The Orchid, located on the corner of Brimhall and Calloway, has a lot of room to improve and needs to if they are going to continue to charge what they do for their food and dole out such shoddy service.
I am the type of patron that appreciates not only good food but good service as well, and I am willing to pay a fair price to receive both. I always leave at least a standard tip, but I base that tip on the overall dining experience. I left the minimal tip after my experience at The Orchid.
It was difficult to find the place. Having not been there before, the fact that the restaurant sign above the door isn’t lit made it annoyingly complicated to actually find.
When I did find it, I was pleased to discover that parking was readily available. As I entered, I was greeted warmly by the hostess. I was pleased by the warm and cheerful atmosphere as I was led to my seat.
Being hungry, I picked up and immediately perused the menu. I was surprised by the prices but was not discouraged. Generally, the appetizers ranged from $10 to $14 and the entrees from $12 to $26.
It didn’t take me long to decide what I wanted to order, so I set the menu down and looked around.
Being around 8 p.m. on a Wednesday night I was delighted to see that although they were busy, they were in no way crowded. Considering that The Orchid has only been open for business approximately six weeks, I took this as a good sign.
In front of me was a beautiful waterfall adorning the inside wall, and it was lit from behind by a pleasing green glow. The lights that hung from the ceiling dimly illuminated the room enough that I could see comfortably and was, thankfully, not blinding. The chandeliers, if you can call them that, appeared to be made out of wine glasses. The design seemed quite creative and aesthetically pleasing.
I waited for the waiter. I waited some more. After about 15 minutes, when I noticed that four waiters were standing around the register talking and giggling, I decided to get their attention. After all, I was hungry. So the waiter I flagged down approached me and looked around quizzically when I told him that I had been waiting to place my order. He told me, “I am not sure where your waiter is,” then left apparently to go find him or her. A few minutes later, he returned to my table and informed me that he didn’t know why my waiter hadn’t attended to me, but that he would take care of me. I ordered The Orchid caesar salad.
I didn’t have to wait very long to get my salad and was delighted as the chicken and lettuce met my lips. The taste was exquisite. The sauce was amazing and mysterious as well. It was tangy, and I couldn’t put my finger on what made it so delightfully enjoyable. The fact that the chicken was a little too dry for my taste didn’t faze me as I indulged myself.
When the waiter returned to refill my glass, I asked him what was in the sauce. I was shocked when he told me lemon, basil and anchovies. I do not like anchovies. Honestly, it didn’t bother me. I kept eating and enjoyed every bite.
Overall, The Orchid needs to up the ante.
There are considerable ramifications to having poor service. As delightful as the food was, personally, I will give them a few more months to work on their service and training before I go back.
However, I will be going back. I can’t wait to taste the rainbow of choices that their “fusion” menu has to offer.
Orchid lacks a decent staff
April 8, 2008
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