Ess

Patrick, I was particularly interested in your response, as my boyfriend and I have a gift certificate to Il Mulino which we need to use before the end of the year (got it as a Christmas gift last year). I had been told that the specials are outrageously priced as opposed to the menu prices (which are high anyway), but had not heard that the food is awful. I will be sure to report back, and that will have to be soon. Now I'm really curious about the place. Thanks for the warning!

Suzie

Was really disappointed in Mustards Grill in Napa. Had really bad soft-shell crab. Was there for lunch and thought it was very loud and the wait staff was pretty snobby. I never get that. I know it's supposed to be a great place we just didn't have a very good experience.

OliveOyl

Louie's Backyard, Key West. Waitstaff with unbelievable attitude...for no reason. Food on the high end of OK, but evening ruined by hurried, brusque, and aloof staff--an attitude I might have associated with NY dining, not Key West.

Pirate's House, Savannah. Food downright BAD, snail-paced, inept service, but at least with a smile.

Tom

I live in New Orleans and have eaten at all of Emeril's places here. They are good but I think there are better places. I wonder, though, if some people don't walk into his restaurants expecting the meal of their lives, which of course it could never be.

kal

Still haven't met a resataurant I didn't like...I tend to forget them quickly. Had a jerk waiter in Old Ebbit's DC one time but the food was still good and hearty.

I was disappointed at the ballpark food at Wrigley! (Ha)...Guess ya have to drive up to Milwaukee to get a good Brat?

Agree with "Bubba" regarding NOLA's. One of the best meals and service I've experienced in a restaurant. And we had a party of 8.

Suzie:
Thanks a lot! Guess I'll cancel our T'giving/Anniv. dinner at Mustards and try for Napa Grille, Bistro Jeanty, Livefire or Fr. Laundry for our Thurs., Fri. and Sat. stay?

Ahhh...Just put on some suntan lotion for a 1:00 Tee time at Woodcreek GC...
Reminds me that there are only 67 mo' days left!
Mahalo,
Kal

Suzie

Kal,
Thanks for the countdown reminder. I'm really starting to live for it.

OOlala I'd love the Fr. Laundry for an anniv dinner, probably have to wear a toned down shirt, yeah? You staying in Napa?

susan

Here's another black mark for an Emeril's restaurant. My husband and I looked forward to a meal at NOLA and not only was the food bad, but it made us both sick. Literally. We had carmelized onion soup that was greasy and tasted burned. Beef tips (I think that's what they were called) were gristly and fatty. It makes me shudder to thing of how disgusting the whole meal was. The only saving grace was that the wait service was great and we sat at a table next to Loni Anderson - who, by the way - is probably a size 0. That woman is TINY. I'll also add a second to OliveOyl's comments about the haughty seating people at Louie's Backyard in Key West. We've had pretty good luck with the food and the servers, but those folks who seat you are AWFUL. One man tried to put us at a table overlooking the dipsy dumpster on a side porch when the whole place was vacant except for two occupied tables. When we refused I thought he would slap us

Cindy

Stars, in San Francisco. They served me a nice meal followed by the worst dessert idea I was ever served: polenta poundcake. Tasted like sweetened gruel. Really glues your mouth shut, that stuff. I've never seen it on a menu, before or since.

charles

I wasn't expecting an outstanding meal at Emerils - in fact the opposite. I'd been warned, but figured I might as well try in any case.

I'm surprised about Kinkeads - I ate there years ago and it was superb. Things change, I guess.

On a plus note, in New Orleans, a city which really does have more than its share of good food (though I have to disagree about the coffee - its overhyped and not that good, but I'm a coffee fanatic) we had one of the best meals of our lives at Brigstens. Outstanding.

xxx

WOW Reading all of these sad dinner tragedy I hope you all wrote letters. I want a grand dining experience in NYC but worry about the experience after this post.

Susan

Not disasterous by any means but I was disappointed with Chez Panisse in Berkeley. So much hype surrounds it I guess it's not surprising it didn't live up to it. It just seemed so pretentious and all the people eating were so staid. We were celebrating a birthday (as it seemed most people there were celebrating something) but the place doesn't have a jovial mood about it. I expected more down-to-earthiness from a hallmark California restaurant.

patty

Cafe des Artistes for an anniversary celebration. We had a streak of a lot of good anniversaries at Lutece, Le Bernardin, The Terrace...but Cafe des Artistes' service was diner-like (throw down the menu, whaddaya want, bring the food 5 minutes later). We finished a 3-course dinner in 30 minutes. Didn't know what to do with ourselves after that - except leave the restaurant in a hurry! Oh and the menu at that time did not suit my taste either - heavy, mittel-European type fare - but maybe that's changed now.

murray

Antoine's in New Orleans. I suppose that Antoine's and Galatoire's are respectively the the two oldest and well known restaurants in New Orleans. We ate at Galatoires on a Friday evening. The food and service were everything we hoped for AND MORE!!! A great dinner. One on which memories are made and preserved.
Saturday night we went to Antoine';s. What a huge disappointment!! Terrible food. Lacadaisical service. The waiterswere far more interested in gossiping to amongst themselves than they were about tending to their guests. This place is living in the past and existing on an outdated reputation.
Murray Brown.

freewoman

I would like to add a note here because I see a lot written in this post about tables being empty and not being able to sit there. Just because you see an empty table in a restaurant does not mean they have someone to wait that table. Waiters and waitresses are assigned just so many tables (ideally what they can handle with good service) and sometimes the restaurant is faced with waitstaff calling in sick, not showing up, etc. and that leaves tables with no one to man. Restaurants who fill those tables with customers anyway heap more work on the waitstaff and are only frustrating the waitstaff and the customers and are possibly the restaurants where you complain to have lousy service.