Truago — Restaurant in Trenton

We’ve been here about 4 times, it’s always been really good. But this time was the worst experience I’ve ever had at any restaurant.

We got there around 7:30 on a Wednesday, so it wasn’t busy at all. Our server, I think her name was Joelle or Joann, had 2 tables of 2, including us. We sat down and waited about 10 minutes to be greeted and get our drink order, then about 10 more minutes for our drinks (water) to come. We ordered the spinach artichoke dip. The runner brought it just a few minutes later. The server also asked if we were ready to order entrees. My boyfriend asked for just another minute. The spinach dip had golf ball sized artichokes, super long leaves of spinach, and just a huge glob of cheese. Very difficult to eat.

We were done with our appetizer by the time she came back to take our order, about 15 minutes later. My boyfriend very clearly ordered SNOW crab. The whole time we waited for our food we were not checked on at all, even though I saw our server checking on her other table. We were out of water the whole time as well. When our food came, it was clearly king crab and not snow crab. We asked the food runner for more water, and when our server came to give us more water, we told her that he asked for snow crab and not king. She apologized and said she didn’t know the difference. It’s a $30 price difference, and working at a seafood restaurant, you should know the difference.

When she got her manager, he apologized, and then took back the king crab to get snow crab… Wouldn’t it make much more sense to let him keep the king crab and only charge him for snow crab?? That way, they’d only miss out on the $30 price difference and not the whole $85 price of king crab, because they obviously can’t give it to anyone else.

I ate while he waited for his food, I got the parmesan chicken and risotto, which was phenomenal last time. This time, it was breaded incorrectly, so the breading wasn’t sticking to the chicken, and the chicken was tough and overcooked.

Forgot to mention we never got our soup, which was supposed to come with both of our entrees. We waited 15-20 minutes for the snow crab and didn’t get checked on at all by the server or the manager. When the manager finally came with the snow crab, we asked for the soup and got it a few moments later. My boyfriend’s crab also came with risotto, and when they brought the snow crab they obviously used the same risotto, as it was visibly old. The crab was also rubbery and overcooked.

While he ate, we did not get checked on at all once again, and we were also out of water again. She finally comes back when we’re both completely done. We ask for the bill and boxes. We wait FIFTEEN minutes for the bill. How long does it take to print out a receipt? She finally comes and she says “did my manager bring your bill?” And we said no, so she goes and gets it. When she comes back she said “no boxes right?” even though we clearly asked for boxes.

After we got our boxes and paid, my boyfriend spoke with the manager again. He said his name was Josh or something similar. The manager basically just said “sorry, she had a rough day.” Which is no excuse for the terrible service we got from both of them. And he said “ask for me next time” even though he wasn’t much better. He didn’t do or say anything to try to make it right. Needless to say, we probably...

My family has frequented Truago for years. What was once a great restaurant has seemed to slip into mediocrity, with poor service and a decline in food quality.

Our last visit continued this trend. To put it plainly: both the service and the food was poor. Slow service (sadly) is almost to be expected in 2023, but our experience was particularly bad.

First off, the (relatively) new tablet menus are terrible. Not only do the menus lack up to date information, but they function poorly. Finger taps work a fraction of the time and the menu is not laid out in an intuitive manner. I HIGHLY suggest requesting a paper menu. Not to mention, the tablets constantly dirty/greasy, so you’ll likely want to wash your hands after touching them regardless.

After waiting an extended period for our appetizers, we received lobster nachos instead of BBQ. To the kitchen’s credit, they had the correct appetizer out to us quickly. Unfortunately, those nachos were somehow cold. I’m not sure how this is exactly possible, but it happened.

When the entrees finally came, disappointment accompanied them. Our server brought one entree (blackened tenderloin medallions), but somehow forgot the mashed potatoes that were to accompany them.

The beef overall was terrible. The medallions were over-cooked and bland, covered in Cajun cream sauce in an attempt to add flavor back into the dish.

My ribeye was equally as disappointing, a poor cut of beef full of tendons. It was ordered rare, but served medium. Seasoning was limited to a sad patch of butter adorning half of the steak.

Overall, we found the freshness of the vegetables to be lacking and seasoning to be poor across the board. The once-great sprouts are nothing worth noting. Food quality has taken an obvious dip.

When ordering a steak from Truago, I’m not expecting it to be on par Hyde Park Prime. What we received, however, was more in line with what you would be served at Applebee’s.

As the meal concluded, we asked the server to split the check amongst the three couples. When the checks came back, it wasn’t even close. One check had three entrees, another has only one.

Truth be told, if the above would’ve happened at a lesser restaurant, I wouldn’t have taken the time to write a review. However, for the $350+ that our group spent for dinner, I expected better food and service than what can be found at a low-rent chain restaurant. Hopefully Truago can turn things around because they certainly are capable of being an EXCELLENT restaurant.

Edit - It’s been a year and I decided to give them another shot. A friend made brunch reservations for our group. Restaurant was about half full. Despite this, it took nearly 30 minutes for our drinks. Another 30 to get our food. Some of our meals were cold as though they had been sitting for awhile.

Again, I cannot express how disappointing this...

Worst experience I have had in a long time! Ordered a cosmopolitan it was watery and had no favor or alcohol. Appetiter avocado stuffed with lobster was weird because it was grilled. The salads were a disaster. My husband had a Caesar salad that had no Parmesan and the dressing tasted like Gordon Food dressing. I had Traverse City Salad that had indicated it was with candied nuts but none found, and the dressing of raspberry vingeratte that tasted like raspberry jelly. ...yuck!

When dinner came of 6 oz. Filet minogon with crab cake on top with hollandaise and a side of asparagus. I was excited. Only to be very disappointed to see the hollandaise broken and greasy. The asparagus had not been properly trim or cleaned and was served with thick woody stem .... Yuck! My husband had lobster bisque soup, which tasted okay. He ordered salmon stuffed with lobster and a sauce on top. It was okay because I was starving, and I tasted it, but the sauce on top was just the lobsters bisque soup....gross!!!!

Then, the awful and disgusting Filet minogon was rancid! Yes, the first bite definitely rancid! It definitely had no seasoning, not that it mattered! When I asked for the restaurant manager, he refused to deal with the situation and instead left it up the waitress! She, Brandy, was awesome trying to help.

On my way out I tried to talk to the manager who was condescending and rude when I suggested that he should have the courage to talk to me and relay the issue to the chef and the kitchen staff! He said I should have more patience! REALLY!!

Then, the restaurant tried to charge me 20.00 a glass for chianti that was not even on the wine list. The cheap chianti that i ordered was and is only one on the wine list was listed for 10.00. Then, they were going to charge me for the cosmo that i took one sip of and sent back. I complained and the waitress fixed the bill

And before anyone judges us, we had eaten at Major biddles many times and Truago for lunch it was good, not great, but good an NEVER sent our food back! We also rarely complain or send food back

I was told that the manager had only been there for two weeks. In my opinion if the manager is not willing to deal with customers when a customer asks for them, then they should not be a manager!

Never...