Corndance Tavern — Restaurant in Mishawaka

Let me take you on our very... unusual experience at this place. We first walked in, we waited by the door for several minutes before asking a waitress to seat us. Once seated she had to be told / asked about booster/ sling for my infant child. She never said who would be with us, she just sat us and walked away. Our server finally came and gave us a lunch menu, I asked for dinner as I was craving the lamb chop. We were told the menus change often and she can recite the drink and kids menu as having a paper option isn't available. (This was the turn of our experience) we wanted to come to lunch as our oldest were at school, so we had just enough time to come and eat but had our 1 y/o trying to listen to drinks and food options while tending to a 1 y/o is insane. Having to listen to all the ingredients and toppings, or beer notes were not able to be fully absorbed as we had to constantly tend to the baby. Also It removes the prices because you're not able to visually see the details of what you're ordering nor the prices. What sides comes with the kids options, what percentages of alcohol is in our ordered beers etc etc. our waitress Sherry recommended a few dishes, and I kid you not. Every recommendation was horrid. The coconut shrimp were so dry, and tough, and when the waitress asked us how's everything we told her about the shrimp and she quickly changed the subject without even showing an ounce of empathy, seeing we didn't dare touch but the one we tasted. She seemed to have had some sort of bad anxiety, or maybe judged us and though we would be "those" kind of guests, but spending $150 for a steak, a burger, and 2 beers with sides we'd want It to be good. The kids pasta was the best thing on the menu, granted my husband LOVED his steak, but the steak sauce they make from scratch taste like a BBQ jam, they do not offer A1. The waitress was asked to bring a refill on the beer and It was a completely new beer than the first order. (We didn't say anything just drank and noted) I asked for ketchup and mustard for my order (never got It) she also noted the aioli was good enough to drink ( another exaggeration) I asked for Arnold Palmer with sweet tea and she brought unsweetened Arnold Palmer and asked if I wanted sweetener. A true professional would've noted I said sweet tea and would've informed me right then and there that they only have unsweetened tea. I don't know; my experience was horrible honestly. It was my husbands birthday, and I just feel like we would've been better off going to chic-fil-A for better service. The manager even brought out crayons and paper as the waitress just seemed overwhelmed and "off" she only had two tables, there were only 3 parties in the entire restaurant. My husband and I worked in hospitality, and he was even a server so we told her she was doing good, and still tipped her but truth be told, she's a huge factor as why we'd never return again. We thought about coming for dinner without the baby, but idk. I'm not sure it'll be worth It. Food was a 3/10 for me, even the Caesar salad was bitter, the Parmesan crust that comes on top was a harsh flavor. The only pleasant thing I can recall was the lemonade and the kids pasta marinara, my husband gave the steak (minus the sauce) 10/10 the beer he had was good but wasn't what he ordered he loved the asparagus, but the sauce on the potatoes was sour and distasteful. Also the lack of menus were a negative for me. He said he should've just gotten a Philly cheese steak and the fries. We didn't want to order basic but honestly sometimes the safe choice is the...

