Crow's Bench — Restaurant in Sandpoint

I don’t usually write negative reviews. If I write a review, it’s usually because the service food and atmosphere were all outstanding. However, the interaction and experience that I had at Crows Bench two days ago has stuck with me and I’m still upset about it.

I took my sister and niece up there to eat because I’d been there just a month and a half ago with my husband and had a wonderful experience. I was even pleased to discover we would have the same server that we’d enjoyed last time when we spent the weekend. It’s at the top of the mountain, so it is a given that the food and drinks will be expensive. I Ordered the same drink I had last time because it was so good. This time, the drink tasted off. I had a few sips of it, but couldn’t place what was wrong with it. It comes with toasted coconut on the outside of the glass, which is my favorite part. I took some of the coconut onto my finger and realized that the coconut milk used on the outside to make the coconut stick, was sour. When I brought it to my server’s attention she told me that the coconut cream is always dated so she knew it was only 4 days old. I repeated that the coconut cream was sour, so she said, I’ll get you another one. When she came back without the drink, she told me that both she and the bartender had tasted it, and it tasted fine. I then told her that I‘d had the drink before and it didn’t taste right and I was confident that the milk was sour because I had tasted it separately. She said OK and left the table. At that point my sister said, why don’t you just tell them to forget it. Mind you, at this point it has taken 20 minutes to get this far. I waved at her to say, “forget it,” but she lifted the can to show she’d just opened it. When I got the drink a few minutes later, a comment was made that “usually they make sure that the can goes directly into the fridge but it may have been left out.” By the time I got the drink, we were done with our meal and I was embarrassed and a little upset because I felt like they thought I was being unreasonable. It is a $14 drink. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect that the ingredients be up to par. Then the check came. After all that, I was charged for two $14 drinks less $3.24 “to make up for it.” I probably should have asked for the manager at that point, but was embarrassed about everything due to my guests and the fact that I’d told them how great this place was. Apparently, they thought I drank too much of the first one to receive a replacement. I don’t think I’ve ever been treated so poorly in a restaurant where I spent $74 on lunch. Granted, that includes 2 overpriced drinks. We live nearby but I doubt we’ll be back. Hope that $2.25 can of coconut milk was worth it to you. It ruined my day and we’ll make sure we eat before we go up to Schweitzer with our guests that frequently...

They got rid of all the good food from last year in the menu change. No more fried oysters mushrooms, just your regular ones for $16 (these were super popular, I'm not sure what the logic was). One vegetarian option on the entrees, but 3 different kinds of steaks and why do you need 6 different salads on the menu 😂. How about a little variety. It's not hard to have a veggie burger, fish tacos, pasta (normal, not something with peas and mint oil) some Thai, Chinese, or Indian dishes. The locals were excited last summer about the food, this year it's a bummer.

I really don't understand the disparity between the crows bench and chimney Rock. Everyone's favorite place is Chimney Rock when it's open. How do you go from such a good menu, better priced, more options... To crows bench? The service at Chimney Rock is miles better. I really don't understand how two places can be owned by the same company and be so polar opposite in a bad way.

Our hummus tasted like something was expired. 5 others tried it and agreed.

Anyone good here always ends up quitting. There is one gal who's a bartender and is super rude, she replaced Kelly, which sucks. I've had several negative interactions with her. Most recently she roled her eyes and said she's not turning on the fire pits an hour before closing. It was a wedding party weekend and all she could focus on was getting off work. We had a party of ten wanting to get drinks and sit out by the fire. So we left. There is never enough staffing. It's challenging to run a restaurant with sporadic customer flow, but it's the same things people complain about for years, if they addressed the shortcomings I'm sure things would be more consistent.

It's hard to come eat in the village with one option that is expensive and not great. The prices aren't really the problem, it's the quality you get for the price. Go to St Bernard, food is way better, cheaper, and great service. Menu needs more variety, better pricing, and a...

Relaxed and minimalistic, yet, elevated atmosphere. Awesomely tasty drinks, excellent food. The beer cheese with the pretzels had wonderful flavor. The asparagus was cooked perfectly. The elk loin was also perfectly cooked and SO tender. I’d never had pickled blackberries, but they paired well with the flavors presented in the elk. Schnitzel had a great crust while maintaining its juiciness, and the creamed kale that was paired with it was impeccable (could have probably had a whole bowl of it to myself). Lastly, the Bee Sting was great, however, personally, would have preferred it to be room temperature or somewhere close to that. The brittle on the crust was lovely though! Brooke was an amazingly personable waitress who had wonderful recommendations and took the best care of us! It makes a difference when your waitress knows her stuff and takes the time to talk and get to know you- especially when you’re from...