Alter House Restaurant — Restaurant in South Abington Township

I tried. Deplorable isn't the word. I had my cold soup returned 3 times - cold. I've previously heard horror stories about this place and decided to give it a try, again. It has gone from bad, to worse. I have no idea why the average reviews are so high. Clearly, this is a novice endeavor with a large smattering of inexperience and insincerity.

I previously has written a post that I retracted as it was a new establishment, and out of kindness, given their learning curve. This is no longer the case.

When I attempted to address and correct the issue we experienced, which is honestly not a huge ordeal, I was met with a "get lost" approach. Really? This will not work for that kind of money and lack of quality and experience.

Taco Bell does a better job (and honestly worth the money versus what you get at Alter as far as volume and human decency).

The servers are obviously miserable, and I see ZERO team-members since my last visit, and that's telling, and sad. Something is wrong with turn-over here. Again, I've hard horror stories.

I also don't understand why our party wasn't able to order sequential meal items. We were FORCED to complete our order as if it was an inconvenience. Our server was clearly anxious about this and told him that "we understand" this is a requirement. We also told him we were sorry about this policy. We didn't care, but he seemed to be alarmingly afraid to tell us why we could not place an app. What if we just wanted an app? Sounds crazy to me, and it is.

We will never engage with this establishment until they get their act together. It's a shame as my friend and I had high hopes for this place and looked forward to a new establishment in the area.

As an aside, it's impossible to park at AH (which is no fault of the owners) but should not be a problem as when we were there during prime-time, we were one of the few patrons. This is telling, and again sad.

There is only one chance to make a first (and second) impression. I tried again, and can only hope that AH pulls it together, as at this point, it's a waiting game until another, more well-established entity takes over and provides the level of service and product consummate with what I feel AH strives for - It's not working, and none of us, or our friends will be returning, ever.

I wish AH the best. Until then, pull it together. It's not working as it is, and look forward to a new approach and/or...

It’s a trendy place. Everything looks amazing and sleek, however, the food presentation is so-so; especially considering the $$$ prices. $80+ for the check. I went with a friend. I'll tell you about both orders.

We both ordered the Frozen Watermelon Margarita: it had a great texture consistency, and was just the right level of sweet, but the lime made it a bit too tart.

What I ordered: Crab and Brie Fries, Vegetarian Flat Bread and the House Cheesecake. Don't be as confused as I was about the Crab and Brie Fries. What I expected were Crab cakes or Crab meatballs alongside the fries. What I got, apparently, after being informed by the waitress, was a bit of crab cooked down into the Brie cheese (which made it basically undetectable), then placed on top of the fries in globs. The taste of Brie overpowered everything in the hot pan and I was left wondering if I ate any crab at all. I waited for the vegetarian flatbread twice. In the first round it was completely burned about 2in into the pie and hard as a rock. About 40% of it wasted. Second round had less toppings than the 1st but at least it was soft enough to chew. The House Cheesecake was honestly the best thing about my meal. Cheesecake with Oreo crumbles, chocolate sauce and ice cream. No issues there.

What my friend ordered: pork chop with succotash and bruerre noisette (sauce). $31 The pork chop was ordered medium well but was delivered well. The sauce slightly made up for the dryness. The succotash was a relatively cheap collection of corn, lima beans and bacon bits that were oddly hidden underneath the pork chop. She didn’t know they were there until well after she started eating. About 50% of the plate was covered with lettuce that made the plate look full but still made the dish short on fantastic. No dressing, maybe strawberries or apple with the lettuce would have made a nice touch to compliment the pork chop. Overall, not my go to for future meals.

Pro of the evening: Our waitress was exceptionally accommodating...

I hesitated to write a review but after reading reviews with similar experiences I decided to.

Pretentious, over priced, poorly executed food. The Chef is not up for this level of dining. Very nice people, nice bar, well decorated with very nice stemware.

The tiny roll I was served was gluten free. Really, who cares. Butter made in house was unsalted, which is okay, but flavorless. I don't think the chef tastes anything. Started with mussels. They were foul. The accompanying grilled bread was stale. The lamb was very mild which is nice but lacked flavor and seasoning. It seems like they don't season anything. The plate was literally a mess. I posted a picture (anonymously) on FB and the response was 100% repulsed. People thought it looked horrible. Menu said gastric. A classic gastric is caramalized sweet pan drippings such as onions, or caramelized sugar with flavorings and vinegar. I believe what was served was a red wine reduction. Undercooked fingerling potatos and "local" chewey corn. Once again, really?

Farm to table is a passe trend. Taste is more important than where the food comes from.

The dessert was stale mini donuts with untempered bland ice cream rocks right out of the deep freeze. You could taste the freezer. Menu said creme anglaise. No richness, thin, not enough vanilla, sugar or egg yolk. Creme Anglaise should be an almost religious experince. Not here.

I was comped my mussel appetizer but had four martinis and a Sauterne. Bill came to $130.00.

I thought the State Street Grill was bad. This is in the same category.

BUT, I will try again. I enjoy the bar. The young lady bartender was very good, likeable and professional enough. Tip...my flatware should never touch the public bar just like being served at a table.

I'm being sincere in my statements here. They're not designed to hurt their business. But at these prices you have a...