The Fatted Calf

Reviews 3

A

A Private User

MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT! I went twice, giving them the benefit of the doubt the first time. Both experiences were dismal! MENU: Limited breakfast and lunch. The first time we went was at 10:30AM. Im not much of a breakfast guy but my wife is. HOWEVER, they only serve the breakfast menu until 11AM. Their main competition (Rockwalls Route 66 Classic Diner) who is only 300 yards west serves their entire menu all day. How difficult is that? DECOR: Gloomy. While Im sure that THEY believe that theyre being all cutesy, the tiny overhead chandeliers provide just enough light to create a Draculas Castle atmosphere. There are ceiling tile speakers but no background music. All of the furniture appears to be second-hand (even though this is a relatively new restaurant) AND IT SHOWS. The "lunch counter" is laughable with mismatched stools ... cracked, chipped, and obviously home-made by an unskilled amateur craftsman. FOOD: Heres where the rubber meats the road folks ... and the report aint good. My wife had the waffle for breakfast and it was edible. Nothing to write home to Mama about and nothing really to complain about. I chose not to order, having been denied the opportunity to order something other than morning fare. For Lunch on our second visit the food was not even lucky enough to be unremarkable. It was horrid. The Cuban Sandwich that my wife had contained ham that (instead of being thinly sliced as traditional Cuban sandwiches are) was the thickness of breakfast ham steak; likewise the pork tenderloin. The pickles were NOT traditional dill slices but the same sweet and spicy pickles that they serve as garnish on EVERY plate. The waitress explained that they only buy one type of jarred pickle (oh, that excuses everything). Cuban bread? Not a chance. They used a standard hoggie roll and smashed it flat in a panini press. Calling this sandwich Cuban is about the same as calling the bottle of Heinz ketchup on the table "fine Italian marinara." I had the Reuben sandwich which was pretty much flavorless. The corned beef was flat and fatty, the sauerkraut had that "canned" taste and the thousand island dressing was spread very thin onto the bread and then scraped clean so that only a minuscule amount remained. Yecht. We both had the fries ... edible (its hard to screw up fries). However, the super special "Basil Lemonade" (at an outrageous $2.50 per glass) is simply fresh basil dropped into a glass and then filled with the standard fountain slop. They dont even made their own fresh squeezed lemonade for this "house specialty." How discouraging. Other reviews on the internet have touted how the "chef" uses fresh, locally grown, organic products in the preparation of their food. I dont buy it. SERVICE: Spotty. The first time we went we had an older waitress who seemed to have a "give a crap" attitude while the second time we went we got a younger, much more energetic waitress who was "Jonny on the spot" with drink refills. Having said that, however, it DID take 25 minutes from the time we ordered to get our two sandwiches ... so plan on spending half of your lunch hour waiting on your food. LOCATION: With parking on the Rockwall square being nonexistent, plan on 10-15 minutes looking for a place to park and then walking another 5-10 minutes to the front door. (Hows the timing on that lunch hour now?) OVERALL: NOT RECOMMENDED. We will not be returning. If you read this review and then decide to brave the culinary embarrassment that is The Fatted Calf in Rockwall ... good luck. Youre going to need it.

HE

Heather Valcik

Worst experience I have ever had at a restaurant. I had heard the food was good and had been wanting to try it for awhile. We decided to go for my Mothers Day breakfast. The website said the restaurant opens at 8am so we arrived at 8:20 to find out they were not opening the doors until 9am. Many others showed up also expecting the restaurant to open at 8am. A huge crowd formed outside the restaurant and no one comes out to apologize or explain the reason for the opening time change and they dont offer to start seating anyone even just a few minutes early even though people had been standing outside for an hour. It is mad chaos when they open the doors as everyone is trying to get in to get a table. When we finally make it to the hostess stand we find out they are only serving a Mothers Day buffet and the regular menu is not available. With a buffet comes more $$$ so I was furious to find out that they did not explain this on the website or for the hour that we were standing outside. When I shared my disappointment that we have been standing outside for almost an hour and that the regular menu was not available with no communication from the restaurant the manager just looked down, would not look me in the eye, did not apologize and did not show any sympathy for the fact that Ive spent my Mothers Day morning waiting outside for an hour to get into their restaurant which they shouldve clearly stated online that they were having a Mothers Day buffet and were not opening until 9 AM. This is a regular practice that restaurants do when they have a special menu and especially if they are opening later than their normal time. Im sure they have a great staff and great food and I feel bad for the employees who have to deal with the consequences of their poor management. We understand that these things happen, but for them not to apologize or express any sympathy is really a deal breaker. There are a lot of restaurants with good food, but if you dont have customer service down Im not going to waste my time or money. Dont waste your money with this restaurant that has horrible customer service, rude and unsympathetic people especially on a special day like Mothers Day. Worst management Ive ever seen. Heres a little tip, The Fatted Calf - updating your website and posting a sign on your door with the changes would have saved you a huge headache. Pretty simple!

A

A Private User

Rockwall has got it going on with its dining scene.... you hear that Rowlett?! With Zanata and Ava providing upscale and hip farm to table creativities... The Fatted Calf by contrast gives the best home cooked, farm to table breakfast and lunch in the area for a reasonable price in the fashionable downtown square. If you are a fan of the I Hops and Denny’s of this world.. the taste of real food may insult your palate. First the cons: made from scratch instead of pre mix and open up a can and warm it up, leaves open the possibility of some inconsistencies like the biscuits may be perfect one day and dry the next or the food may have "salt pockets" one day instead evenly seasoned through out the next day. These inconstancies can be hashed out, pardon the pun, over time. The service can be a work in progress to but again... over time these will be corrected. Pros: if there is a line and a wait then one may consider this may be THE place to be. If the is no wait one may wonder what others KNOW that YOU dont. The hashbrowns are real and made from scratch, meaning the cook is grating REAL potatoes and cooking them on a griddle. If you think McDonalds hash browns taste better, again please consider real food may be an insult to your palate. Did i mention farm to table? That means you may not see a SYSCO truck dropping off pre-made. highly processed frozen food at the back door. That also means in season food made fresh only when in season. The bread is homemade.. though it is brought in. The jam is homemade. The breakfasts are just like you cook at home from scratch... if you knew how to cook from scratch (that means no cans or opening a pre-made processed package). Add in a little culinary creativity and you get things like the biscuit sliders, Chicken and Waffles with Poblano sauce, Chesapeake Eggs Benedict (that can be too salty at times), and homemade pretzels (yes bring those back Joey) If the Fatted Calf is a terrible experience to you… please tell ALL your friends not to come here. IHOP and Denny’s have a table waiting. Real food... imagine that.