Problem: Quiessence has been a favorite for the better part of the last year, mostly supported by the superb service provided by Brook. We've eaten here with both large and small parties, enjoying the atmosphere and a somewhat refined attempt at farm to table dining. Alas, Brook has now left and we are left to the devices of the kitchen that seems off its game and a wait staff that lacks both in warmth and proficiency. That said, I'll speak for myself for the remainder of this post and let the remainder of my party vote on their own. Our most recent dinner was the worst meal we've eaten here, and seems to be part of a continuing decline of the establishment. While the food has always veered to the side of too salty, the whole meal lacked proper seasoning - either too heavy or too light to be enjoyable. We started with the charcuterie, which was very nice. The chicken pate was excellent and the headcheese was a delightful surprise. The aged gouda was also delightful, with a nice bit of bite. The downfall was a set of crostini that were so heavy in salt and garlic that they overwhelmed the items placed on top of them. Drinks arrived at this time and the manhattan was very nice. That said, the house specialties were a huckleberry highball that lacked flavor and a take on a French 75 that was so bitter it couldn't be consumed. Honestly, aside from the champagne, I'm not sure how the drink even qualified as a French 75? I will take a moment, however, to note that the wine selection here is excellent. The staff knows their bottles and we are always pleased. Next came a kabocha squash soup course that was truly underwhelming. The soup itself was the consistency and flavoring of a pre-packed Trader Joe's product. Being a fan of the Japanese pumpkin, I was hoping for something really special here and it failed. The one highlight was the inclusion of a razz cherry that proposed a nice complement. Moving on, we had a round of appetizers. The smoked duck breast with brussel sprout has and poached duck egg was over salted and the overwhelmed by the duck egg. A highlight was the lobster mushroom pasta, which had a delightful flavor. I would suggest it. The more traditional salads were very nice. On to entrees. I cannot lie, this entire course was a terrible miss. I ordered some goat that was entirely inedible. I've only had goat in more ethnic preparations and was interested to see what was going to be plated. It was salty, stringy, fatty, and I could not eat it. The white beans served on the side were nice, and the mash next to it was unremarkable. The opah that was plated was also a serious miss. It was salted to the point of being inedible and the texture was off. I've known this to be a more delicate flavor that I experienced last night and I question the freshness of the product. We also tried a gnocchi as part of this course, which was on par with something i'd expect from an Olive Garden. The flavors were terribly heavy and the texture of the sauce was 'goopey." We finished with a desert course, Honestly, at this point the table was so exhausted that we weren't sure we even wanted to sit for the course. It was a delightful surprise. The bread pudding was exceptional. The deconstructed s'more was fun and delightful. This was the highlight of the meal and we closed on a light note. In short, for the price I expect more and am disappointed by the trend I'm seeing. I hope to see the service warm again and the kitchen come back to what we initially experienced. For the money, I'd send you to Kai.
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A: negative

Problem: I used to come here a lot and the food was fantastic. This place used to be underrated and then all of a sudden it became really popular. Ever since that happened, the food started to be lower quality and just not taste very good. I give it 2 stars because it used to be good, but really it should only get 1 now.
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A: negative

Problem: This is sub par to the other frozen custard places that have pooped up like weeds as of late. The place smelled and was dirty. The food was over priced and tasted bland. The concrete was okay, nothing special. This is place will close down before to long.
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A: negative

Problem: This place recently came to Mt. Leb and it immediately hopped on my "Eat Here" list. I went with my guy after a heavy night of adult beverages and we needed greasy food ASAP. Foremost, the set-up of the restaurant is awful. We walked in to the store to the grill line and some bar stool seating (no alcohol involved). We tried to order there, but were sent back to the "dining area." Our waitress was young and very slow. She didn't make much of an effort to connect with us or help us order, even though we told her it was our first time there. We ordered chili cheese fries from the menu as an appetizer - of course, they came with our main course. Tim and I both ordered custom burgers from the Burgatory-esque menu pads. The toppings that were available were extensive specialty items - avocado, smokehouse onion cheddar cheese, season your own burger? Why don't you have seasoned meat, BnDz? Our MTO burgers were tasty, but nothing special...even with the added specialty toppings. They were both over-cooked. The dining clientele itself was very interesting. One woman knocked over her glass of Pepsi and her waitress took a total of 20 minutes to clean it up (with paper towels, no rag or mop). Nothing made sense about this place.
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A:
negative