After braving Irene and eating out of a cooler for 3 days I decided it was time to try this exciting new establishment...boy were we in for a surprise! We pull into the parking lot on a Monday night and there were a few cars in the lot, nothing out of the ordinary as Monday's are generally slow for most restaurants and I welcomed the chance to really see this place shine without the crowd....kind of a chance to take it all in so to say.
As we walk in I noticed just exactly how quite it was...not inviting at all. The music was turned down so low you could barely hear the 80's classic rock that was playing...not there that is anything wrong with that, I too love some some old Bruce Springsteen, but it was a far cry from the Jimmy Buffett/Caribbean Soul I was expecting. There was no one at the hostess stand to greet us and for a moment I thought they might be closed? As I peer around the corner I see a "few" people sitting at the bar and nothing but empty tables for miles. I still have no clue where the people were that belonged to those cars in the parking lot? After standing there for about 30 seconds wondering what to do I asked the guy at the bar if we should just sit down or wait to be seated..."sit where ever" he said then returned his eyes to his ever demanding lap top. I later find out that this is the owner...nice!
We sit at a table near the bar in hopes that we will be seen by our waitress only to have to move twice to other tables that wouldn't flip over when the food is brought out. I knew right then it was going to be a huge waste of money and I would not be getting my Seared Tuna on a Salad that I was craving all day. The only Tuna or fish for that matter that was offered on the menu was your classic pile of mayo based salad that comes out of a can...and this was listed on the menu under " Chicken & Fish"...so disappointing to say the least!
After sitting there for 10 minutes we are finally greeted by our server..she was nice but seemed a bit confused...kind of like "What are you doing here and what do you want"? Mind you we are the only people in the pace besides the few lushes bellied up to the bar. I ask if there are any Margarita specials and the answer was...no? OK...I will just have a sweet tea and my husband will have a beer. We proceed to order from the menu that is mostly comprised of your usual "bar food". Fried Cheese Sticks & the ULTIMATE Chicken Nachos please....oh, we are out of the Cheese Sticks...she replied. I am trying to figure out who exactly she sold them to? Weird!
We put in our dinner order along with the one appetizer...the ULTIMATE Chicken Nachos. Notice I keep emphasizing ULTIMATE...I'll get to that in a moment. Anyway, I see nothing on the very limited menu that even remotely satisfies my craving so I order the Margarita Burger...figured I could get some little taste of salt or sour mix in there some where. This came with no sides...I ordered a side of Baked Potato Salad and my husband got the same thing. Please God let this be a decent burger...I am STARVING!!!
Now...as we wait for our ULTIMATE Chicken Nachos I am starting to take in my surroundings a bit. Margarita Grill...Margaritaville...Margarita....whatever. There is nothing in this place that even comes close to what the sign portrays unless you call a few Landshark promo signs an attempt at creating the so called Caribbean atmosphere? The only cool thing to look at in the place was the 110 gallon fish tank in the entry way that contained 2 HUGE Jack Dempsey's...but we were told they are Purana's....and yes she was serious! Now they do have an amazing Copper Sun hanging from the ceiling...ahhh, that's where all the start up money went...in a wall hanging! The window's had no blinds or curtains and all I could see was an awesome view of the dumpster.
Back to the Nachos...after about 15 minutes they arrive at our table complete with 4 inch Styrofoam plates and a plastic bathroom Dixie cup of Sam's Club's finest Salsa. The shredded chicken was unseasoned and cold, the bright yellow cheese came straight out of a #10 can and was cold as well. I have been served better nachos at my son's baseball games...ULTIMATE was a far cry from what we got. The lettuce was wilted and the bagged chips were stale. No Bueno!
Our Burgers arrive about 20 minuets later and I will say...not bad! Hand made and nicely seasoned...but a toasted bun and a fresh slice of pineapple would have made it a bit better over the bun right out of the bag and a ring of juiced up pineapple from a can. The potato salad was fresh and homemade yet lacked seasoning and the portion size was way to much, but I guess they needed some way to fill up the rest of the plate...no garnish of any sort and my husband was handed a huge plate with this burger sitting in the middle. A little creativity could have been inserted here. Maybe a pickle wedge, put the topping on the side??? Maybe?
$31.95 later we are ready to get the hell out of dodge...or Margarita Hell should I say. It took us another 15 Min's to get our check. Our server had gone on a smoke break and we pretty much sat there waiting..and waiting and waiting. The owner never came over to us to see how we were doing, never even looked our way...oh...wait, he did. When our son who is almost 10 years old went over to the pool table and rolled a ball around (probably because he was bored off his rocker waiting for the food) he shot me a nasty look...kind of like "why the hell is your kid touching my pool table" look. So I guess he did look at us...my bad. We paid our tab, said thank you and left.
With all that said...we will never be going back there again. It's a sad day when owners think that slinging beer on a Saturday night is going to pay the rent in a place like that. You have got to know the business inside and out, make your menu and customer service your top priority and goal and live up to what you are representing. If anyone needs a great place for a restaurant, I am pretty sure it will be up for lease in about a month.
Ratings:
1.8 Forks out of 5 Forks
Atmosphere: 2 Forks
Service: 2 Forks
Menu: 1 Fork
Food: 3 Forks
Value: 1 Fork
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