Before I get into the review of Hell's Kitchen (www.hellskitcheninc.com), I just want to state that I really wanted to go to this place for breakfast because they really had some unique things listed. That, however, just wasn't in the cards right now. It is something I still really want to do, as do Tami and Angela!
Decor/Ambiance: 3 out of 5
This place has a very cool vibe to it. It is in the basement of a large building with exposed brick and whatnot. We were there at about 1 pm, so the crowd was light, but even then the sound was a little loud. I can not even imagine trying to carry on a conversation when it is full, or when someone is performing. That is the main reason I gave it a 3 rather than a 4. Course, could just be because I am old and don't like noisy places.
Service: 3 out of 5
While our server was nice enough, he seemed very scatter brained. We were waited on pretty quickly, but he slowed down towards the end. It took a bit to get our check, and I was noticing that some tables that came in after us waited quite a while to get their orders taken.
Food 2.5 out of 5
Jeff's Meal: French Dip with grilled onions with Sweet Potato Fries 2 out of 5
The beef in this french dip was very good, it was very tender and moist. The onions were also grilled nicely. The Aus Juice was too salty for my taste and I really didn't use it at all. The fries were good, but really, how can you screw those up? Overall, the meal was OK. It was about as good as I have gotten at Key's, but here is the difference and the reason for giving it a 2 rather than a 3: the PRICE! The meal was $14.95 + .45 for the onions. Which brings up a point about places...why do they offer to add things to your meal, but never tell you it is extra. Don't ask me if I want to add onions to my mean without first telling me it was extra! So for a meal I could get at Key's, I paid twice as much.
Tami's Meal: Bison burger with White Cheddar Cheese and Sweet Potato Fries 4 out of 5
It got a 4 rather than 5 because of the price once again...$11.95 They really price gouge! Also, she ordered, and was charged for, a BBQ Bacon Bison Burger, but got neither BBQ sauce or bacon (we did have them change that on the bill.) Also, again, she was asked if she wanted cheese on it without stating that it would be extra...a very high $1.30 for a bloody piece of cheese! She ordered it medium rare, on the rare side, and got it medium on the well side.
Angela's Meal: Bowl of Smoked Beef Vegie Soup 3 out of 5
This was actually reasonably priced...$5.00. She liked it, but her personal taste does not lean towards smoked beef flavor, but she did like it.
Overall: 2.5 out of 5
The above overall rating is based on our experience at lunch. We all want to go back for breakfast some time! The space was good, but the food was just too overpriced. Parking was also expensive, being located downtown Minneapolis. We paid $9.95 for parking, and that was for just over an hour.
The place looks cool as hell, but $14.95 for a lunch item? Outrageous. And the extras... I don't like that. When you wrote about the diner-bistro, I got to thinking about a diner here in KC called Winstead's. This pricing practice made me think about it again because they have a few things they charge extra for, but it says it on the menu. You can get onions on your burger, but if you want them grilled, they charge a little fee. But I know that. I'm okay with that. Don't charge me $14.95 for a sandwich, then surreptitiously charge me for a slice of cheese.
ReplyDeleteI'm rambling now. So, how was the ciabatta bread that the French dip was on?
The look of a place looks like a fun place to hang out and drink, but with those prices, I can't imagine how much alcohol is.