Blondette — Restaurant in Minneapolis

I have fond memories of Marriott back in my Hometown of Washington DC. One of their core values is being honest in your dealings with others. That is also an important tenant of the mormon faith for which the Marriott family follows. The old Hot Shoppes restaurants never did business like this. You had really great people working there. The prices were fair. The food was of the highest quality. They were honest about what any potential charges were up front either verbally or in writing. It broke my heart when Marriott finally decided to shut them down with the last one closing in 1999.

I did not like the experience I had in your restaurant. You should have disclosed on your menu if there were any additional charges of accompayment such as fries. I have no problem paying a little extra for them because they were good. Your health and wellness fee should be disclosed on the menu because not everyone's going to have a chance to get to your website. Especially if somebody is staying in the hotel where your restaurant is. If you don't disclose in writing on your menu what a charge is for something with an item you order. Then a customer could legally dispute that they're not responsible for it. The food was really good and I'm glad that I ate what you all served. That's what makes me so sad to have to do this. Having good food is not enough. Trust is everything and I feel you all came away short. I feel your actions were short of character and integrity.

The bartender serving me I felt was just trying to say anything he thought I wanted to hear. I could see how wound up he was when I wanted an iced tea, he said he didn't have it and I was okay if he had gotten me a sprite. That's completely honest and I don't have a problem compromising. I didn't like it when he wasted noticeable periods of time trying to find a drink and acting like he did something above and beyond when it was clear to me he didn't. It's OK not to have what everybody wants but you must be honest about what you have and what you can do. Also, handing me my check while I was still eating my dinner, I found very rude and disrespectful. Handing me my check while I was still eating and I didn't get any alcohol sent me a message that I need to finish up my food and get out. I would expect such behavior at Cracker Barrel or Denny's but not a fine dining establishment that you all proport to run! I left the bartender a tip but I was very tempted to not tip. I barely left 20% even though I didn't think he deserved it. I counted the health and wellness fee as part of the tip.

I later found out on your website that you all have listed the Health and Welness Fee of 5% which I was actually okay with. But the law that you list as authorizing that is a definition section under what constitutes a gratuity. There is nothing illegal about imposing that fee provided that you just disclose it upfront in a clear and conspicuous manner. I found it concerning that you all are representing it as it required by law when it's not. I ate it several restaurants in the Twin Cities and you all were the only ones to do that. If that is required by law that 5% surcharge, then why isn't everyone else doing it. The law allows you to do it BUT IT IS BEING REFERENCED AS REQUIRED when it is NOT

Here is a copy of the statue referenced on your website:

MN Statue 177.23 Subdivision 9

§Subd. 9.Gratuities. "Gratuities" means monetary contributions received directly or indirectly by an employee from a guest, patron, or customer for services rendered and includes an obligatory charge assessed to customers, guests or patrons which might reasonably be construed by the guest, customer, or patron as being a payment for personal services rendered by an employee and for which no clear and conspicuous notice is given by the employer to the customer, guest, or patron that the charge is not the property of the employee."

While the charge your imposing is not illegal, it's not nice to represent that is required by implication and direct reference when its not....

Oh ... My ...

Disclaimer: I only had 2 dishes and a few craft cocktails - and I didn't get any well-deserved photos as I wasn't initially intending to write this - but was ultimately compelled to put the fork down and give my impressed thoughts on this nouveau choix.

The Beef Tartare was just perfect and enhanced even more by the fresh grilled country bread. As for the Seared [seasonal?] Scallops; I live on the coast of Florida with easy access to any form of scallops imaginable, but never have I had anything like this. Butternut squash puree, brown butter, thyme, golden raisins, the super subtle hint of heat, impeccably cooked scallops that weren't too big nor too small ... every bite was just beyond words.

I'm a Tequila guy, but wasn't thrilled by the overly sweet sounding (per the server's description) "In The Clouds" Tequila cocktail, so I somewhat begrudgingly went with the "Moonglow", a Mezcal-based Paloma-like option. I say begrudgingly because I find Mezcal typically consumed by the smoke and not much else, but this was a pleasant, not overly smokey, very enjoyable option. "The Rand Tower Martini" (FYI: nearly $20) is a very French, Martini-lover's Martini blending both Vodka and Gin and served mad scientist-like ... in a good way. My only personal slant is that it's a bit Vermouth heavy for my taste (though I think their in-house Vermouth infusion is the reason) and I prefer frost-biting cold (I overheard that they prefer not to bruise the Gin by shaking).

Every member of the staff I had the pleasure of interacting with was sweet, informative, patient, and accommodating. Funny enough, my only "complaint" was pointed out by another reviewer as well ... stupid small print menus (at least for a 40+ year old) and unpredictable/annoying "light show" (random and inconsistent raising and lowering of the lights over the course of what felt like about 30 minutes).

I'm going to enjoy another hour or so here, and maybe they'll have more than one dessert option when you come (keep asking for an affogato!), but I 100% suggest giving this...

I wish I could give this establishment a lower rating; the only good thing about it is the atmosphere, which is ideal for taking cute pictures or hanging around, but not for eating, drinking, or celebrating anything. The awful service began with how difficult it is to make a reservation at this establishment. If you have a party of more than six people, you might think contacting is the answer, but after calling their staff, I was directed to write an email to their manager, who took a long time to respond. After I placed a reservation for a group of eight, I was told they required a reservation fee that would be applied to the final charge, which I thought made sense in the event of a cancellation. However, there's no need in making a reservation there to celebrate a birthday because when my friends and I arrived, they said they were clearing some tables for us, but it took approximately 20-30 minutes for my party to be seated. When we were eventually seated, their server took a while to meet us and simply took our drink orders. We were all waiting for her to return and take our food order, but she never did; instead, she just came and told us the kitchen was closing in 5 minutes, so we all had to rush to order something before they closed the kitchen, and finally, that reservation fee was not applied to our final check, and I had to point it out to the server for them to apply it. Overall, the service was poor and inattentive, and the food was bland and served in extremely little servings. Even several of my pals got sick after eating their duck dish. Seriously, if you want to celebrate your birthday and have a nice experience, go somewhere else in the vicinity that will give you your...