Heartland Cafe's gonna be gooood!

[saney]

last night was my first time there. i cant say that i will be back (not for the food anyway)

the front was busy, so we opted to sit in the benbow for dinner. we had the WORST server. (younger girl, long curly brown hair). so slow and inattentive…and constantly had to “go ask” because she didnt know the answer to questions about the menu.

i am a vegetarian…and there really just isnt much to choose from. i had looked at the menu online. i thought i would try the volcano and just ask to have it without the gravy. (i figured mashed potatoes and green bean casserole without the gravy was do-able, right?). well, apparently (according to our server) they cook it with the gravy inside; and it cannot be altered. okay… i didnt really want a “veggie” burger, because all of their burgers feature some sort of meat on top of meat, so the substitution would just be plain. i asked for a side of mashed potatoes, and a side of “sauteed” broccoli- which was listed with the special. i ended up with a saucer-sized plate (not even a salad sized plate) with a tiny scoop of potatoes, and a wee bit of broccoli (which was by no means sauteed, or seasoned at all). each side was $2.50- which is ridiculous for the amount they gave me.

–and before you ask, no i didnt speak to a manager. they were really busy, and as we were getting our checks, the pirate ladies were “invading” the benbow room….and i really just wanted to find something to eat somewhere.

we ended up at porterhouse…..GREAT service, great prices, great food, great atmosphere…that is where i will be going back to.

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[JanS]

I don’t want this to come across as rude, because that’s not my intent. The Heartland advertises it’s “comfort food”…midwest recipes…and not exactly vegetarian…all you have to do is read the menu to see that. It’s also not in the same vein as Fresh Bistro, Spring Hill, etc. It is what it is. People have to read the menu, and discern that this is not a place for vegetarians. Not everyone can manipulate their menus to cover all the bases. So please don’t be surprised when you can’t find what you want at Heartland if you’re not a meat eater. It is what it is.

Not every place is going to be everyone’s cup of tea. The post right before yours, Saney, was favorable. And…FWIW…they advertised that the Seafair Pirates would be in the bar that night.

Glad you could find something else close by. It’s nice that the Admiral District is finally coming into it’s own with a variety of restaurants and foods.

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[saney]

I don’t expect every restaurant to cater to me. You obviously missed the point; which was that the service was bad and that when I did find a suitable option, it was a pathetic offering.

And I wasn’t saying anything negative about the pirates. Only that the crowd made it difficult to attempt contact with a manager.

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[bunnypug]

Here are some thoughts on the last couple of posts. I’m from Iowa and that is where I became a vegetarian in the mid 80’s. I was a strict vegetarian for over 20 years and only recently started eating meat. I think both of the last 2 posts have really valid points. First I do think it would be smart for Heartland to add a veggie main dish or two. Why? Because this is Seattle in 2010 and it should not be as hard for a comfort food loving vegetarian to find a nice meal as it was for me in Des Moines (Iowa!) in 1985. Trying to make a meal out of a dollop of mashed potatoes and small side of broccoli gives me flash backs to the real heartland. Having said that, I also think that respecting a given restaurant’s niche is important. I am not going to go to a BBQ place expecting tofu or bacon free greens. When we have food needs or preferences that are not part of the cultural norm of an establishment I think it is incumbent on us to show some deference. I do think Heartland is trying to be somewhat vegetarian friendly as evidenced by offering veggie burgers. Heartland is still quite new and some thoughtful feedback might be very welcome. And while I had a fun experience Friday night, it was far from stellar. As I mentioned, my food was not particularly warm for example. And finally, if anybody wants ideas for veggie comfort food just let me know.

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[dawsonct]

Finally made it in last week on a nice, quiet morning. Had the corned-beef hash, which was very delicious. Texturally, I prefer it be a bit chunkier, but the flavor was fantastic. I would certainly order it again.

Breakfast and coffee with tip (I round up from 20%) was $20. A bit expensive for breakfast (at least one without booze) so I won’t eat there frequently, but it was good enough the first time that I will be back.

Loved seeing the Benbow back to her former glory. Seeing it again brought back a lot of hazy memories. I think.

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[JanS]

we had a discussion about the corned beef hash at the soft opening…big chunks vs. itty bitty pieces. I tasted my friend’s, and thought it delish.

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[pam]

We ate there Friday night. Got there about 5:05 p.m. Matt was our waiter and very friendly and enthusiastic – gave us time to look over the menu. While the food was fine, the service was incredibly slow – in fact we waited nearly an hour to get a black and blue burger, cobb salad, chicken fried steak and the meatloaf. After a half an hour or so, Matt recognized it was beyond the time it should take and offered us free pie for after the meal. We never order dessert so that was a nice treat. Food finally arrived and Matt comped the entire meal with his apologies. That was very much appreciated and will make it easier for us to consider giving it another try.

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[dawsonct]

Pam, I hope you tipped Matt well; sounds like he really went to great lengths to ensure you weren’t disappointed.

—

Boy, that IS one of those dilemmas, isn’t it JanS? Tastes are so subjective. Personally, I don’t like a CBH that is too chunky; I want to be able to get a bit of everything on my fork, and if it is a version with big, rough chunks, I have a hard time getting a mouthful. In the same vein, if it is too finely chopped, it doesn’t have enough textural and taste definition between ingredients.

But as a cook, I understand it is impossible to please everyone all the time.

