PX This.

PX This presents THE F&F REVIEW

Hey, sorry we couldn’t make it to "Friends&Family," we were out of town/ had to work/ not invited. We’re really glad we finally managed to come by, though— it’s so nice to see you!
What’s that? You would still like us to take the time to fill out the F&F survey, because you’d love to take advantage of all our vast experience, knowledge, insight, and expertise as long as we’re already here? Because you invited 75 people to F&F, and afterward all you got was 41 "Congrats[es]!" 22 "Awesome[s]!" 3 "Ciao[s]!" and 9 "Best of lucks[s]!" ?
Of course, we’d be honored. Oh ha, yesss, we’ll be honest— brutally honest even, ha ha! After all, that’s what friends & family are for!
No no please, don’t send anything more, we’re stuffed, we can’t breathe, you’ll have to roll us out of here, ha ha ha… !

Abe & Arthur’s

What was your first impression?
wow, this was Lotus? holy cow it sure looks like they spent a lot of money in here tearing everything down and rebuilding it. geezus

Please rate the Bar:
the bartenders were a bit inattentive and maybe just a tad surly, until GM adam-landsman came by to greet (and introduce) us and then they were perfectly friendly.
cleanliness was good and love the "full dinner" service. boisterous but comfortable, spacious, good scene.
personally, getting a little tired of the played out buttoned downed brasserie boys’ club bar look/trend, but i guess i can get over it.
also: backless bar stools make me nutso, but hey maybe that’s just me.

Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
wasn’t that crazy about the selections of wine by the glass but was grateful for the offer of a taste of our two (white) choices, especially since it seemed to me one of the bottles had "turned" (or maybe it was just really crappy wine, i’m not sure).
sorry, didn’t try any cocktails, but the list looked okay. i mean, personally i would never put triple sec in a margarita (especially a "specialty" one) but who knows? maybe some people actually like the taste of st.josephs aspirin the fuck i know.
the wine by the bottle list is pretty good, but just a tad late 80’s in its philosophy if you hear what i’m sayin.

Please rate the Dining Room:
it’s nice! high ceiling, good lighting, the tables all make sense.
the music, however, is a bit odd in both selection and volume and is sorta messing with the "energy." which is kinda weird for a couple of "club guys" (in a space that used to be a club and should be auditorially well-equipped), no? i would think the music would be the one thing they’d get right with their eyes closed and hands tied behind their backs? (oh but then again i have noticed the music sucks in most clubs lately which is why i’ve pretty much stopped going to any of them so maybe that’s what it is.)

Please rate the BOH:
impressive! in my entire dining lifetime, i have only sent dishes back to the kitchen three times EVER, even if i totally despise them. unfortunately in this case, the sliders were a wee raw inside, so i had no choice. the waiter was very sweetly apologetic and did not at all hesitate about removing the plate, which decidedly implies the BOH has never intimidated him with unwarranted censure and/or self serving psychotic irrational policies.
the waiter was sooo nice about it, as a matter of fact, it gave us the confidence to also return the meatballs which were simply not our tastes (umm is that ketchup in the sauce? it’s oddly sweet), and still his professionally courteous demeanor did not wane. and the new replacement dishes arrived rather quickly and beautifully.
oh— was Chef checking our names with the front desk just as i caught him scanning our table (right after we returned our dishes)? ha ahaaha what a smart cookie. i hope our level of PXness lived up to the scrutiny and he wasn’t sorely disappointed :(

How was the staff?
overall, pretty great. i already mentioned the waiter and bartenders, but the front desk was probably most impressive of all. i mean, i’m assuming there’s an army of hostesses up front because some are still in training mode, but the maitre d’ (head hostess?) was AOK. the front desk is usually where i’m the least tolerant and/or most critical, and i would say she did everything absolutely right.
the runners and bussers were good and professional, and the floor manager (i only remember seeing one?) seemed quite attentive.

What did you eat?/ How was the food?
crab cake: very good. but uhh is that red sauce "red hot" hot sauce? i mean ya know— personally i like tabasco. just sayin.
bibb lettuce salad: very nice.
meatballs: yah. that sauce. hmm. mm eh.
sliders: good. but yah i can see how the temperature can be problematic with those teeny tiny patties. 30 seconds too soon, raw. 30 seconds too much, well-done. what a pain in the ass. oh but
why make such a production with the recipe for the sauce? after all that descriptive hullabaloo, it kinda just tasted bland actually.
strip steak: loved the horseradish sauce. nice job on the temperature (medium rare) but juuust a little tougher than i’d like. i’d gladly pay more for a ribeye (or like a porterhouse) if it were offered to me. just sayin.
mussels: plump, juicy, tender! love the spiciness and flavor of the broth, but that layer of oil floating up top is just a bit over the top. neat hotpot, smart design.
creamed spinach: wow. delicious. soooo rich, but i guess peoples shouldn’t be ordering creamed spinach if they’re worried about cream or butter or fat anyways.
chocolate cake: a tad dry and a little hard (despite the lava-ish center), making its brick-like shape too easy a joke. brick, get it? but the ice cream was good.

What did you like?
the room. the table we got. the front desk. the creamed spinach. the waiter. the bathrooms.

What did you dislike?
the (by the glass) wine options. the sauce on the meatballs.

What was your last impression?
this place must be crazy on the weekends. ooh look, harvey-keitel!

Would you come back?
not on a weekend but otherwise, i think so. it’s great for entertaining or a special event, but probably not so much as a local "hang" for me.

Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
no no no thank YOU :)

7 Responses to “F&F: Abe and Arthur’s”

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