fried olive appetizer at downtown restaurant in berkeley CA

I think it all comes down to the fried anchovy-stuffed olives in terms of whether or not I’ll ever go back to Downtown in Berkeley.  Six of us went there for dinner recently to celebrate a birthday and had a subpar experience from the get-go.  First off, we were seated in the back room, which I was hesitant about, since it does not have the same vibe as out in front, but I figured I’d keep my big mouth shut for once.  Bad idea, as the service was not good.  Bread was slow in coming (which was particularly irritating for this meal, since much of what we ordered turned out to be so watery and/or skimpy, but more about that later) and water and other beverage refills were almost nonexistent.  As a matter of fact, the server assistant was not very nice when he caught wind of our unhappiness.  Instead of trying to turn things around, which is really not so hard to do with our group, he just seethed each time he had to bring us something.

Let’s start with the apps.  Matthew and I had just had the patatas bravas at Cesar, where they are magnificent.  I broke my own rule by ordering something that is great somewhere else and I was again reminded why I have that rule.  The patatas at Downtown were a shadow of what they should be.  They were like soggy steak fries that you could have anywhere, with a wimpy sauce.  We also had an $8.50 fried calamari that was made up of the smallest, most uniform rings that I have ever seen.  My question about the uniformity and lack of tentacles was met with a “deer in the headlights” look.  I cannot believe that Downtown uses a manufactured, frozen product, but I can’t explain what we were served.  As usual, we loved the fried olives, and ordered two plates.

All six of us had the chicken entree, which was not consistently plated, with several of us not receiving one or more of the stated accompaniments, and with the pieces of chicken varying in size from miniscule to reasonable.  I wondered who was expediting that night.  The jus on the dish was little more than stock, and it just didn’t work, to boot.  I felt bad for the whole party, having “pushed” the chicken, given how excellent it always was at lunch, regardless of how it was being served on any given day.

The server caught on to our displeasure and did not add the automatic gratuity to our tab.

I was really surprised to find this state of affairs, having eaten at Downtown many, many times for lunch – back when they served lunch – always finding the food and service fabulous.

Here’s hoping they just had a bad night.