What is the Worst Meal You Ever Ate in a Dallas Restaurant?

Posted on August 25th, 2009 11:10am by Nancy Nichols
Filed under Food Fight!, Foodie People, Mistakes I made, Murmur, Restaurant News, Reviews, SideDish Supper Club

catvomitsignI am asked this question many times. My taste memory is alive and not-so-well with memories of malicious meals that I not only ate, I paid good money to “eat.” So far, the worst meal I have ever experienced was served to me at gone-and-hopefully-forgotten Traci’s: scorched lobster shepherd’s pie and a spinach salad covered with old cheese and broiled. This year I’d have to say that the slices of dry pork fanned over a fistful of steamed cauliflower rolled in an ancho chile cream sauce I was served (twice) at Rathbun’s Blue Plate is now on my list along with a piece of wretchedly old bronzini at Bolla.  Et tu, Disher?

(Sign and T-shirts by Ellen Gribbs of Austin.)

146 comments

  1. My worst meal of recent memory was this past Sunday at Snuffer’s (Preston Center). My daughter wanted to go, she loves her some cheddar fries. They were cold. For anyone who has ever tried to re-heat cheddar fries, you understand our plight. They didn’t bring our “extras.” And, I ordered something off my ususal (a burger, medium). I got the “taco salad” which was served in a shell that looked like the hat Aretha wore at in innaguration. It was pretty gross.

    Way back in the day, I worked at Flip’s. One Monday night (our “blue monday” special, 1/2 price entrees), the food critic from the DMN came in to eat…and review. His waitress, a herion addict (who later died of an OD), served him a 3 course meal (which included the gnocchi in pesto) whithout ever remembering to lay the silverware. He sat passively watching his plates, then kicked up a ruckus. Flip’s closed shortly after.

    @ 11:19 am on August 25, 2009

  2. The meatloaf at Eden Cafe on Lover’s Lane – served with packaged gravy and instant mashed potatoes – yuck (and at $18, to add insult to injury)!

    @ 11:36 am on August 25, 2009

  3. Amanda, that is quite a story on Flip’s.

    @ 11:50 am on August 25, 2009

  4. Can I recount the story of a friend?

    They took the kids to a local Hibachi restaurant for Christmas Eve. When it got to the part where the chef squirts alcohol on the cooktop and lights it, all went well until he decided to add an additional amount of alcohol – and the top came off the squirt bottle. Ignited alcohol streamed across the burner, right up mom’s sweather. Thankfully, hubby being a chef remembered “Stop, Drop and Roll”, gave her a big bearhug, extinguishing the blaze. Luckily it didn’t burn her skin, but melted part of her sweater and claimed a good portion of her eyebrows.

    After apologizing, the manager presented them with the check.

    To this day when dining Hibachi style their kids yell “Light my mom on fire, light my mom on fire!”

    @ 12:07 pm on August 25, 2009

  5. I once had Tex Mex so bad (and it takes an awful lot to mess up Tex Mex) that I looked out the window wistfully at the Hooters next door. The offending restaurant closed three weeks later.

    @ 12:11 pm on August 25, 2009

  6. Nick & Sam’s grill (shortly after the open- so I do give them some sympathy). Burger was so greasy that when delivered the grease literally rolled off the plate (and onto my pants) and the bun had been soaked through. The whole thing was vile and unedible. Been back twice since and honestly not much better.

    @ 12:15 pm on August 25, 2009

  7. Went to a place several years ago in Lewisvilled called Ham & Eggs. Was told the food was just awesome – hubwheel sized pancakes, tall bisquits, etc. Well the food portions were accurate but they failed to tell me about the hundreds of cockroaches that also lived in this restaurant! They were literally running across our table and up the walls, along the floor! I got up and walked out!

    @ 12:18 pm on August 25, 2009

  8. El Chico @ Central & Spring Valley. For some reason I was not in the mood for Mexican like my friends who wanted to go there, so I ordered a cheeseburger. The meat was flat-out spoiled. You couldn’t smell it, but it tasted totally rancid. When we called over the waiter and I told him it was spoiled, he looked at me like I was crazy. Then I asked him to take a bite. He did, and then spit it out in a napkin. Entire party-of-6 comped plus a free dessert, so all was well with the world. I was and remained a regular El Chico customer, but it was a few months after this episode that I went again.

    @ 12:19 pm on August 25, 2009

  9. The worst meal we ever had was at Houlihans off Beltline in Addison. From the food to the drinks to the service, everything was abysmal. We had a group of 4 people sitting at a booth. We were drinking that evening, so we were ordering rounds of drinks. Somehow, everybody’s mixed cocktail had the flavor of the next person’s drink. The dirty martini tasted like peach and olives, the fruity vodka drink tasted like olives and Jack Daniels, and so on. We had ordered some food and everything was very dry and cool. Our waiter was bussing a neighboring table and stopped by ours to take another drink order. He set down the other table’s dirty dishes and left them on OUR table. We never got those drinks, so we decided to go to the bar to order them ourselves. The bartender refused to take our order because we were sitting at a table and had to order thru our non-existent waiter that leaves us other’s dirty dishes and brings us cold food. About 6months later, the wife and I as a last minute decision decided to see if they got their sea-legs and improved. nope… service still horrible and the Chips for the dips were stale and the enchilada was almost cool to the touch. Gave them 2 tries, and they failed miserably. I’m staying away from that place forever.

    @ 12:22 pm on August 25, 2009

  10. Ooooh, so many restaurants, so little time.

    Though most of my really bad experiences are are mainly service issues, probably the “black rice place” (as we now call it) would be the worst food. After ordering, we were informed they only had one chicken breast left so could one of us order something else?

    The one they did have really shouldn’t have been served. Dry, tasteless, and more fillet than breast. The (undercooked) black rice did nothing to lift the dish. Some sort of ill thought out shrimp and squash risotto with saffron was as bad as it sounds. Never been back there.

    Surprisingly, the place is still open, so maybe it got better or people just have no taste.

    @ 12:25 pm on August 25, 2009

  11. My worst meal is also at Snuffers (Addison location). Ordered a burger medium-well and it came out so raw that it was literally still cold in the middle. It was so dark in inside that I didn’t even know until it was in my mouth.

    Easily the most overrated restaurant in Dallas IMO.

    @ 12:25 pm on August 25, 2009

  12. whataburger

    @ 12:32 pm on August 25, 2009

  13. Ironically started by the owners of the aforementioned Nick & Sams, Coal Vines’ white pizza is like eating soggy greasy cardboard. Not the cheapest pizza either…

    @ 12:40 pm on August 25, 2009

  14. Prince Bistro in Plano. Everything on my plate tasted and looked like it had been nuked. The potatoes and vegetables had that shriveled appearance that you get when nuking them and the roll had that funky chewy consistency from being nuked. I think they are closed now…no big surprise!

    @ 12:42 pm on August 25, 2009

  15. The time I got an actual clam, shell and all in my clam chowder at Kenny’s Wood Fire Grill was a bad experience, but the food overall was pretty good.

    I was really unimpressed with Firefly on a recent visit. The things Nancy wrote about recently were all part of the experience, the propane after taste on the steak and the inedible chicken.

