Home › Forums › West Seattle Food › Review: Terrible Beauty
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July 20, 2011 at 2:58 am #729892
JillParticipantMarySheely, and at that, traditional German costumes aren’t designed to make the servers look like underage school girls. ewww.
We went for brunch last Sat. We got seated right away and had great service from everyone we encountered. I can’t speak to the visibility of the beer menu issue — it wasn’t packed so we could see the board clearly. Although I will add that it had a more diverse selection than I’d been led to believe based on a post on this forum (or in a comment?) a week or so ago. The food came out quickly, and it was fine, but that’s it. Just fine. Given the choices we have in the ‘hood in the same price range, it won’t be knocking anyone else off of our top however-many list.
July 20, 2011 at 3:22 am #729893
JimmyGMemberI checked Yelp, and other raters were also commenting on the waitress outfits.
One person nailed it: reminded him of an Irish Hooters.
Please Terrible Beauty, ditch the Britney costumes and I might give you a 2nd chance.
July 20, 2011 at 5:48 am #729894
SemeleParticipantI spent a week and half in Denver recently for a conference and there was a place called the tilted kilt that the women all wore very scantily clad schoolgirl outfits. I must say the geeky guys at the conference totally loved it.
July 20, 2011 at 6:04 am #729895
nighthawkParticipantI’ve been there twice now. The first time was about a week after they opened. We had gone to the Farmer’s Market and so it was around 1pm when we went in. We were seated right away but it seemed that within 10 min of getting there they got slammed. Service was slow but our waitress was pretty much serving the whole family section by herself. She was running her butt off and I felt kind of bad for her. It seems like one of their major problems is not enough wait staff.
I got a reuben which I though was great. However when I got part of it packed to go at the end. I realized the next day that all they gave me was the reuben I had left and none of my fries or anything else on the plate.
We went there a second time the Friday of the Street Fair. Food again was good but I was surprised how small the menu was after being there on a Sunday previously. It wasn’t a bad offer just seemingly small.
Service again was slow. Our waitress messed up part of our order (forgot to put an item in) but was super apologetic and put it in with a rush (which we did get seemingly quickly) and then comped us for it without us saying anything about it.
Both time food has been good, wait staff friendly however service was slow and both times we got immediate seating.
We’ll definitely go back, they just need to get the kinks worked out of the their service.
July 20, 2011 at 8:57 am #729896
JiggersMemberO comon..as a male, I’m curious to see those outfits now.
July 20, 2011 at 4:06 pm #729897
AndyParticipantJiggers – the outfits are nothing special. My wife and I took our kids there during Summerfest. It was a good all-around experience, and the first thing we said to each other was “I can’t wait to hear the locals complain about the outfits.”
Hooters? Tilted Kilt? Puh-leeeze. Those places are based entirely on sex-appeal, and are pretty skanky. I go as often as I can.
ATB is just selling a gimmick. It’s an odd little gimmick given there really isn’t an actual Irish equivalent, but the food, beer, and music is still what they are all about.
If you hate those uniforms – all long-sleeved and buttoned up – then I sure hope you hate the naked bike rides we get every year.
July 20, 2011 at 5:55 pm #729898
JimmyGMemberWell, if it’s just a gimmick, I don’t get the gimmick. Nor do I need gimmicks if the food and service are up to par.
I thought they were trying to be an Irish pub, so why the cutesy schoolgirl costumes? They’re incongruous with what the rest of the restaurant seems to be aiming for.
I don’t HATE the outfits, they just seem unnecessary and take away from any attempt to be authentic.
Oh, and I love the naked bike riders.
July 20, 2011 at 5:56 pm #729899
sacatoshParticipantWent last week. Good shepherd’s pie (though needed a little more salt) and really soggy fish n chips with a puddle of oil in the bottom of the basket.
That said, I’ll go back in a month or two once they’ve gotten their groove. They had NO IDEA the impact of WSB’s publicity, and totally under-hired. They’re actively working on that, I understand from someone who works there. In addition, their chef walked out on them during the soft opening. It’s hard without a chef, and I know they’re working on that as well.
Because of the above, I’m willing to cut them a lot of slack until they get fully staffed. Once they are, I am certain it will be better.
For the person who asked about the sausage rolls, etc, I asked too because the menu wasn’t clear. There is to be a “market” area in the back once they have the rest up and running as they intended. It’s where you will be able to purchase pasties and whatnot.
REALLY looking forward to those sausage rolls.
July 20, 2011 at 6:07 pm #729900
squareeyesParticipantRe the comment about the eventual market area in the back to buy meat pies and sausage rolls…they’re giving very conflicting messages.
At my second visit this past Monday I asked one of the bartenders when that back menu would go active and he didn’t know when, but said it’s going to be their late night only menu, not available until 11pm. I’d much rather have it be as described by sacatosh above than a late-nite menu I will never have an opportunity to try. I love me some meat pies and sausage rolls.
I really hope management is reading this thread!
July 20, 2011 at 6:24 pm #729901
JiggersMemberAndy..I’ll be my own judge thank you.:) Anyways, other cultures have something different to offer. I like it when there is something different. I’m all about different ethnicities. What a Terrible Beauty is doing is nothing compared to other Irish restaurants across the world in the employee dress outfits. I’ll wait until they get the food and service up to par before I go in. It sounds like it’s way too crowded to enjoy yourself in some aspects, but that’s how it is when a brand new place opens. Next thing you’ll hear is a mom wondering how come she can’t bring in her 2 year old.
July 20, 2011 at 6:37 pm #729902
FranciParticipantI’ve been twice, first during the street fair, then again last weekend for brunch.
