Ninth Door

10/14/09

In response

by Inthebiz at Citysearch

I am reading reviews on this because I am in the service industry and like to know what really gets people.I like to keep up with my favorite places and I constantly maintain and improve my own service by finding out what works and what doesn't. I look for likes and dislikes and constantly make a point to do all that I can to make people's experiences amazing, You know it's good to give them something to come back to.

I have to say, that it's individuals that blow things out of proportion that make it difficult to get a fair assessment. This place runs the way it does and it is successful and usually pretty busy. If you go to a friends house, are you going to complain about their dining room and the music? Doubtful. I kinda see it as going out to enjoy yourself. They offer what they offer and if you don't like the offerings, maybe you shouldn't be there in the first place. If you are that interested in the specials, grow a set and ASK. yeah it's their job to inform, but it's also your responsibility to say what you want. In my job, I like to get a feel for what people want. Which is why I ask. Some people however come across as so unapproachable that you just want to get their order and leave them be! I personally love the guests who come in and order, but then change it all up so that they in fact are getting nothing remotely close to the initial chef's conception.

Does anyone ever take into account that some things don't come easy? I personally am a loyal patron at a few places and I can say that like every other establishment, they have their bad moments. But take into account that those moments usually occur when it becomes suddenly busy, or a guest is so high maintenance that it can literally detract from a server being attentive to their other guests. Granted, rude is never the way to handle this, but sometimes you just wanna snap when you are treated so crappy by individuals with such high and unrealistic standards who have probably never worked a day in their life in an actual busy restaurant. It is absolutely the server/ bar/ and overall staff's job to maintain professional, consistent, and service worth coming back to. But trust me that there are the rare handfuls of guests that most would never want to have to wait on again. So remember that when you come into a place and get "crappy" service, is it really all the service? Or did you have something to lend? And reeeeeeeally??? Making assumptions about a place and how it "thinks" in order to vent really gets you nowhere....

• Pros: Amazing staff, fabulous food, Love it!
• Cons: Can be a bit hard to get a table on weekends.

09/02/09

Rushed poor snooty service

by northside diner at Citysearch

My husband and I came for happy hour for the first time thinking to spend some time trying tapas and having a glass of wine while waiting for the Rockies game to start. It was NOT busy, there were plenty of empty tables, but as soon as we walked in, our snooty server started to rush us through our seating, ordering and eating. Some of their tapas were indeed half price for happy hour, but then they were also half portions, so no bargain there!!!. Some of the tapas were tasty but monotone (the chef's entire repertoire seems to consist of various uninspirational combinations of goat cheese, garlic, basil and tomato with either fish, ham or toast points) but did not seem firmly rooted in any identifiable major world cuisine (not traditional Spanish at least). In fact, the major taste sensation I came away with after consuming 5-6 different small plates was "goat cheese"! They do serve some other dishes here (paella) but our server couldn't be bothered with mentioning those to us. Forget about lingering even 20 minutes over a meal and wine here, no matter how inviting the ambiance; they really act like they don't want your business!!.

• Pros: Some tasty tapas; beautiful decor
• Cons: Poor service; inflated prices

07/27/09

Great Tapas, Great Experience!!

by ILoveMeSomeTapas at Citysearch

The 9th Door has my heart! Everytime that I have been here, it has been consistant with amazing food, servive, drinks and atmosphere. Yes, weekends are great but my favorite days have been Mondays (1/2 price wine and a GREAT deal) and Tuesdays with live Flaminco (it takes you away and into another relm, love it!!) The food is one adventure after the next. My favorites, queso de cabra(only for happy hour), pimentos rellanos, pera rollos, quesos mixtos, datilles, crouqetts and the alcachofas, all to die for! The atmosphere is very intimate, rich dark colors, and romantic lighting. The staff always tops the dining experience off, they are friendly, attentive and have so much knowledge of the wine and food, you can't go wrong! Bottom line. AMAZING!!

• Pros: food, drinks, service, atmosphere
• Cons: can't think of one