The National Exemplar — Restaurant in Mariemont

I'm 75, and this is my first Google review. I have wanted to go to this restaurant for years, and tonight I finally made it. My expectation was up there, and I was confident of a good experience. Unfortunately, nothing in my opinion achieved even a rating of "acceptable", not only in an upscale dining establishment, but in any dining establishment.

Things started out with their impressive craft beer selection. Then I found out that only two beers were on tap. The rest were in cans and bottles. My favorite brand would have been $7 for a can. I ordered a soft drink.

My wife ordered what would be a house cabernet for $12, and the pour was less than marginal. She went to water after that. Ice was not provided. When the drinks came the waiter took our order. Rather than bring bread, they ask if we wanted some. The serving of butter for four was very small, we ran out, but knew we could ask for more.

The restaurant began to fill up after we arrived. A half hour went by. The waiter had not made another appearance. Tables around us were being served, but not us. The waiter asked one in our party if his salad came. It had not. He did fix that, but the salad had an unidentifiable dressing. He said nothing but did not eat it.

I asked for a refill on my soft drink and some more water so we could graze on the bread while we waited for our food. Neither ever came. I finished my meal while drinking water.

When I was finished with my prime rib the pile of fat was about a third the size of the overall cut. Sinew ran throughout the cut. Obviously, it was not an acceptable cut of meat. It was highly over-salted. They do not have baked potato and they serve the meal in a pile: meat on top of the aparagus on top of the mashed potatoes. If you want to cut the meat you get to sort out the meal first. $44.

Beware of the meat loaf. It has some kind of candied topping. Please don't put sugar on my meat loaf.

The music was a loud thumping noise that was very disturbing, and it got louder as time went on. I never identified even one song. Nuff said. They are...

I have to say, my husband and I have LOVED this place for years. We come to stay at Mariemont a couple times a year and The National Exemplar is the biggest reason for that. Last night was the first negative experience we've had here. The service was absolutely terrible for us. There was a young lady that waited on us. When we ordered my husband specifically asked if they had A1 steak sauce. The girl told us she wasn't sure. They had it the last time we were there several months ago. She never came back to let us know either way so I assumed they did. We both ordered filets. When another young man brought our food out, my husband asked again. The young man said no they did not, but there was bordelaise sauce on it. We would not have left because they did not have it, but he would've ordered something different. I love their bordelaise sauce, but he is just partial to his A1. And unfortunately, not having it makes it not as good for him. After that, the waitress did come over a few seconds later, we said everything was fine. We ate our dinner and did not see her again. We ran out of our drinks, which there is no excuse for. After we were done eating completely she came back and I asked for a couple new cokes please. When she brought them out, she removed our straws with her hands, never asking me to remove my own and put them in the new cokes. I truly hope that is not common practice. The wait staff should never be touching someone's straw. I just asked for the check at that point. She brought it out, but did not come to pick it up. I wanted to place a Togo dessert order but felt it was futile to try. Eventually, an older woman, possibly the manager came to our table and took our check. We do not mind paying for exceptional food, but that should also include exceptional service. We were very disappointed with the unfriendly and unpleasant attitude of someone who is supposed to be making our dining experience better. I hope she was just having a bad day and that this is not how she serves all...

While this isn't my first visit to The National Exemplar, I was very disappointed in the service we experienced this most recent weekend. Looking for a good spot to get a late breakfast, we went ahead and put our names in for a table for two, our wait was thirty minutes. We went for a walk around town, as the indoor waiting area was packed.

Returning to establishment, after 30 minutes, I checked with the host to see if a table for two was open. We also noticed several vacant tables on the outdoor patio and were more than eager to sit outside. While asking about the seating on the patio, the host sort of spoke over me before even getting my sentence out.. after waiting about 5-10 more minutes, we were seated at a small, cramped section on the patio.

I was happy to be seated, however, the sunlight was directly on top of us. We moved to a table to our left that was in the shade. After seeing the hostess that seated awkwardly peek out at us about 3 or 4 times of the door to the patio, we continued to wait for another 15 minutes..

No one taking our drink order, or even providing a courteous, "Has anyone taken your order?" We ended up leaving without any service.. I'm understanding when it's busy, and I've plenty of patience. But what does it take to get some service without...