dc atlantis

Corks is a bad restaurant.  I had dinner there with a friend approximately 1.5 years ago and the fare was decent, but certainly not worth the price tag.  Following their management shift I figured my chances would be reasonable, and given its proximity to Pub Dog I figured I couldn’t lose.  And I wasn’t wrong – Pub Dog remains fantastic from the service to the atmosphere.  Corks is still a bad restaurant.  The fare is unreasonably priced and no joy whatsoever to eat under the wait staff.  Our waitress poured pellegrino in our wine glasses.  Then left them on the table – you know … so we could… get the extra buzz from the polluted wine?  The fuck?  So after dismal appetizers (bitter greens with an unbalanced vinagrette and no paired sugars – no candied nuts, no pears, no cheese, etc.) and limp beets we had main courses that would make Petit Louis look like 3 star Michelin fare.  Totally unimpressed, our waitress then swung by and offered to comp our problems by offering us free dessert.

Why, and this is a general question that goes out to most restaurant owners, would you EVER consider prolonging the stay of unhappy patrons?  You will not make their evening better by offering more food from a menu they dislike under service they dislike in a room they’ve come to dislike.  If anything, you comp the check, or part of it, and send them off with your apologies.  To be perfectly fair – the peppers were delicious, and I’ve marked the menu items with green for good and red for bad.  Notice the green marks are by and large items prepared by other entities.

Corks, you broke my heart twice.  Get your act together.  Stop charging for services not rendered.  Until then, eat at Pub Dog.  Good salads, good beer, and take a couple grand marnier shots – delicious.