02/21/09

Poor service, so-so food

by jlucovsky

I wish I could say that we had a great time at Rey's. Unfortunately, the service was poor and the food mediocre at best. I contacted the manager following our visit but received no response. I had expected at least "I'm sorry for your experience" but alas no contact. In this economy, restaurants and other service providers should make an effort to keep their customers happy. Here's a copy of the email I sent to the Rey's manager:

I am writing to inform you of a poor dining experience we had at your restaurant on 2/13/09. We had reservations for a party of 5 at 6pm. We arrived just before 6 pm and were seated promptly. The host led us to the table, pulled out one chair, and then walked off with nary a word. We didn?t dwell on this too long but we?ve been accustomed to being welcomed, chairs pulled back for the ladies (2 in our party), and a little more courtesy. Throughout the evening, we noticed that he seated other parties quite differently and pulled back the chairs for most members of the group. Each of us had a different entree ?pork chops, pork loin, chicken piccata, French quarter chicken, and eggplant. The eggplant was simply bland, the French quarter chicken mediocre, and the rest of the food was ok. When we didn?t order an appetizer or soup, salad, our server?s expression and demeanor changed from being friendly and pleasant to being borderline dismissive. We decided against desert and his dismissive became, in my opinion, rude and discourteous. He yanked the dessert menus off the table and came back with the check. The manner in which he gave us the check was quite rude ? we had expected a ?Thanks for coming; I?ll take that when ready? or similar. Instead, without saying a word, the check was thrown on the table and he walked away ? w/out a word. At that point we were pretty disappointed with the attitude and left a tip appropriate for what we felt was a poor level of service at any restaurant and especially one like Rey?s.

• Pros: Great location, ample parking
• Cons: Poor service, hi-brow attitude, so-so food

01/10/09

What a wonderful time!

by deezie626

My sister and I took our mom here for her birthday. It was the first time any of us had been to Rey's. The atmosphere was very nice, and the service was outstanding. I know a lot of people like the fact that Rey seats people and goes to every table to see how things are, but to me I think it's a little much. If you know your food is good the only time you need to interact with customers is when they make eye contact with you or have left a lot of food on their plate, indicating that something is wrong. The French Quarter Chicken was so tender and the cheesy filling just melts in your mouth. I ordered Garlic Mashed Potatoes which were cold when they got to the table, but everything else was so delicious I didn't bother to complain or send them back. My sister ordered the creme brulee for dessert which apparently was amazing, because she wouldn't let anyone else even taste it! I will definitely come back to Rey's.

• Pros: Very relaxing atmosphere

12/29/08

First Reviews...Rey's is outstanding

by mwfarber1

We went to Rey's last weekend with a group of five couples for a night out with friends. For most of the group, this was our first time at Rey's. The experience was top notch from the 'get go'. A friendly gentleman wearing a festive, yet tasteful, holiday tie opened the door with a smile...the experience only got better from there.

The atmosphere in the main room is classic "steakehouse". Our group, however, had a private room that worked very well. Whether you're looking to entertain clients or simply enjoy a nice evening with friends as we were, the private room at Rey's should be at the top of your list.

The bar served up superb dirty martini's. The entre's (surf and turf for me) were well-prepared and the service was attentive and engaging. (thanks Jerremy!) Afterwards, we enjoyed cigars and scotch in the bar.

Do yourself a favor next time you make plans to have dinner with friends. Go to Reys. Oh, and the friendly guy in the holiday tie who opened the door with a smile...turns out he's the owner. Enjoy...we certainly did!

• Pros: Across the board first rate dining experience
• Cons: None