    I can’t think of anything else really terrible at this point. I’ve been to some restaurants that didn’t get it right, but nothing that made me want to warn people away from there.

    @ 12:52 pm on August 25, 2009

  16. Chicken sandwich at Braum’s on Forest. Three words — frozen pink center.

    @ 12:58 pm on August 25, 2009

  17. Shrimp and Grits at Hattie’s tasted like they had poured a bottle of iodine in it.

    @ 1:01 pm on August 25, 2009

  18. Dan’s Lakewood Cafe. The food was consistently bad, but nobody seemed to mind. The abuse we received from Billie the waitress was the draw, not the food.

    @ 1:05 pm on August 25, 2009

  19. On The Border. Really nothing needs to be said to explain that catastrophe.

    However, I really do have to agree with Nancy about Rathbun’s Blue Plate. Went there for a birthday lunch hosted by my boss. I didn’t complain too much (because my coworkers picked up the tab) but the Cajun Fried Chicken Po’Boy was retched. Super thin, dry chicken with a saw dust coating on bread so thick an anaconda couldn’t wrap its mouth around it.

    The “six Pack” dessert had cookies and brownies so bad that it made store-bought cookies look gourmet.

    @ 1:06 pm on August 25, 2009

  20. We were recently to Mi Piaci on our never ending quest for decent Italian cooking in Dallas (other than Nonna). I thought I was safe ordering carpaccio and risotto. The carpaccio was rare roast beef and the “arugula” was spinach. I complained and the dish was simply removed…no explanation. The risotto was “homemade” sausage and potato. I asked for no potato and guess what…got extra potatos and no sausage that I could tell. I only ate a few bites and put it aside. The waiter picked it up and asked if I wanted dessert. My wife’s food was no better…tiny little stale mussels with jalapeno in the wine sauce. Oh well, too bad Nonna is not open on Sundays.

    @ 1:06 pm on August 25, 2009

  21. Ew, ew, ew! Steak ‘n Shake is gross! We always see people coming in & out of Steak ‘n Shake. The burger was so bad! Like not even McDonalds bad…inedible. The shake had freezer burn!! Like you know when you leave ice cream in the freezer for too long (little icy bits)….? First time that has ever happened to me in a restaurant. I’d rather have Wendy’s anyday over this place. Gross.

    @ 1:26 pm on August 25, 2009

  22. Amy S.- if it was a Christmas sweater, he might have done her a favor!

    Suze- Gilbert Garza was not there that night, but I have not been back for a second chance.

    I abhor Luby’s- anytime, anywhere.

    Cliff Cafe when they first opened. I have never had such bad food ever. I’m surprised I didn’t die.

    @ 1:29 pm on August 25, 2009

  23. The worst is hard to say. I would say to those who list dives and fast food – are you really surprised?

    I will say the most disappointing meal was our first anniversary celebration at Pappas Brothers. I had been a regular customer both before and after I got married, up until that night.

    Our waitress sucked. It was the second time she had waited on us, so I should have had the sense to ask for another waiter. Her service was sporadic, we felt like we were being given the bum’s rush out at the end of dinner, and as she left the table with the check, she stopped one table away to check her tip amount.

    The food was decent that night, a bit greasy, and they had produced better, but the service sealed it. We haven’t been back. That was 2001. Yes, I was (am) that annoyed.

    @ 1:33 pm on August 25, 2009

  24. One of the most overhyped meals I ever ate was at the Rosewood Mansion. Impeccable service, but the food was so far out of my league. I’m more of a LaQuinta Inns and Suites type!

    @ 1:34 pm on August 25, 2009

  25. Amanda, thanks for confirming what I always suspected about Flips. The quality of the food was directly proportional to whatever drugs were being used in the kitchen. They were the best of meals; they were the worst of meals.

    Does take-out count? I bought a rotisserie chicken at Lakewood Whole Foods. I discovered it had been sitting there all day (at least) and was the consistency of a doorknob.

    @ 1:41 pm on August 25, 2009

  26. The greatest fall from favor is without a doubt Patrizio’s in HP Village. It used to great in all categories. Then the ownership changed, and the food and service fell mightily. How sad!

    @ 1:50 pm on August 25, 2009

  27. Whatever it was I ate at Patrizio’s.

    @ 1:50 pm on August 25, 2009

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    @ 1:51 pm on August 25, 2009

  29. This wouldn’t go over well with Freckle Face, but the worst meal I’ve had in the past year has been at Tei An. I liked nothing about it. It started with our waitress who never spoke above a whisper and didn’t speak English very well. I couldn’t hear or understand a damn word she said. We ordered an app that was horrible – some big gloppy fried salmon thing. It wasn’t even edible. The service was off – sloppy, inattentive, inaudible. I have to say, I just hated that restaurant — and I never say that.

    @ 1:52 pm on August 25, 2009

  30. The person who makes the 67th comment on this thread can go out to dinner with me tonight. Free.

    @ 1:59 pm on August 25, 2009

  31. Ugh…it wasn’t a meal, but I shudder at the memory. Zen in Addison circle served my husband and I a frozen, and I mean like you could knock on it, block of mozzarella that was supposed to be their fried cheese app. Also, I ordered a french dip there once which the menu said was served with au jus and horseradish sauce. The horseradish sauce was just mayo, and the au jus never appeared. When I asked the waitress for it, the poor girl (she couldn’t have been a day over 15) gave me the blankest stare I’ve ever seen and just walked away.

    @ 2:00 pm on August 25, 2009

  32. Back in the day, when West Village was still just McKinney Ave., I was chased through the parking lot by a crazy waiter from Raphael’s. My crime–not leaving a tip, because he was openly hostile and crazy.

    I didn’t like it when he started writing down my license plate number, either.

    @ 2:00 pm on August 25, 2009

  33. The new patio to eat at on Hendrson has little more to offer than decor. It’s new, but I’ve been To Park four times – not able to believe that the food and service could possibly maintain such a low standard over time. My meals were consistently colder than the clueless waitstaff. Park seems to be doing good business, what’s the draw? Seriously, gross.

    @ 2:07 pm on August 25, 2009

  34. A note here: Zen never did anything to compensenate for these, umm, missteps. A little customer service goes a long way in these situations. Mistakes happen, I get that. An apology and some kind of gesture which makes me feel appreciated as a patron can cover many wrongs. BUT it kills me when a restaurant screws up and then acts you’re inconveniencing them.

    I read an article recently about the effect of the economy on customer service. You would think, in these competitive times, that business would be falling all over themselves to provide good customer service, but, according the article, customer service is actually worse. When will businesses get a clue?

    @ 2:07 pm on August 25, 2009

  35. Worst Desserts Ever Eaten- A lame peanut butter pie and a slice of cheesecake at Dragonfly. They tasted like they had just come from the freezer and seemed more at home on a Chili’s dessert menu than that of an “upscale” restaurant.

    @ 2:11 pm on August 25, 2009

  36. I too had my worst meal in recent history at Park on Henderson. we waited two hours to sit down but were having plenty of fun because the atmosphere is fun and decor enjoyable. The food was not edible, even with a healthy appetite. Salty shrivled mussels, perfumed hummus, an airport-Chilis looking- chicken salad, and sad Mexican pizza (even the guys at our table declined to eat more than one bit of this). The taco plates were well-received, but I was grossed out by that point. Great cocktails though!

