Jardiniere

03/11/08

I'm not sure what the fuss is about....

by jamesbeswick at Citysearch

Where to start... The valet guys are rude. The servers are overworked and even the good ones can't turn around food because the kitchen isn't ready. The cheese board is the most expensive on Planet Earth. The place is LOUD, and I mean totally, unacceptably loud for a restaurant. And the whole experience is way to expensive for what it is. Having said that, the food's pretty good - when it eventually arrives and it's quite a cool spot. But the negatives really need to be fixed to justify a $100 a head with little alcohol.

• Pros: Pretty good food
• Cons: Expensive, slow, VERY LOUD

07/26/07

Dining at Nordstrom's during their semi-annual sale; terrible service and cold food!

by scooterboy17 at Citysearch

The reviews sounded great, nice jazz paired with great food in a whimsical atmosphere. I thought what a great place to a good friend for her birthday.

WRONG!!! It was like dining at Nordstrom's during their semi-annual sale. Too crowded with too many tables crammed together for comfortable dining and LOUD. I remember distinctly hearing a lot of thumping feet, with a din of piano music in the background. The jazz? The "jazz" was more elevator muzak. Too bad since the pianist was actually good.

I lost count how many times our table was bumped by both diners and way too many staff members, considering it was hard to remember who our server was. Maybe, the wait staff should spend less time complaining about management issues instead of looking angry and busy. Yes, nothing worse than service by a bitchy, loud wait staff.

Our busboy was GREAT though, and more attentive than everyone combined (we tipped him privately as he deserved it).

Food wise, we ordered the six course tasting menu with the wine pairing. The food arrived lukewarm to cold, therefore, nothing was memorable. The foie gras was good. The fish was fishy and the meat course - definitely cold and congealed.

What was memorable was the portion sizes; they were tiny!! This is a example of presentation taking precedence over the actual food. Needless to say, we actually ate several dinner rolls as we were hungry.

The price of this culinary fiasco, well over $300; the time wasted - close to three hours.

Would I recommend this place?? HELL no! For this kind of experience, take a tuna sandwich to Nordstrom's, eat it next to the piano player, and give the rest of your money to the homeless people at the Powell St. turnaround. Now that would be more satisfying!

• Pros: The busboy was nice. The foie gras tasted good.
• Cons: Everything else.

05/17/07

Stunning

by claremunn at Citysearch

Traci Des Jardins and her wonderful team could create a 7 star meal in a shack, however, this restaurant is romantic and gorgeous. I like the fact more jeans are seen sitting at the bar -- rather like another Zuni on early week day evenings. Eugenio understands wine so well, you can always count on him for fair guidance. And Thad will make you a non-headache yet fabulous cocktail. Management crew are always more than helpful, even on the oft crazy busy days. If you haven't been, try it.

• Pros: Food. Valet, plus parking lot around the corner. Service. Ambience. Crew.