Moestly Harmless
Posted on | April 3, 2008 at 6:52 am | 5 Comments
Pet Peeve of the Day: Yesterday I had lunch at one of the few restaurants close to work that I had never been to before: The Moe’s Broadway Bagels on Grant St. The reviews I saw of it online (like here, here, and here) made it look pretty good, but my experience was not optimal. First of all, I thought the service was problematic. There were only two people in line when I got there, and yet I had to wait at least 10 minutes after ordering before receiving my sandwich. I think it was closer to 15. It’s not like I ordered anything complicated: just a corned beef reuben on a jalapeño bagel. I don’t think the bagel was even toasted, though the swiss cheese was melted and the sandwich was warm. The staff (which was pretty big) was fairly friendly, but they also seemed to be preoccupied with other things, though I’m not sure what, since there weren’t many customers. I also had trouble understanding what they were saying, as no one talked very loudly and the acoustics were bad. I repeatedly specified that my order was To Go, but when I finally got it, the sandwich and chips were in a paper basket as if I were eating it there. (The sandwich was also wrapped in aluminum foil.) When I reminded the guy that it was To Go, he just wrapped the whole thing in plastic instead of putting it in a bag like they did for other orders. That made it awkward to carry back to the office with the drink and the copy of Westword.
I was not impressed with the food either. That was one of the blandest reubens I’ve ever had – the meat, the cheese, the sauerkraut, the thousand island dressing – none of it had any distinguishing taste at all. It was like a lump of lukewarm, soggy Generic Food Stuff. Worst of all, the jalapeño bagel was not the least bit spicy. I could see and taste the jalapeño pieces, but they had no bite to them. After the meal, the whole thing just sort of sat in my stomach. Even the fountain drink was all carbonated water and very little syrup. The online reviews say their bagels are the closest thing in Denver to New York bagels. If so, I pity New Yorkers, because they’re not getting the real bagel experience.
I know I shouldn’t judge an eatery on one bad experience, but it makes me really not want to try the place again. At least the price was right: I think they didn’t charge me for the drink upgrade. Maybe it was just an off day. Maybe I’ll give them one more try, just to be sure.
Latre.
Comments
5 Responses to “Moestly Harmless”
April 3rd, 2008 @ 8:39 pm
Sandwich shops are very hit or miss because even if the ingredients are good, the service can ruin it.
April 4th, 2008 @ 6:26 pm
Next time, tell them you’re an online reviewer – simple.
(I was gonna post a much longer comment, riffing on how you hated every last detail but said you’d still go back to give them another chance; but we’re a bit busy this weekend as I’ve just become an uncle and apparently we gotta put up a website and a blog for the little tyke…)
April 4th, 2008 @ 7:20 pm
how you hated every last detail but said you’d still go back to give them another chance
I’m a glutton for punishment. Oprah says it has something to do with my childhood.
April 6th, 2008 @ 11:14 pm
Simple Rules:
1. No decent bagel west of the Hudson
2. No decent Reuben west of the Mississippi
I derived these rules after extensive empirical research. Keeping them dear has saved me from brutal disappointment these many years, especially after the move to Seattle.
April 7th, 2008 @ 11:44 am
I beg to differ on both counts, though I’ve never actually had a bagel east of the Hudson, so I couldn’t compare. I’ve had some damn good bagels around here though. I doubt real NY ones are soooo much better, but I’ll have to reserve judgment. It seems like it would be hard to routinely mess up a bagel, despite the bitching I did in this post.
Locally, I love the Reuben at Choppers.