South Beach report

Old Jun 7th, 2003, 02:02 PM
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South Beach report

Just got back from South Beach, had a great time, except for a VERY TERRIBLE $ 350.00 meal at B.E.D.

I cannot believe that the E Channel had featured these people last year!

Dressed up for a great night with friends we showed up to a rude doorman, who took his sweet time along with a 20 something south beach girl trying to find our names on the dinner list...this was at 7:00pm when there is really no one there.

Finally they located my name, and let us through. I found my friends sitting uncomfortably in the corner, as the hostess refused to sit them until we arrived!

We then asked to be seated, and again with a careless attitude, led us to our dining area.

We ordered our dinner and drinks, and to make a long story short, our wait staff rarely came back to us to ask if there was anything else we would like. As as a result we only had one drink. The food was basically nice presentation, but tasteless. My wife had the lobster which was so rubbery you could have used it as a bungy cord.

My tuna steak was a good portion, but had little if any flavor. Our friends had steak which was at best ok!

We were so dissapointed with dinner, we did not risk any further drink or food and asked for our bill.

When I presented my American Express they told me they did not accept it. Luckily my wife brought a Mastercard that we rarely use. They brought back the bill , then asked us and our for photo ID !

We could not help but to laugh! How humiliating, having to present photo ID to pay for our dinner! We are all professionals, and were dressed up, not as if we came in wearing shorts and T-shirts.

At this point I was not about to argue, as the whole event was terrible and I had no plans on returning here ever.

Just the fact that they don't take American Express tells you that they must get a thousand complaints and bill disputes!

Anyway, just to add insult to injury, not one single person said thank you or goodbye on the way out, and it was not even busy!

BED is a joke, and should be avoided unless you like bad food, and humiliation for a $ 350 meal

Aside from that a great week of dining, and shopping.
mike11 is offline  
Old Jun 7th, 2003, 05:27 PM
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I would have discretely tracked down the manager and requested some service. Also, if my food doesn't taste right, or isn't cooked properly, I send it back and order something else. I'm sorry you had such bad service and so-so meals--there is absolutely no excuse for it. And I guess when one is out with friends, it is more polite to grin and bear it than to make a fuss. I certainly hope you didn't leave a good tip...I'd have left about 10%, if that.

I'm glad you had good food and fun at the other places.
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Old Jun 7th, 2003, 05:58 PM
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Not to be insulting, mike, but your note (which is a nice warning for others) tells me several things, including that you don't know the South Beach scene very well, you haven't eaten out in a lot of trendy/expensive restaurants, you didn't research b.e.d, and you must be relatively young.

First off, b.e.d is not known for its outstanding cuisine. It's not highly rated for its food OR service. It's a trendy club and restaurant which is making money because it's currently trendy. It's all about flash not substance. It's not a place where you'll get a gourmet meal with 5 star service.

Second, $350 is not a large amount of money for a trendy place in South Baech...even for an evening of drinks only.

Third, In South Beach there is a great deal of 'gamesmanship' when it comes to getting what you want in a club or restaurant. You have to know how to look confident, like you've been there many times before even if you haven't, how to handle the staff in an assertive but not obnoxious way, how not to appear intimidated or uncomfortable, basically how to look 'cool'. This may sound ridiculous if you don't know the scene there, but there is no other place in the USA where appearing hip and cool is taken more seriously than in the trendy clubs and eateries of South Beach. It's a religion there, and if you don't fit in (regardless of how much money you have, regardless of your age) they will shun you and treat you like a hillbilly stepchild. Sorry, but that's the way it is. I have no use for this kind of childishness personally, and don't even like Miami, but the people who flock to this scene take it very seriously.

Places like the E! channel take payments from various promoters of movies, restaurants, hotels etc in return for TV exposure. If something appears on one of these types of TV channels it is most defintely not a strong indication that there is a high quality product lurking behind the showy veneer. Ever read the little quotes from reviewers in the ads for movies? If someone from a newspaper you've never heard of in a town of 25000 people offers a rave review do you assume that means the movie must be good? E! and the Travel Channel are glorified advertisers.