    @ 2:28 pm on August 25, 2009

  37. Suze was the worst place I’ve ever been. I tried the Angel Hair pomodoro, and was truly looking forward to the experience/food, but it was like eating flavorless noodle soup. And the atomosphere? Just as bland as my meal!

    @ 2:32 pm on August 25, 2009

  38. Everything I’ve ever ordered at Breadwinners.

    The duck at Bob’s in Plano. I think they killed it, performed CPR to bring it back to life, and then killed it again.

    @ 2:35 pm on August 25, 2009

  39. One night a few years ago, I met a redhead at the Old Monk. She was saucy…though I was completely sauced. I invited her to my apartment to watch David Letterman’s monologue. I told her I never missed it. Unbelievably, she came over to watch it. I thought it was so sweet, that in the morning I decided I should buy her breakfast.

    She wasn’t so saucy the next morning. So I took here somewhere I thought was safe. I think it is called the Garden Cafe. Anyhow, I thought we were safely hunkered down in a booth in the back. Until my female boss walked in with her husband, they quickly spotted me, and of course, joined us for hungover awkward morning-after-Letterman breakfast. Within a few minutes, everyone figured out that Red and I didn’t know each other whatsoever.

    That was the worst meal I ever ate in a Dallas restaurant.

    @ 2:35 pm on August 25, 2009

  40. Worst food – Shuck & Jive on Lovers and Greenville. Ordered gumbo and I’m not sure what was delivered. It looked like non dairy queso, smooth and mucus like. I couldn’t eat that so I ordered a catfish po boy. Arrived cold and partially raw. Not much will turn your stomach like a bite of raw catfish.
    Worst Service – Cafe Izmir. Waited over an hour for reservations and then we were seated next to the restroom. My friend spoke to the owner/manager who took offense at us asking about a different location and told us if we didn’t like it we could leave. We did, but the owner decided he’d act like he was kicking us out instead of us leaving. He grabbed my friend by the arm and hustled him outside and then picked a fight with him, including acting like he was spitting in his face. Unbelievable.

    @ 2:41 pm on August 25, 2009

  41. About a year ago, I got sucked into eating at Bahama Breeze (not in Dallas) with some folks from work. The girl sitting next to me loaded a bite of mashed potatos onto her fork and was about to bite it when she noticed something black coming out of one end. It was a greasy bolt. Apparently, the arm on the potato mashing/mixing machine had fallen off and they’d found all the offending parts except this one. We were comped for most of our meals (there were 14 of us) because our booze tab was high enough to satisfy the restaurant at that point.

    Fast forward to Chuys 2 weeks ago in Plano. Girl sitting next to me gets a fork full of rice and notices a nut (like the one that goes on a bolt) shining out from beneath a few grains. The waitstaff hustled it out of the dining area, and the manager and waiter each made a joke about the situation and comped her for her meal.

    How does stuff like that happen?

    @ 2:54 pm on August 25, 2009

  42. Joe’s Crab Shack. I did not realize seafood could be that awful !!!

    @ 2:57 pm on August 25, 2009

  43. Worst meal was at Mi Cocina (Galleria) in 2000. A passing waiter dumped half a plate of rice on my head. While I sat there, stunned, the waiter set the plate down on a nearby table and turned back to brush the rice out of my hair and off my shoulder. Then he handed me my check. I’ve never eaten at Mi Cocina since.

    @ 3:01 pm on August 25, 2009

  44. Applebee’s in the Medallion Center. I remember it so well because it was so NOT memorable. I have never had food so bland in all my life. I mean at least if it was just bad I would have a story to tell like the rest of these here on this blog but it wasn’t horrible and it wasn’t good. I suppose they keep their beer pretty cold, but I think I had a steak and some vegetables,…. no it was chicken, ..I just don’t recall. They say the opposite of love is not hate, its ambivalence. An Applebees experience is very ambivalent.

    @ 3:03 pm on August 25, 2009

  45. Old Warsaw was some of the saddest service I’ve seen…. never offered a glass of wine or a drink, and felt like they couldn’t wait for us to leave.

    @ 3:11 pm on August 25, 2009

  46. This is for MP—I love your post!!

    Do you even speak to each other at the ill-fated breakfast? I can’t stop laughing!!!!

    @ 3:43 pm on August 25, 2009

  47. @ MP- I think I know who that redhead was because I was babysitting her equally saucy redheaded kids who would not go to bed, even after Letterman :)

    Back in the day, when I was on a dubious website called Matchmaker.Com, I met a well known local celeb, who at the time, I did not know was ‘well known’. We met at Cafe Brazil in Richardson(yea, he was a real class act, that one) and he decided to show off and drive his classic car, which he parked under a bright light to spotlight the perfection it was.

    Dismal Red Pepper Soup and Guyere Grilled Cheese that should have been free-
    $12
    1956 Porsche Speedster covertable in mint condition-
    90k
    The look on his face when those black birds crapped all over the car because he left the top down?
    Priceless.

    @ 3:46 pm on August 25, 2009

  48. Oh, speaking of hardware in food. Ojeda’s in Plano (Park and Coit). My husband got the beef flautas and almost broke a tooth on a ball bearing. Horrible (that’s the Spanish “horrible” version not the English).

    @ 3:49 pm on August 25, 2009

  49. I apologize if this repeats but the website seems to be having techinical difficulties…

    MP- I think I know who that suacy redhead was, because I babysitted her equally saucy rredheaded kids who would not go to bed, even after Letterman :X

    When I moved to Dallas in 2001, I tried this dubious website called Matchmaker.Com(User name sweetaspie123-lol) and I met this well known local celeb who at the time I did not know was well known. We met at Cafe Brazil(he was a classy guy, that one) and he decided to drive his vintage car to show off. There was not a second date.

    Dismal Red Pepper Soup and Gruyere grilled cheese- $12

    1956 Porsche Speedster convertible-
    90K

    Look on man’s face when we walked out of the restaurant and he realized the ‘grackles’ has crapped all over the car, in and out?

    Priceless.

    @ 4:01 pm on August 25, 2009

  50. Tom Tom in West Village – a roach fell out of the lamp above our table directly onto our plate of sushi. Needless to say, we haven’t been back.

    @ 4:05 pm on August 25, 2009

  51. This is all fine and good, but can you now pose the question: “What’s the BEST meal you’ve ever had either in Dallas or out of town?” I’d much remember the good times over the bad…

    @ 4:10 pm on August 25, 2009

  52. elena34 – it was strange asking as many get to know you questions as my boss.

    “So, where are you from?”

    “Yeah, where ARE you from?”

    @ 4:12 pm on August 25, 2009

  53. A random visit to Chili’s in Duncanville in the mid-90′s. I ordered their grilled (at least it had grill marks) chicken salad made with nasty canned pineapple and bad lettuce.
    In it was a feather. Not a sweet, little chirping-bird feather (which would have been bad enough). I am talking about an 8-inch feather from a yardbird. They could’ve signed the Constitution with this thing.

    UGH. It still skeeges me out.

