My brother and I dined here Sept 21 (Friday evening). We were greeted immediately and seated promptly (we had reservations) in the downstairs dining room . The server started by asking if we had any time constraints, which was nice. I started with a Ginger Margarita, which was quite good. Our appetizers were fabulous. My brother had bacon wrapped shrimp--large shrimp wrapped in Nueske's bacon (according to our waiter)--he then informed our waiter that he was thinking about cancelling his main dish order and having a few more orders of these! I had the special; heirloom tomatoes and house-made mozzarella. It was delicious, but a rather small portion for $12 (5 wedges of tomatoes and 5 banana-size slices of mozzarella). My brother had the beef tenderloin, done to the wellness specified, but beyond that was nothing special. I had the Duck a la O'range, which I thought was very good--super tender and flavorful. For dessert, he had the panna cotta with strawberries and lychee--excellent flavor and texture. I had the blueberry crumble with sweet-corn ice cream. The ice cream was REALLY good--very interesting and rich! The crumble was in a tall, narrow cup, so practically no crumble and all blueberry-disappointing to me. Our overall bill was about $140 for 3 courses, 2 alcoholic drinks and 2 N/A drinks. The service was excellent. Waiter was well informed and friendly. All the food and drinks were served at appropriate intervals. However, the ambiance was terrible. The room was super loud, and it was so dark that a man at the next table had the candle pulled over onto the middle of his placemat so he could read his menu. The chairs were super uncomfortable--they were slippery (I was wearing a silk blouse and sliding around on it) and the backs lounged so far back, that you can't sit with any part of your back on the chair while you eat, or your food would be in your lap. Overall the experience was pretty good, but I probably wouldn't go back unless someone else was paying.
Pros: Service was great; some really great, creative items on the menu
Cons: ambiance--too dark and loud
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