One of the "nicer" places to dine in FSJ. The place slightly reminded of an underground pizzeria/lodge. In a good way. But-what is up with the name choice? I feel like I'm about to utter a swear or go to a laundromat.
I walk in with my counterpart and the hostess is missing. Rather, a tub of rolled silverware and a sign greeting guests and suggesting that we seat ourselves.
Okay.
One extra glance around the entryway before choosing our table and I see random letters on the wall that I surmise to be a message about beer and women.
Awesome. So pumped for our meal now. Did I mention that I hadn't been to this location, or any FnS's in over four years? Hmm. Just mentioning.
We chose a table with a combination chair/booth seating that happened to be between the bar and kitchen in what one would think the common area to be. There were seven other tables occupied during the weekday lunch hour.
At this point I am expecting average service. After all, its not very busy so the staff should be quite attentive, right?
Side note: One major recurrent theme among 'nicer' FSJ dining establishments is the lack of professional clothing on the wait staff. The managers must think the all black, casual ensemble is somehow working in their favor. Let me say now that I am not fooled. I can tell the difference between a crisp, ironed, long sleeved shirt and a black t shirt that has been under a jacket for few hours. Polished shoes appear more professional than a pair of KEDS. Unkempt hair and a sullen face are not helping your ticket sales. Fresh, clean attire echoing the ambience and food of the respective restaurant. And "I don't know" or "I haven't tried that" don't cut it when guests are asking questions about your menu. What happened to the FIRST IMPRESSIONS?
Our server girl greets us in a pleasant manner and takes our drink order. When asked if there are any specials she spouts some mumbled answer and walks away without truly finishing the conversation. We laugh at her. Strike one.
Returns a few minutes later with one drink and admits to forgetting what the other drink was. Really? You have exactly one other table you're waiting on.....Strike two.
Side note: I tip on service. Some people tip on other aspects as well, such as overall experience, food, ambience. I tip solely on service. I could be in a dive and receive excellent service and I would tip in the same manner as a dressier place.
Server girl returns and we ask simple questions regarding various menu items to which she can't satisfy us with her knowledge, but to her credit finds reliable source and informs us.
We order the Shameless Burger and Calamari. Server girl promises Calamari is battered and prepared on site. I am hopeful but skeptical (is that possible?)
Side note: I have been in search of the perfect Calamari for five years now. Still searching.......
We wait for our food and enjoy the music, TV's and general feel of the place. Food arrives in an acceptable amount of time (10-15 minutes for lunch times) and Calamari presentation looks debatable. But I give it a try anyway.
Shameless Burger is pretty darn good. Great cast iron flavour. Lots of layers. Except for that weird weiner in the middle of the stack. My suggestion is to filet the tubular meaty. It'll sit better that way. Or just toss the whole weiner-on-hamburger idea. Trust me. Fries were fresh, hot and crispy.
Calamari is overpriced. Approximately one cup of product for $9.49. To server girl's credit again, the calamari was prepared in house. I would have like to see the slices a bit thicker. Batter was ok, but needed some seasoning-at least a salt and black pepper. Cooked for too long yielding a rubbery texture. Piled on my requested marinara side to hide the bounce in my mouth. P.S. Marinara is much better suited to calamari than tzatziki and diced purple onions.
Side note: If you're restaurant uses flatware and porcelain, don't put a plastic ramekin with any dish! I don't care if you've got a lunch/dinner policy. Don't cheapen it for me. I'll notice. In fact, using cloth napkins and matching ramekins are necessary for ambience continuity.
We are enjoying our food when server girl grabs herself something from the kitchen and helps herself to a comfy booth. Within eyesight of me. Strike three.
Then the manager/s and other wait staff join her with their morsels. Strike four. Is anyone still counting?
Side note: Never let wait staff eat while on the clock. Never, ever let them eat in the front of the house while dressed in restaurant attire (or within eyesight of your guests.) AND NEVER DO THESE THINGS YOURSELF!
I am generally a courteous person while dining out. I say 'please' and 'thank you's' just like my spouse taught me. So when I say 'thank you' I'm pretty much expecting something in the ballpark of "you're welcome."
Just sayin'.
Server girl didn't get the memo on common courtesy for the first few rounds. She got better through the course of our experience.
As we're rounding the finish line of the interesting lunch out, I pull out the credit card and slide it into view so as to quicken our exit. It had the opposite effect.
Eventually one of those managers had her fill of the co-worker lunch and decided to run our card. I'm not sure what happened to our server, but I left her a note on the flip side about her impromptu lunch and the level of unprofessionalism exuded from the act. She also charged me for a side of gravy.
Side note: ALWAYS tell customers if there will be an extra charge for something. Being secretive to up your ticket sales will only hurt in the long run.
My counterpart left her a three dollar tip. I said to give her two.
GRADE: D+ Because this place has potential, but if the major flaws aren't worked out, I'd be very surprised to see FNS open for another year.
FOGG 'N' SUDS
9720 100 St
250.785.0770
3 comments:
Way back when smoking was legal in restaurants we found out what Fogg n' Sudds really meant. It was evening and we were in the "non-smoking" section (we were seated in a booth right beside a couple of chain smokers). The smog right above our heads was almost overwhelming thus the translation for "Fogg". Since it was evening, there were a lot of beer, etc drinkers which made for "interesting" company (rowdy) and we then understood the meaning of "Sudds". The food was pretty good - kind of hard to enjoy with all the fogg and sudds going on though.
I hear you on finding the perfect or well done calamari but there was a place in Whitehorse Yukon that made a excellent dish also you definitely get the amt you pay for ! I can not remember the name of the little restaurant but I do remember it being beside the 202 hotel. Expensive BUT very delicious!!
I don't go to F&S anymore because of a) crappy service (though it's tough to find a place with GOOD service in FSJ) and b) for a place that hypes it's beer selection, they still only seem to have the run-of-the-mill domestics and imports. If you don't have it, take it off the menu!
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