Porterhouse -first and last time

[JanS]

A personal story about a local newer , very popular place…I was at Feedback Lounge on Friday for Happy Hour, ordered some nachos, which, in my opinion, were just a touch about 7-11, using canned queso sauce. It made the nachos soggy, and really weren’t up to the standards one expects from that particular place (had the fries, too…they were incredible dee-licious). I e-mailed them over the weekend, explained how I felt. I got an answer this morning in my e-mail from the owner, who said to let him know the next time I’m in, and I will get a refund. That’s their policy. They were also taking it up at their weekly meeting.

This is why I suggested writing, spelling it all out…it gets to the right people :)

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[vincent]

I cant decide of your just a self righteous troll, or you just have some sort of bizarre entitlement complex. I wouldn’t take 15 of my friends to a pub at 8 on a saturday and expect prompt service, and we are all in 30 +/- 5 years how did you get the idea that you would be able to waltz in and be dazzled.

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[Anonymous]

Vincent, do you actually think that expecting food in less than ninety minutes qualifies as being “dazzled” or exceeds the expectation of “prompt”??? these are burgers and sandwiches, items pubs offer because they know they can make them quickly… please let me know when you open your restaurant, so i can keep my bizarre entitlement complex (and my wallet) miles away.

btw, quesadilla, THAT was funny . . .

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[dhg]

Vincent: that is a harsh judgement. I was there with a friend on a recent Friday night and while they were somewhat busy they were not at all slammed and still the service was extremely slow. I asked for water and it took 20 minutes. AND, as slow as the service was, there was a table of six nearby that had it worse. We were leaving and they were still waiting for their food. WHile I think the place is OK, I wouldn’t go there if I was on my way to a movie at Admiral because I couldn’t trust when the food would come out. This is like brunch at Easy Street. I used to enjoy but stopped because it just took too long.

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[lonelycrow]

I used to like going to Easy Street for breakfast, but on the weekend the wait is unbearable when you’re hungry in the morning. You have to eat something before you go because it is a 20 minute wait just to be seated plus another 20 plus minutes after you get your food order in. I don’t see why people like to wait that long. It must be the hip thing to do. Hang for a long time in a record shop just for breakfast? Easy Street makes a decent dish. It’s way faster and just as good at Luna Park and shorter wait time. I don’t go to the Chelan anymore because the food portions have got small over the past year (besides also being too busy), and I can put down some food.

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[Tails]

Vincent: Your posting is out of line. This was just a restaurant review; it doesn’t warrant that type of name-calling.

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[beachdrivegirl]

AS I mentioned in a previous post I had the same experience. We got their @ 7:45 and ordered immediatly. (This was just my husband & I). It took over an hour for our food to come out. We had hoped to stop somewhere for a “quick” bite to eat on our way home. It is not “quick” by any means. I will try it again in a few months but will not be eating there anytime soon.

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[swimcat]

Good to know about the slow kitchen at this place- I will not be going any time soon with my husband and toddler. I will stick to Elliott Bay Brewery- they are fast and very accomodating to those dining with little ones.

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[sam-c]

in regards to the OP, I never expect things to move along quickly when with a large group on a weekend night. but the wait for food (described above)seemed excessive. maybe make a point to order some appetizers right away so you don’t feel like you’re sitting around waiting all night.

I’ve been to la spiga with a large group, and even though we were there a while, we had appetizers, salads, etc. of course, maybe that is more of an event than a casual dinner with a large group.

so…. back to porterhouse. I was there last Wednesday with my better half and 15 month old. we thought it would be best to get there earlier to avoid the crowd, and not be out so close to bedtime because that is when behavior trends downward. we went at 5:30 (also went then as HH ends at 6) the service was fast, we got the kid food within 5 minutes, and our food within 10 minutes. the beer came within 5 minutes and that includes sending the half pint back for the pint that I had ordered. the only slow part was waiting for the waitress to come run our debit card.

my complaints would not be about the service, but the food. husband didn’t think the burger was that great. I had the salmon and potato cakes

(also, the side was not what was described on the menu). The cakes needed something, anything!! like some type of herb (rosemary, thyme or something), or a crusty outer layer with garlic or something. they were really bland.

the server was really nice too- she offered to bring a salad since the side didn’t match up with the menu and what she had described.

and m (post 33): it was funny, out of the 8 or so tables there at the time, only 2 did not have kids under 4 years. every one there seemed happy. try it, just go on a weekday before 7.

