Sunday, December 18, 2011

The Rhubarb House


OK, so here goes our first post. Just bear with us as we work all the kinks out, I promise the upcoming restaurant reviews will be insightful, comical and, most of all, truthful. (at least I hope they will be!)

So, on the last weekend before Christmas, we set out to purchase our last minute holiday gifts. Yes, we were out there amongst the hustle and bustle with all the other crazies who waited until the last minute. A nice, stress-free, relaxing Saturday....um, yeah right. We headed to the Hagerstown Premium Outlets and crossed our fingers.

After a long (and, despite our best efforts, frustrating) day of shopping we were starving. Instead of heading back towards home, we opted to try out a restaurant in downtown Hagerstown. You know, something different. After being practically laughed at at our first choice of restaurant (No reservation? Sure, we can seat you, in 90 minutes). We ended up at a quaint little place called The Rhubarb House.

Our first impression was an immediate red flag when it took longer than five minutes for someone to just come over to greet us (but, I still liked the overall vibe and decor, so we waited). The wait staff and kitchen seemed overwhelmed due to the large crowd…oh, wait, there wasn't a visibly large crowd, and  the majority of the tables were actually empty. (But. little did we know, there ended up being a whole other section that we couldn't see, just around the corner.) And, apparently it was Maryland Symphony Orchestra night in town, so all the restaurants were a tad overwhelmed to say the least.

Surprised by the average menu prices, we both proceeded to order burgers since we figured it might be one of the fastest things to get. Forty minutes later (yes, seriously), including Jay threatening to get up and leave, we both finally got our burgers (one basic burger, and one Swiss Bacon BBQ).  The burgers were average, at best…definitely not worth a 40-minutes wait.  [Strike 1] And, burgers were served with potato chips (let me just say, when I order a burger, I really hate when I don't get fries with it, or at least special chips). Nope, these chips were practically crumbs out of the bottom of the bag. [Big Strike 2]

And last, just a minor comment on the beverage situation. Only Yuengling on tap and Bud & Michelob in bottles...not a huge selection. But, I did like the large glass my Yuengling, as well as our waters arrived in. But, alas, [Strike 3] by the time our food actually arrived, Jay's water glass was empty and he never got a refill. (Insert Jay: If the damn glass is empty, fill it, A-Hole, I shouldn't have to ask. Or, at least come back to see if I need it filled).

As you can see, what was meant to be good meal at a nice, new restaurant, unfortunately ended up being a bit of a disappointment. The only thing we enjoyed about the restaurant was the flighty waitress/hostess who reminded me of my Aunt. Plus, oddly enough, Jay thought the restaurant  smelled like my parent's house (this could be good or bad). Jay thinks it was due to the salt and pepper shakers…my parents have the same ones. It's possible.

If we had to rate this restaurant, we'd give it a big EH. Probably wouldn't go back any time soon. Granted, we caught them on an off night, with the Symphony in town, but still. There are plenty other good restaurants for us to try.