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So I know this place is called Mark Lindsay's Rock and Roll Cafe. But seriously. Who cares who's cafe it is. Unless the who is a really really good chef. And in this case. He is not. (Yes, I know who Mark Lindsay is.)
The vast menu was a little overwhelming. There is a Meier and Frank section. Food that used to be served at Meier and Frank, I guess. In that section was Gerry's Frank. Exactly as he (Gerry Frank) liked it, I guess, with all the fixings. I thought about getting it until my sister said, "You're going to eat what?" Gerry Frank's... oh. Yeah. I lost my appetite.
There was a vegetarian menu, a Blues menu, a ballad menu, then on the back was the old Yaw's menu. I couldn't tell if it was a picture of an old menu to elicit "awwwwwwww"s from the clientele or if it was really a menu. I think you can actually order things from that menu. It has things like fries with brown gravy. Interesting. But not appetizing.
Anyway, after a more than 20 minute wait for our server to take our order (though those 20 minutes were punctuated with "I'm sorry! I'll be right with you!" and "It's just so busy!" "Sorry!", etc.) a different server came and took our order. My sisters shared a Reuben Sandwich and fries. We also ordered salad rolls. I had a Bleu Cheese Salad. We got our food in relatively short order. The salad was seriously lacking Bleu Cheese and had only one piece of the promised prosciutto. But it was tasty nevertheless.
My salad was supposed to come with bleu cheese cornbread, which I thought was a novel idea. But really, when I got it, it was just a regular piece of cornbread with bleu cheese sprinkled on top. The cornbread even had jalepenos in it. Strange combination.
The Reuben did not win rave reviews from my sisters. And I heard reports of the fries tasting like McDonald's fries. The salad rolls were uncomfortable to eat, like biting into a roll of straw. I guess it was a combination of the noodles and the lettuce that were, well, like straw.
At one point, randomly in the middle of our dinner, the server that was first assigned to us slid into our booth and said "I'm just so sorry that I couldn't take your order. I don't like to neglect my customers that I've already started." Okay. Thanks for letting us know.
Then when our waitress brought us our ticket she said, "We really really appreciate you coming. Thank you so much." Did we just give a donation to a non-profit? Oh that's right. No, we just ate a crappy meal at a new restaurant.
In all fairness, the restaurant JUST opened on the 27th. So they might have a few kinks to work out.
I guess Mark Lindsay put his name on there to signify the rock and roll-ishness that plasters the walls and the airwaves in the restaurant. It is definitely noticeable. But isn't that why it's called the Rock and Roll Cafe?
**Update: Woke up very sick in the middle of the night and was sick the whole next day. From salad. Ugh. Stay away.
6 comments:
Bummer. My buddy and I were planning on checking this place out...sounds like I'll better spend my money at the suggested Nutshell (did you see that they received an excellent review in the current Willamette Week?).
It was great meeting you last night...love the site. If you ever need a few more dinner companions, hit me up!
Dustin
For those of us who grew up in NE Portland, went to Grant High School, ate at Yaws, shopped at Meier & Frank and watched Paul Revere and the Raiders every Saturday, we get it. For us, it is stepping back to a wonderful time in our lives. There are thousands of us life long Portlanders who all know who Mark Lindsay is. I loved it!!
If you are going to review food, you should have some knowledge about food. The cornbread with peppers is common in the SW. Fries with gavy are common in the east and south. Many of your comments show your ignorance, not bad choices by the restaurant.
Anonymous #2 - Yes, I'm familiar with cornbread and peppers, just not with bleu cheese sprinkled on top of it. I am also aware that fries with gravy are common in some parts of the country. But just because they are common doesn't mean that I have to like them. This is a blog of my experiences and opinions, even if they are different from everyone else's. Sounds like you like the place, so by all means, you should do what makes you happy.
What was so crappy about your meal?You could of asked for more blue cheese,not everebody likes rubens,mcdonalds fries taste great,and your waitress was very busy and felt bad about not being able to provide you with the kind of service she wanted to.Plus it's common for resturants to thank you for coming in.
What the hell did you expect,
princess?
You should stay home and cook for yourself!
Mary Blalock,
She probably expected to get good food & service & NOT wake up sick from it the next day. Any other questions, princess? Did you invent the restaurant or something? Sheez!
Michelle
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