06/17/07

Absolutely Horrible

by lca10

I chose this restaurant for our Father's Day brunch because it had a good rating and mostly good reviews. It was terrible. They were out of high chairs although there were only two in use in the whole restaurant. The hostess was not apologetic and failed to offer our child crayons even though they had given them to the many other children in the restaurant. They were out of ham for the special brunch menu eggs benedict. My eggs benedict came with hollandaise sauce when I had ordered the citrus sherry sauce. My first two bites contained eggshells. My daughter's macaroni and cheese had a hair in it. It was Kraft Macaroni and Cheese straight from the box, not a trace of real cheese in it. The bloody marys tasted good but had trace alcohol. They waiter was nice but forgetful or overwhelmed I am not sure which. I would never return to this restaurant and I dehort anyone else from going. It wss a huge disappointment for our supposedly special Father's Day Brunch.

04/20/07

skimpy with 1/2 scallop and 2 shrimp

by swallners

I had the asian bouillabaisse. The soup part was delicious with just the right zing. When I got to the seafood part, I found only 1/2 of a sea scallop, 2 medium shrimp and a few bits of other fish. There was some canned pineapple, pieces of bread, fennel. It was all very good, but how greedy can a restaurant get when they cut a scallop in half! By the way, this was on the entree list.

• Cons: parking stinks

03/26/07

Often tasty, Mismanaged, Lacks Detail

by cityspirit

I want to love Chi Bistro, but after four dinner dates it is not a love match. Cute and immature staff that is poorly trained, matched by wildly uneven procedures. I'm not shy about speaking up when I need something, but it's beyond annoying to be met with a petulant look. On the upside, three of my four dinners were excellent, but only one was hot. Twice the Rib Eye was perfect and cooked as ordered. The Pork Loin Chop was overcooked and dry. Overall, the menu lends itself to occasional diners. The best menus have SMALL twists on simple food, but many of the menu items at Chi have numerous twists which makes it hard to select or imagine how it will taste.

Back to the staff: Some great looking, very hip kids; but sometimes water arrives, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes the table set-up is complete, sometimes it isn't. When there are only four parties in the room, don't seat us in one cluster. Timing from the kitchen is a problem when there's a wait for starters and the entree arrives on top of them -- that happens at Denny's and shouldn't at Chi. The immediate bread/water/drink order at Wash Park Grille helps stem the time from seating to ordering.

The room: I greatly admire what has been done with this former Mexican restaurant. It used to be dark, disorganized and cramped. However, there doesn't yet seem to be a lighting level that has been decided on, gels on the lights would help immeasurably (who wants white quartz light on everything besides a KGB interrogator). Dividing the room with thoughtful scrims or panels for more privacy at tables would add a sense of discovery, which is missing since the entire room is visible from the street.

Chi Bistro is ALMOST what South Gaylord needs, but misses the mark on detail. I have never seen the restaurant full and can't imagine what the staff would do if that happened. I guess they'd have to move from their private party at the end of the bar. Mismanagement and poor training are Chi's two biggest problems.

• Pros: Mostly good food, but entrees often arrive on top of delayed starters
• Cons: Poorly trained staff, but they're really cute. Lower the prices or elevate the experience.