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[dgirl]

Back to The Porterhouse! We took my parents there on Wednesday night. Excellent food, great service and fantastic prices! Of course…it was the “early bird” hour. My folks had Manhattans and I quote “Best we’ve had in a long time”. So there you go…

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[Rope]

You don’t have to have a party of 14 to get poor service at Porterhouse. My wife and became invisible there at 5pm. Once I spoke up the situation was quickly remedied. But…having to ask for service in a restaurant that has plenty of empty tables and wait staff defeats the purpose of eating out. Hopefully Porterhouse will address the service issues their customers are experiencing.

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[ellenater]

I’m shocked at how people are attacking the OP. That is ridiculous. Seriously. I worked in food service, my husband was a waiter at several different restaurants, friends were too. How totally insane to BLAME the OP for going and expecting to be served. Especially after calling! IMHO, this is the nicest rant i’ve ever read on here. It doesn’t seem self righteous at all. How completely dumb this blame this person and to excuse for wretched service. It is the restaurant’s job to serve. Period! You do your job. Period! There are no exceptions. It’s asinine to excuse them for their lame service. Especially in this economy when there are people who could really use those jobs!

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[c@lbob]

I’d like to like Porterhouse; the space it occupies is among the closest to home. I like to patronize local establishments so they’ll be there for me. After giving the current occupant a second try, I’ll wait for the next purveyor to open the doors again.

The problem for me is the food. The preparation is OK, service good, staff is friendly; the food is just bland. If only the descriptions on the menu matched the taste from the plate. How can you serve a dish called Cajun Calamari and not have it just a little spicy? The corn chowder with crab reminded me of high school cafeteria fare; the ingredients were in there, but no inspiration.

I mentioned my opinion to them, I’ll give them a third try in a month or so.

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[JenV]

we went there on Saturday night. Don’t think we’ll be back. “Blackened Calamari” should actually taste like “blackened calamari” and not frozen plain calamari served with mayonnaise. Also, the hood over the fryer must not be working, because we all left there smelling like fried food. :(

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[Junction Joe]

We went to Porterhouse on Friday night. I asked the waitress if she could please ask the chef to cut our burger in half so it would be easier for my wife and I to share each of our dishes. The waitress said “No.” Apparently that is too much to ask of their kitchen.

As their food was not that impressive, perhaps they should put a little more focus on service. We need some type of reason to dine there.

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[Laconique]

Jean Valjean and others- thanks for the reviews. I usually like to give new places at least a month or so to get off the ground, but now I know that they’re slow and apparently overrun with young children, I don’t think I’ll be visiting any time soon.

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[UW2003]

I’ve dined at Porterhouse a couple times now and had the same problems as others with the wait staff when we first went there. It was right after they opened and our server just wasn’t efficient with her time. I’ve worked in the restaurant industry and could tell she was new to serving tables, being a good server is harder than it seems. Since the first visit the staff has gotten a lot better and bartender this last Sunday was awesome, knowledgeable about his beers and food, quick with a joke and very likable. I think the food tastes great, it’s light, fresh and full of flavor for pub food. I also love the idea of bringing in all the best beers from the west coast. I hope they stay around for a long time.

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[KSJ]

I hope everyone gives Porterhouse a second try. They had some service issues at the beginning, but my husband and I have been going there about once a week since they opened and we’ve always had solid, friendly service and good food. Especially true if you sit in the bar and Greg’s working, he is the best. I don’t know how he remembers everyones’ name, but he does. The owners are very sweet and earnest, and they really want to do right by the community.

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[villagegreen]

I agree! Service has definitely improved and the food is solidly good and very reasonably priced. Kid friendly too.

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[mannamc]

+1 on the kudos – I recently went to Porterhouse and sat in the restaurant area during a crowded Saturday night. My waiter was super attentive and the food was delicious.

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[Author]

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