The place for all criticism against experiences held in various establishments in the restaurant or food industry. Although not all of the recorded are going to be horrible experiences, the majority of them will be highly critical of every server's step.
Beware the Evil Foodie; not for the faint of stomach.
When you think of Barbeque and the sultry sauce that generally accompanies it you think of the smooth warmth of sweet and the addictive tangy coming together for unique mixture of flavors that can only be used on the best cooked of meats; unless you are a fan of the hot stuff. In either case, if you are looking for a barbeque joint as your home away from home this school year look no further than the downtown core’s Memphis Blues.
The franchise originated in January of 1999 when two friends discovered a passion for the flavors in Memphis and decided to recreate it for those a little farther North who didn’t have such easy access to the hearty food from the South. The Kelowna location has become an essential visit when you are downtown with prices to fit any budge, whether you’re splurging for the full rack of ribs, keeping your wallet safe with the Pulled Pork Sandwich, or just getting a pick-me-up or cornbread or apple pie. Personally I am a big fan of the Pulled Pork and Cornbread, cannot get enough of that Barbeque Sauce, but the atmosphere is another force to be reckoned with.
You know when you go into a restaurant and the server or someone else comes around every five minutes pestering you about your experience and not letting you swallow a bite? Memphis Blues isn’t like that because you are essentially your own server. Walk in, pick a seat, pick your stomach’s desire, and go up and order it yourself! When it’s ready, which is fairly quick, someone brings it to your table. That’s it. No one asking every few minutes if you need anything, or whether or not you want more, or refills, but when your plate is empty they will take it away! No unnecessary interruptions, giving you plenty of time to hold that conversation with your dining partner(s) or finishing up that homework or even just admiring the all of the decoration from the south.
This open faced restaurant is covered in pictures, posters, and license plates from the Southern United States: signed pictures from famous guests, posters from events, posters from shows, and license plates from Tennessee and Texas to name a few. It may seem like a lot to take in at first but when the smell of barbeque washes over you any overwhelming feeling you may have had is washed away with the excitement of what is about to meet your stomach. Of course being a place from the south they also have their fair share of Bourbons, Whiskeys, and Beer – but it’s the barbecue that is really the star of the show called Memphis Blues. And did I mention the bottled coke?
You don’t just get a refillable glass that is paper or plastic. You get a tall, old fashioned, good lookin’ glass bottle of coke that looks like it stepped out of a time worth remembering.
Break It Down.
Ambiance: 10/10 due to great decoration and lively space
Food: 9/10 the pulled pork is fantastic but I’ve seen it better
Service: N/A not sure it applies when we ordered and sat ourselves
It has occurred to me that there may not be enough positivity here. And although this blog is not necessarily about the positive… you can only have so many negative experiences. So be prepared. Good is Coming - Awesome April.
Often times there are good and bad sides of certain restaurants that make you love and hate them at the same time. If you follow me then you know that I have a love hate relationship with IHOP. I love the food but not necessarily at all of the franchises. That being said I have a new story and experience for you today and it revolves and involves a new restaurant in the area: Cora.
Recently this franchise expanded on this side of the country, which is a new experience for those who have not heard or been to a Cora before on the Eastern side of the country. Let me paint you a picture in case you have no idea of what I am talking about and you are too lazy to Google or perhaps still protesting SOPA (props to you).
Cora is a very brightly coloured and intricately organized breakfast place. I want to classify it as a restaurant but I am having trouble doing so probably because of how small it was. The Rogers store here went out of business, a video rental store, and you can imagine how big those are right? Well they took half of this Rogers and turned it into a “restaurant” in the size of a café… It is painted with every bright colour known to man - if you are not a highlighter then your colour is not welcome here. And every piece of the pictures and clippings are cartoons or drawings. Honestly, if you are waking up to go out for breakfast at an early hour of 7-8-9 ish and you have a choice between Cora, Dennys, and IHOP - I would choose Cora. It honestly just jolts your senses into existence and waking up. Dennys just doesn’t have the colour or the mood to make you want to stay awake that early in the day - it may have that affect at 3 in the morning however. And IHOP here… well… here it disappoints at bare minimum… if its even edible.
