What a spectacularly atrocious evening at Temu Blackbird.
Our server gave the first impression that maybe this would be a good night giving a brief intro to the menu, and that's where the good part of the night ended. We waited for water for a very long time and another server noticed we had been there and asked if we needed water. Drinks, both water and from the bar, took forever, while the food came out before the drinks even did. Throughout the night we had so many different servers touch our table, not in a good way where they're all helping but because they can tell we're looking for help for reasons like the food is here and 2 people don't have silverware.
The menu sounds like chatty g wrote it, things that don't sound at all like they should go together or are even food some of the time, make up to components of the dishes. The menu is chaotic and trying too hard. Flavors were bland while the dishes were cooked poorly. Steak tips dry and overcooked, beef tartar didn't really taste of anything, the waffle on the chicken and waffle sandwich tasted like it was cooked at 3pm prior to service and they slapped some fresh chicken between the limp waffles before sending it out, other things were fine but not worth the price. They said to order family style but I don't think they know what that means because the dishes aren't really designed to work family style. I asked about portion sizes I was told they were big, they were not, we left hungry.
This restaurant feels like it was designed for Instagram versus a good meal. They poured so much into the aesthetics and tiki cups they ran out of time and money to worry about things like food quality, and proper training for front and back of the house. If you want to go, go now because I can't imagine it will last, I...
Read moreWent there to both celebrate a birthday and invite friends to our wedding. Started off well with good seats and the waitress got us going saying she would bring water. Time passed and we kept looking around for our waitress. Another server comes by and we ask for water. He grabs it and that starts this rotation where we had 4 or 5 servers all waiting on our table. In some cases 2 people bringing the same thing to the table at the same time.
The food was the biggest disappointment. Very expensive for what you get and the taste was lacking. I thought it was asian but the menu is all over the place. We ordered a bunch of the appetizers. The duck empanada was much on the inside and heavily breaded on the outside. The Tacos and Tequila was just a little taco. Caesar salad was a couple leafs with balsamic on it. The salmon Poke cone has a teaspoon of salmon and the rest is guac. The chicken and waffles...Loved the chicken but the waffle was like a 2 day old purple eggo.
Moving forward we didnt understand if the "meals" were full meals or something to share so we ordered a mix. Some had sides and some were just the one item. They were all expensive. The steak came out with 3 skewers and tasted like it was boiled. No flavor and just grey. The ribs were all sauce. The local catch was the best but it was a corvina which is not a local fish. The other oddity is stuff just comes out when its ready so some people have food and others are waiting if you are sharing.
The birthday was not recognized at all and we had to keep asking for our check...finally grabbing someone that was clearing tables. They did take 10% off the bill but overall super disappointing and we...
Read moreAbove average food. More along the lines of small plates & tapas, where you can mix and match 3 for a meal or a whole bunch "for the table" to share. A little overpriced. A lot of options are a little too sweet and they really like adding coconut as an ingredient. The tables, particularly in center, were poor thought out. The "booths/loveseats" are 6"-12" too narrow for two people. The table bases are large enclosed "boxes", leaving almost no room for your legs; you basically need to sit with legs crossed to the side opening/aisle. Table tops are a little too small to hold the multiple plates that are a result of tapas-style menu. Regardless, the decor was cool, service friendly, food comes out pretty quickly (at least when 50% occupied). Some dishes were better than others. The Poke Cone was the table favorite. The chicken in the Chicken n Waffle was perfectly cooked. Ribs were decent. Skip the steak tips kebob, which they seem to really push; cooked very nicely but nothing special. The sushi.. possibly the weak spot on the menu. It wasn't "bad", just "meh"; doesn't help that the slices of fish are literally paper thin, so all the other ingredients drive the flavor. Drink menu was interesting and varied. Prices were crazy but that seems to be the new normal nowadays. The cups/glasses used for service were unique and fun. Overall, it was definitely worth trying, though it probably won't rank too highly on places to return to/try again. I'd say that it's probably a good place to go for a little fun; ideal for small groups of friends and...
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