04/30/2022
We dropped in at The Warrior Hotel Autograph Collection last night. This is a beautiful property, if you haven’t been down to see it you absolutely should.
We decided to check out The Crown, which is their rooftop bar. I included a picture of the view which was the best part of the experience. The place was decently busy and we seated ourselves at the end of the bar. The cocktail list looked great and we were eager to get started. After waiting few minutes the bartender acknowledged us and we ordered our first drinks;
The Naughty or Spice was a good drink, I enjoyed the spicy flavor, which thanks to the allspice dram became more intense the longer it sat.
The Plush Pear was a smooth drink, that is a great autumn or Christmas flavor, but may benefit from being brightened up for the spring.
This is where the speed of service issue began showing. We sat with empty glasses for quite a long while and finally got the bartenders attention and ordered round two.
The Soco These Nuts was a bit of a mess to be honest, the shaken almond milk did not blend well and the result was a lumpy affair.
The Yippee-ki-yay Hardliners! Was a fantastic drink. The coffee-cherry flavor was amazing. I could sip on these all night.
Luckily, or so we thought, a second bartender arrived. I tried to get his attention even going as far as calling him by name when he got close enough for me to read his name tag, with no response. This is the point that both bar tenders abandoned the bar. We sat for a long while before we decided to time how long they were gone, and clocked over 4 minutes before they returned.
Our next order was the Tanqueray Tingle, I like a good gin & tonic and this was pretty good. Again I think this was more of an autumn drink with the rosemary and cranberry. The menu called for the allspice dram again which should have, I assume, provided the tingle but was not in mine.
The Blue-footed B***y was a tasty treat, I enjoyed the blueberry flavor and the basil was a nice touch for me, but my friend does not like basil. He made fun of me for saying basil properly, apparently it’s pronounced bayzil here in America and he thought my way of saying it was quite hilarious, this coming from a guy who used the word groovy in an earlier conversation.
Unfortunately due to the slow service we did not complete the menu. I think this could be a great place they just need to seasonally update the menu and put some systems in place to help the staff succeed.
Getting a bit hungry we decided to continue our adventure downstairs at Woodburys. Again a beautiful restaurant and bar. Again speed of service was an issue.
Our bartender was friendly but overwhelmed, they definitely needed more than one the sheer size of the bar, and the fact that she was responsible to make drinks for the tables as well as the bar demands at least two. They had an abundance of wait staff who could have been utilized to help the lone bartender.
Our first order was the 6th street Old Fashioned, it was well crafted and classic. A delicious drink.
The Triple Citrus Mojito was pretty good, it was a bit sweet for my taste, and the mint was just placed on top. You must s***k the mint!
I was craving a proper Mojito at this point as it is one of my all time favorite drinks if done well. I ordered a classic even though it was not on the menu, our bartender delivered perfectly. It was delicious!
The Harvey Wallbanger was another well balanced classic.
The hand crafting of the cocktails at Woodbury’s matches the classic design of the restaurant itself perfectly. Well maybe make that mojito a classic.
I want to add that our bartenders were all hard working and diligent, and the speed of service was not limited to the bar. We ordered the three course meal on special and we ended up leaving before the desert, we were just not willing to wait any longer. The food we did get was delicious.
I think putting in place some good systems and providing some training to staff would enhance the customers experience. The potential here is amazing.
