BM
Bruce McCubbin
May 2, 2026
Boy, what wasted potential. Old school Baltimorians remember this spot os The Brass Elephant, and you can still see vestiges of that celebrated spot. The Mount Vernon location is central to theaters and museums.
We made reservations to have dinner before seeing a play a couple of blocks away. There was no need to. The place was empty when we arrived, and there was no host to greet us. We went to the bar and the bartender said she would seat us. She also said she would be our server.
Our party of 4 was seated at a table for 10. It was covered by a tablecloth but had no napkins, flatware, salt or pepper. We don't consume alcohol any more; it's one of those things. One in our party ordered an iced tea. Two others ordered ginger ale. The ginger ale was served in rocks glasses--maybe 4 ounces of liquid plus ice. Priced at 4 bucks--a dollar an ounce. Based on that, a can of convenience store soda ought to cost $12. Then, the server came back to say they didn't have iced tea available. So, water in a 12 oz. highball glass it would be.
On to the food order. The Fried Chicken sandwich was listed on the menu as bring on a brioche roll with. With what? The menu provided no clue. The server didn't have any clue, either. It took a trip to the kitchen to find out. The server was asked what the soup of the day was. Had no idea. Back to the kitchen to learn there was no soup of the day.
At some point, our bartender/server was assisted by a gentleman who identified himself as the General Manager. He was pleasant enough, although he seemed as if he really didn't know the place or the menu. Turns out, he and the bartender (the only front of house people we saw), were both on day 3 of their employment. How do I know? They volunteered the information when apologizing for various shortcomings. Some of those shortcomings included having to ask 3 times for flatware, napkins, and salt and pepper.
Time to order dinner. They wouldn't take the order until they took a credit card to keep as security behind the bar. Got to admit, that was something new in fine dining for me. The card was eventually returned before dinner was served. Based on what we had just experienced with no soup or iced tea, we asked the GM if the kitchen was out of anything else before we ordered. He went to check, and it turns out they didn't have shrimp, either. By this time, I wasn't going to trust them to properly prepare the Chicken Chesapeake or Broiled Scallops I had been considering. So I ordered a smash burger, figuring that it was harder to screw that up. Another in our party did the same, someone ordered the Fried Chicken Sandwich, and one person took a flyer on the Mushroom Risotto. The sandwiches came out along with what looked like two orders of wings (which we didn't order) instead of the risotto. The GM said, referring to the wings, "You're sure you didn't order this?" The wings were taken to some other table and we waited for the risotto as they had obviously not prepared it along with our sandwiches.
There was nothing special about the food. Nothing memorable about the food quality, taste, or presentation.
Time for the check. It's disclosed on the menu, but a non-negotiable 18% gratuity is added to the check. You pay via QR code on the check. The site that opens strongly suggests an additional 18%--this time on top of the mandated 18%. You've got a bunch of somewhat non-intuitive clicks to execute if you want to forego any additional gratuity, as I did.
But here's the kicker: I got a notice later in the evening that they tried to process an additional almost $10 charge against my card before apparently thinking better of it and issuing a credit to my card for that bogus charge. And, the charges were placed by a restaurant--MoMac Brewing in Portsmouth, VA. Very odd.
In summary, their website is what they aspire to, not what they accomplish. Service is also aspirational, made worse by the required gratuity. The best I can say is that the food is meh. This place, for us, suffered from a delusion of adequacy. We won't return.
I drove two hours from Philadelphia with my husband to try this restaurant, expecting a nice night out with good food and professional service. Unfortunately, my experience was extremely disappointing and reflects serious issues with this restaurant’s service, food quality, and overall management.
From the moment we arrived, I was charged a $20 entry fee for karaoke night. That alone set the expectation for a well organized restaurant with a good atmosphere and efficient customer service. Instead, the experience quickly turned into frustration.
The service was incredibly slow, disorganized, and lacked basic hospitality. We were left waiting for long periods without attention, and simple necessities like napkins and silverware were not provided. The restaurant felt unstructured and poorly managed, with no clear system in place.
