Porterhouse -first and last time

[Anonymous]

Here it is in a nutshell — we love our neighborhood. Even after a rather unsavory event occurred on this end of California last night, we ENCOURAGED a group of friends to have dinner here. Several of us showed up early to obtain seating for our group of 14. We were told 15 minutes, and we were fine when it took 25. The timeline from there:

7:30- we sit down.

7:45-50 – waiter approaches table, takes drink and food orders. (This takes awhile because our table is crammed in next to the adjacent one, leaving him no room to maneuver and making our neighbors part of our intimate circle of friends, whether they choose to be or not).

8:05 – one of us asks the bartender/manager on duty where our drinks (or at least waters) are.

8:08 – drinks arrive.

8:20 – (now fully 50 minutes after sitting)- our toddler daughter’s macaroni and two appetizers arrive. (Having arrived at 7:05, we originally thought we could get her something to eat and still make a decent bedtime.)

8:20-8:30 – the group is entertained by our daughter eating pasta. Our waiter observed putting the moves on single female in bar.

8:45 – no dinners have arrived yet, 55 minutes after being ordered, and I forego the philly beef sandwich I ordered so I can take my daughter home to go to bed.

9PM – food arrives, and my wife asks the waiter to put mine in a box to go. Fries look attractive on plate, but are mushy and limp, leading to Fry-agra jokes.

9:30 – my wife arrives home to give me my philly beef sandwich, which somehow has transformed itself into a quinoa burger. Not only was my order completely wrong, but the quinoa was overcooked and mushy (i suspect in a microwave) and was not nearly as good as the rice and soy burgers that PCC sells, and those sit in foil under a hotlamp all day…

The servers we encountered were polite, helpful, and rather numerous – the front of the house, at least, was not shorthanded.

Having worked for 8 years in restaurants, I am usually forgiving of newer places — i want them to succeed — and i wanted to apprise the manager of our situation. She apologized profusely and then proceeded to do nothing, showing that they really don’t need our business anyway. (After all, this location has been such a raging success for the long line of restaurants that preceded Porterhouse . . .)

[JanS]

14 – really – you had a group of 14 people…it was Saturday at dinnertime. Were there a lot of other patrons? Did you call ahead and inform the restaurant that a group of 14 was going to be showing up at such and such a time? Even with advance notice, a group of that size can sometimes be overwhelming, especially at a new restaurant, on a busy Saturday evening. Having been in the restaurant business yourself, I’m sure you understand that. How about getting a babysitter and making an evening of talk over dinner with your friends even better? Why expect them to drop everything and accommodate your large group right away so your child can get to bed at her regular time? In my opinion, two hours from start to finish for a group of 14 people isn’t really all that bad…guess I’m just patient, and like to visit with my dinner companions.

I would suggest following up with a snail mail to the owners. Sometimes a phone call to complain doesn’t get the same results. And, maybe wait a few weeks, and just go back with your wife and child and see if the service is any different. If not, then decide to never go back again.

[Anonymous]

well Jan, I wanted to keep the previous brief, so I left this out — we DID call ahead, and we ASKED if 15 was do-able, and we were glad to take several tables nearby each other, and we would have gone elsewhere, but they said “no problem” , and in fact they seated us in a very reasonable time. The problem was not one of accommodation, it was simply one of service and management. Every drink we ordered was from the tap (and i was only going to drink water, although we never received any). Those take seconds to pour, not 18-20 minutes. Proof? — once a “request to hurry” was lodged, the drinks came in 3-4 minutes.

As for taking your time with dinner, I am all for it, but that should be the choice of the diners, not the kitchen… waiting an hour for your food is not the same as taking your time once your food has arrived. You may enjoy taking your time with your dinner companions, but restaurants that have 60 minute cook times and 120 minute turnarounds without the approval of the patrons go under every day all over the country. We were on Admiral, not in Tuscany . . .

And regarding a babysitter, we are excited when we can see friends AND bring our daughter, as our friends enjoy her company as well. If you have children, you know this. They also bill themselves as a family-friendly place, although we had to ask if they had a kids’ menu.

Sending a letter? I addressed the manager on duty while we were still there- no one is in a better position to handle the situation BEFORE patrons leave and voice their displeasure, and I was being considerate to do so. If I were the manager, I would have addressed the table to see how I could make them happier, added a server or busser just to get the table WATER… and then checked with the kitchen. None of that was done.

I don’t blog for fun — i am a forgiving consumer who spent $50 on a poor experience at a local establishment and feels that this public forum is appropriate place to help others avoid the same grief.

[JanS]

I gotcha…I was just asking, since it wasn’t in your first post. Just playing devil’s advocate, not saying you’re wrong..