    @ 4:43 pm on August 25, 2009

  54. The whole wheat pasta at Vapiano in Mockingbird Station. Might as well have pulled a stalk of wheat out of the ground and chewed on it. And the pomodoro sauce didn’t help it one single bit. Actually, I think it made it worse. Simply disgusting.

    @ 4:48 pm on August 25, 2009

  55. I stopped at the Whataburger at Eastchase and 30 in Arlington and picked up a Grilled Chicken Sandwhich from the drive through. As I am driving back to civilization I begin to eat my sandwhich and notice it just does not taste right. I look down at the sandwhich and the middle of the chicken is completely raw. After going back to Whataburger the jackass manager apologizes and gives me a free apple pie.

    @ 4:49 pm on August 25, 2009

  56. The MP post made me laugh so hard!! That was so funny. I really feel sorry for the little red headed girl. At least she got fed. (I can’t say the same for some of my nights in the 80′s)

    And as for worse meal? Mine was not in Dallas so not worth the comment here. But, on a good note! All of these posts have made me want to skip dinner I am so grossed out… I may not eat out again, till, well Thursday- at the latest.

    And I agree, I would love to hear BEST meal in Dallas. And one you can still get… not a closed place.

    @ 5:03 pm on August 25, 2009

  57. Had an absolutely horrid piece of salmon at Sevy’s. I should’ve sent it back but I kept telling myself that a place like that just couldn’t possibly serve a piece of fish that was so off.

    @ 5:03 pm on August 25, 2009

  58. La Parrillada in Lakewood! They served us a whole. fried. gecko! In our chips. Also at OTB on Knox, a giant roach crawled out of our chips & perched himself on top of the tallest chip peak like, “Hey, what’s up?”. Gross!

    @ 5:25 pm on August 25, 2009

  59. My worst meal was at the former La Condesa in Victory. Now, it may not count because it wasn’t a complete meal. We got the check and left after the appetizers. About two weeks later Bill Addison’s one star review came out, confirming my experience.

    There was a very long wait for a table, despite the presence of several empty tables. So we’re waiting in the bar area, seated with some okay chips and salsa, when we find a hair rubberband in our salsa. They tried to play it off by saying it was a rubber band that holds brocolli together, but you and I both know that a broccoli rubber band is wide, this was narrow, round, and covered in cloth. Yeah.

    Still in the bar area, three people in our party hit their heads on a lamp that was hung too low. When we informed management as a courtesy, we were told that everyone hits their heads on that lamp and we just needed to keep a better lookout.
    So we’re finally seated, and order some appetizers, including guac. The guac comes out sour, tasted like something had spoiled. A vodka tonic is a fairly simple drink to mix, and they even messed that up, producing something that tasted like vodka and gin mixed together.

    That was the last straw. We left and headed to Pepe’s and Mito’s, where a delighful meal was had by all.

    @ 5:31 pm on August 25, 2009

  60. Nancy, if I comment 11 times, are you still buying?

    @ 5:33 pm on August 25, 2009

  61. Funniest bad service/good meal – Cafe Italia. The waitress mixed up the wine twice between us and the couple we were dining with. We all just started putting our hands over our glasses as she approached. Then she asked if we’d like to order dessert. This was prior to ordering appetizers. After we ate our appetizers and the plates had been cleared, she came by to apologize for not getting our appetizers yet. We let her know that we’d already eaten them and she asked if we wanted the check. We told her we’d like to wait to eat the meals we had previously ordered. She then poured the wrong wine into a half empty glass. It actually made the evening kind of fun…

    @ 5:38 pm on August 25, 2009

  62. I’m leaving the office in five minutes. And you can’t comment 11 times.

    @ 5:42 pm on August 25, 2009

  63. Was that a yes? Where are we going? Should I put on my Sunday finest?

    @ 5:43 pm on August 25, 2009

  64. Yes, that is a yes, but we now have to subtract 3 comments.

    @ 5:45 pm on August 25, 2009

  65. Well, looks as though we won’t make it…

    You probably wouldn’t want me as a dinner date anyways. I’m a pesky vegan.

    @ 5:49 pm on August 25, 2009

  66. Vegans are people too. Have you tried Bliss? I am leaving now….

    @ 5:51 pm on August 25, 2009

  67. So what your saying is I’ve been patiently waiting to be the 67th caller and Brad wins???
    I’ve been saving my grotesque Nove story all day and now I’m not sharing it……

    @ 5:51 pm on August 25, 2009

  68. No, Brad didn’t “win.” There still aren’t 67 comments. Come on share.

    @ 5:53 pm on August 25, 2009

  69. I can’t wait to have you as my arm candy tonight NN.

    @ 5:53 pm on August 25, 2009

  70. Hey Dallaschef, go now and you get to be the 67th…

    @ 5:54 pm on August 25, 2009

  71. And boom goes the dynamite. Sexy Jeff, meet Nancy.

    @ 5:54 pm on August 25, 2009

  72. Sexy Jeff and Brad and Dallas Chef: if you are real people we can meet in 15 minutes.

    @ 5:57 pm on August 25, 2009

  73. Joey Tomato’s on McKinney. An order of fried calamari was held together by a lock of hair. At least the manager picked up the entire tab.

    @ 5:57 pm on August 25, 2009

  74. Sexy Jeff is definitely real.

    @ 6:04 pm on August 25, 2009

  75. 15 minutes won’t work… there’s always next time.

    @ 6:06 pm on August 25, 2009

  76. I am leaving right now. So, that’s a NO? After all of that, you “guys” are standing me up? We’ll try again tomorrow.

    @ 6:08 pm on August 25, 2009

  77. OK Uncle Nancy where and by what time??

    @ 6:12 pm on August 25, 2009

  78. This reminds me of when Seinfeld got his dad a cadillac – who eats at 6:00?

    @ 6:12 pm on August 25, 2009

  79. i heart you Brad….Vegan and all

    @ 6:13 pm on August 25, 2009

  80. Sexy Jeff doesn’t stand beautiful women up. Well, except for the one he would be standing up tonight to go out to dinner with you. However, I was the 67th commenter, and I like free food…why don’t we just set up a date Nancy?

    @ 6:14 pm on August 25, 2009

  81. Disco Stu likes disco music.

    @ 6:18 pm on August 25, 2009

  82. To MP, that is funny…but you NEVER get anything good at the old monk! Very funny story! I laughed so hard my cat jumped off the bed!

    I don’t like the Old Monk. Met my friend out there for a birthday brunch. I was a bit hungover….and asked for water. I looked at menu and didn’t like anything I saw but ordered the burger. The waitress returned with everyone’s drinks and food. I look around and asked her if she can please bring me some water. She rolled her eyes at me and said “Im busy”. The people sitting at my table were like “don’t let her treat you that way”. I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want to disrespect my friend. So…i stayed there silent. After everyone had pretty much finished with their food and got a second round of drinks…I asked her nicely “May I please have a glass of water” and she said “Look..I’m very busy. I put your order in already”. So, after she walked away (I fought my inner voices telling me to pimp slap her to kingdom come)I walk into the bar section and tell the bartender that I need to cancel my order.

