09/26/09

Old reliable turns inconsistent

by sue212

Providence café was always one of our favorite and reliable restaurants. The last time we went we were disappointed with the service and quality of food. Knowing that these things happen once in a while in every business, we went again this evening to celebrate a birthday in the family. We had received a card in the mail for a free “birthday entrée”. Once again we were disappointed. They first tried to seat our party of three in the dining area off the bar which has a completely different atmosphere…almost like an “over flow” dining area. When we asked to be seated in the main dining room, we were given a table near the kitchen entrance even though there were many other more desirable tables available. The bottle of wine we ordered was poured without regard to prior tasting. The salads came well before the appetizer. When the appetizer was served, they placed it on the far end of the table, beyond our reach, without attempting to clear unnecessary items form the table. They serve the bread as a small hard loaf which requires someone at the table to manhandle it in order to pull it apart. One of the entrées was handed to me over the table even though there was adequate room for the waitress to serve it properly.

All of these service issues are forgivable when the food is good. Unfortunately, this was not the case. My mahi mahi was dry and the yellow rice was not fully cooked. Another salmon dish was over done and tasteless with less than desirable presentation. The third dish, a salmon special, was equally poor in presentation and served with deep fried zucchini which seemed more suitable for bar food.

After presenting our “Free Birthday Entrée card”, our check came with an automatic 20% gratuity. In average situations 20% is warranted but for this service and the overall poor quality of food it seemed insulting. At the very least you would think they would have offered a dessert for their customer’s birthday.

We’ve always been a fan of Providence Café. We live close by in the Myers Park area and appreciated their fair pricing and consistent service. Our last two visits have led us to believe that the service and quality is a thing of the past….and so are we!

• Pros: Nice quiet location, great patio
• Cons: Inconsistent quality of food and service

07/14/09

Needs more Diversity. Or Maybe Al Sharpton

by Southerndoll07

My family had my grandmothers 80th birthday party at Providence Cafe. We selected this restaurant because of its review and because they offer semi private rooms for parties. Not realizing that American still has some people that are not cultual diverse we did not think having a party in a restaurant would create an issue. One of my Aunts asked the hostess where the restroom was and hostess told her that she can use one of the trees behind the restaurant. How awful.

• Cons: Not Diverse

05/13/07

Best of Charlotte

by bhardwick

Great food, friendly staff and an excellent value. The place is a Myers Park landmark. There is a great patio with live music that I highly rec!