tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49508406446457223402011-04-21T14:32:11.409-07:00because some places just don't do breakfastJamie Wodetzkinoreply@blogger.comBlogger11100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4950840644645722340.post-404214156693658032007-02-15T02:56:00.000-08:002007-02-16T05:13:44.169-08:00<span style="font-style: italic;">It would be fun to deliver a fatal damning blow, but the fact is, after five dinners in three months, the Argo has carved itself a nice, warm little place in my heart.</span><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/restaurant-reviews/the-argo/2007/02/05/1170524014981.html">John Lethlean</a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Will somebody please buy John Lethlean a disguise? Maybe a fake moustache and a nice wig? Because... and I know this is going to sound crazy and paranoid... I think he might be getting special treatment from some of the places he visits. And since he seems to be regurgitating the same reviews at least 3 times over - in Epicure, the Melbourne Magazine, and Gourmet Traveller - it would be interesting to know how they treat the punters. Much more interesting than reading about how well they kissed the critic's arse. Just ask <a href="http://www.salon.com/nov96/interview961118.html">Ruth Reichl</a>.<br /><br />Take <a href="http://www.theargo.com.au/">The Argo</a>, 64 Argo St, South Yarra, Tel +61 3 9867 3344. Based on his trio of rave reviews you would think it's a safe bet for a great dinner, right?<br /><br />Wrong. Very, very wrong.<br /><br />At first I wondered if we'd gate-crashed a Jenny Craig meeting. It took a good half an hour before we scored a couple of dinner rolls... little baby dinner rolls about the size of a stunted chicken nugget. Then, about an hour later, out came the entree of scallops... with a grand total of 3 scallops and a small squiggle of something green. I could feel my sugar levels dropping fast...<br /><br />Eventually, about two and a half hours into the meal, our mains arrived. The grilled wagyu porterhouse was very nice. But the rabbit was raw. Two and a half hours of waiting and they serve up a half-cooked bunny. Brilliant. We send it back... but rather than serve a replacement, they shove the plate under the grill for a while (or maybe a few minutes in the microwave, who knows?) then bring it back with a warning "careful... plate's hot"...<br /><br />The final straw was our attempt to pay. The bill arrived, I handed over my card, and it was whisked off somewhere for processing. About 5 or 10 minutes later our waitress asks if we're all done, etc, and I inform her that I should probably pay the bill first, just as soon as someone comes back with my card and the little piece of paper to sign.<br /><br />Another 5 minutes pass, together with some frantic searching of benchtops and tables, and eventually she returns with my card and a bill... except it's not my bill.<br /><br />Finally, the correct bill arrives, I sign, and we leave. What a disaster.<br /><br />To their credit, The Argo didn't charge for the raw rabbit, and our waitress (who was quite nice and did a good job in the circumstances) gave us a few glasses of French bubbles on the house. But no amount of bribery can really make up for the greedy stupidity of overbooking and overloading a small kitchen on Valentine's night.<br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4950840644645722340-40421415669365803?l=thedinnerblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Jamie Wodetzkinoreply@blogger.com0