The Independent — Restaurant in New York

Called around 11am on 1/30, told the staff member I spoke with we were interested in the Restaurant week 3 course menu but I was working locally until about 830pm. He booked me a 9pm reservation with no problem. At 752pm I called to say I might be late and I was told the restaurant week menu ends at 815/830. Strange time but ok. We ended up arriving at about 845pm and asked for the restaurant week menu. The server told us we would need to order quickly and seem displeased by our request for these pre fixe menus. Seems to me like this is why we were told they stop at 815pm when it actually stops at nine. The same server that hurriedly sat us was also our waiter. He did not introduce himself, he did not offer a beverage; frankly there was absolutely zero warmth and hospitality whatsoever. All he said before he just stood over us scribbling on his pad was "Ya'll Ready?". I have never witnessed such cold service in my entire life. The apps came out and my meatballs were absolutely stellar. The mains came quickly (while we were still finishing apps of course) and my Salmon fillet was incredibly disappointing. Not only was it an end cut (which should be reserved for guests ordering well done) rather than a center filet, it had absolutely no seasoning but a few specks of black pepper. It was dry and overcooked. The sides were even worse. The black lentils had absolutely no taste and the carrots and beets were literally just boiled. Forget about garlic, there wasn't even salt and pepper on these veggies. It was literally a dish I could have made better for myself. The only saving grace was our table was passed off to a LOVELY waitress named CIERRA (sp?). She was absolutely wondeful, the complete opposite of her colleague and should be rewarded for her dedication. Such a shame that such a beautiful restaurant decorated with candles and fresh flowers has such poor service and under seasoned food. I suppose it is worth mentioning my date enjoyed her pasta, but also remarked she had never witnessed such cold service. ...

Disappointing experience to say the least. We were brought water shortly after sitting down but the server walked away before pouring it. They never asked for a drink order or if we wanted appetizers, just asked for the main order. Our drinks did come quickly and were ok. We were brought place settings but the server set them in front of me and walked away, leaving me to pass them out. There were appetizer plates, which was confusing because we didn’t order any so we assumed bread was coming, but none came. Our food was brought by someone different, which was fine but the server never came back to check on us. I ordered the chicken parm, not given a proper knife so I was attempting to cut with a butter knife. It was so tough and once able to see inside it, it was obvious that the chicken was so incredibly thin and terribly overcooked. I’ve never sent food back before but this dish was inedible. The person came over to take our food, we let him know our concerns he said he would take care of it. A manager didn’t come to talk with us. The bartender came over at one point to take our plates, didn’t mention it until we did and simply said “I’m sorry about that” - no efforts to make it right, no one asked if I wanted something different off the menu. It was taken off the bill. It could have been handled very differently and that could have made all the difference. We certainly won’t be...

How this restaurant has managed to earn a 4.3 star rating is beyond me. The food was hit and miss, but the absolute worst aspect of our dining experience last week was the service. While the young man who greeted us and led us to our table was kind and helpful, our server barely attended to our table. Despite our multiple requests for additional water she never brought us any, and visited our table twice after receiving the food: first when we asked for additional salad dressing for our barely edible salad (seriously, you could buy a premade salad pack from the market and it would have been an improvement over what we received), and second when we had finished our food and asked us how everything was going. Then we waited what for what felt like an eternity to get the check. Exasperated, we decided to get out of our chairs and collect our things, hoping that that would get her attention. The server finally brought the check to my husband who remained at the table while me and the rest of the party waited at the front of the restaurant/ bar. I kid you not, our server approached us while we were waiting up front and asked me and another member of our party if we needed a table for two. We were stunned; yes, she was that rude and inattentive. Do yourself a favor and find somewhere...