So...Whazzzup!

14:00
01 Sep 14

     As today is National Holiday yours truly is Holding Standby. That is to say,  I am on call for any grand emergencies such as a loose animal on the freeway or an RCMP assist call. Other than that it is a non-paid work day which allowed me to finish off the month end paperwork.

     The other night my BETTER HALF and invent out to fo a bit of furniture shopping and to go out on an adult date night. I had never been to the Prime Chop House restaurant in Courtenay and I was eager to check it out. For those of you who have not had the opportunity to go please let me be your guide.

     The Prime Chop House is a very upscale restaurant located at the bottom of Ryan Road in Courtenay. The decor is high end and very functional. The dining area has seating for couples, families and parties. The lounge area can also accommodate similar groups. A quick look at the bar stock showed the alcohol on hand to be pretty much standard but the wine selection was impressive. The food...well let's back up shall we, my BETTER HALF and I, arrived at 16:00 hrs and stood in the foyer to be greeted by ...no one. The greeters lectern was there but the place looked devoid of staff, and customers come to think about it. Then a call from the lounge,  "Hello. C'mon in. Pick any seat you want."

     So, with his permission, we wandered the restaurant and admired all that was put onto it. I must admit the owners spared nothing on the construction materials or the fixtures. I was very impressed. After a look see we settled on the patio, outside the lounge. The gas fireplace was not on but thin blankets were available at each seating area for anyone who felt a chill. Quaint touch actually. We sat for an eternity with no one coming to ask if we want drinks, applies, mains or anything and then finally, fifteen minutes later, the Phantom Waiter arrives with menus. We inform him that we have never been before and yet he offers no suggestions or informs us of any specials. The only thing we were told was that the Prime Rib was only available after 17:00. Well, the way things were dragging on we might as well order it. But no.

     We ordered drinks. They arrived in the normal amount of time and that's when we order our appy, a flat bread (with pesto, fresh greens, crumbled feta and a balsamic reduction drizzled on top) and our mains. My BETTER HALF ordered a Prime Burger with fries and I selected an eight ounce Top Sirloin with a blue cheese green peppercorn demi glace. To acompany my steak I asked for a baked potato.

     Fries with that sir?

     Baked, please.

     Fries, right?

     No, baked.

     Right.

     The weather was turning iffy out on the patio so we opted to join the warmth in the lounge. There were new staff members in place and we were assigned a new waitress. It was no surprise that our appy was delicious and our mains were pretty good. My LOBSTER said her burger was tasty but the texture was crumbly. As a result, it was too difficult to eat as a burger. Then there was my steak. It wasn't bad. I had much better at the former Monte Christo on the River. The demi glace wasn't all bad but the fries were good even though I ordered baked. But who was I supposed to bitch at. Our waitress hadn't taken our order the owner did and he hadn't written it down.

      In all it wasn't a bad experience. I would have to try it again before passing a final judgement. But they had better get their shit together.