insisted so instead I opted for sips of water throughout remainder of the day/evening.

FOOD POISONING! I’m Certified in Sanitation, Nutrition and Have Licensing for Food and More… Approx 6 hours later - my journey of food poisoning began… I was experiencing light headedness, palpitations and my stomach began to swirl. I still felt bloated and then nauseated beyond control. My stomach began cramping immensely. I began to burp uncontrollably- then I started to dry heave, so I ran to the bathroom where I began projectile vomiting. As brunch was coming out of my mouth - I then began experiencing diarrhea. It was a literal nightmare. For the remainder of the night by body was shaking and doing everything and anything to get rid of the brunch I had hours before until it was all out.

I’m writing this explanation because I wouldn’t want this to happen to anyone else ever! Also, it’s important to share my experience in hopes that someone in Management or Ownership would make proper arrangements to keep Food safety & Sanitation at the forefront to protect consumers from a future horrible experience.

Hopefully after reading this: Your experience at Flavors in the Park would be...

Finding a good restaurant can be challenging when you have a family with meat eaters and vegetarians. Cuff has a menu that accommodates both diets.

We ate outside, and the atmosphere outside was really great. They have a patio with string lights, and the weather was perfect.

We got the French press coffee, which was pressed fresh at our table. There was a little spill. I think the waiter felt so bad, he ended up giving us free dessert! Honestly, we didn't even care about the spill, but I will say that the dessert was really good!!! We had a coconut cream pie, if I'm remembering correctly...

We got the cauliflower wings appetizer. It was pretty good! I ordered the bean burger, and I thought it was very well made. I asked if they make it in-house, and the waiter said it's all made fresh. I could tell. It was very good. There was also an onion topping on the burger that really brought it all together. I think my only complaint is that the dressing was on the salad, and much heavier than I normally like it. I would recommend dressing on the side.

My son had a sandwich that he really enjoyed. The fries that came with his sandwich...

I just don't want to spend time talking about a place not worth it. A waste of time. The wait staff was rude and argumentative and turned away from waiting inside to call us to come back 5 minutes later. Seated us crammed into a small table between the screaming kids and adults yelling. When asked for another seat we were ush. Then told him we could sit on the patio. Order taken appetizer ordered as well, 50 minutes later while seated at a dirty table ( all tables were dirty) still no silverware or salt /pepper any condiments no chips nothing! They bring out main entrees no appetizers! I asked they nastily said with a bad attitude oh! We can reorder them there was a mix up we gave them to someone else. I said no thanks. Please take off my bill. Then the waitress says "If you don't like our service we suggest you go somewhere else!. I ate quickly asked another waiter and advised I would like to speak to a manager. RESPONSE .........Oh. We tell the manager!! Had to get up another 15 minutes later and walk inside to pay our bill never looking back Never going back P.S The food was greasy and subpar Don't waste...