Saloon On Calhoun with Bacon

Went to meet an old friend - picked here based on location & reputation.  Mehhh- not too impressed for for all the rave reviews.  Nice selection of beer.  But, since I am one of the few people in the world who doesn't believe everything is better with bacon, menu was just OK.  Service left something to be desired, but I am hesitant to say more b/c I don't want to cause Dave D d owner to go and review security footage & go on a defensive tirade that the service was indeed spectacular (see other reviews that are 2 star).  Hence, 3 stars are rounding up from 2-1/2.

Aargh! This is a tough one for me. I really, really, really wanted to like this place and give it a higher rating. However, because of the absolutely horrible service, two stars was all I could squeak out.
Here's the story....the wife and I went in for lunch yesterday (Wednesday, 4/3/13). There was one other table (2 women and a child that were just finishing up), a single person at the bar and a beer salesman roaming around when we arrived. That was it. We were told to seat ourselves, which we did. Menus were on the table and a drink order of a couple of sodas was taken and they were delivered promptly. Our food order of a Saloon Burger with onion strings and a BLT with house chips was taken. That was the end of any semblance of decent service. The food took an unusually long time for us being the only table, but when it did it was definitely worth the wait. Yes, I know that we're only talking about a burger and a BLT here, but the wife and I both agreed that both sandwiches were among the better that we have ever had. At first I thought that the sweet peppered bacon might be a little too sweet with the roasted garlic aioli, but with each bite of the burger it worked better and better. And even though the burger was cooked slightly past the medium rare that I ordered it at, it was still juicy and delicious.  Both the sides, the house chips and onion strings, were cooked perfectly and were also delicious. Even the pickle spear was crisp and delish.  I would just have one tip for the cook/chef, a little bit of Alton Brown 101....put the spread of garlic aioli on the bottom part of the bun, not the top.  This thin layer of fat that the mayo provides will act as a barrier between the burger and the bottomof the bun and prevent it from becoming wet and soggy.  It makes for a better presentation and a more manageable sandwich to eat.
Back to the service....when we both had only about two or three bites of our sandwiches left, our server (who was a blonde woman that also appeared to be the bartender and manager) finally came over to check on us and see if we liked everything.  Well, its a good thing we did because what was she going to do about it at that point if we didn't? She then brought me a soda refill and that was the last that we saw of her at our table. We sat there with empty plates that we pushed to the edge of the table for ten minutes waiting for our plates to be cleared and a check to be delivered. It never happened. Finally, my wife stood up and put her coat on and I did the same.  After standing by our table for another 5 minutes, clearly ready to go, my wife saw the bartender/server/manager woman doing a shot with her bar customer...the person that she had been chatting with for the last 15 minutes while we were waiting.  Now, I don't care if bartenders drink.....I've been in the business a long time and I know that it happens.  But when your shot of booze at 1245om on a Wednesday can't wait 2 minutes while you atttend to the customers that you are waiting on, that's a huge problem for me.  It's unprofessional and it shows some serious poor decision making.  The other waitress, who was completely clueless, could have cleared our table and dropped our check if she had been trained properly to do so.  Clearly, she wasn't.  She only had one table, that had arrived after us, and spent the rest of her time wandering around aimlessly.  I'm sorry if this sounds cruel or mean, but this is REALLY what was happening.
It was amazing to me that a restaurant that just appeared on a national television program less than 3 months ago was so dead with no customers.  There are restaurants that were featured on these type of shows 2 to 3 years ago that are stlll riding the wave because they are doing it right with great food and killer service.  The two things that any successful restaurant needs.  The Sallon on Calhoun has great food , but the service left us feeling irritated and, honestly, sad.  There are so many restaurants, and businesses in general, that would kill for the kind of exposure that this place got for nothing. And it appears to all have went up in a poof of smoke. What a waste. Sorry, but we will not be returning......

I love Saloon. I love the staff. It is like a Cheers of Brookfield. You need to try it a couple of times and you are hook.