Whoops! Brunch at the Tap House

If you follow me on Twitter, then you know that "R" and I have been frequenting the Tremont Tap House a lot lately. Not only is it located in one of our favorite neighborhoods, but it is just the type of place we envision ourselves owning some day (and I do mean some day). The exposed brick, funky decor, warm lighting, casual atmosphere, and outstanding food often fits what we are in the mood for. I've been nothing but impressed with the food we've had there: gourmet burgers, home made pizzas, seafood entrees, hanger steak, and ahhh the Hot Pretzel with Imperial Stout and Smoked Cheddar dip ($6). Of course I can't forget to mention their extensive beer list!

They have a nice happy hour, with several food specials including the house burger for $5.

However, we stopped in for their famous brunch last Sunday and what a disaster it was! For once, I will not be writing about the food- because it was that terrible. My Steak and Eggs was missing the red onion relish, the steak was well done, and the eggs were severely under cooked. I will be writing about their service and how well they responded to an unfortunate situation.

Brunch begins at 10 AM on Sundays, and we arrived around 10:10. There was one other table seated. Our waitress quickly informed us that the chef had not arrived yet, and everything that included a hollandaise sauce was not available (which is nearly half the menu). We didn't mind, and placed an order for two items sans sauce. As the bar and dining area began to fill up, we realized that the chef was still not there. Over an hour later, our food had still not arrived and the staff was scrambling to handle the situation. Both owners were present, and stopped by our table several times to apologize. The food finally arrived- prepared by a sous chef in over his head but he served us with a smile and great attitude. It was pretty bad. As we finished our meal, one of the owners- Christopher Lieb -stopped by one last time. He apologized profusely and gave us his business card. "Next time you want to come in, just give me a call and we'll get you a gift certificate, " he said. Apparently his partner had run to grab some, but would not be back before we left. We were thrilled with the offer and thought that it was very appropriate. Then came the surprise. We received the bill and they had taken $15 off the $34 bill- almost half!

Things happen. Anyone who has worked in the restaurant industry understands this more than most people. It is all about how you handle the situation, and the owners and staff at the Tap House handled it better than I've ever experienced before. I will not hold this disastrous brunch against them, and you can believe that we'll be back there soon!

Tremont Tap House and Grill
2572 Scranton Road
Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 298-4451

*photo courtesy of Stuartblog2