Our readers seem to feel that we just LOVE everywhere we go to dine; not true. We see ourselves as the "Casper the Ghost" of reviewers. We are the kind and gentle restaurant critics...most of the time. Our philosophy is to bring you new and wonderful generally high-end experiences in dining and hotels, not to trash places. However, every now and then we just can't help ourselves when it's genuinely earned, and in this case, we are bringing you the top 10 stinkers, well deserved and well earned. Enjoy and run for your lives!
Showing posts with label Coupa Cafe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coupa Cafe. Show all posts
Saturday
Friday
Following is a list of experiences that either made our day, or caused us to cringe. We welcome your stories and will post them if they're interesting or particularly nasty! Please email them to us at: FabDiningDuo@aol.com
MAGNOLIA -- Hollywood
(Not a "Loser", but a great "save" by the restaurant)
When Michael called at 3pm to change our reservation from 6:00 to 7:00pm, the hostess answering the phone put him on hold for five minutes (then she claimed it was lunch rush-hour) and then was rude to him, hanging up in the end without saying goodbye. It left such a bad taste in our mouths (pun intended) that we decided to forego eating there and went to the restaurant next door. On the way inside, Scott spotted what looked like "managerial" type folks setting the tables at Magnolia. He stopped and told them what had happened, and why we chose to eat elsewhere that night. They were owners Laurie and Ron, and they were horrified at the treatment we received at the hands of an inept hostess. They were so apologetic that Scott felt badly for even telling them what had transpired. They both insisted that we come back for dinner on them (they didn't know we wrote reviews). If that wasn't enough, when we finished dinner at the restaurant next door, we asked for the check and was told by the waiter that Laurie and Ron had picked it up as an apology for what had occured!
We say: "Class Act"! We'll be back to Magnolia and suggest you go too....................!
COUPA CAFE -- Beverly Hills
(a DEFINITE Loser!)
Oh my gawd....Nothing says crap like coupe catastrophe. If it's not bad enough that the food is marginal, when the restaurant made yet another mistake on our food order, the Venezualian owner suggested that we try some of their deserts: "Do you like chocolate?" he suggested. We love chocolate, and so he sent over 3 chocolate deserts (very mediocre, by the way). When the bill came, all three were on the bill. When we informed the server that we didn't order the deserts and that it was a mistake, the owner came over and started screaming at us (and our very pretty lady guest). He said that he doesn't give away free food and that we were not welcome to come back (but our very pretty lady guest was).
We say, "Send it back"! And were not alone. You can blow a cannon through this canon restaurant without hitting anyone and now we know why!
Tuesday
COUPA CAFÉ
419 North Canon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA
310. 385-0420
7am – 11pm / 7days
The Scene: Attractive Café, primarily for lunch
Cuisine: Venezuelan Blah
Must Try: Another restaurant!
Star Rating: .5 (for atmosphere only)
Average Cost: Entrees $10 to $15
The Dining Duo gets enthusiastic and excited over new restaurants, especially those that tout novel concepts. Unfortunately, we are sad to report one of the worst experiences we have encountered.
Coupa Café at first glance looks promising. Located in Beverly Hills, it is inviting, yet simply decorated. With plants on the walls, and dripping fountains, the tidy restaurant puts forth its most attractive feature; unfortunately, it all devolves from there. Having visited the restaurant on our usual three occasions, the food went from mediocre to downright inedible. The salmon concoction, which they boast as being cooked on one side, proved to be gooey and fishy-tasting. The empanadas and arepas--based on recipes from the owner’s homeland, Venezuela--were dry, uneventful, and unappetizing at $4.95-$8.50.
The service was glacially slow and amateurish. When we finally got our food, Runners would ask, “Who got the…?”; when the wait staff finally reappeared, the question usually was “Are you working on the…?”, one of the Dining Duo’s pet peeves. We “work” all day, the last thing we want to do is “work on it” during a meal. On our third visit, an angry patron stormed from the restaurant, screaming, “If you don’t have all day to eat here, don’t do it.”
What proved particularly odd was Jean Paul Coupa, the owner. When delivered the wrong order, unsolicited he asked if we would be interested in trying their desserts, “Do you like chocolate”? We thought this was a nice way of remedying a wrong, but after three pretty, yet uneventful “homemade” desserts arrived, so did the check with the costs of $6.95 for each dessert. We approached Jean Paul saying that this was his offer, and we never asked for the desserts; he exploded in anger and said that there is no free food in his restaurants (we had no intention of desiring free food), and that we should never come back. Our lunch companion Cynthia was horrified at the owner’s outburst. The stress of operating a restaurant in an unacceptable manner obviously percolated forth.
From soup to nuts, we must advise you, our friends, not to waste your money at this deceptively attractive-looking new canteen that registers quite low on the Dining Duo’s scale of acceptability.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
