Wonders of Wine and Food

 Rough Times at Pat Quinn's

When you go to one of the city's finer (?) dining establishments, with those oh so high prices, one expects the service and food to be impeccable. This is indeed what we anticipated at Pat Quinn's. A classic steak and seafood restaurant in Tsawwassen Springs. Oh, how they failed us!

Barbara and I had arranged to meet our friends Peter and June at the restaurant; we arrived to find them already seated in the lounge. The restaurant section was fully occupied; however, only two tables occupied the lounge. Once seated, we studied the menu; June and Peter had already been served a glass of wine. It was long before the server acknowledged Barbara and me; it took him even longer to take our drink order.

The lounge began to fill up with golfers coming in off the course. Our server seems to have done a disappearing act; it was some time before he returned with our wine and even longer before he took our order. The server was direct in his manner, no hellos, no how your day is going, just "what do you want" to order.

I ordered the Beef Dip, my usual go-to order when unfamiliar with a menu. I always instruct the server I do not want cheese, onions, or anything else added, just beef on a bun, served on a plate, not a wooden platter. 

The wait was incredibly long before the food was presented. Only being in the company of good friends made the wait intolerable. It was now over an hour since we entered the lounge at 1:00; we were headed towards 2:30

When the food finally arrived, we were starving. June and Peter had the shrimp sandwich, which was huge! They said the sandwich was excellent. Barbara had a salmon burger, which was also excellent. My beef dip arrived with cheese, onions and arugula. I was far too hungry to send it back; obviously, the server did not pass on my requests to the chef! But why would someone put a leafy green on a sandwich designed to dunk in the Au Jus?

At no time during the meal did the server come back to the table or offer us additional wine or water nor ask how our meal was

At one point, the restaurant's food and beverage manager came out and cleaned a table off with the skill of someone who had no idea what he was doing. Once the meal was completed, the server removed the dishes coffee was ordered, but after a long wait, with no coffee in sight, the order was cancelled, and the bill was requested. We got quick service then!!

It is our policy to inform the establishment of our concerns. If they respond positively and satisfactorily, we do not write a negative article. Pat Quinn's management team did not respond.