Del Ray Café

Reviews 4

ME

Melissa B.

Note: I sent an email to Del Ray Cafe. It has been more than 17 days and there has been no response. My family and I have dined at Del Ray Cafe numerous times - ever since our little one was a few months old. The most recent time (late July), we met up with some friends who are currently stationed in South Korea. They were stateside for a week and were wanting to eat a delicious brunch so we thought, "Why not go to Del Ray Cafe - they never disappoint! And they are family friendly!" Well, unfortunately, we left disappointed. We were a party of 6: 4 adults, 1 preschooler, and 1 toddler. Everything went pretty smoothly for the majority of the meal. Towards the end of our brunch, my daughter let out a toe curling, ear piercing shriek. I instantly reacted and I got up to distract her. I began pointing out the window saying, "Look at the birds! Look the cars!" etc and she started to calm down. Almost instantly, a man - who I think may have been the manager - came up to me and my daughter and said, "Those doors leads to the outside. If you could go out there, thatd be great." He turned the door handle and basically ushered us out onto the wooden stairs that leads to the parking lot. Mind you, it was incredibly hot outside, I was holding my toddler in my arms, and I didnt haven a chance to grab my cell phone, diaper bag, etc. - or to let my husband and friends know what had occurred. After spending a few moments outside, we walked around to the front of the restaurant, re-entered the establishment, and made our way upstairs to rejoin our party. Im at a loss. Im shocked at the behavior of the individual who directed us outside after my daughter let out a scream (again, we have visited this establishment numerous times and I have seen babies, toddlers, and kids let out belly laughs, screams, tears, and everything in between). Im also shocked that I was not given the benefit of the doubt that I know how to handle and calm down my own daughter (note: she did not scream outside after we were ushered out - she was quiet.). As a parent, and a person who enjoys good food, Im cognizant of the fact that a toddlers meltdown or tears can negatively impact the dining experience of others. If my daughter had been screaming for several minutes, and I was not actively trying to de-escalate the situation, I would perhaps understand being approached by the manager. But, that was not what occurred. I reacted as soon as she began screaming and I was actively managing the situation until we were ushered outside. I understand that the brunch hours get busy and are demanding of the cooks, wait staff, and the manager. But, I do not think it was appropriate for the manager to behave in that manner. And, again, this restaurant promotes itself as a family friendly establishment. Although we thoroughly enjoy your food and the ambiance, I dont believe we will make it a point to come back.

AN

Andrew Haley

"The IHOP of Alexandria". This place is overrated for sure. We were seated at a bench by the window sill, so our plates were sitting at approximately neck-to-chest height depending on the individual. My gf had to sit on my folded jacket to be able to eat at all. You can get equal quality food from a diner off the highway, here its just slightly more expensive. It really doesnt live up to the reviews. But the one star is really for our waiter. Our waiter started off great, even got my gf some hollandaise sauce when she asked for it for her eggs. Good job! From then on he was unresponsive and unusually brusque, slamming our water glasses down and sauntering off without ever looking at us when we thanked him. We hardly saw him and when he did he refused interaction in any capacity. It gave off a vibe like we were quite the burden for him. We werent going to say anything though, we were going to just leave. But then he didnt come to pick up the check. Eventually, another waiter did and handed it to the manager. When the manager returned it to us to sign, he asked how the service was... So we were honest, we didnt like it. Well, apparently the manager immediately went and reprimanded the waiter. Our waiter returned and leaned over our sill so he could position himself inches in front of both of our faces and chastised us, "You complained about me?! I dont understand, I brought you hollandaise sauce, WHAT KIND OF SERVICE DO YOU WANT??" We werent about to have a fight with a waiter who is now shouting at us in front of the entire restaurant, so we just handed him the signed check and tried to get him to leave. Look, we both worked service jobs for 7+ years. If someone complains about you, the absolute last thing you do is confront them loudly and aggressively, demanding they retract their comments. Frankly this guy should find a new line of work. Maybe he was having a bad day, who knows, but dont bring it into the job. Its also worth noting that parking is atrocious here, but, that really shouldnt be held against the place. Better to walk if you really want to eat at IHOP in Del Ray.

RO

Ross Santos

This place is a french country style dining. The place is in a house converted to a restaurant. If you are seated on the first floor, the AC from the floor will get pretty cold. The waitress will cover it for you if you find it too cold. When you get seated, you will be offered bread. Take it. The bread was warm and delicious. Not as hard as you thought the crust will be. Just the right toughness. We had Norwegian Salmon Gravalax with Seaweed salad. The presentation was beautiful. Make sure that when you eat it, to take a piece of the salmon, the seaweed salad, a small slice of tomato and use the dressing around it. The taste will just explode in your mouth. For wine, we selected a bottle of Bordeaux, Vieux Chateau, Graves, France 2010. Light to medium bodied, perfect for us to taste the food and not empower it. I highly suggest this. For entree, we had Maple Leaf Duck Leg Confit with Roasted Potatoes and Rosemary. When we dined in La Bergerie, this was a hit for us and since the owner bought that place, we wanted to try how it tasted in Del Ray Cafe. And sure enough, this was well structured entree. The salt level is just perfect. To finish, we had Chocolate Terrine with Grand Marnier Orange Creme Anglaise. It was filling. It wasnt too sweet. The chocolate terrine was very soft and moist.

ER

Erik

Eh dont think it was worth it. At first I thought I found a great new spot! But... We ordered a mimosa and Bloody Mary to start. Mimosa was in the smallest little glass but cost $10. Should have been free refills. Bloody Mary cost $9 and tasted like vodka and a cheap mixer. No old bay on the rim not very spicy or flavorful. Tasted worse than the bloody Marys I got for $1 at a brunch spot in Norfolk. I got the chicken salad sandwich and garlic fries. It was an open face sandwich. But I feel for Chicken salad you want a full sandwich. Pro-Tip ask for the Croissant. My gf got the burger it was pretty good. It was a good size not overly huge like most places these days. At the end of the day just didnt feel like it was a $57 dollar experience Tables were small and the outdoor deck was a mediocre view.