Philip Bloom

Review of Plumed Horse

Had a birthday meal there tonight, and at a little...

Had a birthday meal there tonight, and at a little over 150 dollars a person I left feeling fleeced rather than delighted.

However they set up their heaters, the outdoor table wasn't getting any and was frigid. The service was distracted throughout, taking long intervals and generally failing to clear the mess from the table until it really started piling up. Chintzy pop music was playing throughout, which kind of really just felt right on point for the ambience. Seeing Voss water being served (at 10 dollars a bottle) just helped hammer in that I'd sat down at a place giving the impression of fancy while taking me for a ride.

The puffed rice was agreed to be the star of the meals which is a sad callout. The antelope dish was pretty nicely put together, but basically looked tiny on the plate. All of the dishes were really. The scallops were okay but felt drowned by the truffle and hard to get a nice blend of flavors. Didn't really come together for me. The pork belly was presented well, but was sort of eh, possibly because it was shared and didn't work well as it being just about four bites. Hadn't realized it was a michelin-star before, but would never go back.

I'd rather spend twice what I did here at Alexander's and leave full and like they were delighted to have me there. Or in the same price range at Wakuriya where at least there'll be a half dozen plates this size with attentive personal service. My partner immediately put food in to cook right on getting home because they left hungry.