Don Pablo's Again
Today is the day we finally made it back to good old Don Pablo’s in Willoughby. I have some things to tell you, but, again, in general, it was a good place to go for something a little different. They just need to work out some kinks with consistency and set-up.
As always, I went with one companion but this time brought along my mother and stepfather. Since I had been given complimentary gift checks for $25.00 due to the last visit, I figured I would treat my friend and family. The total came to over $60.00, which means that I still spent my money along with that which was complimentary. There is a reason for the last point and you will soon see it if you pay attention. (Of course I know you will pay attention or you wouldn’t be wasting your time reading this.)
We started off with a dip sampler which was a great idea as there were four of us and salsa and chips has a tendency to be somewhat boring. Each dip was different but all were good. The beans had a heat I have never really had before and the artichoke/spinach dip also had spice. The two cheese dips were very mellow.
Mom and my companion ordered the Pick Two Combo while Mom’s hubby ordered the bottomless white chili and an Amigos dinner. I ordered the El Matador. The bottomless chili, as told to us, was excellent. It was a bit of a misnomer to call it bottomless though, as our server did not pay enough attention to notice that the bowl was empty for a good five minutes before she came over and asked if he wanted more. Also, though she was not overtly rude or anything, our server, while she was taking our order, was looking toward the other end of the restaurant while talking to us instead of looking at us. That is one of those things that make you feel kind of worthless as a customer. No one wants to feel that some other customer is more important than he/she.
The food was generally good except for the chicken chili relleno ordered by my companion. She said it was supremely over-battered and had little taste. In fact, she said she thought it actually tasted as if it had come out of a freezer very recently. I thought that might not be quite a stretch as I had seen, through the large open door to the kitchen, a prep cook opening sealed bags of guacamole and putting it into a mixing bowl. It was obvious that some things are pre-packaged, therefore not a stretch that something may have freezer taste. Maybe swinging doors would be good for the kitchen entrance. I didn’t have to try in order to see in the kitchen it was right in front of my face due to where we sat.
Again, the food was generally good as was the speed of service, except for the bottomless chili thing. Servers should never look at other tables until they are through with you, though, and we shouldn’t see how things are made unless we ask.
As always, I went with one companion but this time brought along my mother and stepfather. Since I had been given complimentary gift checks for $25.00 due to the last visit, I figured I would treat my friend and family. The total came to over $60.00, which means that I still spent my money along with that which was complimentary. There is a reason for the last point and you will soon see it if you pay attention. (Of course I know you will pay attention or you wouldn’t be wasting your time reading this.)
We started off with a dip sampler which was a great idea as there were four of us and salsa and chips has a tendency to be somewhat boring. Each dip was different but all were good. The beans had a heat I have never really had before and the artichoke/spinach dip also had spice. The two cheese dips were very mellow.
Mom and my companion ordered the Pick Two Combo while Mom’s hubby ordered the bottomless white chili and an Amigos dinner. I ordered the El Matador. The bottomless chili, as told to us, was excellent. It was a bit of a misnomer to call it bottomless though, as our server did not pay enough attention to notice that the bowl was empty for a good five minutes before she came over and asked if he wanted more. Also, though she was not overtly rude or anything, our server, while she was taking our order, was looking toward the other end of the restaurant while talking to us instead of looking at us. That is one of those things that make you feel kind of worthless as a customer. No one wants to feel that some other customer is more important than he/she.
The food was generally good except for the chicken chili relleno ordered by my companion. She said it was supremely over-battered and had little taste. In fact, she said she thought it actually tasted as if it had come out of a freezer very recently. I thought that might not be quite a stretch as I had seen, through the large open door to the kitchen, a prep cook opening sealed bags of guacamole and putting it into a mixing bowl. It was obvious that some things are pre-packaged, therefore not a stretch that something may have freezer taste. Maybe swinging doors would be good for the kitchen entrance. I didn’t have to try in order to see in the kitchen it was right in front of my face due to where we sat.
Again, the food was generally good as was the speed of service, except for the bottomless chili thing. Servers should never look at other tables until they are through with you, though, and we shouldn’t see how things are made unless we ask.
posted by johnathan e at 5:14 PM
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