The Crow Bar and Kitchen

Tried to give this place a shot for dinner but left after having appetizers. Crappy customer service and less than mediocre overpriced food (burgers around $19).

Walked in with no acknowledgement from the hostess, not even so much as eye contact so we went ahead and sat at the bar. The bartender was okay, I ordered a sprite and my friend asked for some water, we got it right away. I'm not going to lie...I was SO excited about the salt & vinegar chips because they're my absolute favorite. Pure disappointment. They tasted exactly like plain old potato chips. Now, to be fair I did express my disappointment when the bartender asked how everything was. I informed her that they tasted like normal potato chips and asked her if they were salt & vinegar. She confirmed that they were and told me somebody else had complained about the same thing earlier. She offered to get me salt if I wanted to put some more on. From a customer service standpoint....what?! That baffled me quite a bit, if another customer had the same complaint maybe that's an indication something needs to be changed. As for the daily special flatbread, it reminded me of when I was in middle school and had to eat Hardtack staying the night on the Star of India. In their defense my friend thought it was good, so there ya go.

The employees seemed to be very unhappy working here and to be honest it was quite uncomfortable. On our way out the lovely hostess again ignored us completely. Not so much as a "have a good night" or "come back soon", zip, nada, nothing. I personally wouldn't recommend this place.

"I've come for the Black Label Burger..." (Insert Spaghetti Western music here)
So, I've heard from near & far, in addition to the many burger joints I've traveled, about this gluttonous, Black Label Burger. (Needle scratches, music stops) It is time.

(Crowd gasps)

"Bring on the BURGER!...
(Spaghetti Western music resumes)
'Oh, and can I get change for the parking meter?

'Arrived around 8:30pm on a Friday evening, didn't realize there were two entrances... The front, main entrance & a side door entrance. As I walked in, a waitress directed us towards the front entrance to check-in. 'Was about to back-track through the door we came in & go around the front but the waitress stopped me, "You can go through here to check-in, not a problem!"
Hmmm, I kinda somewhat expected a "Duh, why are you coming through this door? Don't you know, the front door is over there?!" 'Least to say, I was very happily surprised. ('At that moment on, I felt like this was going to be a good night... 'And it was.) 'Great customer service.

'Walked through the packed bar/dining area to our hostess, Chandra, who was wearing a flowing, classy black dress & stunning necklace... I thought Chandra's elegant appearance added a bit of something extra to the otherwise, laid back & casual vibe @ The Crow Bar & Kitchen. (It worked.) 'Checked-in & was told that there would be about a 30 min. wait but we can mingle in the bar area 'til then. Chandra mentioned that there were a couple of stools, near a side wall just across from the bar or a couple of seats available, right @ the bar... I opted for the "side wall." I was impressed, in between keeping track of the different parties waiting to be seated, Chandra was well aware of the random "open seats" around the bar. (Tips hat)

As I sat, waiting for a table, I took in the sights...
'And I dug what I saw. (Well, for the most part.) 'Most of the crowd was laid back, just there to have a good time... Then there were the middle-aged hipsters, being all "hip," hanging out in packs as if they were stuck in the eighties. "Night at the Roxbury," why yes indeed. It was AWESOME, this is reality! Imagine four receding hairline, forty-somethings, standing in a circle ogling every wahine that strolled by... (Dude, that was just someone's grandmother!) "Bartender, I'll have another drink for the show!" YES, it was going to be a good night.

'After about ten minutes, a waiter, "Ben," approached my friend & I to take our drink orders. I asked him what would pair best w/The Black Label Burger - Introducing 'Pliny the Elder." (Personally, not a huge beer drinker, IPA's included... 'But WOW!... 'What flavor!)

My friend ordered a Bloody Mary, which is another favorite libation of mine also. They were going to order the Friday's Special, "Fennel Baby Back Ribs" for dinner... 'Good choice. (My friend said, "The Bloody Mary Mix reminds me of cocktail sauce.") I took a sip, good flavor, very generous w/the horseradish.

We sat, chatting for about 35 minutes, still no seat... (shrugs) Eh, it's busy.  Besides, I'm enjoying this tasty IPA, talking story, making jokes & scribbling down ideas for possible new material. No worries! (If 15 minutes more had passed then I would've inquired w/Chandra about our table.) However, I didn't have to... 'In 5, 4, 3, 2... 'And reenter our waiter, Ben, to check on our drinks AND follow-up on our behalf for seating. I am continually being impressed by the service here. (Tips hat again) Mahalo for looking out Braddah Ben!

'Within a few minutes, Chandra was seating us at a table... Yeh, I'm happy.

Shay, was our waitress, helpful, fast & friendly.
'Wanted to try an appetizer, opted for the "Sausage Trio."
(It was, okay, for $11. 8/ 'Different.)
The baked pretzel, paired with the sausages & sauces, way too salty.

However, the Black Label Burger, very good, rich, tender, decadent.
Photo - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/the-crow-bar-and-kitchen-corona-del-mar?select=RO34ZPeppAwjF6IUkCPkhQ#2GXwxvv2IkUqTHIm6daCEQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>

The Fennel Baby Back Ribs: Good; moist; different; dry rub; tasty

The Kit Kat Bar: Good; a bit challenging to eat; very hard to share (Served w/a scoop of ice cream)
Grand Total: $133 (Including tip)

After dinner, I was able to chat w/Curtis and who from my guess, was the Manager.
The Crow Bar is open til 2am (Thurs - Sat), and Midnight (Mon - Wed), respectively.
(i.e. - So, if the house is empty @ 10:30pm on a Tuesday chances are they're closing shop early.)

Overall, a solid 4 Stars.
The food was good; the service, great! 'With as many plates that the staff has "spinning" here at any one time, they were on top of it... 'Impressed.

Overall ambiance is a mixed plate of local hipsters(young & old), to just locals hanging out & having a good time. Yeh, I can see this easily becoming a habit.

- Big Aloha!  

Food: 4
Ambiance: 3+
Service: 5
Value: 4

I went in here once for lunch. Ordered a soup and sandwich. Took FOREVER TO arrive. Tasted HORRIBLE. Returned everything and walked out the door. Stay clear from the Crow Bar and Crow Burger chain if you're there to eat. Horrible experiences!