Bison County

Reviews 4

JA

Jay Mohr

Came here tonight to celebrate a friends birthday party with a group of folks. Id been here before - it wasnt anything mind blowing, but I enjoyed it and the food was really good. As a whole, I wouldnt consider the place terrible, but its definitely not my first choice when picking a restaurant among all the other options on Moody St. The first problem was as we arrived - it was a 90 degree day out, so I was hoping to get a reprieve from the heat when we went in. No such luck. I dont think it was as hot as it was outside, but myself (and most of the group) spent the majority of the time in there pouring with sweat. Only twice during the entire hour and a half did we feel any sort of breeze to relieve us. The open grill was a nice visual effect, but not if its going to keep the entire room so hot. The food was all right. My boyfriend had the 3 pepper pasta with no meat, and I had the chilli cheese quesadilla. His pasta was all right but most of the flavor was drowned out by the ground pepper and heavy cream. My quesadilla was mostly chilli with no cheese. Good, but nothing to write home about. My boyfriends soda was either flat, watered down, or both. The biggest downside to the experience, however, was the service. The waitress, while perky, was pretty rude during our meal. She was inattentive, and we had to flag her down more than once for refills on drinks during the multitude of times she walked by the table. Once she finally delivered a refill, it was the wrong drink and we had to wait another 15 minutes or so before she would acknowledge us to get the right drink. She also brought some of the wrong sides to the table and seemed annoyed with us that we were denying they were ours. Lastly, and while I cant fault her too badly for this because I know it can be frustrating - some of my friends are cheap and a pain in the butt with the bill, so we explicitly called ahead to confirm we would be able to get separate checks for the meal. We were told yes. At the end of the meal, the waitress brought out a single check. We very politely (knowing what a pain it is) asked for separate checks - the waitress failed to mask her annoyance for the first second before sweetly saying "sure." She then walked away and rolled her eyes with such force I think it changed the Earths rotation slightly. We separated the checks with our payments neatly organized, and we had to try calling her over for another 30 minutes before she would take our payments. All in all, the experience was pretty mediocre - on a night where the staff didnt seem particularly busy, the service made us seem like an inconvenience more than anything else.

JE

Jeremy Krantz

While I really want to like this place, especially since my favorite Waltham joint, Jake Dixies Roadhouse closed 2+ years ago, I cant help but expect and want more out of this place. And Im not alone either, as my significant other and my friends had the same comments based on our visits there. And its a shame really, especially considering how little competition they have in the area, Blue Ribbon aside. They have a great location, right near the top of Moody Street, with a ton of parking lots and street parking available. They have the space, with 30+ tables and a long bar as well. They have a great craft beer selection as well. But the big issue here is with the service and the food. First off, the food is very average. Ive sampled all kinds of things there, from their wraps to their bison tips and their BBQ plates, and most of it is bland or very average at best. But the kicker here is that in most instances, they charge a few bucks too many for their dishes. An example of such is their appetizers. Some are as cheap as $4.95 but most are $8.95 and more. $9 for a cup of chili? Seems pretty steep to me. Their fried pickles ($5.95) are decent, but few come in the serving. On the upside, most of them are eas to share although their spinach and artichoke dip ($8.95) wasnt all that great when I had it last week. Their entrees arent much better, and I was not a huge fan of their ribs. Their pulled pork sandwich ($9.95) isnt all that great either, and their Bozeman bison tips ($17.95) were dry and again, bland. Even the sides are average at best. All in all, it just seems like the place strive on serving very average food at a premium. Their service isnt all that attentive either and all in all, it quickly loses its appeal. Every single time Ive seen the bill there I felt like it wasnt a good value at all. So while they have a great craft beer selection, the rest leaves to be desired including the inconsistent service which often times is inattentive and slow. Meh.

KR

Kristi Capello

I WAS ASKED TO LEAVE!!!! The food was decent, not great. I tried an egg roll type appetizer with chicken, rice, and cheese and was not impressed. It was almost all rice with only a few bits of chicken in it. The Buffalo burger was good and the sweet potato fries excellent. What completely ruined both experiences here was the owner. Both times I was there the owner was there watching his staff. Which should be a good thing if you know how to manage people and arent an overbearing control freak. The staff couldnt make a decision without looking over at him. You could feel the tension in the air. The staff was trying so hard that I had 4 different people coming to check on my table, and it was only me. Every time they checked, they looked at the owner to make sure they were seen. If they made any type of mistake he confronted them in front of guests. One waitress was almost in tears because of his rudeness. But, what closed the coffin on this place for me was when THEY ASKED ME TO LEAVE... I had not had my plate cleared from the table for even one minute. I was relaxing finishing my cocktail, watching the Celtics go down in flames, when one of the waitresses came up and said, "Can you pay your bill and either go, or go to the bar?" "We have a wait for tables and we need yours" Mind you the place was busy, but I took a table specifically because I didnt want to go stand around a bar with a bunch of idiots. I wanted to enjoy my dinner, the game, and relax after a busy week. I am not exaggerating on the time at all. I still had half a cocktail and the plate was still on the way to the kitchen when I was approached. Needless to say, I wont go back and you shouldnt either!

A

A Private User

Alright, were not in the south, so Im not expecting the BEST. Whats received at the Bison is really, REALLY good though. Of all the spots on Moody Street we find ourselves here most. South Carolina Wings are AWESOME - we go simply for those. The beer selection is MUCH better than average (mixed w/ local craft brews). The atmosphere is very comfortable and inviting. To the namesake, the Bison Burger is great - as are many more items on the menu (apps, etc. I do agree with another reviewer, however, that brisket is sub par (sorry - you want the best go o Texas BBQ in Northboro). I would give a higher rating but the prices were recently raised ($8.95 for a bowl of chili!?) and service (in the main bar area where we sit 95% of the time) is spotty. We now set our expectations based on who is going to serve us and that just shouldnt be the case at such a fine establishment (okay maybe we go too much). One more thing, although sufficient, a dysfunctional and graffiti torn bathroom is not sheik - a proper lock, utilities and decor should not difficult to maintain (especially when so close to the grill). $5 a week/month to slap on some new paint is all it takes. Applause for finally getting rid of the CRT TVs but why arent all HD FDPs? Well see you there soon!