Earth & Ocean

06/16/08

Very poor service

by notyouraveragereview at Citysearch

We actually had a very poor experience at the restaurant. We went there for the Father?s Day brunch ? and I won?t even exaggerate if I say that it was ruined (even though the food was delicious).

We got seated right away, - the restaurant was I would say 20% full on Sunday morning (our reservations were at 10:30 AM). But after that our experience when downhill. Nobody came over to take our drink orders, to even offer some water ? for 20 minutes. Finally the waitress came over and asked us the usual ?What would you like to drink?. She did apologizes for the delay though. While we were waiting, it looked like we were not the only people ?forgotten?. At least 3 other tables next to ours were complaining about the wait, and a group of people sitting at the table next to ours was actually complaining to the manager about the same issue. We placed our order and 20 minutes later it arrived. The food was very good though. But nobody came over to refill our drinks while we had our meal, and the same time, they were refilling water glasses with water at the empty (!) table. We were ignored as if we did not exist! We had to wait for another 20 min to get the check, and another 15 to sign it. We did not feel welcomed, appreciated and it ruined our Father?s day lunch experience.

Another disappointing experience was that even with the validation we had to pay for the Valley parking (there are ne nearby streets where one could leave a car on the street - so vallet parking is pretty much your only option) ? $9.95 - common! We are not staying at the hotel ? if we just came to dine, the valet should be free!

We are not coming back ? and we won?t recommend it to anybody.

• Pros: Good food
• Cons: Awful service, experience is not worthy of the price, Valet parking is $10 even with validation

03/23/08

Terrible service, flippant attitude

by bunnyr at Citysearch

Based upon City Searches information for Easter Brunch, we made reservations and confirmed Easter brunch would still be served at the time we were able to attend. When we arrived, there was no Easter brunch, we had 3 or 4 different servers who could not have cared less and couldn't be bothered to bring anything we requested such as butter for our toast. A tea press was functioning poorly, cafe au lait was nothing more than bitter coffee with some milk, and generally it was a depressing experience. My best advice: Don't ever go to this restaurant. They think they are too cool by half.

• Cons: Service, Attitude

01/01/08

Worst food, major attitude from staff, this place should go out of business

by hapansea at Citysearch

We went for New Year's Eve with two other couples. First, they had sat our party behind the hostess bar, I truly believe this could not be the normal set up. We were right next to the fire exit door, and a thin wall protected us from the bar area, which was booming house music. The waitress should get a new job, she was snooty, unprofessional, and flat out rude. I brought a vueve rose, and they forgot to chill a $200 bottle; they left it in the coat room. The menu was fixed and the prices were astronomical for what they were offering. The food was decent but not near what we expected, I much rather of eaten at Daniel's, atleast they have steak on the menu. On a whole, it was an awful experience. The food is way overpriced and it was tasteless. They should not call themselves fine-dining, they are very far from this.

• Pros: the bar after the horrible dinner
• Cons: everything

11/28/07

Just terrible

by devo2400 at Citysearch

My visit to earth and ocean was without a doubt the second worst dining experience I have ever had. The service was very slow and the server had no idea what was on the menu or in the dishes being offered. The food, however, made the service seem spectacular.

11/20/07

Terrible Service!

by nhc79 at Citysearch

My friends and I went to Earth and Ocean yesterday for the 30 for $30 lunch, we made a reservation like the website advised. When the hostess greeted us she said "oh, you're early" with a sarcastic, unpleasant tone. We were only 15 min. early and isn't that better! The food was fairly good, we had 3 courses for $15 which was a good deal, but otherwise, probably wouldn't have spent regular price for the items.

Lastly, the end of the meal was the worst. I needed change for a $20 for valet. I asked the server for change. She brought back our credit card slips but no cash change. We asked her and she seemed annoyed, she finally returned and gave me my change but then had the nerve to say "if 3 five dollar bills and 5 ones show up, let me know"....it definitely had an accusatory tone! I will not be returning!!!!

• Pros: Located inside W Hotel
• Cons: Bad Service

09/20/07

Mediocre overpriced food!

by john_smith_sea at Citysearch

Since Maria Hines left, E&O is not the same. I visited on a weekday and the place was empty (should have been a sign). I sat down and looked at the menu, the least expensive of 6/7 entrees was 32$. If you have a few of them on the menu, I'd expect them to be flawless. They weren't. Our table had duck, steak and salmon and they were all equally disappointing. For a 34$ NY strip, I was expecting a nice juicy piece of grilled perfection. What I got was a boring, underseasoned steak with a lot of inedible fat (I left half of it in my plate) with a dollop of gooey butter on top and overcooked vegetables on the side. The meal price category should not be $$ but more like $$$ and for that price range I'd go somewhere else. I'm definitely not going back anytime soon.

• Pros: Ambience
• Cons: Food price, Food selection

08/28/07

Never again

by hungry4more at Citysearch

E&O is stuck in early 90's. The food, the atmosphere and the service are not what they think they are. Undercooked foiegras....inedible. 4 ravioli (poorly seasoned) for $12? Yikes. Service barely interested.

Housemade charcuterie dry, boring. Service, again dry and boring. If your servers don't even care, why should I? Thanks but no thanks.

01/09/07

Beautiful food served to beautiful people in the hip and luxurious W Hotel.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Scene
Scenesters might occupy the nearby bar, but few spill into the dining room where capable servers cater to groups of well-dressed friends in the spacious area that contrasts dark granite floors with white linen napkins and two-story window along Fourth Avenue. Long strands of mirrors twinkle into the night, adding a little sparkle to the room.

The Food
An emphasis on fresh, organic meats and produce result in frequently changing dishes--true to the restaurant's name, the menu offers a wide range of well-executed meat ("earth") and fish ("ocean") dishes. Breakfast highlights include unusual scrambles and griddle cakes; lunch should definitely include the juicy hanger steak crowned with a generous pat of gorgonzola butter. Dinner offers decadent creations like crisp pork belly with star anise cream and seared wild Pacific salmon with fennel coulis. The creative spun sugar-decorated dessert creations are a luscious finish to a satisfying meal.

11/06/06

Salmon with a knife?

by ryanmcardle at Citysearch

I ordered the Wild Pacific Salmon and was quite disappointed. After I ordered, the waitress informed me that the chef liked to prepare it medium/medium rare and asked me if that was OK. I agreed and 30-40 minutes after I finished my appetizer, she brought it out and it was cooked all the way through and was tougher than chicken. I've never had to use a knife to eat salmon before, especially when it was cooked "medium or medium/rare" but this time I had to. In fact, I wasn't even convinced it was salmon until I took a closer look and poked around for a while. I also tried the mushroom bisque with pumpkin mash. It was presented nicely but the flavor was forgettable.

• Pros: Bread
• Cons: Expensive, loud