Sunday, May 14, 2006
Sapore: Delicious food hammered by appalling service
FWJoey and I went to Sapore to celebrate our three year anniversary. The restaurant that was formerly Randall's Cheesecake is located on 8th and Houstonand valet parking is offered. The restaurant's atmosphere is quite nice and romantic. White table cloths with fresh flowers and candle light on the tables. There was even some live piano music that was a pleasant touch because it was not overly loud. We were sat and we were looking forward to a wonderful evening. Unfortunately, our hopes were killed due to the unbelievable service of the waitstaff.
We were not greeted by any server for at least 5 minutes. That is far too long to sit without someone even telling you hello or bringing you water. When a server finally arrived, he was very friendly. We ordered a bottle of the 2003 Ravenswood Red Zinfindel ($29), which turned out to be one of the best parts of our dinner. The bartender quickly placed the bottle on the bar to be picked up the server; however, the bottle sat there for at least 15 minutes before it was delivered to our table. It was so frustrating because we were just staring at the bottle wishing we could go grab it ourselves! It was an unacceptable length of time to wait. At the very least, the bartender himself should have delivered the wine to us. Finally, another server (not the same one who took our wine order) brought the wine to our table. At that time we ordered an appetizer.
We went with the prosciutto wrapped scallops ($10) because we were intrigued by the strawberry cream chipotle sauce. The scallops arrived two to an order. They tasted delicious. I especially enjoyed the sauces. I wished our waiter had delivered bread to our table so I could soak up some of the yummy sauces!
Once we received the wine and ordered our appetizer, the servers completely ignored us. We were ready for quite some time to place our order for our entrees so we could get rid of the large menus, but nobody was willing to ask us what we wanted. I grew incredibly frustrated by the wait. It was now 8:10 pm - we had arrived at 7:30 pm, yet we still had not ordered our main meal. I was forced to motion one of the servers over to our table. At this point, we were not even sure which server was waiting on us since one had taken our drink order and the other had taken our appetizer order. Not knowing which server is yours is unacceptable. Additionally, neither of them told us his name. One of the servers responded to my hand motioning and came over to the table. I asked him if he was our server and his response was, "I am now. I wasn't but now I am." Obviously, there was some confusion among the servers. Confusion or no confusion, it should have been worked out in under 45 minutes, which is was not.
We asked him to tell us about the specials and he did a miserable job of it. He did not seem to know what the specials of the evening were saying things like "I think the soup is ...." He looked around the restaurant as he attempted to tell us the specials. It was uncomfortable and unprofessional. The server was nice enough, but he had horrible server skills. There were many awkward moments.
After struggling to decipher our choices, we finally ordered. FWJoey ordered the center cut tenderloin with wild mushrooms and blue cheese with a side of yukon mashed potatoes ($28). When it arrived, FWJoey was worried because the tenderloin had been butterflied. This is typically a sign that the steak is cooked medium well instead of the way FWJoey ordered it which was medium rare. He was pleasantly surprised, however, when he cut into his steak and it was perfectly cooked to his desired temperature. It was unusual to butterfly a medium rare steak, but it turned out to be delicious. The blue cheese that topped his steak was impressive. It was not just melted atop the steak like at many places; rather, it was crumbled on top making it taste extra fresh. Also, the yukon mashed potatoes were above average and wonderful. FWJoey said his entree had the potential to be a "favorite" for him, but because the servers were so appalling, it hinders his ability to characterize his dinner.
For my entree, I ordered the appetizer portion of the "Paris Enchilada" ($10). This delectable dish consists of a french crepe stuffed full of escargot, mushrooms, leeks and goat cheese (I ordered mine without the leeks because I do not especially enjoy leeks). I loved this dish, but it is certainly not for everyone. The flavors are strong and distinct so if you do not like any of the included ingredients, this isn't a good choice for you. They offer a dinner portion of the Paris Enchilada ($20), but there is no need to order it because the appetizer portion is very generous. I was only able to finish half of the appetizer size.
Other demonstrations of poor service included the fact that FWJoey's appetizer plate sat on the table throughout his entire meal. This should have been removed when his entree arrived. Our server never refilled our wine glasses - we poured our own. The empty wine bottle sat on our table for at least 30 minutes. Our server never removed it, nor did he ask if we would like another drink.
The service at Sapore was a different kind of bad. The servers were not snobby or cold, in fact they were friendly, but they have been poorly trained and seem incredibly inexpericend. Service like that is unacceptable when you are dropping $50 per person on dinner.
