Bolete Restaurant

Reviews 3

SA

Sameer Singh

TLDR: Customer service is terrible and needs major work. We had a reservation for Mothers Day (which we made 2 weeks prior) and on that day we were running a bit late so we called ahead saying we would be 5-10 minutes late to which the person on the phone said "not a problem." So we arrive not even 10 minutes after our reservation time and nobody is up front to greet us or show us to our table. I think no big deal its Mothers Day, they are busy (which they clearly were). After a few minutes someone says "well be with you in a minute," and I think great but then they get caught up serving tables and nobody comes to show us to our table. At this point, I head to the back to ask why we had to wait when we had a reservation, and what appeared to be the owner or manager says "well be with you in a minute" (in a seemingly friendly manner) so I go to the front and we wait again for 5 minutes (at this point its 20 minutes into our reservation time). Subsequently, the same guy comes up front and I ask again why there is a wait when we have a reservation, and now he answers with clear attitude in his tone and says "you called and said youd be 10 minutes late, so the table is wrapping up in a few more minutes." Which makes zero sense and was frustrating to hear. Now I get annoyed and comment that this is ridiculous since we had a reservation and you didnt say you would give our table up on the phone so I dont understand why we have to wait for another 20 minutes. His response to this is what appalled me, instead of showing real customer service and just saying Im sorry for the mix up but it will only be a few more minutes, he argues back saying that we were in the wrong for being a few minutes late. At this point I told him to cancel our reservation as we would be leaving to eat elsewhere (and we ended up getting a reservation at Blue Grillhouse which has phenomenal customer service and great food so our day ended up finishing in a great way). Overall, my mom was really excited about going to Bolete and Im sure the food is very good (as most reviews say), but our experience was ruined by the awful customer service. A simple apology for the mix up is all it wouldve taken (especially when they were in the wrong about giving our table up or overbooking reservations) but instead they blew it and actually had the audacity to give us attitude like we were being absurd for being a few minutes late. Also I forgot to mention we actually thought about getting a drink at the bar since there was a wait but nobody was at the bar either (for a good 5-10 minutes). Customer service is half the enjoyment when dining out (especially on a holiday/special occasion) and Bolete gets 0 stars out of 5 on that.

SP

Spencer Drager

Wanted to be charmed. Had reservations, seated 10 minutes later. Many issues with waitress, some forgivable, some not. 1) When asked to describe a wine on their list: "crisp, delicious... delicious." Similar descriptors for others. 2) Brought wine chiller for one of the bottles we ordered, which immediately overflowed water onto table. She did clean it up, while complaining it always did this. Maybe put less water in? 3) How many ounces is the grass fed NY strip steak? "Uh... not sure... 6oz at least. Maybe 8 or 10oz." She had no idea and did not just say so nor ask the kitchen. 4) Brought another bottle of beer out for a beer which was only 1/2 finished. She was not asked for another. Patron was going to drive and only ever wanted one beer. It sat for 2 hours. 5) After the wine chiller water incident, she was prompted to take the chiller because it was all water and was almost overflowing again. She took it and never returned with a refreshed wine chiller with ice. 6) "Do you drive a Range Rover, Ford, or Hyundai? A car is parked in..." We asked questions, such as, what model? One of us did indeed drive a Hyundai. She had no idea. Where was it? She pointed vaguely and described that it was in the parking lot. Is the car parked in or is another car parked in by the car? No idea. This was very frustrating. The question prompts you to get up from your meal, walk out the parking lot, and inspect if your car is okay. She never came back with answers. I guess it wasnt our car. 7) One from our table ordered a desert to go. She didnt bring it out. Once the bill was paid, we asked her where it was, after which she brought it out. 8) General slow service. We totally get that it is a relaxed atmosphere, and we enjoy that. This goes beyond. The food was good overall. All of the 1st and 2nd courses were excellent. The pub fair was moderate, but the chips were too small and loaded with other accouterments to enjoy the truffle aioli dip. Also the while carriage house atmosphere is unique and enjoyable, the womens bathroom in the literal entrance-way, which is very tight. This is very awkward. While waiting for our table, my wife and two other women, at separate times, shuffled into and out of the bathroom. Can you imagine enjoying having 5+ people watch you enter and exit the bathroom? Also having to ask people to move because in the tight space, people tend to block the door. Not something expected at a high end restaurant. Please take this as constructive criticism. You have excellent cook staff and we love that you run the restaurant as a couple.

LA

Lance Sacknoff

The service was nice enough, but the food was ridiculously overpriced and tasted awful. I ordered raw oysters and a Maine lobster roll. The raw oysters (6 of them for $18) were smaller than my thumb. They try to make the oysters seem larger by heaping a clear gelatin on them and then slapping caviar on top of that, too, which overpowers the taste of the oysters with a cascade of sodium. The Maine lobster roll with hand cut French fries ($22 for the entree and an additional $4 for fries instead of house chips) was practically inedible. Im PA born, and I love my German and central European inspired dishes; nonetheless, this lobster roll tasted like cold sauerkraut and beet puree. I didnt even taste the lobster. To top it all off, my fries were cold. My parents ordered a pig tenderloin special (~$36) and some salmon dish (~$32) and they were, respectively, overly fatty and skimpy on the fish. Also, different parts of the dishes were varying in degrees of warmth. With two beers, two glasses of wine, and the restaurant removing my lobster roll from the check, the bill was still $158 for a really awful meal. And I didnt even address in this review the closet-sized lobby youre forced to wait in, poorly decorated and ill-maintained premises (constantly flickering lights, poor insulation of windows and doors), and inconsistent service between whats expressed on the menu and reality of the place. Avoid this restaurant at all costs. Its an incredibly expensive gamble over "locally sourced" food, and I know more than a few farmers would be offended by this restaurants poor handling of the products of their hard won cultivation in PAs rocky soil. Finally, this visit was my last night in the Valley for at least a year to come, and it broke my mothers heart for us to spend it getting one of the worst meals Ive ever had in eastern PA. 1/5 stars.