Long time no see, folks!
Haha, just kidding. Emmy and I went hiking yesterday instead of hanging out at home as usual, so we didn't quite get to posting our notes. Now, I know Emmy wanted to write this one, but she's at work, and it's the next piece in my journal, so here it goes...
Now there's this building in Middleton, WI where we live, right next to Carr Valley Cheese. It's been vacant for the better part of the past 3 years or so, after the restaurant that had been there went under or moved away. This year in comes an establishment called The Traveler's Hearth, a restaurant that tries to combine gaming and eating. Not just table-top gaming, but board games, card games, dice, etc.
Sounds like fun, right?
The whole building was remodeled beautifully; the color contrast, the chique mosiac tiling, the little hidden statues/gaming pieces/model ships... Every detail, it seemed, had been carefully thought out. An employee even let us in 10 minutes early so we could look around. The downstairs had an order platform and dining area, while the upstairs had a cafe bar, quiet gaming area, kids gaming area, place where games were sold, and a place where games could be "rented" from a "game library".
Despite the setting, the menu was not extensive enough, and changes to the menu that had been made some time ago were not reflected. The cashier, while he had spunk and was very cheerful, was completely unprepared. He did not know the daily soups, the kitchen didn't know what the daily soups were going to be either, and he didn't have any pens for me to sign the bill with. The barrista was 30 minutes late, the had a skeleton staff even though the place had been open for several weeks already. The cashier didn't even know what was on the menu, and therefore couldn't make any reccomendations.
K: Tori Chiken Teriyaki
I can hardly describe how awful this was. Totally bland rice (not sure if white or brown, to be honest), mushrooms in the salad were not mentioned on the menu. The chicken was rubbery & undercooked, in fact, it pretty much tasted exactly like eating a bouncy ball (no salt or anything). There was no choice of dressing for the side salad, only a Creamy Balsamic still in its packet from Kraft (probably one of the most disgusting food factories in existence). The menu said the side veggies were going to be fresh, but they were limp, had obviously been cooked, and not in season as advertized. And the teriyaki sauce? So salty that it was, no lie, absolutely, completely, 100% inedible.
E's notes: Italian Chicken Pesto Panini w/ potato chips & pickle
Pickle didn't taste like any kind of pickle I've heard of. Best panini I've had in a while, but that's not saying much. meal brought out by 2 servers (for 3 plates only!) on lunch trays, which they weren't even sure if they should leave on the table or take away.
Sandwich comes w/ a choice of chips or apple, which was not on the menu. The place is set up in such a way that you expect table service, but instead you order, fill your drinks & clear your table as if it's a fast food joint or Panera Bread. They need to seriously decide whether it's a restaurant or fast food. Doesn't seem like the owners have had previous restaurant experience. Servers should use large round trays & tray jacks, and what self-respecting server can't carry 3 plates at once? The staff was all-male, should be some women. What passed for "sliders" served on "a" bun. Uniforms make staff look like janitors (gray-blue short-sleeved button up w/ logo patch & Traveler's Hearth patch but no name tag. If it's a cafe why do you have to order the food on one level & the coffee on another? No website to speak of. Feels like a game shop & a restaurant tried to team up and failed. The menu does not reflect the atmosphere they're trying to project.
All in all, a rather rotten place. We had about a thousand more nit-picky complaints but I'll leave you there. If they haven't improved in a month or so we're sending in an application on their behalf to Restaurant Impossible. Yeah, it was that bad. 1 out of 5.
9/29/12, 11am, Saturday.
K&E
Haha, just kidding. Emmy and I went hiking yesterday instead of hanging out at home as usual, so we didn't quite get to posting our notes. Now, I know Emmy wanted to write this one, but she's at work, and it's the next piece in my journal, so here it goes...
Now there's this building in Middleton, WI where we live, right next to Carr Valley Cheese. It's been vacant for the better part of the past 3 years or so, after the restaurant that had been there went under or moved away. This year in comes an establishment called The Traveler's Hearth, a restaurant that tries to combine gaming and eating. Not just table-top gaming, but board games, card games, dice, etc.
Sounds like fun, right?
The whole building was remodeled beautifully; the color contrast, the chique mosiac tiling, the little hidden statues/gaming pieces/model ships... Every detail, it seemed, had been carefully thought out. An employee even let us in 10 minutes early so we could look around. The downstairs had an order platform and dining area, while the upstairs had a cafe bar, quiet gaming area, kids gaming area, place where games were sold, and a place where games could be "rented" from a "game library".
Despite the setting, the menu was not extensive enough, and changes to the menu that had been made some time ago were not reflected. The cashier, while he had spunk and was very cheerful, was completely unprepared. He did not know the daily soups, the kitchen didn't know what the daily soups were going to be either, and he didn't have any pens for me to sign the bill with. The barrista was 30 minutes late, the had a skeleton staff even though the place had been open for several weeks already. The cashier didn't even know what was on the menu, and therefore couldn't make any reccomendations.
K: Tori Chiken Teriyaki
I can hardly describe how awful this was. Totally bland rice (not sure if white or brown, to be honest), mushrooms in the salad were not mentioned on the menu. The chicken was rubbery & undercooked, in fact, it pretty much tasted exactly like eating a bouncy ball (no salt or anything). There was no choice of dressing for the side salad, only a Creamy Balsamic still in its packet from Kraft (probably one of the most disgusting food factories in existence). The menu said the side veggies were going to be fresh, but they were limp, had obviously been cooked, and not in season as advertized. And the teriyaki sauce? So salty that it was, no lie, absolutely, completely, 100% inedible.
E's notes: Italian Chicken Pesto Panini w/ potato chips & pickle
Pickle didn't taste like any kind of pickle I've heard of. Best panini I've had in a while, but that's not saying much. meal brought out by 2 servers (for 3 plates only!) on lunch trays, which they weren't even sure if they should leave on the table or take away.
Sandwich comes w/ a choice of chips or apple, which was not on the menu. The place is set up in such a way that you expect table service, but instead you order, fill your drinks & clear your table as if it's a fast food joint or Panera Bread. They need to seriously decide whether it's a restaurant or fast food. Doesn't seem like the owners have had previous restaurant experience. Servers should use large round trays & tray jacks, and what self-respecting server can't carry 3 plates at once? The staff was all-male, should be some women. What passed for "sliders" served on "a" bun. Uniforms make staff look like janitors (gray-blue short-sleeved button up w/ logo patch & Traveler's Hearth patch but no name tag. If it's a cafe why do you have to order the food on one level & the coffee on another? No website to speak of. Feels like a game shop & a restaurant tried to team up and failed. The menu does not reflect the atmosphere they're trying to project.
All in all, a rather rotten place. We had about a thousand more nit-picky complaints but I'll leave you there. If they haven't improved in a month or so we're sending in an application on their behalf to Restaurant Impossible. Yeah, it was that bad. 1 out of 5.
9/29/12, 11am, Saturday.
K&E
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