Overall, our food was delicious. Props to the chef for his culinary delights. Desipte the quality of the food, however, our experience was so tainted by the service that we are not planning to return. It is a real shame because Sapore has loads of potential, but with this kind of service, patrons will not leave happy nor will they desire to return.
We were not greeted by any server for at least 5 minutes. That is far too long to sit without someone even telling you hello or bringing you water. When a server finally arrived, he was very friendly. We ordered a bottle of the 2003 Ravenswood Red Zinfindel ($29), which turned out to be one of the best parts of our dinner. The bartender quickly placed the bottle on the bar to be picked up the server; however, the bottle sat there for at least 15 minutes before it was delivered to our table. It was so frustrating because we were just staring at the bottle wishing we could go grab it ourselves! It was an unacceptable length of time to wait. At the very least, the bartender himself should have delivered the wine to us. Finally, another server (not the same one who took our wine order) brought the wine to our table. At that time we ordered an appetizer.
We went with the prosciutto wrapped scallops ($10) because we were intrigued by the strawberry cream chipotle sauce. The scallops arrived two to an order. They tasted delicious. I especially enjoyed the sauces. I wished our waiter had delivered bread to our table so I could soak up some of the yummy sauces!
Once we received the wine and ordered our appetizer, the servers completely ignored us. We were ready for quite some time to place our order for our entrees so we could get rid of the large menus, but nobody was willing to ask us what we wanted. I grew incredibly frustrated by the wait. It was now 8:10 pm - we had arrived at 7:30 pm, yet we still had not ordered our main meal. I was forced to motion one of the servers over to our table. At this point, we were not even sure which server was waiting on us since one had taken our drink order and the other had taken our appetizer order. Not knowing which server is yours is unacceptable. Additionally, neither of them told us his name. One of the servers responded to my hand motioning and came over to the table. I asked him if he was our server and his response was, "I am now. I wasn't but now I am." Obviously, there was some confusion among the servers. Confusion or no confusion, it should have been worked out in under 45 minutes, which is was not.
We asked him to tell us about the specials and he did a miserable job of it. He did not seem to know what the specials of the evening were saying things like "I think the soup is ...." He looked around the restaurant as he attempted to tell us the specials. It was uncomfortable and unprofessional. The server was nice enough, but he had horrible server skills. There were many awkward moments.
After struggling to decipher our choices, we finally ordered. FWJoey ordered the center cut tenderloin with wild mushrooms and blue cheese with a side of yukon mashed potatoes ($28). When it arrived, FWJoey was worried because the tenderloin had been butterflied. This is typically a sign that the steak is cooked medium well instead of the way FWJoey ordered it which was medium rare. He was pleasantly surprised, however, when he cut into his steak and it was perfectly cooked to his desired temperature. It was unusual to butterfly a medium rare steak, but it turned out to be delicious. The blue cheese that topped his steak was impressive. It was not just melted atop the steak like at many places; rather, it was crumbled on top making it taste extra fresh. Also, the yukon mashed potatoes were above average and wonderful. FWJoey said his entree had the potential to be a "favorite" for him, but because the servers were so appalling, it hinders his ability to characterize his dinner.
For my entree, I ordered the appetizer portion of the "Paris Enchilada" ($10). This delectable dish consists of a french crepe stuffed full of escargot, mushrooms, leeks and goat cheese (I ordered mine without the leeks because I do not especially enjoy leeks). I loved this dish, but it is certainly not for everyone. The flavors are strong and distinct so if you do not like any of the included ingredients, this isn't a good choice for you. They offer a dinner portion of the Paris Enchilada ($20), but there is no need to order it because the appetizer portion is very generous. I was only able to finish half of the appetizer size.
Other demonstrations of poor service included the fact that FWJoey's appetizer plate sat on the table throughout his entire meal. This should have been removed when his entree arrived. Our server never refilled our wine glasses - we poured our own. The empty wine bottle sat on our table for at least 30 minutes. Our server never removed it, nor did he ask if we would like another drink.
The service at Sapore was a different kind of bad. The servers were not snobby or cold, in fact they were friendly, but they have been poorly trained and seem incredibly inexpericend. Service like that is unacceptable when you are dropping $50 per person on dinner.
Overall, our food was delicious. Props to the chef for his culinary delights. Desipte the quality of the food, however, our experience was so tainted by the service that we are not planning to return. It is a real shame because Sapore has loads of potential, but with this kind of service, patrons will not leave happy nor will they desire to return.
