Went to meet an old friend - picked here based on location & reputation. Â Mehhh- not too impressed for for all the rave reviews. Â Nice selection of beer. Â 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. Â 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). Â Hence, 3 stars are rounding up from 2-1/2.
Review Source: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. Â Both the sides, the house chips and onion strings, were cooked perfectly and were also delicious. Even the pickle spear was crisp and delish. Â 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. Â 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. Â 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. Â 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. Â 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. Â Now, I don't care if bartenders drink.....I've been in the business a long time and I know that it happens. Â 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. Â It's unprofessional and it shows some serious poor decision making. Â 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. Â Clearly, she wasn't. Â She only had one table, that had arrived after us, and spent the rest of her time wandering around aimlessly. Â 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. Â 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. Â The two things that any successful restaurant needs. Â The Sallon on Calhoun has great food , but the service left us feeling irritated and, honestly, sad. Â 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......
It was my first time here and it will not be my last.
I past here everyday to and from work. This time I decided to stop in and check it out.
It was a Wednesday at about 6pm or so and the TV's were going with games, baseball and basketball. Great for a Sports Bar.
I was greeted right away. VERY friendly. Got a good table. Service was great. The waitress was VERY friendly and it was great to see that not only did she work there, but she was a customer also, so she was able to give me some good recommendations. And with what I had, she gave me some awesome advice.
Since I was alone, I did a lot of people watching. I have to say that, everyone just looked like 'friends' there with the staff. The bartender was just so friendly almost like she had known everyone there for years.. even tho she would introduce herself to everyone. I had never seen that before and it just impressed me so much!! For the friendliness of the staff, I would go there again...
The food... Awesome! I had the Pork Wings. Excellent. Next time I might see if they have like a spicy kinda sauce for dipping, but the sweet sauce was really good. Pork tenderloin wapped in bacon. Excellent. For the burger, I had the Saloon Burger. Absolutly done perfect. The taste of the meat alone was so good. Then with the bacon added and the rest that was added on. It was a great burger.
If there was anything that kinda was a negative was, I was there in the middle of their happy hour, from 4-7pm. They have a little table set up with free popcorn and free bacon. Well, when I go there, the bacon had run out.. That was about 6pm. They filled it up maybe around 6:15-6:20pm. About 6:30 it ran out. It was not filled again and happy hour ended. I guess I do not know if that normally happens, but really, if that is the worse thing about this place (not getting enough free bacon), then that is not all that bad.
I really liked this place a lot. It was fun, The staff was super friendly and the food was really good. I recommend it and I will be back again. And next time, I will be bringing friends!!
Great Job Guys!!
Burger was very good! I had the volcano burger, then chastised myself for forgetting to order it with bacon. And any place that has tater tots as an option has a permanent fan in me.
I just have 2 minor complaints-- The tater tots need to be crisper, and they may want to shop around for better dishwasher detergent. The glass my soda came in was rather cloudy looking, I'm assuming due to hard water. I wasn't concerned, but I'm sure some would have been really turned off. I would go back!
Well the Friday lunch was the saloon on Calhoun. We had four orders which was a small one and they couldn't get it correct. They left out food and I had to go back for the rest of the order which was not bad because I only got 25 feet away when I noticed were we're short. They forgot the soup and when I went back the blond woman said are you sure you didn't get it and I said you handed me four square containers only like I was cheating them out of a bowl of soup. She came back with the soup after a few minutes, we're they opening the can or what. When we opened up our food they forgot to put in the home made chips that come with every sand which on two orders. I had the sunrise burger rare which was over cooked. They did get the runny egg right. For $8.00 the burger was small compared to other places with similar prices and didn't come with chips only a pickle. When you walk up to the place you are hit with that smell of chaired red meat so you think the burger is going to have a good grill taste and it did. The bun was just soft and light enough to hold it together. The bacon, beef, cheese and runny egg worked well. The burger was 3.5 to 4 stars by it self. We also ordered the hay stack onions witch were spicy for some reason and I didn't care for them because of that and I was looking for a more traditional onion ring taste. Now for the fiesta chicken vegetable soup of the day. We're they kidding with this because it was just broth with no chicken or vegetables WTF. No spoon needed you just drink it like a beer and it was tossed. I just seen this place on TV and it looked good so how was this place so disappointing. One would think after having the place just on national TV they would have it more together. I have been to quite a few places from TV and this is the first to be a let down. That being said I would go back for just a burger and a beer and stress to them what rare is. This review is based only on the food and not the service. The place looked like a nice and had plenty of parking by the way.