    I go back to say goodbye to my friend — the waitress comes back with my burger and water and my diet coke. I told her I had cancelled it and she said “Oh, so now that I bring this out you’re just gonna leave”. I rolled my eyes at her and told my friend goodbye.

    Waitress mumbled something, and I just smiled and said “Bless your dear heart…you are much too busy to serve me!”

    So…I took off to Strokers Icehouse for the best friggin hamburger I’ve had in a long time! :)

    Oh, went ADHD on my post! My point is that EVERYTIME I go to the Old Monk, the service sucks and their hamburgers suck. They suck. Suck Suck Suck! Yuckers! I ask for well done and it’s still pink! ewww….

    @ 6:30 pm on August 25, 2009

  83. I got a used band aid in my mu shu from Rice Box at Coit/Campbell in Richardson. Stay classy chef’s with open finger cuts!!!!

    @ 6:36 pm on August 25, 2009

  84. Mi Cocina in Watters Creek. Bartender charged my 6 yr old daughter $1.50 for 5 maraschino cherries. He actually gave her a printed bill.

    @ 6:38 pm on August 25, 2009

  85. Cquin1 – LOVE Strokers and they do have an absolute dynamite burger. Good People Good Fun and Good Food. That darn little 2oz. Portion Cup of Potato salad is also yummy delicious =)

    @ 6:49 pm on August 25, 2009

  86. my worst experience involved Bob’s on Lemmon — I say worst, in that it was the most money spent for terrible food and horrible service.

    My mother and I were celebrating our birthdays, so it was something we were both looking forward to…first we were seated in the farback room. I’m not someone who needs to have the best seat in town, rather, the problem was that the back room smelled, well pretty much exactly like the sewer. When we asked about it, the waitress admitted they were having plumbing problems. Given that the entire restaurant was half-empty, we requested a different table, and the waitress did not seem happy about that. Add to the sewer room completely inattentive new service (we couldn’t get refills of wine to save our life), a poorly cooked steak and food that was so salted it was inedible, and i’ll never return to Bob’s. I had been there many times before, but that was the first time I had felt like the restaurant had completely given up on the customer. And I’m not going to drop that amount of $$ for that experience.

    @ 6:58 pm on August 25, 2009

  87. There are a few.
    Chile’s in Casa Linda would be the winner, followed by:
    August Moon
    Asian Mint on Forest Lane (recently tried HP location, much better)
    Jeroboam Dallas
    Tolouse

    @ 7:43 pm on August 25, 2009

  88. most recent bad meal: sala

    how does that place stay in business? everything tastes sour. and why do mexican restaurants use chicken tenders as fajitas?

    @ 7:58 pm on August 25, 2009

  89. Most recently, Tampopo’s bento box!
    Next bad memory, Tx Land and Cattle, horrible service, over charged, and under stimulated… isn’t that all Dallas has to offer, I mean cmon people!

    @ 8:04 pm on August 25, 2009

  90. oh yeah and Highland park cafeteria, (I know I know) and i also ate with roaches at Nandina on lower greenville…
    I think if owners were more picky about who they allow to work for them, that may help. I NEVER go to chain restaurants tho, you’re asking for a crap meal!

    @ 8:15 pm on August 25, 2009

  91. good food at the new restaurant lumi on mckinney! You cant beat the 99cent hot dogs from burger street though!

    @ 8:22 pm on August 25, 2009

  92. MOST OVERRATED DESSERT: Laduni’s baked Alaska, 12 dollars for some toasted whip cream??? No thanks.

    NN: Portions of this comment have been deleted.

    @ 8:27 pm on August 25, 2009

  93. Connor…..low class man, low class.

    @ 8:51 pm on August 25, 2009

  94. Well I have to echo Snuffers. In my case it was snuffers in Plano. In a city that the health department mandates medium well, I received a raw burger. I sent the burger back got it a little less raw. While I make myself rear burgers when I grind the meat, lets just say that their meat was not healthy to eat raw. Ended up not going to work for two days.

    @ 9:12 pm on August 25, 2009

  95. La Parrillada in Lakewood (off Garland Rd.)

    There was a whole blue rubber band in my beans when we dined inside the restaurant! We went to the taco window numerous times but one time instead of sitting at a table I stayed at the window and saw the cook (who handled my money, then food with no gloves) wipe his head with a rag, and then wipe his cutting board.

    NEVER BEEN BACK!!!

    @ 10:04 pm on August 25, 2009

  96. Jerrier, that’s funny as he’ll about getting charged for cherries – I’m gonna steal that story.

    @ 12:23 am on August 26, 2009

  97. Another Flip’s horror story:

    I had just moved to Dallas and went with my business school friends to Flip’s. We were in a hurry so we ordered only entrees. I asked for what amounted to their version of sausage & peppers over pasta. Despite our having made clear that we were in a hurry and would appreciate the kitchen’s giving our orders some haste, no food (or drink, for that matter; in facts, drinks never came at all, not even water) arrived for nearly 50 minutes. My pasta had the sour reek of having been in storage for at least a week, still had frosty ice crystals, and still was clumped together in the shape of the square-ish container it which it had been held. The noodles were so fridge-cold that the oil sauce was congealing around the pasta. They hadn’t even taken time to run the pasta through a water boil. The whole sausages (where they should have been sliced then sauteed with peppers and onions) sat like two turds atop the heap. The sausages, despite being still half frozen and still rimmed by the congealed fat that collects at the bottom of a cold holding container, also showed visible, furry grey mold. They served THIS to a table. I was gagging on the smell of the whole thing. My friends’ dishes had problems, too. I left the table to track down a manager and was able to find one after about five minutes of searching (he was standing outside, on the sidewalk). I dragged him to my table, showed him my plate. Without a word, he just shrugged and walked off back out to the sidewalk.

    Needless to say, none of us ate a single bite of our order (so I don’t know if this qualifies as a meal that I actually had) and walked out. I called the Health Department the next morning.

    @ 3:04 am on August 26, 2009

  98. Regrettably, this one pains me and I will use an alias:

    Hands Down: It was at Ciudad one night when the $22 ‘special’ arrived; the undercooked ‘fishy’ soggy fish filet was served ,,,without ANY seasoning including salt,,, in a mystery (like ice cream sugar) cone that was tasteless and soggy. This handed to us by the charming female chef who quickly thereafter left for Grapevine. Stunning. I kept thinking I was on ‘Punked’. Alas, no.

    @ 8:43 am on August 26, 2009

  99. After a few insipid bites of a tuna fish sandwich at San Francisco Rose, I decided I would add a touch of salt. Oh, to my suprise, a cricket (dead, I think) lay spread out across the entire sandwich half. I had managed to only eat part of one antenae.

    I have not returned.

    @ 9:36 am on August 26, 2009

  100. @ FlipOff…not to defend it, but that particular dish had gorgonzola, and was quite pungent. 90% of those (and anything else with it) were returned. I may have been there that night… The manager was waiting on the sidewalk for his dealer. And, at least you weren’t the lady with a needle, or the dude with a crack pipe in your leftovers fashioned out of tin foil into the shape of a swan.

    But, our house band ROCKED.

