This place has some things going for it… but also some real negatives. Upon first entering the place, I was pleasantly surprised by the vibe and the decor; it was clean and trendy. The hostess was perfect, but the host had sloppy hair and a sloppy tee, and was talking rather loudly about how his mom used to “exploit” a local thrift shop for clothes, which immediately turned me off.

The waitress, Lisa, was very friendly, informative, and very attentive (although she twice touched me, which I didn’t like).

The food: The was alright. Not great; not terrible. My girlfriends lemon ricotta pancake was cooked perfectly, though there was no hint of any lemon flavor to balance out the blueberries. She also had a “breakfast melt” sandwich. The bread was insufficient to all of the ingredients, causing an otherwise tasty dish to become messy and left her ultimately unable to finish it. I ordered a Benedict, which came with bacon instead of Canadian bacon; not a good choice; the potatoes were bland and dry. My daughters bananas foster french toast was very good; not too sweet, which can quickly ruin such a dish.

So at this point in the meal, things are “so so”. While the ambiance and service stood out; the food was lackluster. This brings us to the clientele eating around us…

As we dined, a slew of young men entered (among several different groups), all wearing short shorts that allowed their hairy legs to be exposed. I consider this gross when sitting in proximity to others, especially when food is present. But this offense was easily forgotten when we noticed the woman behind me, and in direct eyesight of my daughter and girlfriend, who was brazenly breastfeeding at the table. The family was generally what you’d expect (the gentleman had “bedhead”, so hygiene was out the window). When I dine, I expect the diners around me to have some measure of respect for the others in the room who are trying to enjoy their meal. Tank tops and ball caps on men are a mini disservice to that end; but a woman breast, with no effort whatsoever to conceal herself, is disgusting. We are not animals living in the jungle, we are civilized people, and this behavior is uncivilized. Whatever third world island she was born on may promote such disrespectful nonchalance, but it wasn’t long ago that here in the First World, in America, we concerned ourselves with the affect our choices and behavior have on others.

While I cannot fault Griddle 145 for this woman’s behavior, nobody did anything to rectify the situation, and at best, it is indicative of the type of people who frequent it. So despite the hostess, the excellent service, and the decent food, we will not be returning.

On the bright side, I didn’t see any dogs. The only animals were seated at the table behind me.