Binkleys Restaurant

Reviews 3

TE

Terri S

Im In The Middle About This One, But Will Try It Again... This is actually a very nice restaurant with a very pleasant ambiance. It also is on the pricey side for what they deliver. Maybe that is my internal debate, that it isnt quite worth the prices, and that they nail some things, and definitely dont nail others. I went on a Sunday evening to check out "Pig on the Patio". I was a bit put off to start with that I had to use valet parking when the lot wasnt even full (I hate having my seat adjustment changed, and you need to tip even if valet parking is free) but I had driven all the way across town, so I surrendered my keys and stayed. I generally sit at the bar, but the seats were rather tightly arranged, so I opted for a pleasant table in a sheltered spot at the end of the dining room. My server showed up in a reasonable length of time, and was friendly and informative. At this point the restaurant was not very busy. I placed my order for the "Pig on the Patio" after a brief description from my server and ordered a beer to accompany it which at happy hour prices, was reasonably priced. Someone other than my server brought me an unanticipated buckwheat biscuit with vanilla butter and something sweet in a mini skillet. It was TO DIE FOR!!! I had to make myself stop eating it to save room for my meal, although in retrospect, I should have consumed the whole thing. No kidding, it was delicious. I am going back just for that! Not too much later, my main course arrived. The Pig On The Patio theme (which changes each week) was "cuisines around the world". There was a generous portion of pork, pulled as opposed to sliced, in a bowl with broth or drippings. There was a bowl of Asian style fried green beans with bits of chili pepper. There was a small cast iron dish of scalloped potatoes with crisp bacon and bread crumbs on top. Finally there was a plate of naan with a dish of garlic lebni (yogurt). The pork was delicious at first, lots of roast pork flavor, but it didnt really mesh with the side dishes and was a bit too rich after a few bites without any acid elements to the meal. The garlic lebni with the naan was delicious, and the green beans were just ok. The top layer of the scalloped potatoes was tasty, but the layers beneath were on the bland side and slightly watery. Overall, the meal lacked any element to brighten it or bring the components together. There were no contrasting elements. I didnt finish any of it, and did not take any of it to go. It left me feeling bored with eating. At $24.95 for all you can eat, it isnt a deal when you arent even motivated to finish any element of the initial serving. I decided that the way to fix the evening was to have dessert and coffee. The restaurant was busier now, though not filled. I had to wait at least 10 minutes after I stopped eating to get the attention of my server, who had quite a few tables and didnt pass within hailing range. From this point forward, everything was very slow. Getting the dessert menu took a while. Placing my dessert order took a while. Brewing fresh coffee took a while, and I was not offered or brought cream with it. My dessert took so long to arrive that my coffee had cooled, and I had begun to think it had been forgotten. Finally, my Cinnamon Bun Bread Pudding with cinnamon raisin ice cream on top arrived. It saved the day. It was perfectly sweet and gooey and warm and redeemed the meal although my coffee had cooled. My check did come quickly, and was processed quickly and thankfully, when the valet fetched my car, he had not adjusted the seat... I dont quite understand my experience at Binks and so this review was hard to approach. Some elements rated a 5 and some a 2, so Im sticking with 3 and will go back again. This is definitely not a place to go if you are in a hurry. I think Ill squeeze myself in at the bar next time and hope for more attentive service there.

VA

Valrey Young

First experience a year ago was fabulous and Chef Binkley was interactive and pleasant, as was his staff. Presentation/food was excellent and so was the service. Thus making reservations for our anniversary - aka Valentines day. Valentines Day reservations 2014. Last night, was a different experience. Of course we knew it would be at full capacity but I am sure the staff was well aware too. We reserved bar seating because you can interact and have visibility to the kitchen; we appreciated the visibility to the expertise of the chef/staff from our prior experience. Unfortunately the staff was very stressed out. Bartender was expected to meet demands beyond the ability of one person but she kept her smile on. The GM AKA Wine pairing expertise was not very pleasant while trying to articulate the origin of the wines. Not sure why he would be expected to educate guests about origin of wine as a GM needs to ensure "General Management". Considering the cost of wine pairing, I think there should have been someone solely responsible for interacting with guests that justified the cost. We didnt have utensils, the serving staff was confused/unpleasant and there was one employee that the others kept belittling in front of us. Not an effective method to encourage a co-worker or employee. We were able to interact briefly with the Chef but it seemed to be more of a required courtesy vs when we met him a year ago when he enjoyed interacting with customers. Which I then understood why the staff was stressed after observing his demeanor. Simply, it didnt seem to be a healthy work environment from a emotional standpoint. Sad faces and few smiles. Again, I understand it was Valentines Day but we expected the same service and professionalism that we experienced a year ago. I will close and suggest to Chef Binkley. Locate your passion and instill it in your employees as you have before. Your talent is very much appreciated and we love the presentation and food. Albeit, atmosphere and/or aura is also a foundation for repeat and referring customers.

A

A Private User

In short - overrated. Food was bland and service uneven. 30 minute wait to the first server contact then no offer of an apéritif. No bread was offered or ever served throughout the meal - only when I asked after the main course had been cleared did the server offer to bring some. The series to gimmicky and not particularly creative entre-mets went from amusing to ridiculous - the culinary equivalent of card tricks. The cutlery is bizarrely tiny and they dont seem to have dinner forks....only salad forks...of course, if those are the dinner forks, you have to wonder how small the salad forks are. My partners starter of prawn tartare barely tasted of prawn at all while my seared fois gras, came with poppy seed croutons, two dried apricots and three blueberries...I thought the days of this absurd minimalism had passed....not in Cave Creek I guess. The main for both was seared scallop pot-au-feu which was nothing spectacular - good, buttery scallops, well seared but served with a brunoise dominated by potato in a bland stock meant to be of scallop but closer to vegetable stock. The desert was equally forgettable. We skipped coffee and fled after settling a near $300 bill. We wont be back and we wont recommend.