    @ 10:16 am on August 26, 2009

  101. Golden Corral in Richardson. The best part is, I didn’t even eat.

    It was Military Appreciation Night (free dinner for Vets) several years ago. I told the cashier I’m a vet. He asks to see my Military I.D. I tell him, I don’t have a Military I.D., I’m a vet. So he asks for my Retiree I.D. I explain that I am not a retiree and, as such, I do not have a Retiree I.D. Further, not all vets are retirees. Last, it’s Military Appreciation Night not Retired Military Appreciation Night so I’d like my free meal.

    No I.D., no free meal. So I leave. My
    e-mail to Golden Corral’s corp offices went unanswered.

    @ 10:35 am on August 26, 2009

  102. At an IHOP on a Christmas Eve – we had been iced in by the weather so had no choice of where to eat. Ordered a taco salad and when served, the meat was cold. We sent it back to be heated and they microwaved the entire salad. The excuse was that it was Christmas eve and the cook didn’t want to be there.

    @ 10:40 am on August 26, 2009

  103. Did not want to have the ½ hr converstation as follows:

    Lakewoody: Where do you want to eat?
    Mrs. Lakewoody: I don’t know, where do you want to eat?
    Lakewoody: I don’t care…just pick a place..
    Mrs. Lakewoody: How about X?
    Lakewoody: No, I am out on that place
    Mrs. Lakewoody: Then you pick a place…
    Lakewoody: How about X?
    Mrs. Lakewoody: No, not feeling that place?
    Lakewoody: Seriously, we are just driving in circles here, where do you want to go?
    Etc, etc, etc, etc,…

    So we went to the Fish Bone Grill at NWH and Abrams (random, I know). To summarize: My grilled fish tasted like carp caught from White Rock Lake and Mrs. Lakewoody’s meal looked and tasted downright awful. I rearranged my food on my plate to look like I had done something with it, paid our check, and ended driving through Chick-Fil-A. Their nuggets are like crack.

    @ 10:54 am on August 26, 2009

  104. the flautas(us?) at Mariano’s! just had ‘em Monday night and couldn’t even eat one! they were the greasiest over-sized taquito’s ever!

    @ 11:01 am on August 26, 2009

  105. While traveling, not only did I have to eat at Applebee’s (as it was the only place open at the time) but my cheeseburger came with a pubic hair. Those peeps in Illinois sure do it differently.

    @ 11:17 am on August 26, 2009

  106. MiCo Lake Highlands. The food tasted OK. I think. I was on my second Mambo Taxi when it arrived. But about 15 minutes later, I started feeling ill. By the time we made it home two hours later, and I hurled mightly – off and on for about eight hours.
    I mean, I even took the precautionary measure of drinking two more Mambo Taxi’s to kill what may have been food poisoning. Alcohol kills germs and stuff, right?

    @ 11:36 am on August 26, 2009

  107. hahahahahahaha… when I drink too much alcohol I tend to throw up too

    @ 12:06 pm on August 26, 2009

  108. I swear, that wasn’t what brought it on. It doesn’t cause the um, other end problem. And my dinner companion was also somewhat indisposed, and he did not have four mambo taxis.

    @ 12:10 pm on August 26, 2009

  109. I was forced to eat at Applebees once while visiting the inlaws. Never, ever again.

    But my worst Dallas meals were at the old Tia’s in Arlington and Texas Land and Cattle in Plano.

    Went to Tia’s for lunch on a Saturday afternoon in the middle of summer. Our 15 year old punk rock waiter saw my wrist tattoo and proceeded to tell us about all of the tattoos he had planned and body piercings he had, including the one he wouldn’t be able to show us without taking his pants off. This was all before we ordered. Adios, appetite. Halfway through the meal, the lights and AC went off. After 15 minutes, the waiter came over and apologized and told us it should be fixed sometime soon. Then he said, “Yeah, this always happens here.” We never went back.

    At TXLC for a work dinner a giant bug crawled out of my boss’ salad. The waiter heard us making a fuss and whisked her plate away. Nothing was comped.

    @ 12:21 pm on August 26, 2009

  110. Ahh the stories that could be told… A few favorites for your reading pleasure.

    Worst meal ever…ever. Ari’s Wine Bistro takes the brass ring for almost killing me. I was foolish enough to dine there on the recommendation of an associate who frequented Bodega Bar downstairs. As for the service all I will say is one server for the entire restaurant and she was also the bartender. The Caesar salad was wilted and tasted like a mix of white out and sour milk, the beef carpaccio was over a week old (confirmed while bum rushing the kitchen), and the filet I ordered was the size and consistency of a NHL regulation hockey puck. The cold mashed potatoes nor the lava flow of red wine pan sauce could mask the charred and grizzled exterior of said filet. We did not stay for desert and if it were not for the Bookers Bourbon I had with my meal I might not be here today.

    Worst service was while dining at Luqa of the failed Luqa / Petrus Dallas Roof Gardens project. Enough said.

    Just to spice things up this is the worst I have ever seen a customer treat their waiter / staff at a restaurant. It was a few years ago at Cru in the West Village and I was easily on my fourth or fifth glass of wine when a couple appeared in the doorway at 11:59PM. Cru closes their kitchen at midnight and as the couple waltzed in the kitchen staff did not look thrilled. The couple sit down at a booth and order a bottle of wine and soon thereafter they order dinner. After the chef and line cooks knocked out their meal they were out the door and not looking back. The couple took their time with their meal and summoned the manager over, who was the only other employee other than the bartender remaining in the restaurant. I overheard the couple ask for desert and very politely the manager said that the kitchen had closed but if they wanted something he would see what he could come up with. A few minutes later the manager returns with a plate of chocolate truffles, sliced fruit, grapes, almonds, and some honey on a plate. As the couple devoured the desert their check was delivered, by this time it was nearing 1:30AM. The couple quickly pays their check and bolts out the door. The bartender cleared their table and brought the check behind the bar to cash out. Almost immediately I hear, “Motherf#ck3r$!!!” coming from the bartender. He looks at me and says, “take a look at this!” He then proceeded to run out outside. The check was for over $150 and on the tip line it said, “Thanks for the suck desert EAT ME!”

    @ 12:40 pm on August 26, 2009

  111. Upon reading my previous post I would like to apologize for the many grammatical errors and other misspellings of which I am sure are to say the least, quite annoying.

    @ 12:48 pm on August 26, 2009

  112. Wow. What a great story.

    How about a thread for wait staff to share their nightmare customer stories? I’m amazed at what some people will do.

    @ 12:55 pm on August 26, 2009

  113. Went to Buffalo Wild Wings on 635 & Macarthur. Hubby got the buffalo hot wings which were chicken wings and a sprinkling of hot sauce over them. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich and what I got was 3 breaded chicken strips on a hoagie. That was the only meal we have ever walked out on. I think we both took 2 bites each.

    Many years ago, I went to a Whataburger in Denton at 3 a.m. on the way home from a night in Dallas. I got a cheeseburger and when I bit into it, I hit something hard. Open it up and see a metal washer (that goes around a bolt). I showed the guy behind the counter, who showed it to the cook. Cook took the washer off and slapped the bun back on and handed it back to me. Not a word was said. And then I ate it. :)

    @ 1:00 pm on August 26, 2009

  114. Chili’s at Preston & LBJ. The last french fry at the bottom of the basket was a deep-fried cigarette filter. I can still taste it…shudder…

    And then there was the time that our waiter at Chili’s Mesquite came up to the table, introduced himself, coughed up something green on the table, wiped it off with his handy rag tucked into his belt, and walked off into the sunset.