Lastly, a lot of restaurants don't take American Express and it has nothing to do with client complaints.
Credit card companies charge transaction fees to merchants for every credit sale made. AmEx has a variable fee schedule tailored to each business (in this case restaurant) based on volume discounts. AmEx tends to charge more than Visa and Mastercard, and some businesses refuse to take AmEx as a protest maneuver. AmEx may also choose to impose higher rates on young, high risk businesses (such as trendy new restaurants) which will lead such restaurants to choose not to do business with AmEx.
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Old Jun 7th, 2003, 06:08 PM
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And while advice from "heartburn3" would be useful and appropriate in almost every city in the USA, in a trendy club/restaurant in South Beach I would frankly question whether the manager would even care about your complaint. Most will act sincere and hear you out as you vent, and tell you they're sorry, maybe even offer some sort of comp---but probably won't give it much thought after they've appeased you. Again, places like b.e.d are in business for the short term to make some fast bucks then they close down. If you were a celebrity and were upset they'd care, but as an average joe tourist, they really don't care too much what you think in my opinion. Not good business, but that's the game there.
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Old Jun 7th, 2003, 07:48 PM
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You know, it's funny, we (both of us mid twenties) were there (from LA) in March and had the total opposite experience. They couldn't have been nicer to us, or more attentive. We had reservations but got there kind of early and they seated us right away. Our meal ran until a little after midnight, which is when they stop serving dinner and become just a nightclub and the waitress (who was super nice) told us to feel free to stay in the bed as long as we wanted, which was really cool considering the beds are only for bottle service customers after midnight.

Also, we both thought the food was quite good, and I'm pretty picky. We both had a different fish, and they each had a great texture, which is the one thing I'm REALLY picky about. The appetizers and dessert were tiny, but the main course portions were actually just fine.

I have to agree with the others about just accepting it for the flashy lack of substance place that it is. It was a cool experience, and that's what we were looking for. I feel bad you guys had such a lousy time.

love
roxy
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Old Jun 8th, 2003, 10:11 AM
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Contrary to poster "travleis", both my wife and I are both professionals making 6 figures each and travel extensively.

As for "looking hip", that was certainly NOT the issue, my wife was a model and dresses VERY hip, and so were our guest. This was a complete contrast to who I observed were there, which were mostly tourist types, hardly dressed up at all.

I have dined all over the world, and rarely have come across an upscale restaurant that did not take AM EX.

Secondly, to say that $350 is not much for an entre and two drinks and mineral water is simply crazy. That is as expensive a meal as your going to get anywhere, even at French Laundry.

You don't need to lecture me on Sobe dinning...I travel there regularly, and have dinned at every top restaurant on Sobe, Gables, and Bal Harbor.

While as you say, Miami is more glam then substance, the meals and service are still rather good 90% of the time, but BED is a total rip off and when you combine the poor service with mediocre food, that is shameful.

I could care less about the E! channel and what they showcase, all I was trying to do was warn others of an expensive ripoff.

I regularly go to Tantra, which is even more than BED, and honestly can say the food is not exceptional...but at least there they appreciate your business and treat you well.

And frankly you ARE insulting, but are rather good at making grand assumptions!

If you want to offer advice or comments in the future, you should try to do it in a less offensive format.
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Old Jun 8th, 2003, 10:57 AM
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I'm quite a bit older but a game traveller and I had a similar experience at BED. We made reservations for 8:30 pm and were treated poorly with comments about what sort of people would eat so early which were stated in a stage type voice so we could hear. Food was nothing, can't even remember what was ordered, we ordered light and left and had after dinner drinks and dessert etc. elsewhere. B.E.D. is a bore and I'm surprised it is still in business as these places tend to burn out quick.

South Beach isn't about good food...it is about being young and buff and showing off what you may or may not have. We think it is funny and usually have a good time watching the show. Nikki Beach and Pearl are fun people watching places and the champagne bar is great.

We like Nemos, Smith and Wollensky (I know the snide remarks this will bring but this one is pretty good and the dim sum thingy is fun) and we stay pretty much to the south part of South Beach. We drive over to Normans and Baleen when we want something better. LMF
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