One of my weakness is a juicy burger, especially if it comes with awesome fries. I know it is not the healthiest food option, not by a long shot. But, we all want some comfort food every now and then… So, one weekend morning, we were looking for a brunch place, and we found this spot that had burgers. And yes, fries too.
We walked in, it was not too crowded, and we were seated pretty quickly. They had a bar with TV screens on the left, and table seating on the right and majority of the space. It was a nice space, large and open. The openness can be both good and bad. It can allow natural lights from outside to reach every corner of the restaurant, but at the same time, sounds and noise can do the same.
The furniture was quite simple, with wooden tables and old-fashion looking metal chairs. Earth-tone walls and simple decor, and their silverware and napkins were in a beer mug, which was interesting. The noise level was very high, it was extremely loud in there. The music was blasting out, and people trying to talk over the music, not a good combination.
I ordered the Fort Tryon Red Eye Burger ($15). It comes with homemade grill beef patty, applewood bacon and American cheese, topped off with a sunnyside up fried egg on an English Muffin. It also comes with a choice of fries or salad, and one complimentary drink of your choice. When I put in the order, I heard the waitress say “how would you like egg cooked?” I was surprised since I thought it was predetermined, but I still answered and said “sunny side up.” She raised her eyebrows, almost rolling her eyes, and said “no, the burger” in a smug way. I guess she said “how would you like IT [the burger] cooked” but the music was so loud I couldn’t really here her every word. And then the attitude? Well, it didn’t end there. The Brunch menu comes with one complimentary drink of your choice, but she didn’t say a word about it, so we had to ask for it. I asked for a hot tea, thinking that she will then proceed to tell me what kinds of tea selections they have, but she just said “ok” and walked away. I was starting to regret entering this place.
When she returned with our drinks, she brought a coffee for my husband, and a hot water with lemon for me. She realized she forgot the actual tea bag, so she laughed it off and came back with Lipton Black Tea. I am not sure if this is the only tea they have, since she never graced me with the information.
As for burgers, we both ordered the same, my I asked for hand cut fries, and my husband asked for home fries. When they were brought to the table by another staff, they both had hand cut fries. So we had to send one of them back. The waitress, seeing that only one of us have the food, didn’t even ask what happened or anything. When the correct order was brought out, it had no condiments. So we tried to get the attention of our waitress, but no luck, she didn’t even look at us. After 5 or more minutes went by, we finally got attention of someone else, the same lady who seated us, and we asked for ketchup and mustard, which she brought immediately. I think maybe she is a hostess and a manager?
I did like the container that those food were served in. Kind of old-fashion, silver tin serving tray. Keeping the same feel as the interior.
But, despite the horrible service, burger was good, huge, juicy and tasty. Fries were crispy and quite delicious. Home fries were surprisingly good too, crisply outside and potato-y inside. Good seasoning without being too salty.
I couldn’t finish the whole thing, so I decided to take the rest of it home. Again, we had no luck getting the attention of our waitress, but we were able to get the hostess lady back, and asked for the food to be wrapped up. She was very nice, quick, and helpful.
The entire time we were there, our water, coffee, and tea did not get a single refill. The waitress didn’t come check on us at all. After seeing that we were sitting there with the leftover all wrapped up and ready to go, she finally asked us if we wanted anything else.
The experience could have been much better, as we did enjoyed the food. But horrible service with bad attitude can ruin a pleasant meal. I was surprised how uninterested she was in servicing her tables. Even when we were asking for condiments to the other lady, the waitress walked right by and heard the conversation/request, but didn’t even do or say anything. Thank goodness for the other lady who was really nice. Additionally, it was about the end of Brunch hours, so it was not that busy, so she could have given more, proper attentions to her customers. Even if you are having a bad day, you should never take it out on your customers, and never, NEVER roll your eyes at them! Just a little respect goes a long way.
Tryon Public House – 4740 Broadway, New York, NY 10040