Food ran out. Staff shortage apparent. Unkempt tables throughout venue. Ran out of clean plates. Felt bad for diners who arrived after 7 because all that remained was paella.
The Cavalier has breathtaking views but their Garden Party was a colossal disappointment. The venue ran from 6-8. We arrived at 6:15 to find 2 of the 3 food stations out of food! We were told people showed up early so they put the food out early. As a result, we were able to sample only the paella and churros. They need to have servers or food tickets or something to monitor the greedy guests so the rest of us can enjoy the experience, too.
The Cavalier hyped up its weekly themed garden parties by advertising to buy tickets before selling out. We paid $50/ticket a month before Paella & Sangria night. We checked in at the hostess desk outside Becca, only to be led through the Raleigh room outdoors then to walk past the pool to the event check in. It was not even 6 pm when people already grabbed tables. There was no more seating outside, so the 4 of us stood at a high-top table. The photos in the email were misleading because there was no wooden low-top table for 8 nor iron patio tables. All high-standing & low-seated cocktail tables were on the hill overlooking views across the street. There were 3 stations serving food and 3 types of sangria. Station 1 had the best sangria. The server pre-filled wine glasses w/ fruit before pouring sangria & ice. The paella was the only generous dish served. Some replenishments of paella did not have sausage & shrimp, just clams & muscles. Too much water made the rice mushy. Station 2 ran out of food (tacos) well before the first hour ended. I asked the server when the food was coming. He said, âItâs not. People attacked & filled their plates.â The sangria at station 2 was watered down; he pre-filled glasses with ice which melted before pouring sangria & adding fruit. At station 3, the churros were skinny & airy; the dulce de leche sauce was runny not thick. The rosé sangria was watered down because the server prepared ice in the glasses before pouring sangria, sprite and adding two pieces of fruit. There were not enough plates or silverware causing long waits. It was gross seeing people refilling their used plates. Only 1 runner picked up dirty plates/glasses from overfilled tables. The musician was likely paid for 1 hr because he performed for 30 min, took a 30-min break & repeated. After 8pm, an employee told us to leave because they were âsetting up for the next event.â We had a fun evening, but the food & service were not of Cavalier Hotel/Becca/Marriott quality!
Station 2 ran out of food the first hour. The paella station had a line because the paella kept running out and there were gaps of time between it getting refilled. The food and sangria were delicious, but they had difficulty making sure food was available. Setting was nice.
We went for afternoon tea. Food and location was amazing! Would have liked to have been offered more tea.
The event was great, the food was delicious and the staff was super friendly.
Loved the decor, the atmosphere and the simple details put into the event. The venue is already beautiful and they put the outdoor at the BBC dry best use write those themed even for the summer. But on and BBQ was an enjoyable experience.
Great place for cocktails. Food is pretty ok. Service is great
Burbon? BBQ
We came for the Bourbon and BBG Garden Party. I am usually at The Raleigh Room every other month for the ladies champagne night and this event sounded like a nice night out with my husband. The set up was lovely out on the lawn but it was a little chaotic. Event started at 6:00 but we didnât get in until 6:20 because the line was so long. The bourbon tasting was nice albeit tense as someone with a clipboard kept telling the young lady pouring the samples in the tiny plastic cups that the pours were too big plus the bottles were not available to be purchased on site and the store downstairs was closed. The food was good but on a hot day somehow cold. We didnât even bother with dessert. The worst part was the complementary bourbon cocktail we received with our entry ticket. I got the blackberry bourbon smash and it tasted like cold flat water with smooshed blackberries floating in it. My husbands bourbon punch was equally awful and what should have been pineapple juice tasted like it had turned and was bitter. The tickets at $50 a piece did not come close to reaching their value and we left and went to another restaurant to finish our evening.