Again, though, it was a wonderfully flavored CBH.

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[newnative]

I wanted to return to this, I went when they were open. I came in at 11:40am, asked if they were serving breakfast (because I only saw lunch menus out). The woman seating had to ask someone in the kitchen and replied they were done with breakfast. I have since checked back and there are no posted times for meals.

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[Vanessa]

Breakfast was going allright until my first bite of corned beef hash. It had so much MUSTARD in it, I could not eat it. Why in the world, would someone put MUSTARD on a dish of great corned beef hash? They were very nice about it…..no charge. I will go back and give them another try sometime.

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[dawsonct]

That’s funny Vanessa, first time I had tasted one like that as well, and I LOVED it!

—

Really points to, once again, the subjective nature of taste, dun’t it!

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[IAGREE]

Some friends and I went to the pirate room a few weeks ago for drinks. Service was HORRIBLE and chock full of attitude. Do these people not understand how many places there are to drink in WS. I will give the restaurant a shot at some point, but the bar gets the one and done treatment.

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[villagegreen]

IAGREE – could you elaborate on exactly how the service was “HORRIBLE and chock full of attitude.” Was it super busy? Was the server non-attentive or just a jerk? I’ve only been there once, but I just can’t imagine how the experience could have been so bad that you’d never go back.

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[Carson]

I went for the first time a few weeks ago, the food was ok, not great, but the wait staff was over the top nice. Not pushy nice, just nice nice.

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[AdmiralRob]

Here’s an email I sent to the management of heartland. Unfortunately, I never did hear back. I had a horrible experience at the Benbow!!! I understand what IAGREE is saying about the service there!!!

________

Hi. I wanted to pass along an experience I had last week.

I’ve been to heartland a few times for breakfast. Things have beennice. Great food and great service.

I typically play basketball once a week. My friend and I always hit a bar after in W Seattle. On Tuesday last week I said lets go to the Benbow Room! Well, I wanted to let you know our experience that night. I really want your business to succeed – I love having lots of great restaurants in the neighborhood… So, when we walked in, no one said anything to us. We walked in and had a seat. Thinking someone would come ask if we wanted a drink. There was a waitress standing in the bar talking to a customer. She nor the bartender would even look our way. The waitress just talked and talked and didn’t care about us. It was surprising since there was only a few people there. We waited about five minutes then just walked out and went to Mission. There, the bartender is used to us, she quickly

brings us waters and our usual beers. It’s really nice to feel

welcome when you walk into a place.

Anyway, I am a small business owner in W Seattle myself, so I really wanted to reach out to you to let you know our experience. My friend and I hit a bar weekly. We typically are creatures of habit, so often hit the same place each week. We usually spend 30-35 bucks. Not huge, but nice customers. I was really bummed to have such a bad experience. Like I said, I really want you guys to succeed…

_______________

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[IAGREE]

Villagegreen – I had the EXACT experience as admiralrob. We were one of 3 tables that got this treatment and they were not busy at all. Just standing around.

I guess maybe im a jerk this way, but with so many great places to eat and drink in WS I’m not big on second chances.

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[matthewdarling]

to not being ” big on second chances”. have you never deserved a second chance? must be nice to be perfect.

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[dawsonct]

Agreed, Matthew, but what are you doing to ensure this type of lackadaisical service doesn’t continue in the Benbow? Sounds like a pattern of disinterested service. Those employees are costing you money.

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[Amy_Amy]

We need more restaurants like Heartland Cafe men….

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[villagegreen]

I’ve been to the Benbow 4 or 5 times and each time I’ve been there I’ve had to order drinks up at the bar. It’s only been super busy one time, so maybe this is their standard practice. Thinking back, I guess I have seen servers taking orders at tables, but maybe that’s not the norm.

Either way, I guess I could care less whether someone greets me or runs over to put water on my table. It’s a bar. If you want the full attentive service thing I would suggest dining out front in the cafe area.

Who knows, though, maybe the servers are supposed to be doing table service and are just kinda lazy about it. Guess your experience kinda depends on your expectations.

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[Que]

My family and I have been there for brunch on 3 different occasions and we have always had excellent, attentive and quite entertaining service there. I think that they have a wonderful group of servers there. It is definitely one of our new favorite spots for brunch now.

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[JoB]

you can’t expect the service you get as a regular everywhere you go…

the Benbow isn’t so large that you would have had to get up from your table to ask if they had table service…

on the other hand… AdmiralRob is right… customers are more likely to go where they are acknowledged as they enter the door and treated like they were the only customers in the bar…

it’s a tricky dance that doesn’t always work out so well.. the delicate balance between customer expectations and reality.

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[Blend]

yah..I am a vegan and looked at the style of food they were serving and knew I prolly couldn’t find anything on the menu for me.

But that won’t stop me from taking my friends and getting their take on the place. It’s worth going in to check out a new establishment. I like supporting West Seattle small businesses. There are so many unique and cool little shops and restaurants.

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[JoB]

alkicabcompany…

check out the bar.. at first glance it looks wonderfully tacky.. and it is.. but it is also an incredibly comfortable spot to hang with friends..

throw in a good bartender.. inexpensive bar food and a drink or two and it is well worth a visit.

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[Blend]

tacky is awesome. I will wear my rainbow knee high socks so I will fit right in. Thanks for the tip! Heartland here we come!

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