The food was great, but unfortunately, the overall experience fell well short of what we expected from Lonesome Dove.
We were seated at 6:20pm, our order was taken by 6:30pm, and our entrée came out at 7:40pm. Our first course came out quickly, but after that, we spent the better part of an hour waiting for our entrees. Every 20 minutes or so, our server would stop by to tell us our food would be arriving soon. At one point, my wife got up to use the restroom, and our waiter apologized for the delay. We weren't ordering anything unusual or complicated, and the restaurant didn't appear especially busy. In fact, we watched three separate tables of six or more people get seated after us, receive their food before we did, and even receive their bills and check out before we had finished our meal. It honestly felt like the focus that night was on getting more people through the restaurant rather than taking care of the guests already there.
What made this especially disappointing is that we were celebrating my wife's 35th birthday, which I had included in our reservation. The greeter was wonderful and acknowledged her birthday, but no one else did. This isn't about expecting a free dessert or special treatment. It's about the fact that we chose to spend a special evening at your restaurant, and my wife ended up feeling like an afterthought. Between the long wait and the lack of attention from our server, it was a pretty disappointing way to celebrate her birthday.
The drinks were also a letdown. My glass of red wine had so much sediment that it was gritty and chalky, with a bitterness that made it difficult to enjoy. I understand that sediment can be normal in wine, but it still affected the experience, and I couldn't finish the glass.
We also ordered espresso martinis with dessert, and somehow, despite ordering the exact same drink, mine was noticeably different from my wife's. Hers was dark and rich, while mine was much lighter, almost transparent, and tasted watered down. It looked and tasted like I had gotten the leftover liquid from the strainer rather than a properly made cocktail. The difference between two identical drinks served at the same table was pretty surprising.
The food itself was genuinely good, which makes the rest of this experience even more frustrating. We spent over two hours dining, and far too much of that time was spent waiting, wondering when our food would arrive, and feeling like our table wasn't a priority. Between the service, the wine, and the inconsistent cocktails, the experience was nowhere near what we expected.
I don't mind spending money on a great meal, and I understand that things can go wrong on a busy Saturday night. But when you're celebrating a special occasion at a restaurant like Lonesome Dove, you expect the hospitality and attention to match the quality of the food. Unfortunately, that wasn't our experience.