Back to Cora
The first time my partner and I went we were quite thrilled. It cost us around $35 for breakfast for two; mind you it was a hearty breakfast and both of us could not finish our plates. We both had a daily juice - which is a blend of different fruits, it changes every day so it’s always unique
- Although my partner and I have a running joke that it is made with the left over fruit from people’s plates. Cora always has extravagant fruit displays on your plate, and that is generally on top of the food you already have and so people generally eat what they ordered first: thus leaving an abundance of fruit! Why waste it! Blend it into the daily juice next day! - That’s disgusting and insanitary so I hope that they don’t do that but boy would it be hilarious. People would start getting sick when they heard that. Anyways.
First Time
The overall experience was good. I have a Raspberry 4 Lucie
- an excellent array of Raspberries and Sauce and English Cream and Crepes. Most delicious and I could not have been happier. The Food was dead on to what I expected from the menu and we were just absolutely brilliant.
The service was excellent for such new comers (it had only been open about a week) and everything was just amazing. The only thing I could complain about was that the tea kettles were so tiny that they are literally the smallest tea kettles I have ever seen.
You get exactly one cup: But not really one cup; ¾ of a cup so that you have room for an abundance of cream. AND THESE ARE TINY CUPS But remember… I said two experiences.
Second Time
This Second Time is why I am writing this painstakingly in my ARTH class. Not because we just watched an odd video about Beirut but because Cora has lit a fire in my like no other. Except maybe IHOP. Not only did we pay over $50 but the service was horrible. Absolutely gut wrenching. Now being that I have worked in the restaurant and serving industry I have a lot of lenience when it is busy or servers are new. But this server was horrible. This server knew absolutely nothing and visited our table maybe twice. Our food and drink - when they were remembered - were brought to us by someone else.
My partner ordered a type of omelette and then when asked he added Cheese ($3.5) and Mushrooms ($3). Now tell me this - when you have three kinds of Omelettes and a customer orders one and adds mushrooms and cheese for an additional $6.50 why would you not suggest the Omelette up from that which is only an additional $0.30 which already has mushrooms and cheese among other things that you could no additional fee to remove. When I was a server and I saw that opportunity I took it because as a human I understand that paying an additional $6.50 is ridiculous. I might as well bring my own mushrooms and chop them up for my partner. I know that attachments are great for any business but at the same time there is a limit and there is a branch where customer service is hindered because of ignorance or greed. Keep this in mind.
I got a mix of crepes and breakfast potatoes….
YOU’RE FOREWARNED THIS IS ABOUT TO GET BAD!
The crepes that came with my food - part of my breakfast platter - were plain and so I incorrectly assumed that they would give you a choice of toppings included I the price similar to IHOP’s Passport Breakfast. You know what I mean? Where included in the cost is Berries and Cream, Lemon and Cream, or something else that I can’t take time to remember because we aren’t going on about IHOP. Anyways it cost me an additional $4 for this cream that I asked for… this here is my fault but I feel like she should have mentioned it was an additional cost because the way she listed them it felt like they were offered. Like type of toast. You know? Ignorance. Oh, and those juices that use up the fruit from the day before *snicker* they cost $5 each. Might as well have a beer for that cost in the morning.
So we have gone over the cost and service what is missing to make this a masterpiece visit. You guessed it. The Food: it was horrible. I could not have been more disappointed with anything in my life except for the overwhelming hatred I have for the IHOP here. Besides the fact that I had paid an arm for the cream to come with my breakfast the only thing memorable was the cream. I am actually quite glad that I paid for it because at least I had something to almost make the crepes bearable. I am fully aware that there are different kinds of crepes: thick and thin. But let me tell you something. When you make crepe batter for crepes that are meant to be thin - but for some stupid ass reason you insist on cooking them half an inch thick…. *UGH* GUESS WHAT IDIOT!!! THEY DON’T COOK !!!! So instead of crepes with English Cream, I had thick as hell wannabe gigantic pancakes of dough. Uncooked Dough. I could not eat it. So I passed on them. And I went over to my breakfast potatoes which were good until I found A HAIR! It was definitely not my day.