The biggest takeaway was the lack of communication. Many things went wrong that could have been avoided if good communication was utilized. At first, our group (of six) ordered two appetizers. One was brought to the table and the other one was not. The waitress forgot to order it. As soon as she placed the order for it in the computer, she took the first one ready to go out of the kitchen and brought it to the table promptly. Both of the appetizers were tasty! I was hoping that the rest of the service would go smoothly, but I was very wrong. About 10 minutes after ordering our server let us know an item was "86'd". And after getting the new order, she came back and let a different person at the table that their item was 86'd. After about thirty minutes, another person came to our table and let us know that their item had been 86'd. I understand that this is a farm to table establishment and that they may run out of an item, but they ran out of several appetizers, every aged steak available, and the duck breast that evening. By the time we left, five out of the six people had something wrong with their original order. They either didn't have it, the steak was undercooked, or they were missing items on their plate. They brought our food out in three waves instead of being ready all at the same time which was awkward as people at the table were sitting there without food. After 10 minutes, they brought put the last two people's food. The steak that was ordered medium was rare. It was sent back and they cooked the same steak longer. After cutting back into it, it was undercooked again. There was several times that drinks were left dry and even the ice chips melted before we received more beverages. The drinks were the best part. They weren't just a drink, they were an experience. With dinner service a disaster it was the floor manager (possible owner) who attempted to save it. Unfortunately, due to the lack of communication happening at this venue it wouldn't be vindicated. The manager made many of the drinks on the house and also a couple appetizers. I did appreciate the gesture given by the manager. I let him know that this was our entire groups first experience here and was disheartened that so many things were left off the menu. He said it is better for lunch or early dinner since they would have all the items available. Three hours had passed by the time we were seated and we got the check. When the waitress brought the bill we asked for it to be split into three checks and she said with the discounts we would have to pay together. With the crowd dying down, and instead of her working it out, she left our party to figure it out. This was another missed opportunity. Bottom line: the food was decent, but not for the price or the headache. The drinks however, were excellent. If you are looking for a social place to drink with good company and a pleasant atmosphere it would be good (as long as the waiter or waitress doesn't let your drink run dry). For the price I would recommend Ruth Chris. It has better food, good drinks, and good communication. I appreciated that the manager tried to figure out the situation, but it was too late by the time they tried to fix it. I may give this business another opportunity someday, but not anytime soon (and...

Their steaks start at $50, so if you aren't prepared to pay $80+ per person, minimum, this isn't your spot. 🤣 My sons and I wanted to try something new, and I made the mistake of not checking out the prices first. My bad entirely.

First, let me say that there was nothing inherently wrong with the food. You can just get the exact same taste experience for literally half the cost at any decent steakhouse. Once I figured out and made peace with the fact that my bank account was in for a reaming, I decided to see if maybe us broke folks are just missing out and went in for what I consider "the full experience": appetizer, drinks, entrees, and dessert.

First, I asked for an aperitif. Our waiter (Jacob, who is otherwise a lovely young man and fantastic server) had no clue what I was talking about. No biggie, but if you're going to charge exorbitant prices (for the area), please make sure your staff is properly trained in the aspects of fine(r) dining. I'm just a Joe Schmoe; if you get someone in there who's used to a high-level dining experience, they're probably going to expect more.

We started with the steak fondue appetizer. Flavor and presentation were enjoyable. The portions were amusing, but on the bright side, our dinner wasn't spoiled.

If you ask, they do have an unprinted kids' menu. My youngest got chicken fingers and fries, which he enjoyed.

My oldest got the burger. For $25 I was expecting something impressive. He said it tasted alright, but it was too messy to pick up and eat. I'm hoping that just meant it was tender and juicy, but my usually-ravenous teenager only ate half of it and left the box in the car when we got home. So.

I decided to try something new and got the lamb - medium rare, per our server's recommendation. My favorite part was the polenta-ish bed. Maybe that was the latke? The description says, "celery root & zucchini latke, charred pickled onion, pea puree, mint chimichurri." None of the rest of that existed on my plate in any form. There were green onions that were cooked enough to be limp but not enough to be easy to cut, and a sauce. Idk. Again, for $42, I was underwhelmed. The side of truffle fries was decent. They were the same fries my son got with the burger, with a side of aioli.

I asked Jacob for his wine recommendation and was served a glass that might have been amazing. I'm not a fan of red wine in general, but I thought maybe I was just being a pleb. 🤷🏻‍♀️ He said a red was the way to go with lamb. I'll take his word for it.

Dessert was very good. Many of their selections are "cakes in a can" from Evil Czech Brewery, which is owned by the same group. Two of us got those, and my youngest got Nutella gelato. I was pleasantly surprised by the taste and quality of a canned dessert.

The atmosphere is kind of dark, quiet, and bougie. We definitely weren't the target demographic, and that's okay. 🙂 Overall: for nearly $70 a head, including a child, it was just...