I was there last Tuesday evening, and, yes, the service was slow, but for me, it was an opportunity to visit with my friend, since I hadn’t seen him in some time. I have heard from others about the slow service, and wonder if perhaps they need to add an additional server, or pare down the menu some to alleviate the busy-ness of the kitchen.

I know the owners have a very successful other location in Mount Vernon, so they should know how to handle these things..maybe time will take the kinks out. I’m also sorry that you didn’t get your Philly steak sandwich..mine was very tasty.

[beachdrivegirl]

I was there a week from last Thursday and had a similar experience with service for two. An hour plus wait for food at a pub inexcusable.

[Jiggers]

You should have taken your group to a pizza joint instead. Really.

[Anonymous]

What is a good pizza joint that fits a group of 14 and a kid or two? As much as we like their pizza and salads, we can’t go to talarico on a saturday evening with a child (have you been in there on weekend evenings? it gets a bit scary). i am wide open to suggestions, but there just don’t seem to be any GOOD sit-down pizza joints anymore

[MrJT]

Spiros.

[beachdrivegirl]

Pegasus

[pigeonmom]

Ditto Pegasus

[JenV]

head a little south to Burien and try Bison Creek Pizza. Good for large groups, excellent beer selection on tap and video games for the older kids.

[Anonymous]

thanks for the ideas — pegasus is hard for a big group, and so is spiro’s on sat night, but both are excellent family spots with great pizza… we will try bison creek (it’s not like an alfy’s or abby’s is it? do they have GOOD pizza, or just what people in seattle accept as pizza in order to entertain their kids like chuck e cheese???? just wondering.

thanks all.

[JanS]

there used to be a Bison Creen in West Seattle where Papa John’s is now. I loved their pizza, down to the whole wheat crust. Not a Chuck E. Cheese (ugh!) place at all, unless things have changed recently.

[JanS]

while we’re suggesting places , is anyone familiar with Vince’s in Burien, is it any good? The have family-style offerings for their pastas, and have been around forever, but I’ve never been, so didn’t want to recommend without input.

http://www.vincesitalian.com

[pigeonmom]

Have only tried the entrees @ Vince’s. A solid, “meh” was my impression.

[JenV]

Bison Creek is WAY good. I used to work at the one in West Seattle, and I can attest that everything is fresh and the crust is handmade every day. They also have really good baked sub sandwiches. Oh, and great salads, too!

Stellar Pizza in Georgetown is also great for families, but the service is a little lacking at times.

[dawsonct]

With the caveat that I actually cooked for Vince’s, I will give their pizza a solid thumbs up. They make their dough 4 days a week and use 00 flour. Though you won’t get San Marzano tomatoes in the sauce, Vince and all of his top cooks taste the various domestic canned tomatoes and pick the best one each year. They aren’t gourmet pizzas, but you won’t pay the boutique prices for them either. Vince does take his pizza very seriously and he puts out a good product. They also have NO problems with big parties; ask for Dino, he’s been doing it for years and will have your party running smoothly.

As PM stated, you should expect red-checkered tablecloth, Italian-American if you go into the entrees; solid, but not inspiring.

[bluebird]

I would not make a special trip for Vince’s, but it’s definitely ok fare if you’re in the neighborhood. Dawson hit it, *solid, but not inspiring*.

[add]

While it’s been a few years since I’ve been to Bison Creek, I did not like it at all. I thought the pizza was really bad and it was expensive. Video games, etc. are good for the kids but it makes for a “kids running around” kind of atmosphere.

[WSB]

We’ve done sitdown in the Morgan Junction Zeeks a few times and have seen large crowds (sports teams, etc.) – would of course suggest calling ahead.

[CeeBee]

Olympic Pasta & Pizza House on Delridge. Big menu, multiple tables that can be pulled together, not too crowded the times I’ve been there, but I tend to eat late. Good food!

[hollyplace]

Zeeks isn’t my favorite pizza, but they do take large groups. They set up an area for 12 moms and 12 two year olds(YIKES, I KNOW!) We went early on a weekday with advance notice. The service was great, and everyone seemed to have a good time and plenty of room.

[Quesadilla]

I agree with Jean Valjean. This place needs some work. I think it would be faster to steal a loaf of bread, go to prison for a decade or so, and make your own philly beef sandwich than to wait for a server to bring you your food at Porterhouse.

[Jiggers]

Reply to post 7..Talarico’s scary? C’mon. I can name five places within a mile that have shady characters. Talarico’s is also kid friendly until 9pm. I’m guessing you stay at home a lot and don’t go out at night.

[maplesyrup]

I hate going into restaurants with big parties. Things just move slower.

Then throw in that the place is crowded and has been open only a few weeks, you know you’re in for a wait.

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