Low water mark: Hurley's
Okay, now this criticism should be taken as one opinion of many, but...
My wife and I eat out often, as do most of our friends. We go to nice places when our budget affords, and like many in Portland, more of our budget goes toward food and entertainment than does for couples in other cities. But as a vegetarian, I realize that not every restaurant staff holds its collective breath just hoping I might swing by. When making reservations somewhere new, we always ask whether the restaurant offers vegetarian entrees, or would be willing to make them for our visit. Some places--very very nice places--decline, and I respect them more for having the wisdom to tell me up front than disappoint me when I arrive. Mille Fleurs in San Diego stands in my mind as an excellent example, and I respect them for it, even if I cannot enjoy what surely would be excellent food. Which brings us to Hurley's. We usually wait a few months after a new restaurant opens--a few months, even, after the reviews appear--to let the crowds and buzz die down. We find this to be a better way to let the chef and servers shine. We did this with Hurley's, and we were assured during two separate phone calls that the chef would be happy to accomodate vegetarians.
Well.
First, the restaurant was unable to seat us for a full half hour after our reservation time, which does not suggest deep understanding of their clientele. But the capper came another half hour later when we finally ordered, and the server informed us that no, the chef would in no way be able to prepare items not on the menu. When I pointed out that I had called ahead to ask this precise question, the server responded that perhaps some sauteed vegetables would be possible as a main course. At this point I almost lost it, but managed to stay calm enough to suggest that $40 for a large order of a side dish was hardly the stuff of dreams. The server assured me that this would not be garden variety (ha!) sauteed vegetables, but wonderful. Ha. While cooked as well as sauteed vegetables could be, sauteed vegetables they were, and over $30 for the privilege. We will never return.
My wife and I eat out often, as do most of our friends. We go to nice places when our budget affords, and like many in Portland, more of our budget goes toward food and entertainment than does for couples in other cities. But as a vegetarian, I realize that not every restaurant staff holds its collective breath just hoping I might swing by. When making reservations somewhere new, we always ask whether the restaurant offers vegetarian entrees, or would be willing to make them for our visit. Some places--very very nice places--decline, and I respect them more for having the wisdom to tell me up front than disappoint me when I arrive. Mille Fleurs in San Diego stands in my mind as an excellent example, and I respect them for it, even if I cannot enjoy what surely would be excellent food. Which brings us to Hurley's. We usually wait a few months after a new restaurant opens--a few months, even, after the reviews appear--to let the crowds and buzz die down. We find this to be a better way to let the chef and servers shine. We did this with Hurley's, and we were assured during two separate phone calls that the chef would be happy to accomodate vegetarians.
Well.
First, the restaurant was unable to seat us for a full half hour after our reservation time, which does not suggest deep understanding of their clientele. But the capper came another half hour later when we finally ordered, and the server informed us that no, the chef would in no way be able to prepare items not on the menu. When I pointed out that I had called ahead to ask this precise question, the server responded that perhaps some sauteed vegetables would be possible as a main course. At this point I almost lost it, but managed to stay calm enough to suggest that $40 for a large order of a side dish was hardly the stuff of dreams. The server assured me that this would not be garden variety (ha!) sauteed vegetables, but wonderful. Ha. While cooked as well as sauteed vegetables could be, sauteed vegetables they were, and over $30 for the privilege. We will never return.
posted by Mateu at
8:16 PM
2 Comments:
are you vegan or just vegetarian. i do as you do as my wife is a veggie and i want to make sure a nice meal is nice for both of us. they didn't have anything on the menu that was vegetarian? that's too bad. hopefully others will see this and realize that restaurants need to cater to the customer too.
By
brett, at 1:47 PM
Thanks for reading and for the support. I'm an ethical vegetarian, so I try to avoid doing anything that requires killing animals. Which mostly means no meat & no leather. At least at that moment, no, Hurley's had no vegetarian entrees.
adeu,
Mateu
PS Hope your jaw recovers quickly..
By
Mateu, at 11:09 PM
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