Great service and food both times. I do agree that the music tends to be a bit loud. I’d appreciate the volume being brought down, especially during prime dining hours, my visit during the street fair – it was very difficult to have a conversation at my table as we felt we had to shout to be heard. My brunch visit was early in teh day and I don’t think the music was even on yet.
I thought the limited menu for the street fair weekend was brilliant! It allowed them to focus on a few items and get the food out quickly for the crowds that they had. We were seated promptly, our food was out in less than 15 min. and it was great. We ordered a reuben and a tuna sandwich.
July 21, 2011 at 2:11 pm #729903
redblackParticipantjiggers: it’s kid-friendly; but almost half of the restaurant is inside the brass rail. it’s a good solution, in my opinion.
July 23, 2011 at 12:41 am #729904
rghaggartParticipantLunched there today and it was a pleasant experience. Best reuben sandwich I’ve had east of Chicago and, as with all restaurant meals these days, would feed two easily. The young women in clogger outfits were fine — anything that breaks the Seattle monotony of head to toe black and tattoos is fine with me. My only real quarrel is — cold Guiness? I mean, c’mon folks, I understand you have to sell ice beer here in the colonies to make a living but couldn’t you have an extra half-keg to serve at room temperature for the (apparently) few who prefer that sort of thing? Just as a nod to tradition perhaps?
July 23, 2011 at 6:21 am #729905
WorldCitizenParticipantGuiness is supposed to be served at 42 degrees fahrenheit.
July 23, 2011 at 5:18 pm #729906
rghaggartParticipantThis was considerably colder than that. Perhaps a rogue reefer unit?
July 25, 2011 at 7:01 pm #729907
datamuseParticipantThe Guinness that I had in Ireland was not served at room temperature, which would have put it in the range of 60-70 degrees F. Instead, it was at what I guess is called cellar temperature, which was closer to 50 degrees. That’s about how I like it; when it’s warmer the flavor balance isn’t quite right. But no need for it to be super cold, either. (Then again, there’s no reason for any decent beer to be super cold, unless it’s 90 degrees outside.)
July 28, 2011 at 6:33 pm #729908
Louise24ParticipantI work in the industry……i have asked many people about their experience at ATB and every one of them has been positive! Haven’t heard one bad thing about the place. After all it’s an Irish Pub! I’ve been to Ireland, the pubs are loud and joyful – and totally casual – it’s not fine dining! I agree that OJ, cheap white wine and a splash of soda water doesn’t really constitute a yummy Mimosa – Sparkling wine or Prosecco is often used in Mimosas especially if the establishment is not serving heaps of them. Otherwise, like noted, Mimosas would be so expensive that it’d just be another item for people to complain about. I am really excited to check this place out!
July 29, 2011 at 3:45 pm #729909
sacatoshParticipantFYI for anyone who had a less than stellar experience during opening, they got a new chef about a week ago who has gotten the kitchen running smoothly. Time to give them another try.
July 29, 2011 at 4:02 pm #729910
JiggersMemberSounds like a job for Gordon Ramsay already.
July 29, 2011 at 4:55 pm #729911
LindseyParticipantMy boyfriend and I went on Tuesday night. It was packed. We had to wait about a half hour to get seated, but that’s fine. The service was excellent. We had the mac and cheese with Irish bacon and it was so, so good. I loved it and can’t wait to go back.
July 29, 2011 at 4:59 pm #729912
2 Much WhineParticipantI’m confused (which isn’t a surprise to my wife). If Guinness is supposed to be served at 42 degrees and this was served “considerably colder” than that, wouldn’t it be frozen? I can’t imagine a 10 degree difference being considered as “considerable.” Just an observation. I had a Guinness at ATB and it was pretty darn close in temperature to the Guinness I drank in Belfast. I am also wondering why people wouldn’t visit this restaurant based on what the servers are wearing. How does that affect the service, the taste of the food or the temperature of the beer? If I was going to refuse to visit a place based on their attire I’d start with “Hot Dog on a Stick.”
July 29, 2011 at 5:21 pm #729913
KBearParticipant2 Much: Is that a Guinness with a straw in your photo? (I see that it’s ice cold, too!)
July 29, 2011 at 5:30 pm #729914
SueParticipantWe went back this past Saturday for brunch. No wait at all, only about half full. I hadn’t even noticed the waitress outfits during SummerFest, so I looked out for them this time. I don’t see the big deal, honestly. They had live jazz music which was very nice. Unfortunately, right after we arrived and our waitress took our order, a group of 8 was seated nearby, and then a group of 6, and the same waitress was handling all 3 tables. Our service suffered as a result. While the food was good, generous portions and came fast, we never saw her again until my husband had to flag down another waitress to find her to get a check. Never even got a drink refill. So seems like they’re still having staffing issues. Lovely waitress though, what little we saw of her.
And speaking of coffee, the cup came without a spoon which we thought was odd. What my husband didn’t realize is that there were plastic coffee stirrers in the container with the sweeteners. He never thought to look there as he doesn’t use sweetener, and we’ve never seen a restaurant that didn’t just give you a spoon. No big deal, but I point this out so that you know to look for the coffee stirrers and not sit there and try and flag down someone to bring a spoon.
August 4, 2011 at 3:36 am #729915
squareeyesParticipantYep, ate there again last night — seems it’s turning into the pub of choice for the boyfriend. My corned beef, cabbage, and mashed potatoes were really really good. Service was excellent. Seems like they’re sorting out the service issues.
Word on the street (and in the restaurant) is that Jason, formerly of Bohemian fame, has now taken over running the kitchen.
August 4, 2011 at 5:44 am #729916
JanSParticipantthat would be great if he’s there, squareeyes. He’s terrific! I gotta try this place :)
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