Review Source:Let's start with the positives: Â the bacon on my burger was outstanding, I tried a piece on its own and it was great. Â I also enjoyed the marshmallow dip that was served with the sweet potato fries and I have to say that the decor and atmosphere were nice for a sports bar plus they had a lot of TV's.
Now for the negatives: Â first of all the service was atrocious. Â When I walked in the bar was completely full and the tables were half full - regardless it's a bit disappointing when you sit down and wait 15 minutes without anyone acknowledging you then after being acknowledged have your server come back 5 minutes later (when I made sure she took my order) then don't see them again for 45 minutes. Â While you have an empty drink glass for most of that time. Â And then, when she finally came back and I asked for the bill I notice that an automatic 18% gratuity has been added.. Â For a party of one. Â Honestly, I would have tipped slightly more than 18% even with the horrible service because the bill ended up being $16.50 and the best option was to just leave a $20 bill and get the heck out. Â But adding automatic gratuity for a party of one who received virtually no service is just a slap in the face.
In terms of the food and drink, I opted to start with a "Diet Coke" which was watery, generic diet soda that just didn't taste very good. Â That being said, I was thirsty so I finished it quickly and intended to follow up with a gin & tonic if I was given the chance - which I wasn't. Â For an appetizer I'm a fan of fried cheese curds when in Wisconsin and I presumed these would be delivered first, before my burger, as would be standard for an "appetizer". Â Well, I guess that's too much to ask but I was at least hoping the cheese curds would be good. Â They were overcooked (so much of the cheese ran out of the breading) and average at best and quite honestly I'd take the cheese curds at Culvers any day over these. Â For my burger I saw some great combinations on the menu and ended up ordering one with cheese, bacon, and a fried egg - on a burger cooked medium. Â The egg was cooked perfectly and the bacon was great, unfortunately the burger was a fairly thin, presumably pre-made patty which was definitely not medium. Â I'm not sure if you could possibly cook it medium so it seems a bit gratuitous to even ask what temperature I wanted when I'm pretty confident everytihng comes out well done.
The food & atmosphere on their own would have probably been 3 stars, but I have to say the service was just about the worst I've ever had. Â And I eat out probably 200 times per year - everytihng from hot dog and pizza joints to sports bars to upscale and fine dining establishments. I have never eaten my entire meal with an empty glass sitting in front of me (and no water was ever provided) - I even mentioned my need of a refill to the guy who delivered my food and he said he would tell my server but she still didn't appear for another 20 minutes at which point I just wanted my bill so I could leave quickly. Â Was it fairly busy? Â Yes, it was a Noon lunchtime service and it did seem they were either understaffed or just disorganized (toward the beginning I also heard my server apologizing to a table behind me for a screwup that was "her fault" and that the kitchen was fixing). Â Was there anybody who would have done anything to improve my experience? Â Clearly it doesn't seem so. Â Needless to say, I won't be back on my frequent trips to the Brookfield area.
A few years ago I moved back from college out of state and found a bar underneath the Barber shop on Calhoun. It was nice, but still needed some 'enhancements'. I move to Denver and now I'm back, the Saloon was the first bar I went to and upon walking in it was different. I've seen them move stuff around but it was packed - it had never been packed before when I had gone in there a year ago.
There are new tables all over the place and the logo has "with Bacon" added to it. Well as they say, everything is better with bacon and I am going to have to agree. The Saloon on Calhoun is better with Bacon! I haven't had a chance to sample the 'bacon' aspect of the bar yet. But they have more events and promotional features than before. They have more live music, which is great for the bar.
Plus, I think they opened up the wall between the bar and the billiards room. It got the needed upgrades and I can see myself spending more time there. It really looks like a lot of fun now and I can't wait to check out the bar on a night outside of Tuesday. Thursday, Friday and Saturday all sound like fun. I've also heard that Karaoke on Wednesday, and trivia on Monday is a lot of fun.
Saloon on Calhoun (with Bacon) you've brought the excitement into that place, now I will be an even more loyal customer!
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