My partner, being the way he is, insisted on us telling the server so that she and the kitchen were aware for future guests. Fine. Whatever. I think its embarrassing to the nines but in this case I suppose its necessary. Curb the n00bs before they turn another franchise into an IHOP.
Needless to say we went out of our way to be extremely quiet about it and calmly told the waitress how we felt. And we said that she should let the kitchen know and whatever. So I took the opportunity to point out how the crepes were overly thick, how they tasted like pure uncooked dough. And she proceeds to argue with me. Now I agree I am not a master of crepes, but let me tell you something lady - should you ever read this - YOU SHOULD NOT BE SERVING INEDIBLE FOOD. You can argue with me about thick crepes for however long you want but don’t serve me shit. Don’t serve me food that I cannot eat. “There are thicker crepes that are not the thin crepes” Thanks tips. I didn’t know life included variety.
To top off this fantastic visit our bill was over $50 AND she did not bother to tell her manager at the front AND she did not offer us or take off any sort of discount. I am sorry but I could not eat my food that you were supposed to prepare correctly and let me tell you something. I will probably never eat at your restaurant again because of the shitty service. If you feed me a breakfast with a hair in it that means that the food was cooked with it which means mine, and maybe someone elses breakfast potatoes are all potentially ruined or contaminated. Jesus. I don’t think that I should have to start yelling at you to get some sort of discount. Take my fucking cream off for all I care but do something!! You just served me something completely inedible in every since! Dough and Hair! Great! Thanks! I’ll definitely be back to another franchise but not the one here that’s for sure.
Disappointed is not the half of it. I’m angry. I am -write a letter- angry. So perhaps I will.
Dear Cora - Your shitty servers argued with me about how inedible food is the standard for your company. I will be notifying the proper authorities. -TheEvilFoodie
Lets get down to the break down shall we. Should I do two separate ones for the different experiences? After all that is really what I am trying to get at here. That a restaurant deserves second chances to some extent - and some don’t. All restaurants need about three visits to build a big ideal around it. But even more still you can never really have one opinion on a place. I mean of course you can but restaurants will always have at least some positive aspect or another. Needless to say - if the letter has a response that is positive I will probably go back at least one more time to form a real opinion but for now this is my overall feeling of this place.
Break It Down.
Ambiance: 9/10 due to the colours and cartoons
Food: 5/10 due to the fact that everything is generally okay…. generally
Service: 2/10 due to the fact that it could get etter but I don’t have a lot of hope when servers argue with you and no one does anything about hair in your food.
No more explanations. Done.
Farewell Evil Foodies.
The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.
I had a moment today where I questioned my love for food.
I love McDonald’s just as much as the next fat person, and I am not fat by any standards but never the less I had a moment with them this morning.
Nine out of every ten visits to McDonald’s I am looking for one thing and that is their hashbrowns. However at 10:45 I went to McDicks this morning and found that when I asked for a hamburger they would not serve me one until 11 am exactly.
I understand that they have these regulations but I needed a hamburger this morning. 100% LEGITIMATELY NEEDED A Cheeseburger because I had had an ass of a morning. I dont think that this could have gone any worse - but then they denied me my hamburger…
I DONT EVEN EAT MCDICKS THAT OFTEN ANYMORE!! And yet I had a bad morning and wanted to cheer myself up with the meaty goodness of a burger and NO! Just like a bird flying into a window I was DENIeD!
Its not very often that I get to leave Kelowna due to work and other commitments, but when I do I love to eat out. I love food trucks, cafes, restaurants, and any other establishment that could sell edible delectables.
That being said the next few entries will probably be from my trips this past year to the wonderful Vancouver, and the ever inspiring Edmonton. I love my food like I said, not professionally of course, but I am a post secondary student so now that school is almost in session I will have to cut back!
Lets get to the point shall we?
My love for Fish and Chips actually started at a younger age at White Spot of all places. My mother worked in almost every position at the restaurant chain and thus I was often seen in a booth near the kitchen eating from the traditional pirate ships. From there on it was a love hate relationship with the food. I have a tendency to crave the greasy consistency some days, and on others I tend to eat it despite not really having the feel for it and regretting it after if you know what I mean.
