Smokey Bones on Route 306 in Mentor, Ohio.
My partner in crime, and gastrology, decided to hit the Smokey Bones in Mentor for dinner last night, July 16, 2007, at approximately 6:30PM. I had been to the restaurant within the first week of opening and was not impressed but decided to give it another shot. I am very glad I did.
Upon arrival we were immediately greeted by two young women, one of whom offered us the option of sitting at the bar or waiting for a table. At that time we thought the bar would be best since it seemed as though she were steering us that way, maybe there weren't any tables available though it did not look that way. Anyway, there were only four people sitting at the bar, which we were told had full service, so we sat. And sat, and sat and.... you get the picture. The bartender, whom we found out to be Karen, never even acknowledged our presence in more than ten minutes. She was so busy talking to one customer, it was as if we were not there. We went back to the host station and asked for a table stating the reason. The manager on duty happened to be there and seemed shocked at what we said.
We were then quickly seated in the section of Bunni. She, without pause, arrived and told us that the manager had comped us any appetizer of our choice. We just so happened to have already decided upon the cornbread, so that was just a bonus. The cornbread itself was good, moist and fluffy, served in its own iron skillet, but the honey pecan butter that was its accompaniment made it phenomenal. It tasted like butter pecan ice cream, which may not sound so good on cornbread but it most definitely was. I had to force myself to leave it alone rather than eat the entire thing and ruin my ability to eat my entree.
Other than the appetizer, we ordered drinks, a peach tea for me and a rum and Coke and glass of water for my companion, and two entrees. She had the "Flat-Iron" Steak and Shrimp with a baker, while I had the combo of Sliced Beef Brisket and Baby Back Ribs with mashed potatoes and gravy and "Beer-Battered" onion rings.
Bunni quickly returned with our drinks and the appetizer, except the rum and Coke. She came out with our entrees, except the rum and Coke. At this point we noticed that the bartender had not even cleaned the place of the couple who had left at least ten minutes prior. There were two other patrons at the bar and she had spent most of the time talking to first one, for more than five minutes, then the other for about the same amount of time. I am suspecting that she was the one supposed to have made the rum and Coke. We, again, told Bunni about the lack of drink and she said, I might just have to go make it myself. I am sure that is not allowed, which is why we had to wait yet another five minutes before it finally arrived. Fire that bitch, the bartender, I mean. She is worthless.
My ribs were tender and very flavorful, the mashed and gravy were also great. The onion rings were soggy and obviously pre-packaged, but I almost expected that, and the Brisket, though very tender, was a bit too salty for my taste and somewhat dry. I also had Garlic Texas Toast that was also salty but extremely good. I would have appreciated it, though, if they had not put it on the gravy making it soggy like the rings.
My cohort's steak was good and tender, though a bit too rare in the center. She said the shrimp were very good, including the BBQ sauce, which she NEVER eats. This is a huge coup for Smokey Bones, because she really NEVER eats anything she perceives to have a "ketchup-like" base.
For once, even our server kept up. Bunni, unlike most recently, did not leave us alone at the end of the meal. She produced our bill at the opportune time and, though she got a slight bit flustered when we mistakenly waited until then to present her with our coupon for $5.00 off, I still think she was excellent. She apologize profusely to us about the bartender and the drink fiasco as well as the beginning and our lack of acknowledgement. We both believed her to be absolutely sincere. Kudos to you Bunni. Keep up the good work. I also noticed another very good server, Sharon, who seemed to be right on top of everything she had going. Kudos to you, too.
Honestly, I think I would go back just because of the ribs, cornbread, Bunni, and/or Sharon. I have to admit I was impressed by the manager on duty and his attempt to fix the bartender's lack of professionalism, but, she needs to be either quickly re-trained, or let go to work somewhere she can do nothing and get paid.
Upon arrival we were immediately greeted by two young women, one of whom offered us the option of sitting at the bar or waiting for a table. At that time we thought the bar would be best since it seemed as though she were steering us that way, maybe there weren't any tables available though it did not look that way. Anyway, there were only four people sitting at the bar, which we were told had full service, so we sat. And sat, and sat and.... you get the picture. The bartender, whom we found out to be Karen, never even acknowledged our presence in more than ten minutes. She was so busy talking to one customer, it was as if we were not there. We went back to the host station and asked for a table stating the reason. The manager on duty happened to be there and seemed shocked at what we said.
We were then quickly seated in the section of Bunni. She, without pause, arrived and told us that the manager had comped us any appetizer of our choice. We just so happened to have already decided upon the cornbread, so that was just a bonus. The cornbread itself was good, moist and fluffy, served in its own iron skillet, but the honey pecan butter that was its accompaniment made it phenomenal. It tasted like butter pecan ice cream, which may not sound so good on cornbread but it most definitely was. I had to force myself to leave it alone rather than eat the entire thing and ruin my ability to eat my entree.
Other than the appetizer, we ordered drinks, a peach tea for me and a rum and Coke and glass of water for my companion, and two entrees. She had the "Flat-Iron" Steak and Shrimp with a baker, while I had the combo of Sliced Beef Brisket and Baby Back Ribs with mashed potatoes and gravy and "Beer-Battered" onion rings.
Bunni quickly returned with our drinks and the appetizer, except the rum and Coke. She came out with our entrees, except the rum and Coke. At this point we noticed that the bartender had not even cleaned the place of the couple who had left at least ten minutes prior. There were two other patrons at the bar and she had spent most of the time talking to first one, for more than five minutes, then the other for about the same amount of time. I am suspecting that she was the one supposed to have made the rum and Coke. We, again, told Bunni about the lack of drink and she said, I might just have to go make it myself. I am sure that is not allowed, which is why we had to wait yet another five minutes before it finally arrived. Fire that bitch, the bartender, I mean. She is worthless.
My ribs were tender and very flavorful, the mashed and gravy were also great. The onion rings were soggy and obviously pre-packaged, but I almost expected that, and the Brisket, though very tender, was a bit too salty for my taste and somewhat dry. I also had Garlic Texas Toast that was also salty but extremely good. I would have appreciated it, though, if they had not put it on the gravy making it soggy like the rings.
My cohort's steak was good and tender, though a bit too rare in the center. She said the shrimp were very good, including the BBQ sauce, which she NEVER eats. This is a huge coup for Smokey Bones, because she really NEVER eats anything she perceives to have a "ketchup-like" base.
For once, even our server kept up. Bunni, unlike most recently, did not leave us alone at the end of the meal. She produced our bill at the opportune time and, though she got a slight bit flustered when we mistakenly waited until then to present her with our coupon for $5.00 off, I still think she was excellent. She apologize profusely to us about the bartender and the drink fiasco as well as the beginning and our lack of acknowledgement. We both believed her to be absolutely sincere. Kudos to you Bunni. Keep up the good work. I also noticed another very good server, Sharon, who seemed to be right on top of everything she had going. Kudos to you, too.
Honestly, I think I would go back just because of the ribs, cornbread, Bunni, and/or Sharon. I have to admit I was impressed by the manager on duty and his attempt to fix the bartender's lack of professionalism, but, she needs to be either quickly re-trained, or let go to work somewhere she can do nothing and get paid.
posted by johnathan e at 6:54 AM
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