I really wanted to enjoy this place. The good: The decor is fun. And the servers are so kind, and even attentive, despite the conditions in which they're forced to work. Really. They're superb. The 2 stars up there are entirely for them. To the owners: Help them help you. And i'm afraid that's it for the positives. The bad: Generally speaking it feels like no one is in charge or that this is the first time the owners have run a restaurant. When you first arrive you are left to find your own seat. That works in some places, but Pallets needs a host stand and a host(ess). This will give a level of defense between the uncontrolled steady stream of customers and the overworked wait staff. It also communicates an element of control over the situation to the customers. When you tell me to sit anywhere I want, you might think it gives me some independence in my decision, but it's just forcing me to work against your broken system to find the least inconvenient seat. Which brings me to my next suggestion: more wait staff and clearly defined sections. Each time I've been there the staff seems like they're managing the entire restaurant. And while I appreciate a team approach (much like Windsor) I never got the feeling that any one server was owning my table's experience. The kitchen. Each time I've eaten at Pallets I've dined with a companion and each time one dish comes up significantly earlier than the other. And each time the runner had no idea who ordered what. There is clearly a timing issue in the kitchen. The food. It's okay. I don't have anything negative to say about it but I also don't have anything really superb to say about it. I wasn't blown away. But that's okay. It' doesn't have to be amazing if the rest of the experience made up for it. But it doesn't. You can't have a disorderly restaurant and just okay food. If the food was amazing it would be worth the inconvenience. (See: The NY soup nazi, or the long wait's at Matt's Big Breakfast.) So there's my constructive criticism. I'll try again in a few months and hope they've improved. However I do have one ranting complaint.. the single element that absolutely drives me crazy about this place... and I can confidently say I won't be coming back until it's gone... the DJ. Why is it that every time I just want to go have a nice piece of sushi I have to feel like I'm in a night club? I could barely hear my friend speaking to me. And why would I want to relax in a hammock with a DJ blaring into my ear five feet away? I don't get it and I don't like it. Save the restaurant some money and just play some music over the house PA.
Is this review positive or negative?
Available choices:
(A). negative
(B). positive
Answer:
(A).