The Rosebush — Restaurant in Town of Alfred

We came for our third meal at this restaurant at three pm on Monday. (They open at 11). This was nothing like our first or second visit. The other meals were made to order and perfectly executed. This third experience was wrong all around. From the service to the food quality, big zero. The server didn’t write any of our orders down and we had asked for our burgers (all of our orders were burgers) to be cooked medium. She disappeared in the back for what seemed like way too long. We were the only people in the place. Three of us at a table and no movement from the back of the house for 25? minutes. When the meals were delivered, every burger was charred black and bitter, done to death, definitely not medium. Buns were burned as well. She disappeared again after she put the plates down and never returned to check on our experience. Not two minutes later, not five minutes later. We could hear talking coming from the kitchen. We needed some help with our food and to ask what happened to the burgers, why they were so overdone. No one came. We were forced to send someone looking for the server. We found everyone in the kitchen just chatting. Very awkward to have to go to the kitchen hunting for help. The server came to the table and when we showed her our well done+ burgers, she made the excuse that she isn’t responsible for cooking the food. We asked if the person cooking could be notified of our dissatisfaction and she just did not handle the situation well at all. We could only assume she didn’t get anyone to come because she never told them to cook the orders to medium. We’ll never know. Because she did nothing. Someone should have come out to see us. Nothing. Without investigation, the cook or whoever was “cooking” sent us a bill for half price on all of our meals. Mine was completely inedible and I barely could swallow the bites I took, and the other meals were being eaten by family members who just drove 5 and a half hours through horrible weather to get to school. They said their food was really disappointing but at that point we had waited so long for the food to arrive, what were they going to do? Wait for no one to come over and make it right and they were famished?! So they ate the dry burned meat on burned buns with dried out cheese in silence. We had to get back on he road to return 5 and a half hours back the way we came. Time was up. If someone had just come out to talk to us and see what they had put down in front of us to consume and had shown any concern at all for their customers’ satisfaction, things may have been different for us. But they hid in the back and sent the server out to face us. She stayed away and just slid us the bill with no apologies or explanation of the discount. She slinked away and that was it. We blame the server for not doing her job which is not just order taker but liaison between the customer and the kitchen. She covered for herself when she should have gone to get the acting manager. We blame the kitchen because they didn’t seem to care that they sent out meals that were by all accounts, a second thought, forgotten under heat lamps. What a shame. we’ve eaten there before and the order was always the same. We loved our burgers before. We talked about stopping there for lunch when we got in the car that morning. You need staff that care about what they’re doing. No one there...

Nice to finally have a more "upscale" restaurant in Alfred to fill the void Cafe Za left behind. I decided to go down to just check it out, nice ambiance, friendly staff, this will be the place to bring visitors from out of town if you want to go a step up from the Jet. I ordered the Rose Burger which was very good – burger with bacon, avocado, Monterey Jack cheese, and Russian dressing. I think in the future I will order it a degree down in doneness – the Medium I got was a little towards the Medium Well. Not a strike against them by any means, more to just give you a heads up. They did not yet have their liquor license but said they would get it in the next week or so. With the ambiance I think, once again, that it will fill the void left by Cafe Za of a more upscale bar compared to GJ's and Alex's. The only other thing I would add is the location is a little on the small side. I think it will be fine for most of the year but I could see it getting mobbed any day there's an event at either AU or AState. Otherwise, good expierence – I would...

Amazing little place in Alfred! Food and service is always outstanding... only been here for lunch, but have ordered the NY strip, Chicken Parm, Falafel, and chicken wrapped in pancetta. The menu is extremely varied... they have Greek, Thai, Italian, and American dishes, all very well executed. The staff during the day are amazing... I believe the servers names are Bri and Josh (?) and both are attentive and friendly, and food is ALWAYS hot, delicious, reasonably priced (I don't think anything is over $20) and the portions are generous. One of the few places around we'll drive 35 minutes to eat at! Only thing I wish they'd add is either baked or mashed potatoes, and croutons for the salad (although we request oyster crackers as a topper lol). Definitely on our top 5 in Stueben/Allegany...