06/17/09

Quite possibly the worst restaurant I have ever been to...

by taylorwillis

Friends and I decided to lunch at the Polo Lounge having never been there and after hearing wonderful things about it. We were terribly mislead. After being sat in an outside location surrounded by dirty tables, we proceeded to wait thirty minutes before someone came to give us menus.

Everything looked as expected, until the dishes arrived. The fifty dollar plate of scallops was a composition of FOUR scallops, FOUR potato slices and a bland sauce. The steak that was asked to well-done was served rare and cold, the french fries were forgotten about. The lunch took two hours and forty five minutes to complete. Completely outrageous. The staff was unapologetic for their inadequacy.

DO NOT waste your time and money. You would fare much better at LA staples such as the Ivy or even the restaurant at Bloomingdales.

• Pros: Cool setting
• Cons: Horrible service, food cold, food not as described...

04/30/09

polo

by CSMobileUser

polo is great lots of fun great food good service

01/09/09

Old Hollywood ambience and incredible food!

by Trinhw

One of the best spots when you can't decide where to go: always impeccable service, delicious food (particularly the souffle) and oozing in ambience!

• Pros: Everything!
• Cons: Nothing!

04/27/08

Bleh. . .

by foody2thecore

Had I actually had to pay for this food, I would have been irate. It's bland, mediocre, wannabe trendy cuisine that is grossly over priced. Our table ran the gamut of the best their menu had to offer and I have to say it was devoid of any true culinary genius. . .and pretentious to boot. I don't get it - I know everyone loves this place but I'm here to tell you that THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES ON -- save your money.

• Pros: Good Service
• Cons: Not worth the hype.

11/26/07

My first "nonchalant? review

by edskupien

It is much easier to write a good review than an indifferent one. I took an associate there for a business lunch. We were both uninspired. We had to ask for a wine list. It should be routinely given. The list was mostly overpriced imports. Welcome to California!

Our food was cold by the time it arrived. (I hate to ask that the soup be reheated) The rest of our meal was good; not great for the price. I really don?t want to seem picky but????????.

Sometimes it is better to say nothing. Perhaps that is why there are so few reviews about this restaurant.

Always end on a nice note: The service was quite good.

08/26/07

very pricey, nice service though

by pinays

a group of friends went here for brunch. the polo lounbge offers a prix fixe meal with a bunch of choices for your appetizer, entree, dessert and a cocktail.

for the appetizer, i had the crab cake. that was very tasty (not great, but pretty good). the outside had the nice semi-crunchy consistency and the inside was crabilicious. i tasted a friend's tuna tartare and i thought it was just ok.

for the entree, i had the lobster risotto. again, i thought it was just ok, the lobster was nice but it was a tad bit overdone. i tried a friend's halibut and that was too salty and overcooked. the presentation was nice though. we did send it back and the place gladly gave us another option at no charge. so we had the french toast. that was good -- it had cranberries.

for the dessert, i had the chocolate mousse with raspberries on top and raspberry sauce on the side. i did enjoy this one. there was also a side of vanilla ice cream on a small cup made entirely of chocolate. a friend's peach tart was ok -- but i am partial to chocolates.

our cocktails were pretty tasty. i had the kir royale (they call it champagne kir) and tasted a friend's lemon drop. can't really go wrong with these.

the service was good. when we had to send back the halibut, they were very apologetic and made sure that the replacement entree was ordered right away. the servers were friendly. no haughtiness here.

the price is pretty ridiculous though. the cost per person is $48 without tax and tip. the servings are not big and the food, i think is just average.

07/30/07

Standard fare

by foodlova5

This place is more about the scene than the food. Live music with a pretty out door garden would be nice to look upon if it weren't filled with chain smokers. The food is typical american with accents here and there but nothing spectacular. For the money you can get better food elsewhere, however it is a scene worth checking out for a drink.

• Pros: scene
• Cons: smokers

05/28/07

"Lackluster" so-called "fine dining" and a clueless bartender

by mhb1954

Ok, let's tell it like it is... the place has history and is a favorite of mine for fun, fancy lunches. Today when I arrived, I was greeted by a friendly man, who shook my hand and told me that the hostess would be back shortly. We stood in the bar, near the hostess stand and waited about five minutes... when the hostess finally arrived, there was quite a queue... more than ten people lined up behind us waiting to be served. What does the hostess do when she gets there? She takes the first two older women who are pressed up to the hostess stand and completely ignores us standing to her side. I spoke up that it was we who should be seated, but she ignored me. Of course, we were later seated, in a somewhat remote table. Then... service... SLOOOOOW.... where were drinks? Where was some water? Some "waiter?" When I finally ordered the Old Fashioned I was craving, to my astonishment, the waiter asked me "what is that?" I couldn't believe it. I almost wanted to quip "wait, did I step into Sizzler by mistake?" I mean, HONESTLY! So, I had to EXPLAIN to the waiter how to make one, and that was my first clue... "DON'T ORDER IT!" said my conscience... but I let them give it a shot. Well, they "bombed." The drink was horrendous. It was soda and bourbon with an orange slice. I couldn't believe it. Then, we ordered dinner salads. Hey, did you know that you can make a SUPERB dressing with a store bought creamy caesar, olive oil, fresh garlic and anchovy paste? It's my little secret and I'll share it with you, but let's not tell the folks at the Polo Lounge. Their caesar salad, albeit served with excellent, succulent chicken, was so lackluster... if I'd have been close enough to a grocery store and if it wouldn't have appeared too impolite (the place IS a little bit full of itself, you know, so I dared not), I'd have run out and bought better dressing. In the end? The place is simply overpriced and underskilled in the art of fine dining.

• Pros: Beautiful decor, private, unintrusive
• Cons: I'd rather be intruded on somewhere where they have a great bartender and lesser decor!

04/01/07

Brunch is a Good deal

by justla

The Sunday Brunch is really a good value. You get a drink(nice and strong) with an appetizer ,entree and dessert. The food was really great, the atmosphere pretty , but it's mostly older stuffy people.

THe service is top notch!!!! If they could kiss your a$$ they would!!

• Pros: Incredible service. Good Food. Pretty atmosphere
• Cons: You'll feel like an outsider if you are under 65.

12/29/06

Nice Ambience but Overpriced

by martinikitty13

I just came for drinks and while the lounge was cozy and the hotel quite pretty, it wasn't really enough to justify the overpriced martinis ($17.50). For the same coziness with better seats, better looking people and an ocean view, I still prefer drinking martinis at casa del mar.