Nice restaurant with inside seating and a covered patio. Prompt and courteous service. Five grain salad with added protein (fish) was great! My coworker enjoyed the pork tenderloin scallopini. We also had the sourdough toasted bread with butter, which was sinfully good.
Pork scaloppini was absolutely amazing! Cooked perfectly - breaded pork with sweet, citrus yummiest on top. I highly recommend trying this place!
I’m torn about this review. The Essential was both a great experience and a puzzling one. The food, design, and style of the restaurant was everything I typically enjoy. It has a forward thinking, contemporary and creative feel. However, on a Sunday early afternoon with families all over, somehow the uncut versions of a Lil Wayne song, then a G-unit and 50 Cent were played. As we were trying to enjoy our meal all I could hear was N**ga this, Shake that A**, and B**ch that. I was sincerely puzzled as I looked around the patio and saw all the families and little children there. I thought what happened to easy listening? Who do they think their audience is at this hour? I didn’t want to hear, and imagine others didn’t either but the majority of the people that were there were white and some likely concerned about appearing racist for saying they didn’t want to hear obscenities while eating Sunday brunch. Regardless of the race of the artists, it was a poor choice. Although, that is not usually how conversations like that turnout nowadays. Well, I’m black black! And my wife and I did not want to hear it and thought it was completely inappropriate.I walked away disappointed by that point alone.
If you are a person of color avoid this place at all costs! I showed up 10 min before they opened and was the first person seated on their patio. They proceeded to seat and serve 4 other parties without even acknowledging me. No water, no "we'll be right there ma'am", nothing... They just looked at me and kept serving everyone else. After another 10 minutes I just got up and left. I can't believe in today's woke culture, businesses would still treat people this way. Highly disappointed in The Essential. Shame on you
Lunch took over an hour to be served. Our party of four ordered 2 roast chickens, a sandwich with side salad and a plate of mussels. The mussels were extraordinarily flavorful in a rich, coconut-lime broth. The bowl needs to be accompanied by bread to get the sauce; the waiter kindly obliged me but it really should be part of the meal. I noted my colleagues only ate a few bites each of the chicken, not sure why. We did order the mushroom appetizer and the spring onions and both were amazing.
Excellent service and great food. Small quaint place. Will be back…because i left a half bottle of corked bubbles for tomorrow.I came back. Had the pastrami sandwich to go and ate it out front of the restaurant while there was a 90min wait. This pastrami could b the best Ive ever tastes. It was juicy, fatty pieces, and packed a lot of flavor. The fried egg was perfect. The pictures dont do this sandwich justice. By far the best pastrami sandwich Ive ever had.
We went to dinner here tonight. Our waiter was Kajorie, and he was amazing. He went above and beyond and truly made our night something special. The food was absolutely amazing, and it always is, but the service here is what makes me want to come back again and again.
Our first experience was a good one. It was a busy place but we did not have to wait long for a table. The atmosphere of the restaurant was a lot of fun and the food was delicious. The people who waited on us were friendly and attentive as we sat at the bar. When we got our bill and paid, we had been overcharged, but they fixed the problem quickly by canceling the charge on the card and redoing it at the right price. I am looking forward to visiting again!
good food and good service
Flowing vibes that egress from the bartenders to the hostess. The food was also next level. We weren't disappointed with nice portion size. Clean establishment with good customer service. Moreover, the area attracts people looking for a " nice evening out ".