Level One: A quick review.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008 by The Knowledgemonger
Last night, I was by association invited to dine at Level One, the new restaurant that will be opening its doors to the public very, very soon.The restaurant is located on the first floor of the building that also houses Cobalt & 30 Degrees. Overall, for a employee opening it was a fantastic success. There were some minor critiques given to the management staff that I hope they take constructively.
The Cajun Chicken Sandwich, Burger with Gorgonzola Cheese & Pot Stickers were among the favorites for our table. Very good quality cheese is being used for the burgers and the taste was exquisite. The pot stickers were fried to perfection and the sauce accompanying it was delicious as well.
Only, food complaints from me were as follows: The calamari were just not right. They lacked the right flavor and the use of only the rings was just not getting it done for me. On an up note the chef was not particularly happy about this dish and seemed to take the feedback well. The Lemon-Caper Aioli was a good sauce to accompany calamari and I am hopeful that this dish will be improved when they are fully open. The bun for the burgers were burnt and I think that has to be stopped from making it to a table in such a state.
The staff, overall seems friendly, but I think further training in their respective areas will yield better results. No where on 17th Street do you get exceptional customer service at a restaurant and I think this leaves Level One with a fantastic opportunity to capitalize on this failure, just by being friendly. The host stand did not know exactly how to be the face of the restaurant and did not greet us in the most friendly of manners, which I hope is only because of the hecticness of the situation and not a foreshadow to future performance.
The night was a success and great times were had over a couple bottles of wine with good friends. I wish them good luck and hope to see a lot of success come from this space. Once their website is up and running I will give a link to it.
The Cajun Chicken Sandwich, Burger with Gorgonzola Cheese & Pot Stickers were among the favorites for our table. Very good quality cheese is being used for the burgers and the taste was exquisite. The pot stickers were fried to perfection and the sauce accompanying it was delicious as well.
Only, food complaints from me were as follows: The calamari were just not right. They lacked the right flavor and the use of only the rings was just not getting it done for me. On an up note the chef was not particularly happy about this dish and seemed to take the feedback well. The Lemon-Caper Aioli was a good sauce to accompany calamari and I am hopeful that this dish will be improved when they are fully open. The bun for the burgers were burnt and I think that has to be stopped from making it to a table in such a state.
The staff, overall seems friendly, but I think further training in their respective areas will yield better results. No where on 17th Street do you get exceptional customer service at a restaurant and I think this leaves Level One with a fantastic opportunity to capitalize on this failure, just by being friendly. The host stand did not know exactly how to be the face of the restaurant and did not greet us in the most friendly of manners, which I hope is only because of the hecticness of the situation and not a foreshadow to future performance.
The night was a success and great times were had over a couple bottles of wine with good friends. I wish them good luck and hope to see a lot of success come from this space. Once their website is up and running I will give a link to it.
