Mesa Grill: User Reviews

Big Disappointment
By kennyQ from North Burbs, August 5, 2008

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Okay, so I am a big Bobby Flay fan, and have been waiting for the opportunity to go to his restaurant for along time, with great anticipation! So you can imagine how I felt when I finally got a reservation for Mesa grill, one of his most recognized restaurants in New York City. I'm a Chicago native myself, so it was a BIG DEAL for us (our group of 5) when we arrived on a Sunday night. Our first welcome to the restaurant was the overcrowded waiting area, this was somewhat expected because after all, it was a weekend and the restaurant is well known. The wait staff tried to be accommodating which was appreciated, but lets just say that our reservations were for 9 o'clock and we weren't seated until close to 10. Still not horrible just irritating if anything. Once we were seated, we were place at a makeshift sort of table, centered at the busiest spot in the entire restaurant and in the way of all the wait staff! Our waiter (I really wish I had remember his name so that I could complain about him directly to management!) then took our drink orders. He seem disappointed by the fact that we weren't ordering off of the expensive wine list, and this would set the tone for the "type" of service that we would receive from him for the rest of the night. After being virtually ignored by him for most the night, our waiter entirely forgot one of our appetizers (which, by the way, we really did come to enjoy the food, and it did not disappoint! The goat cheese fondue, duck pancakes, & mushroom grits were absolutely delightful!), and when asked about the situation by his manager, he replied, "Well, so they say". Implying that we weren't being truthful! My friend very tactfully corrected him in that yes, the error was indeed on his part and reminded him of the old adage," The customers always right!” To sum up my thoughts on Mesa Grill, I would say that the was food wonderful! Expect to pay for it though. But no disrespect to Mr. Flay, who seems to be a very down to earth kind of guy! I would have expected the same of those who work for him, but apparently that isn't the case.

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