Generally when the partner and I head to Edmonton, which we do about once a year if not more, we go out for Fish and Chips with his very openly opinionated Grandfather. I love how open his Grandfather is, for he is the type of man to just outright say something was horrid if it was despite whether anyone is listening or not. He does not care if the waitress is right behind him, in fact he may even nudge her so that she can hear just how good or bad the food is. Even if it is occasionally awkward - the man is a genius of Fish and Chips.
Normally we would go to a little hidden place called Back Home Fish and Chips which is hidden in the basement of a skyscraper in downtown Edmonton. This place is amazing and I love the friendly service but that is another story. This time they were closed with a notice saying they would be closed for every Tuesday from now on BUT I digress into yet another story.
Because Back Home was closed we went to another place called “Brits” despite other family members saying it was atrocious.
Upon arrival you are asked to order all of your food in the lobby, pay for it all up front, fill up your own drinks, and hope that they remember you and bring your food to your table which is in a sort of separated room. Needless to say it was a tad confusing.
The atmosphere in the first room/lobby/ordering zone was friendly, very patriotic of Great Britain and had a very large and easily read menu which was nice. A large variety of fish was available, as well as some traditional English specialties and desserts and some English soft drinks as well. The hostess was friendly enough but seemed impatient with Grandpa and clearly did not speak loud enough as she was constantly asked to repeat herself =D
The prices in my opinion were a little over priced, especially since everything was separate. You could have the meal to save you a dollar or so but it doesn’t included everything you need. For example: A 1 Piece Cod Meal is $10.65 - This gets you one piece, a handful of fries, and a refillable pop that is extremely watered down to the point where you should just get water but it is in the worlds smallest cups anyways so whatever really. When you go for fish and chips where I go in Kelowna (C-Lovers) you can get all you can eat Fish and Chips every day with refillable EVERYTHING and home made Tartar sauce for $11. Much better deal.
The seating room is not very organized, uncolourful, and to be honest a bit smelly even for a deep fried place. It was full of grossly over weight people which really isn’t anyone’s fault or what have you but I am just mentioning it because I remember Grandpa pointing it out quite loudly. Tables were moved every which way and the door to the grease trap was in this dining area. Not very appetizing when a large Garbage Bin of Grease is rolled right passed you as you eat. I did see the barrel roll by us but it was just before our food arrived.
On Each table is your standard table embellishments for Fish and Chips. Minus any cutlery, table cloth, napkins, etc. The Ketchup and Tartar sauce weren’t in mixed up containers which I was surprised by given the state this place was in. And it had Malt vinegar as well as white which I didn’t expect so I was excited.. at least until the food arrived.
The food arrived after the server could figure out which table it was suppose to go to. Without the hostess giving you a number or anything there is really nothing to identify you without memory or asking. It came in your standard basket-like holders but sans the newspaper. Generally when I go into a Fish and Chips place I either get everything on a plate OR it comes in a basket with paper under it… which this did not. Frustrating - especially when everything is deep-fried and it goes straight from the deep fryer into this plastic basket causing a lovely soppy mess on the bottom of all of our food. Perhaps they didn’t put in the paper slip because they were trying to burn off the Subway logos on the baskets.
Just in case you didn’t believe me, but its too bad cell phone pictures cannot tell you how disappointing the food was. Probably the worst Haddock, let alone Fish, I have ever had, the chips were sub par. Standard cut potatoes, nothing to write home about - negatively or positively.
THERE IS GOOD NEWS IN ALL OF THIS! There are only two locations of Brits and they are both in Edmonton. Which means 99% of you are safe. =D Final Tally:
Ambiance: 2/10 due to the lack of any ambiance in general: no fun servers, no colour, no excitement, and a giant Garbage Bin of Grease. The only thing that saves it is the original lobby area.
Food: 3/10 due to lack there of, the cost of the food, the presentation.. oh(!) and everything else to do with it. At least the fries weren’t horrible.
Service: 0/10 due to the fact that there really wasn’t any in the first place.
Even my grammatical and spelling errors in the Denny’s post are better than this restaurant. Rereading it now I really need to edit it, too bad we can’t edit a restaurant like we can a blog post.