The food quality was just as disappointing. I ordered grilled wings, and they came out cold, overcooked, and burned. That is a basic kitchen failure that should never happen. Although a remake was offered, it took one hour and twenty minutes, which is completely unacceptable. I declined the remake due to the delay, yet I was still charged, which shows a lack of professionalism and customer care.
What made the experience worse was the lack of proper management. There was no sincere apology, no urgency to fix the situation, and no effort to make things right. Good restaurant management should prioritize customer satisfaction, and that was clearly missing here.
As someone dining out for a special experience, this was not just disappointing, it was frustrating and poorly handled from start to finish. This restaurant is in clear need of better management, improved staff training, and stronger customer service standards.
If you are looking for a restaurant with good service, quality food, and a well managed environment, I would strongly recommend going somewhere else
JP
Jamell & Tia Pratt
May 1, 2026
Driving two hours from Philadelphia, I expected a professional dining experience. What I encountered instead was a complete collapse of basic restaurant standards.
The experience started with a $20 charge at the door for karaoke night, which immediately sets an expectation for a well managed, engaging environment. That expectation was not met in any capacity. The service was painfully slow, unstructured, and lacked even the most fundamental elements of hospitality. There were extended periods with no server presence, and simple necessities like napkins and silverware were not provided without asking.
The kitchen performance was equally unacceptable. My grilled wings arrived cold, overcooked, and burned, which should never leave a kitchen under any circumstances. A remake was offered, but after waiting one hour and twenty minutes, it no longer held any value. I declined the replacement, yet I was still charged, which reflects a serious lapse in judgment and customer handling.
What stood out most was the absence of competent management. There was no sense of urgency, no ownership of the issues, and no meaningful attempt to correct the experience. The operation felt disorganized and poorly led from top to bottom.
With 15 years of experience managing within five star restaurant environments, I can confidently say this is not a minor service issue. This is a systemic failure in leadership, training, and operational execution. This establishment is in immediate need of experienced management and comprehensive staff training to meet even basic industry expectations.
This was not just a disappointing visit. It was a clear demonstration of how poor management directly impacts every aspect of a guest experience. I would not recommend spending your time or money here.
JP
Jamell Pratt
May 1, 2026
I made a deliberate two hour trip from Philadelphia to experience this establishment, and what followed was a comprehensive breakdown of hospitality at nearly every level.
Upon arrival, I was charged a $20 entry fee due to a so called karaoke night, a charge that immediately establishes an expectation of elevated service and atmosphere. That expectation was not just unmet, it was entirely disregarded.
The service was unacceptably slow, disorganized, and devoid of basic coordination. Simple fundamentals such as napkins, silverware, and attentiveness were neglected. The environment felt chaotic, with no visible structure or leadership guiding the operation.
The food execution was equally deficient. My grilled wings were served cold, overcooked, and visibly burned, an elementary failure in quality control. A remake was offered, but after waiting an additional one hour and twenty minutes, the effort became irrelevant. I declined the replacement due to the excessive delay, yet I was still charged, which reflects either a lack of competence or a disregard for customer accountability.
More concerning was the absence of effective management. There was no meaningful apology, no urgency to resolve the situation, and no indication that leadership was in control. The entire experience reflected a deeper systemic issue rather than an isolated mistake.
After 15 years in restaurant management within five star environments, I can say with confidence that this establishment is operating well below acceptable industry standards. It is in urgent need of experienced management, structured staff training, and a complete overhaul of its service protocols.
This was not simply a disappointing visit, it was a clear example of operational failure. I would strongly advise others to reconsider before investing their time or money here.
AF
Atruemommy first
Apr 26, 2026
Parked my car around back. We came inside and were seated. Waitress took our order. Fyi parking is $13-16 so just find parking on the side streets.
The utensils are cheap plastic wear. This is not a place to go if you’re looking for conversation on a date. To put it simply it’s ratchet. Music is very loud you cannot hear. The food is horrible, steak was not well done and we asked for well done, grits were cold, pancakes had 2 small slices or strawberries on top and 2 blueberries 😂💀 pne syrup. The sausage links looks like the ones that you buy in the grocery store in the box and probably microwave links. The prices for the food don’t meet the expectation of what you get. This is a place to drink and smoke hookah.