Two times. Two different “Shoeless Joe’s steakhouses”. Same chain. Different locations.
Both times, the restaurants were quite empty.
Both times, unattentive staff made us wait very-unnecesdarily long times.
In both cases, i asked for medium-rare.
In both cases, they were at least well done.
At least!
Ironically. The only reason i would at all have tried their chain a second time…
… the first experience in Mississauga was so crap i emailed head office. They sent me a $50 voucher… to apologize, and invite me to try again.
So there I am, Shoeless Joe’s in Barrie. Likeable decor and ambience. Quiet… because its empty.
My medium-rare steak comes.
(They do not know i have a voucher or dined in Mississauga a month earlier, then complained… i didn’t tell Barrie Shoeless Joe’s on purpose).
My steak is “you gotta be kidding me”… ludicrously overcooked. Not a little. A lot.
One piece, a couple of square inches at the skinnier end has broken off and looks like blackened jerky.
It was stunning.
I asked the waiter “dude!! C’mon… by any stretch of the imagination would you call this medium-rare??”.
He hummed and hawed and agreed “the cook said it is”.
I said… “you find me a person willing to point at this and call it medium-rare.”
(I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT WAS WORSE THAN MY FIRST TIME IN THE OTHER LOCATION).
The manager came and at first tried to defend the char on the plate. But he could see it was indefensible.
He offered to have another made. But from a cook with such a negligent attitude?
I said … “no thanks. I’m just gonna leave. Keep your steak. Here’s a $50 voucher from your head office, i have no use for it, i wouldn’t even give it away”.
And leave i did. Never to return.
(A representative picture of a charred steak, mine was drier, thinner, and worse. It was in the days of flip phones and blackberries, so I didn’t take pictures)
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