09/22/09

Excellent!

by hitch71

what a delight to dine here! Just went with friends and my child for dinner, they were completely accomodating to my 2 yr. old, had a delicious dinner and great wine list to boot! the place is spotless, and really elegant for a small restaurant. makes you forget you are on ventura blvd when inside!

• Pros: menu, waitstaff, atmosphere
• Cons: small

09/04/09

Best Grilled Artichoke!

by randigayle

Really good foo, its fun to sit at the bar and order a few appetizers and some drinks. The grilled artichoke is delicious and so are the crab cakes.. nice atmosphere and the help are super nice. Very resonable prices, too

• Pros: Nice to sit at the bar and eat some apps

08/09/09

3 Strikes, They're Out! Bad Food & Service

by GwenPenny

We've ordered delivery from Spark BevHills 3 times since receiving their menu in the mail. We were excited to find a restaurant nearby that delivered up scale food (what's better than not having to go out Saturday night, and instead have your filet mignon delivered to the door?).

Unfortunately the service and food quality do not qualify as 'up scale' and do not justify their up scale pricing.

First Order, Strike One:

April '09, we ordered 1/2 order of ribs and goat cheese stuffed chicken. I placed the order online, and within 10 minutes, they called to confirm. After an hour, I went to call them to check on the order, and I had 3 missed calls from Spark. The host said there was a problem w/ the card and he needed the info again-someone had typed the card number incorrectly during processing.

Also delivery guy couldn't find the apartment and had been circling around for 25 minutes looking for the building (its an easy building to find, on a corner lot 1/2 mile from the place). When the guy finally came to the door he was belligerent and apathetic, giggling when I asked how long he'd been driving around and if my food was cold. He also had no receipt for me (no receipt for a $65 meal???). I had to fight with the guy to get the copy of the receipt he had!

The food itself was bland and arrived COLD. The ribs were tender and came off the bone with a fork, though very fatty, and the 'garlic mashed potatoes' were made from instant potato flakes (I am a cook, and I know the difference-It's my job).

The goat cheese asparagus chicken & herb rice was bland and tasteless. The portion was tiny, leaving me hungry after finishing the plate. Gourmet food is appropriate to be served in small portions because it is supposed to be extraordinarily complex and filling- This was not gourmet or complex whatsoever.

Second Order, Strike Two:

May '09, we ordered the goat cheese chicken again (for lack of chicken choices on the menu) and NY steak. Again, the food got to us COLD!

The chicken was the same and the steak was overcooked (we'd ordered medium and it came well done). The steak came with a 'smashed potato'- a baked potato that had been smashed with a fork. No spices, no flavor, etc...And not enough gravy came with the steak to dress the potato. (At least it was a real potato) In all, the steak, chicken and their accompaniments were bland.

Third Order, Strike Three:

We had an out of town guest, and decided to order again from Spark. COLD food, again!

This time I again ordered ribs, filet mingon and our guest had a Cheeseburger. The ribs were the same, but, the steak was grossly UNDER cooked this time (ordered medium, and it came to us rare) and there was no smashed potato with the steak this time- It was more potato buds. The cheeseburger, our guest claimed, was no better that a Fatburger.

Our bill, was over $85 for a burger, a steak dinner, and ribs.

We've had 2 rounds with Spark, and won't be ordering again. I'd recommend skipping Spark, or seriously lowering your expectations.

• Pros: Delivery
• Cons: Service, Cold & Bland Food, Quality Doesn't Justify Price