    @ 1:01 pm on August 26, 2009

  115. I will say this. Go to the Whataburger on Coit and Campbellish at 3 a.m., and lean out and say you want a “Big Ass Dr Pepper” as loudly and as drunkenly as possible while the driver and your friends try to stuff you back in the car, and you will get 3 32 oz DP’s and a kids meal for your trouble.

    @ 1:03 pm on August 26, 2009

  116. Hector’s on Henderson—extremely, laughably overrated. No other restaurant in Dallas has underwhelmed me by so much.

    @ 1:04 pm on August 26, 2009

  117. Pesco – that god awful place in West Village. Waiter recommended Chum as the most delicious dish. Oh, excuse me, I mean “Keta Salmon.” Food was poor and waiters were inexperienced. Didn’t know a Pinot Noir from a Pinot Gris.

    I also had disappointing experiences recently — and strangely — at MiCo, Taco Diner and Mercury.

    @ 1:10 pm on August 26, 2009

  118. WhatB is on Coit and G. Bush, which is not very Campbellish.

    @ 1:12 pm on August 26, 2009

  119. @wmf -

    I have a disgusting Chili’s waiter story too! We were at the Chili’s in Plano at Park and Preston and our waitress came up to the table and she was the quintessential meth-head. Her teeth were rotten, her hair was dirty and stringy, her skin was covered in open sores and her eyes were sunken in. I was so taken aback that I made up a whole story in my head that she was trying to get clean and was working there to earn money to go back to school……it was the only way I could get through the meal. I hope she is ok.

    @ 1:35 pm on August 26, 2009

  120. Ketchum, there is also a Whataburger at Coit and Campbell.

    @ 1:37 pm on August 26, 2009

  121. I agree with the comment about Park… a few hundred comments ago. We went because all my office mates were raving. Of course, they are all 15 years younger than I am and probably loved the bar scene. The food (queso, scallop special, chicken fried steak) was cold and very salty. We declared “over-rated” and went back to our usual rotation of Nonna, Rise, and Local.

    @ 1:45 pm on August 26, 2009

  122. Ferre was horrible. Cold crispy chicken. Tastless polenta. Bad Service.

    @ 1:56 pm on August 26, 2009

  123. Ketchum, it’s tucked behind a shopping center.

    @ 1:57 pm on August 26, 2009

  124. The WB in question is on the E side of Coit, just south of Campbell.

    @ 2:13 pm on August 26, 2009

  125. So, my worst experience also might be a couple other people’s worst experience.

    My friend, her three kids (9 months, 3 years, and 8 years) and I went to El Chico’s in downtown Dallas (off that loop between 75 and 35) anyway. We are seated way in the back near some empty long tables. I order a salad. I’ve eaten a fairly large amount when I get to a very hairy section of the salad. Yeah. I show the waiter, they comp my salad and bring us dessert. (It didn’t kill the “taste” in my mouth). Now, the fun part. The kids have been playing underneath the table next to us. (Hey, I’m not their mom.)I was unaware that my friend had been worried about the 9 month old being constipated and so she had given her two bottles of prune juice. (you see where this is going…)I look over and not only has it come out of her diaper, it’s on the floor, it’s on the chairs, it’s down her legs. I gagged.

    I told my friend to wrap something around her and get out of there. I paid the bill and as I (quickly) exited, I said a silent prayer that my waiter would continue being unattentive and stay away. It was the most horrible dining experience of my life. And, I imagine a few other people.

    @ 2:59 pm on August 26, 2009

  126. During a brief foray into the tequila business a few years back, I made a number of visits to Guadalajara. This lovely city had been occupied by the French during their Mexican adventures and their influence is strongly felt, especially in architecture, to this day.

    So when I found myself there on Bastille Day, what better idea than a French celebration. Unfortunately, the French Consulate had closed for the holiday and our crack concierge didn’t have a clue, so we went by an ad in one of those books they leave in hotel rooms.

    Burned but raw chicken (in Mexico), inedible pomme souffle. We ended up eating rather good tortilla soup and flan. Maybe the concierge knew something after all.

    @ 3:43 pm on August 26, 2009

  127. I’ve have to throw in my two bits:
    Worst food – Applebees – makes my stomach turn just thinking about it.

    Worst Service – Cyclone Annaya’s – A few weeks ago, we were there when the power went out and the kitchen may have allegedly been on fire. We had gotten our drinks and ordered appetizers. Then the power goes out and the waiter is nowhere to be found for like ten minutes. We were sitting there sweating, with the emergency lights providing mood lighting. The waiter finally comes over and will not admit that the smoke coming from the kitchen is not normal. We ask him to bring us some kind of bill if the kitchen is closed. He walks off without saying a word. Fifteen minutes pass with no sign of our waiter. I go to the bar and ask to speak with a manager. Five minutes and the manager is a no show. I gather the wife and friends and we walked out.

    Best waitress story – I was at Denny’s in Plano late one morning with the guys. We worked nights, and Grand Slams are fantastic after-work meals. An exceptionally nice waitress takes all of our orders and brings our drinks. One of my roommates, Barry, wanders in and sits with us. When the waitress sees him she hustles over, smiles, and says, “What can I get you, sir?”. Barry reaches in his pocket and dumps a handful of change on the table and says, “What can I get for $1.07?”. The waitress looks at him with a blank look and deadpans, “You can get a cup of coffee and crappy service.”, and walks away.
    I love that story…

    @ 3:56 pm on August 26, 2009

  128. Guadalajara, now that is a great place to eat! La Fonda de San Miguel, Sin Nombre, Santo Coyote, and Sacromonte served some of the best meals I have ever had in my life!

    @ 4:02 pm on August 26, 2009

  129. BEWARE! Las Pulpas in Guadalajara will get you a visit by the hotel physician! (and I have eaten from the street vendor stands in strange cities all over the world – one rule: trust your nose)

    @ 4:06 pm on August 26, 2009

  130. Mattitos is the worst food ever.

    A co-worker and I went there to celebrate his impending new life in Colorado. Both of us ordered dishes that had chicken in it.

    He started to look at his food and noticed strands of blonde hair in his food. Then I noticed the same thing in our food. All the waiter did was remove our food as the other two guests sat there with their beef. The manager came back and only gave us their “special queso” instead of giving us a free dinner.

    I don’t like hair in my food, as I am sure the rest of the human race doesn’t enjoy. Seriously Mattito’s, you could’ve done better.

    @ 4:08 pm on August 26, 2009

  131. Not in Dallas, but back home, a bunch of us ended up at a Denny’s in the middle of the night. Or early in the morning. I forget.
    Anyway, one of the guys was halfway through a Grand Slam when he found a very long, very black hair. He pushed his plate away, and being the sober, nonconfrontational type, said he was finished eating. The rest of us, being not sober, kept telling him to tell the waitress. Well, we must not have been quiet, either, because soon a waitress came up and asked us if anyone found a hair in their food.
    Well, I’m sure she was just trying to be proactive, and show some good customer service. And we probably should have been 30 years old, sober and appreciative of this. But we were not. We were 21, and we were not sober. Maybe the me part of we a lot.
    So I said, instead of something nice, “Why? Are you missing one?”

