Figaro The Dining Room — Restaurant in Newberry

Last week a friend and I met for lunch to celebrate her birthday. There was a drink special on the board outside for a Blackberry Sour. When the blonde lady, whom appears to be a manager or owner, came to take our drink order, my friend asked her about the drink special. Upon doing so, I commented that I was also thinking about trying it. My friend then mentioned that she did not care for whiskey, at which time she was told that she could get it with vodka. I never said anything else about the drink and ordered a water. To my surprise, when the blonde, who was not our server, approached the table, she had two drinks. My friend happened to be in the restroom. Therefore, I was at the table alone. Because I had not ordered one, I was stunned when she delivered two drinks, but trying to be polite, I didn't say anything since I had considered giving it a try. However, after processing the surprise of receiving a drink I did not order, I quickly realized mine was also made with vodka, which I never mentioned and never considered. At this point, our male server had taken over our service. My friend told him what had happened, and he said he would take care of it. About five minutes later, the blonde brought me a replacement with bourbon while removing the vodka drink. A few minutes later my friend decided the vodka was too sweet and asked to switch hers out as well. The same thing happened. When the lady brought the replacement drink, she took away the previous without saying anything or asking. I didn't expect they would replace both drinks at no charge, so I was a little perplexed. When I received the check for lunch, it had all four cocktails. Although, most nice restaurants will replace cocktails that aren't enjoyed, I did not expect that they would cover my friend's as she had clearly ordered it with vodka and switched. I, however, had not ordered a cocktail, and if I had, the one I was served was incorrect. When our server came back to the table, I politely asked if there was any way to help out with some of the drink charges. He very abruptly told me that the lady had left and he was instructed that he must charge me for all four without even listening to an explanation. Because, he was not involved initially, he was not aware that I had not ordered a drink. He was told, however, that I didn't receive the one I would have been ordering had I ordered. We also felt that if we were going to be required to pay for all four drinks, two of which had only a sip or two missing, we should have been asked before the drinks were removed from the table. We live quite a ways from Newberry, but have celebrated family birthdays, enjoyed brunches, and eaten at this establishment prior to shows at the Newberry Opera House on many occasions. I have also recommended Figaro to others. I was very taken aback at the lack of customer care that was given and very disappointed that it has made me NEVER want to go back or give out any recommendations in the future. I thought about trying to call to discuss this issue with management, but based on the way we were treated in person, I came to the conclusion I would most likely be wasting my time. I wanted the owner/manager to be aware that Figaro has lost a long time and loyal customer over the handling of...

Met a BESTIE, high school friend in Newberry to celebrate my birthday. She chose Figaro, on Boyce St. Her basketball scholarship was at Newberry College, and she is very familiar with the town. Newberry is quite historic, but that is a story for another time.

Figaro has a cozy feel given its historic building and cobbled street.

With recommendations from our wonderful waitstaff, Seth, we started with the house Cabernet, St. George, which was quite delightful! The Pimento Cheese plate appetizer was next on the agenda. The plate had these wonderful cracker pieces for the Pimento Cheese (which I must say rivals my own, taught to me by the mother of a college mate from Walterboro, SC), and pork rinds accompanied by a sweet salsa. Taste buds already on overdrive-- right?

Let's get down to it. My friend went for the bowl of Smoked Sausage Corn Chowder (Soup of the Day). Her chowder was beautifully made with the sausage being chopped into perfect sized bits to accompany the corn kernels for this creamed soup.

Myself, I had to try the Cuban Sandwich. My husband grew up in Tampa, FL (Hillsborough County), where Cuban bread bakers are featured on YouTube videos. While I could not validate the true authenticity of the cuban bread, it had a sumptuous flavor and texture.

The pork was sliced rather than pulled; however, the spicing was excellent. The sliced ham, salami, and dill pickles capped off the sandwich perfectly. My side of choice was Figaro's Potatoe Salad. It's more of a sour cream/Mayo base rather than mustard/mayo base, and the right side to have with my Cuban.

I did manage to keep my wits about me long enough to get photos of appetizer plate. I had all but scarfed up my Cuban and tater salad before knocking myself in the head, frustrated I forgot shots of the entrees. I hate it when I do that.

Please, put Figaro's on your list to check out on your next day trip or venture through...

We were in town for the philharmonic at the opera house, and wanted to enjoy a self proclaimed "refined restaurant" experience. The atmosphere was unusual. Video game music (super smash brothers) was playing in a restaurant that was so dark I could barely see the menu. I think this was by design. For the appetizer we ordered the soup of the day - shecrab. For the entrees I ordered a medium rare ribeye, and my partner ordered a medium well, french onion NY strip. The shecrab soup was lukewarm and lumpy, but the flavor was good. The portion was very small for the price. I was initially impressed by the appearance of my ribeye, but after a few bites I could tell something was wrong. As I mentioned previously, the restaurant is very dark, so it took me some time to see that my steak was completely raw. My partner's steak was also medium rare, which was not what was ordered. I asked the waiter to cook my steak, and my partner decided to keep the strip. When they brought the same steak back out to me, it was still raw. I sent the steak back, and asked that they take it off the bill. To their credit, they did. After that, we received almost no service for the rest of the meal. When the waiter came by, he only lingered for a second before running away, as if scared of us.

The prices of the steaks, that they did not know how to cook, were more expensive than Ruth's Chris, or Rick Erwins. My bill for 2 cold soups, 1 poorly cooked steak, and a $3 coffee was over $100. I left the restaurant hungry, disappointed, and sick to my stomach later that night from eating raw food. Anyone who is considering eating at this restaurant would be better served by cooking a nice steak at home, and saving their money. We will not...