Uptown/Downtown

Anyone who's been reading this blog over the past few months knows that I've been having mixed results when it comes to eating well around Boston. For the most part I've had trouble expanding my range of great brunch spots. However, as of yesterday, my lunch and dinner dining options became subject to the same fluctuation in quality that brunch faced. With an old college friend in town from Los Angeles this weekend, a group of 5 of us spent all day Saturday hanging out and looking for a decent meal.

We began at the waterfront with plans to see some of the new art being displayed down there. First on our list was the new convention center for the Capturing the Spirit of Roxbury exhibit (which I'm in). The exhibit is on the second floor of the west side of the building in an out of the way locale, but it was fun seeing my work displayed in a prominent building with other more established artists. With that taken care of, we headed over to Legal Test Kitchen for a three o'clock snack/late lunch. LTK came recommended by two people in the group, as well as by the Phantom Gourmet. In fact, the boyfriend and I had been talking about going there for a while after seeing that episode and the four of us who currently live here promised our visitor that she was in for a treat at this new take of a Boston institution.

I can’t remember the last time I was so wrong.

We were all seduced by the beautiful furniture, the playful lighting, and the relaxing colors. I was also impressed by the variety of items on the menu. But that’s pretty much where the enjoyment of LTK ended. My ravioli was both oily and bland, the boyfriend thought his tuna burger was undercooked and our visitor agreed but continued eating hers (she later had stomach pains). Another friend was also let down by his noodle salad. Only one of the five of us enjoyed his food. We were all universally let down by the service, too. Although we were quickly seated and brought drinks, the ample staff seemed unprepared with the condiments. Two of us ordered tea and had to ask for sugar. Isn't that a given with tea? Or don't waitstaff usually ask whether someone wants additional items when ordering tea? Further into the meal when the boyfriend asked for a refill of his soda, the waitress rolled her eyes and sighed on her way. We were looking forward to experiencing LTK's use of table-side technology, too, but all we got was an electronic candle. Oooh, fancy!

Overall it was a really weird and bad experience. I have no idea how service was for the other patrons, but a couple of times I turned around to look at the dining area and didn't see a single waitperson on the floor. Maybe some were in the kitchen but there was clearly a group sitting together on the far side of the restaurant chatting. LTK had by far the poorest service I've experienced in a restaurant in years. One person in the group suggested that we post a review in TripAdvisor and the boyfriend mentioned writing a letter to the company. He figures they'd probably send him a gift certificate to eat there again, but he's already said he would never return even with one. In fact, our two friends had been thinking of throwing a party there this summer...that idea is now long gone.

It took a trip to Burdick's in Harvard Square and the rest of the afternoon to get LTK out of our system (literally and figuratively). We came back to mine for a quick rest and then headed out to Jamaica Plain for a late dinner. A disappointing upscale lunch meant we needed a satisfying down-home dinner. The usual suspects were thrown out there: Doyles, JP Seafood, Oriental de Cuba, Bukhara, Galway House, and Wonderspice; but in the end we settled on The Dogwood Cafe. Only one of us had been before, but the rest of us were open to trying somewhere new. This was a great find! Once again we were seated quickly and brought drinks. This waitress was patient, pleasant, and attentive. We all tried a bit of each other's food and agreed that it was universally good, too. I wasn't a big fan of that night's live music (it was too folksy for my tastes), but it wasn't a make-or-break either. By the end of dinner, we left with full bellies and satisfaction.

I don't know what was going on with LTK yesterday, but perhaps the folks there could use a little back-to-basics refresher from their colleagues in the 'hood. I'm all for the evolution of food, presentation, and technology in dining, but if it turns out that badly, no amount of branding or name recognition is worth it.

Comments

[Lyss]

The pancakes at the Dogwood are to die for!
I've heard weird things about LTK- mostly having to do with lousy service.

[Heidi]

If you're looking for a yummy brunch spot a bit outside of Boston, give the Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown a try. They have fabulous pancakes in many yummy varieties, including blue corn and sweet potato! :) One of my favorite finds as of late.

Also good to know on the LTK front, as this is the third or fourth bad review I've heard.