    I am pretty sure we got kicked out.

    @ 4:16 pm on August 26, 2009

  132. Doc Martin’s in Taos. I ordered the elk. I could smell something awful as the waiter was bringing the entrees toward the table. Is elk supposed to smell like feet? I don’t think so. It tasted as bad as it smelled. We’ll never go back there.

    @ 4:39 pm on August 26, 2009

  133. In Dallas, there are two restaurants that are living reminders of how bad dining out was in the ’70s: The Old Warsaw and St. Martin’s.

    At St. Martin’s, the waiter poured water into my wife’s half full wine glass. We were drinking a bottle of pretty good white bordeaux, if memory serves. To make up for the error, he brings a glass of their nasty, unctuous house chardonnay. And the decor: romantic, schmantic. It’s ugly, tacky, and lame.

    @ 4:49 pm on August 26, 2009

  134. And the restaurant at the Crescent Court Hotel, one iteration ago. My wife, her boss, and others were at lunch there one day. There was a worm in someone’s salad. The waiter is summoned and removes the offending plate. In a couple minutes, back comes the waiter, along with the manager. The worm has been removed, and a small noodle put in its place. The manager explains that a soba noodle, although it might look like a worm, is in fact a noodle. Shameless!

    @ 4:56 pm on August 26, 2009

  135. There are not yet posts about the BEST dining experiences, but I have 2 to add:

    1 – super-sour citron (lemon/lime) crepes for breakfast at the now-defunct Pasta La Vista on Greenville, which was located across from the former Whole Foods location. crepes so deliciously sour, they made your lips tingle. ordered always with thick-cut french fries that must have been fried in beef tallow. fries served with curry sauce. DELISH! my favorite Dallas breakfast circa 2002-2003. If anyone knows how to make these sour-sauce crepes, please reveal the magic.

    2 – eel from teppo. nigiri style e.g., no rice. takes a long time to be served sometimes if the restaurant is very busy, but absolutely worth it, if you are a grilled eel / eel sauce fan. teppo generally has the most authentic japanese food in Dallas, IMHO.

    @ 5:37 pm on August 26, 2009

  136. Re: Dallas chef, i cant talk about burger street but you are allowing denny’s stories… ok

    @ 6:15 pm on August 26, 2009

  137. When things seem eerily off, we call it a Twilight Zone meal. One memorable Zone dinner was at the Knox On the Border. It was just crummy food, service and atmosphere.

    I also cannot eat at Subway. The noxious odor turns my stomach.

    @ 11:36 pm on August 26, 2009

  138. Amanda and FlipOff – those stories brought back some memories. Especially Amanda’s posts. Flip’s had great atomsphere and music, but the food was hit and miss. It definitely took a turn for the worse in the final days. Still, I prefer to remember the good times – the house band, the great artwork, and Merlin the Magician. Wonder what ol’ Flip is up to these days. He’s no longer a part of the Oklahoma City restaurant that bears his name…

    @ 1:15 am on August 27, 2009

  139. RE Flips

    Flips had a deli type case with some interesting stuff. One of their items was small green eggplants that were sort of pickled and very very salty. Tasted great.

    Anyone know what that’s called? (please don’t suggest “very very salty eggplant”)

    I assume it’s an Italian specialty but I’ve never been able to find them at places like Jimmy’s, Marty’s, Central Market.

    Also Flips was the first place in Dallas that I encountered Pesto. So maybe other than that it may have sucked.

    @ 7:19 am on August 27, 2009

  140. On customers with bad behavior, I spent some time in my life as a bartender at the now-defunct Spike at Mockingbird Station. The menus were very clear in what each dish and entree included. One fateful night, one of my servers waited on a table of “colorful” individuals in the main dining room. They ordered a round of drinks, and then later, their meals. Only after they finished their meals, some practically licked clean, did 1 person complain. His complaint: the scallops were wrapped in bacon, but he doesn’t eat pork. Ummm, the menu actually read “bacon-wrapped scallop skewers,” not just “scallop skewers.” He raised heck with my new server, so I intervened asking what the problem was. He recounted his whole problem with the meal, until our hilarious but no-nonsense GM walked up with the menu and showed him that it read “Bacon-wrapped scallop skewers.” Needless to say, he still raised a stink about it. We even offered a round of drinks, but he was looking for a free meal that night. Poor homeboy had to cough up $16 for his meal.

    Oh wait, guess I revealed what I meant by “colorful” eh??

    @ 9:06 am on August 27, 2009

  141. It’s funny, I miss Flips too. In the unlikely event that Flip was lucid enough to remember that you were on the waiting list and in the bar, you might get an excellent meal. Or you might get a complete train-wreck. But it seemed like home somehow, which is probably sad.

    @ 10:04 am on August 27, 2009

  142. @ Stewart and all posts Flip’s related…

    Flip’s ex got the OKC location in the divorce before Dallas even opened. I was up there about 3-4 months ago. It’s as good as you remember…worth a 6 hour drive round trip, especially if there is an exhibit going on…make a long day of it.

    Flip went through A LOT, but I heard he found Jebus, got clean, and that’s all I know. He was a wonderful person when the drugs weren’t in control.

    You know, several of the waitstaff from the the start thru the end didn’t make it (two were my friends). It was that time and that place. It was one of the best wine lists anywhere, any city, any price…32 beers on tap (the most at the time), and an impressive scotch menu (up to $3K a shot).

    God bless, and RIP Skye, Tom, et all. XO

    @ 11:45 am on August 27, 2009

  143. Several years ago at Lola:

    I was served my appetizer- a bowl of soup. I asked the waiter if he could give me a soup spoon- there was only a small teaspoon laid at my place. He pointed at it and said “that’s your soup spoon”. I replied that it was a teaspoon and could I please have a proper soup spoon. He left and returned with an enormous cook’s spoon from the kitchen and slammed it onto the tabletop saying “there’s your soup spoon.” He obviously found himself hilarious.

    @ 12:02 pm on August 27, 2009

  144. This happened to my husband while he was sitting at the bar at Central 214. The bartender was using one of those long-handled spoons to stir a pitcher of drinks. He then slurped a taste of whatever he was making from the spoon, gave the waitress standing next to him a taste from the same spoon, then put it back in the pitcher to continue stirring the drink. Yuck. I refuse to eat there ever again.

    @ 8:57 pm on August 27, 2009

  145. When we were kids, a buddy of mine worked on Saturdays at the zoo’s snow cone stand. When he arrived early in the morning, he would lift up the walkboards in the stand and scoop up the dead cockroaches. Then he’d put them in with the ice in the ice crushing machine to make some MYTEE TASTEE snow cones!!!

    @ 7:58 am on August 28, 2009

  146. OK, not in Dallas, but a fine restaurant in NY when a spider made it’s exit from the center of my salad. I called the waiter over, who explained with a staight face (and expectation of acceptance) that “well, of course, all our salads are organic…”

    @ 4:08 pm on August 28, 2009