Tandem American Eatery — Restaurant in Tucson

We had our post wedding ceremony dinner at Tandem on 02/28/2020. They were very accommodating with our reservations (the chef agreed to open the full menu to us at 3:00 pm for a party of 12). The dinner menu typically is not available until 5:00 pm, and we were delighted. We arrived at 3:10 and were greeted and seated immediately. We were the only people in the restaurant. Unfortunately, that is where things fell apart. The server took our drink orders and is was 23 minutes before any of our drinks were brought to the table and not all of them were brought at once. When we all placed our food orders, my wife wanted the lobster crab cakes the were actually listed on the appetizer menu for $14.00. She asked the server if she could have them with the risotto and green beans the way the scallop dinner was being served. Our server stated that would not be a problem. It was approximately ONE hour before our dinners were brought to our table. The server only checked on us one time in that hour. Then not everyone's dinner came out at the same time. It was 10 minutes between when the first meals were brought to the table and when the last persons meal was brought out. Many of us ate cold meals because it is not proper to start eating until everyone at the table is served. That was extremely disappointing and certainly not acceptable from a restaurant that touts themselves as "upscale dining". Ultimately everyone said that their meals were good albeit cold. My wife's "lobster and crab cakes" were very disappointing. She found one piece of lobster in one of the cakes and the crab was not lump crab meat (it tasted like canned crab), as would be expected in an "upscale dining" establishment. When our bills arrived, we were all charged a 20% gratuity fee on each bill. Which, we would not typically mind, except for the fact that we did not get service worthy of 20% gratuity. When I looked at our bill, my wife's lobster crab cakes were charged as a scallop dinner. $31.00. That means that they up charged her $14.00 lobster crab cake appetizer $17.00 to add a spoonful of risotto and 10 green beans. Outrageous. My wife was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. It is a very "foody" city with multitudes of upscale dining places to go and enjoy a great hot meal and great service. She also worked in the food service industry and is very well versed in what it takes to give people a great experience in dining out. Unfortunately, Sierra Vista does not offer any choices. 2 1/2...

We came in on a Saturday night around 6:30 and the University of Arizona football game was on in the “full service” part of the dining room and bar. The seating set up was a bit confusing, with one side being ordering at the counter and tables to sit at to eat, the other half (with the bar) offering a full-service, order at the table (or sit at the bar) set up. I’m not sure why anyone would want to forego the help of a server, and ours was just wonderful and friendly!

Our table got the Chicken strips with fries — chicken was well seasoned and the dipping sauce was not the ordinary Buffalo or barbecue; it had mixed reviews on taste, but I give extra points for offering something different. The fries that came with had a light ranch seasoning in them that was quite good.

We got the All American Burger and the Barbecue Bacon Burger, both came with kettle potato chips. The All American was a good burger, priced fair and about what you’d expect for the area. The BBQ Bacon burger was ordered with the vegetarian patty: quinoa and sweet potato with some veggies and spices. We thought it had good flavor, but was a bit too soft to stand up to being but in a bun. We ordered a shareable side of pretty delicious fries. It would be nice for fries to be standard with the burgers; chips seem too lunch-hour for a dinner plate.

Lastly, we got the Tandem Toast. I didn’t know my world was missing fancy toast until now! For my two choices, I got the short ribs with an incorporated melted cheddar and topped with pickled onions, and then sweet potato, goat cheese and walnut. The big pieces of bread were sturdy enough to hold the toppings, yet easy to bite— Such a yummy dish! (Next time, though, I will ask to see if they have a side salad available to round out it out as a meal.)

Our meals came out quickly, brought out by a chef, and while the decor felt a little bare (or is it minimal design choice?) the dining room was clean and comfortable. We fully plan to come back and try more items. Great to have this new restaurant in the Tanque Verde...

We went out for our 29th Anniversary and wanted a nice meal, Tandem advertises Fine Dining, so we decided to try it. We dressed up, which was not needed. Most people were in tee shirts and several men weaing caps.The servers were all wearing tennis shoes, Black jeans and black short sleeved tops. We walked in the entrance where the sign is, but found out it was the exit ( needs signage) and were greeted with strange looks and were sent through the dining area to the reception desk. The hostess came out 5 minutes later and was going to seat us, but could not find any menu's. We stood there waiting while she made three trips throughtout the restaurant searching for menu's. She finally just seated us and went off on her search again. Eventually another server brought us menu's. Our server came over and brought water, napkins, silverware, and offered a bread basket. That was served in a few moments and was delicious, fresh and warm with olive butter. Our server came back and took our order. We had French onion soup that was very tasty. Hubby had a Strip steak that was trimmed beautifull, and cooked to his liking. It came with scalloped potatoe that was cooked well, but dry. I had Scallops with Pollenta cakes. They were good with the sauces they serve. That is what pretty much makes the meal. Our server was fast, polite and efficient. The food was good, but not amazing. The ambience of the restaurant was so plain and boring it was not inviting at all. Pretty much like a warehouse. We won't...