22 replies to this topic

[JMB83]

So... anyone go yet? What's the word? Anyone ride the mechanical bull? Seems pretty hoppin' when I drive by at night, but I tend to wait till the opening crowds die down before checking out new restaurants.

[stangage70]

Haven't been... But here is the site for those who want to know more:

http://www.eldoradosaloon.com/

[knittychick]

What a disappointing visit to a new restaurant. I won’t go back unless I hear things have changed…dramatically!

1) We sat on the deck – treed, shaded and very nice.
2) Menu was not the same as one posted on website. I selected a chicken sandwich and sweet potato fries from the on-line menu and was disappointed to find neither was available.
3) All but two employees appeared to be totally inexperienced – they were pleasant, but awkward and somewhat inept.
4) Long wait for server to greet and take our drink order.
5) I ordered Diet Coke and was asked if Diet Pepsi would do; no problem. Oh wait, they don’t have DP either – they forgot to order it. I ordered iced tea and we placed our food order.
6) Non-alcoholic drinks came – not quickly, but not too bad. My husband ordered a 22 oz. beer…that took another 15 minutes after our drinks were served.
7) A few minutes later the server said there had been a mistake with the “ticket” and he brought my husband a second 22 oz. beer “on the house.” I know this may sound like a sacrilege to some of you, but we were out for a relatively quick dinner - my husband didn’t want the second beer.
8) Food arrived. My chicken sandwich was fine, however, it was listed as a “specialty,” and although I have no complaints it was nothing “special.” My son and husband ordered burgers medium and expected some pink – they were overcooked and dry. Fries were fine.

We chose the El Dorado Saloon after reading a write-up in the Life newspaper. Apparently there are three owners who have other business ventures together, so we thought with their experience they would hit the ground running with their restaurant…not so much.

[mylo]

Reviews on UrbanSpoon are very similar. Often with "not available" complaints.

I think I'll give them a while to sort things out (or close) before giving it a shot.

http://www.urbanspoo...El-Dorado-Hills

[Dave Burrell]

Reviews on UrbanSpoon are very similar. Often with "not available" complaints.

I think I'll give them a while to sort things out (or close) before giving it a shot.

http://www.urbanspoo...El-Dorado-Hills

oh snap!, those are all very bad reviews, and with this one today it sounds like a place to avoid for a while

[knittychick]

Last night was not a total loss after all...I learned about UrbanSpoon - thank you Mylo! The reviewers experiences matched mine. Next time I want to try a new restaurant I will check UrbanSpoon before I go.

[Dave Burrell]

Last night was not a total loss after all...I learned about UrbanSpoon - thank you Mylo! The reviewers experiences matched mine. Next time I want to try a new restaurant I will check UrbanSpoon before I go.

Also check out tripadvisor.com, we've been using that one lately when traveling to pick restaurants that have been well rated - hate to waste money and time on a crummy restaurant

[knittychick]

Thanks for the tip. That will come in handy for a trip we are taking w/our trailer in September. Our trip includes The Dalles OR, Cor D'Llaine ID, Banff, Glacier National Park and Yellowstone. Any restaurant recommendations or off-the-beaten-path things we should see or do would be appreciated!

[mylo]

Avoid Yelp. Businesses pay to play there and the reviews are useless.

[Dave Burrell]

Thanks for the tip. That will come in handy for a trip we are taking w/our trailer in September. Our trip includes The Dalles OR, Cor D'Llaine ID, Banff, Glacier National Park and Yellowstone. Any restaurant recommendations or off-the-beaten-path things we should see or do would be appreciated!

We did a 2 week trip to Arizona and planned it all out in advance entirely using Trip Advisor to find and book hotels and find great restaurants. I'm glad to say that every place we visited was spot on accurately rated - it really helped us save time looking around for a place to eat then figuring out which places were better.

I also agree with mylo about yelp, don't waste your time there

[eVader]

Last night was not a total loss after all...I learned about UrbanSpoon - thank you Mylo! The reviewers experiences matched mine. Next time I want to try a new restaurant I will check UrbanSpoon before I go.

One of the reviews matched almost to a T. Sad to hear because that spot has been vacant for so long and we need more independent good value/good food restaurants on this end of EDH.

Although we had just moved into the area and hadn't tried it, we heard the Snooty Frog was good.

[Chad Vander Veen]

Good Lord, it sure seems like a lot of local businesses lately seem utterly incapable of grasping the value of good service.

[nomad]

Good Lord, it sure seems like a lot of local businesses lately seem utterly incapable of grasping the value of good service.

What I don't get is why you would open a business and not be 110% prepared. First impressions are what matters and word of mouth seems powerful. Especially these days when people are going out less.

[SacDJ]

Most restaurants have a "soft" opening where they don't advertise at all and just let people happen upon it so they can get the staff up to speed. The service described in the opening of this thread seems to go beyond lack of experience though. That's just crazy!

I played some live jazz there on the patio when it was Z's Bistro and they were a nice couple, working hard to keep it going. The problem I had with the location was the noise. Cars (and especially motorcycles) accelerating up that hill are VERY noisy!

[mylo]

I played some live jazz there on the patio when it was Z's Bistro and they were a nice couple, working hard to keep it going. The problem I had with the location was the noise. Cars (and especially motorcycles) accelerating up that hill are VERY noisy!

Motorcycles aren't noisy.