MÍ DÍA FROM SCRATCH Grapevine Texas
As many of you know, I am somewhat of a foodie. While I am not near the cook that I would like to be, I have traveled enough and have eaten at so many different places in my lifetime, critiquing restaurants is second nature.
Eating out to me anyway, should be a treat, and not the norm; as let’s face it, it is expensive. Dave Ramsey once said in one of his courses, the only way that you should be inside a restaurant is “you are working there!” Dave and I disagree on this point.
Life is short, so an occasional foray into an eating establishment should be acceptable. Even if you have to budget for it with disposable income. That is why I don’t want to waste my money and or time in some place that is supposed to be good, and it disappoints.
Upon entering the parking lot around 6, there were few if any places to park. It looked as though Valet Parking was going to be the way that I went until, as if on que, someone pulled out right in front of me.
If you get there at dinner time you might want to anticipate Valet parking. I will do that as I don’t want to detract from my dining experience by looping parking lots, in some sort of conga line looking for a place to park.
Once inside it was standing room only, even though we had a reservation. You must have six (6) or more to qualify for one.
Inside the building there is absolutely no place to stand without being underfoot of the servers, wait staff and other patrons. There are tables by the front door in very close proximity to where people are waiting for tables. When I say very close, imagine sitting at dinner and having someone standing within a foot of your table talking with their party complaining about the wait. To me this is unacceptable. Not only for the people who are now eating as you can hear everything that they are talking about but, for the patrons waiting to be seated.
While our table had been vacant, they had to make sure that they had someone to cover it before they sat us. This process took about 25 minutes which one might expect without reservations. If there had been a comfortable waiting area it might have been less objectionable.
The wait staff once seated was amicable. Getting our drinks took a little too long for me but the group that I was with seemed pleased with the outcome. I was the DD or designated driver, so I ordered a soft drink. The soft drink came in the original can, that was warm!
Folks! I expect that from a greasy spoon, not from a restaurant of this quality. Not only am I pouring my own drink from a can that I would buy in the store for .25 cents but, I know that I am going to at least pay $2 for the privilege and there will be no re-fills! Canned drinks have a “can taste” and I typically will not buy them that way for that reason.
I ordered the table side Guacamole which could not be made “table side” as there was no room. It was prepared somewhere else however, they had forgotten about it and we had to remind them, 30 minutes after the fact. Yes, they were busy but, so what! If they can’t handle “busy,” people will vote with their feet and find other places that can.
I ordered:
BANANA LEAF WRAPPED SCOTTISH SALMON – 20
Rubbed with achiote, citrus & grilled. Served with morita whipped potatoes, sautéed chayote & mango-lemon grass mojo.
The presentation was nice and 180 degrees different than a can of soda. The lemon grass mojo was placed on top much like a scoop of ice cream might sit atop pie. I tasted it and was non to thrilled with it, off to the side.
The Salmon itself was cooked well, soft and tender as it should have been. The whipped potatoes were light and fluffy with good taste, again as one would expect.
Part of the lemon citrus grass came with some sort of sauce that circled the potatoes in the bottom of the serving dish, much like a sauce. Dipping the salmon in this produced and un-expected treat as the flavors coalesced to make a whole new taste for salmon.
The salmon was covered in “achiote” which is a red seasoning. It is actually more than just a seasoning but a dye that is used for other reasons than for culinary work. Much like eating cucumbers, this was the seasoning that kept giving for hours after the meal was over.
On a scale of 1 to 5, I would give this place a 3.
While it was clean, it was way too crowded; and the overall appeal of this place just is not enough to encourage me to fight the crowd again. The price was middle of the road but the canned soft drink really was a deal breaker. To me this is like buying a good looking car and putting a small gutless engine in it. If you are going to go to the trouble of producing quality food, purchase a blooming soda dispensing machine so no soft drink cans are ever seen and, the glass can be easily re-filled. On top of that folks, soda taste much better out of a machine, than a can! By the way, does anyone else see the issue here with the name “made from scratch” and a canned drink!? Is it just me?
Not all of us consume alcohol! Some of us actually prefer to maintain our senses and be able to drive after the meal is over.
No review would be complete without a critique of the drinks however; so, I am happy to inform you that while I personally did not imbibe, those that did had more than one, and were complimentary of the drinks, flavor and presentation.
I think if they would change their policies to “reservation only” during certain busy times, they could please more people and have less people standing on top of other patrons. Managing traffic in a restaurant is critical to pleasing the guest, as well as managing your staff. This place has the ability to easily be a 4 star restaurant, with their quality of food.
-Best
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