02/15/09

Not a very good morning....

by parenzano

I went to Axe this morning to have the nine grain pancake and a good cup of coffee. I walked into the establishment only to be greeted by little orphan Annie's evil twin sister. This particular server was in a very foul mood upon entering this restaurant. I asked her for a cup of coffee and asked if I could have it served with the creme instead of the milk, she said " I have worked here a long time and we only have milk or almond milk". That sort of set the tone to how she would end up treating me for the rest of my meal. I had a half order of the nine grain pancake and an order of the apple smoked bacon. The bacon was cold and given to me in three extremely small slices and tasted like it was left over from the day before. The pancake was superb but the way I was treated far out weighed the taste of the pancake. Not one server would look me in the eye and not once did anyone come over to my table to a. ask how everything was b. ask if I wanted more coffee or anything else for that matter. The couple sitting next to me said they felt the same as me about the horrible service and they both expressed sorrow that I was being treated such abhorrent disdain from the staff. I was looking around and definitely noticed that I was not the only one being ignored. I would have to say as a local who lives right around the corner from the place, I will never ever go back. I will also tell everyone I know what a disaster it is in terms of energy surrounding the staff.

• Pros: Good Nine Grain Pancake
• Cons: Horrible wait staff and bad energy

02/02/09

Used to be my Favorite

by bellymac

We recently went early on a Saturday night. I ordered the Trout which used to be my favorite....the fish was flavorless and was overpowered by the beets inside ( too sweet) , My husbands Duck was good and the veggies were yummy and then on to dessert...we ordered the special ( Butterscotch custard ) it came cold which surprised me being that it is the middle of winter and I found it to be far too sweet even with the sour cream on top..a huge disappointment considering I normally love their desserts.

01/31/09

Shockingly terrible service & attitude

by JaayneDough

Wish I could have had this experience on camera. I was unhappy with my meal - hey, it happens...but from the point I brought up the issue with my steak to the time we demanded the check and left, I was shocked at the attitude of certain staff members. Is Joanna the blonde who doubles as hostess? I did not need her to explain to me what a Ribeye is... I worked at a steakhouse for 3 years - I know! Anyway, the Ribeye was a crummy piece of meat (was probably penalized for ordering well done) and there was so much fat and gristle that I could not eat it (I don't think anyone would have given their dog what I sent back). I know Ribeye's are fatty but I'd asked about theirs before ordering & it came highly recommended. What was so horrifying was how the situation was handled and this woman's attitude. The server tried to make amends - as he should have because something else went down involving him muttering "she's a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _" first word beginning with F and second with C (2of the worst words you can hear). He was called out on it and said he was talking about the manager woman.... whether it was me or her that he called those horrible things, it was super unprofessional and I think Axe should be very embarassed. Even if it was the best meal I've ever had - I do not dine out and pay money to be in an environment where that kind of language is within earshot! I don't know which is even worse : him saying it about me, a customer - or her, the owner and boss - in range of customer's hearing! Also was never offered water or drink refills - so when I almost choked on a piece of meat I panicked and seriously thought I might have to grab the Perrier bottle from the table next to me, lol. Anyway, the steak was taken off the bill (server rightfully pushed for that) and I did receive a complimentary salad to go, which I suppose was a decent gesture of his. This place left a seriously bad taste in my mouth though -and not just from the food. NEVER going back!

• Pros: Ambience?
• Cons: Pretentious, unprofessional and down-right rude staff

01/13/09

Simple yet Edgey. Always great quality.

by ronald38

I love Axe! I have been a fan since they opened in 1999..or was it 2000. In any case they always deliver the best edgy eats in a hip but simple atmosphere. I will be always eat here any time I find myself in Venice Beach.

• Pros: Decent Service nothing fancy
• Cons: It isnt any closer to Hollywood. Not really... I love Venice.

10/29/08

Thanks but no thanks

by dupreen

This place stinks. I am not sure which was worse, the service or the food. Either way, we won't be back.

• Pros: nothing
• Cons: everything

10/01/08

Good food, good service

by chilldiner11

I happened to be sitting next to teebone on that dreadful night. Dreadful because teebone and his wife were awful. I hadn't anticipated writting anything as I was just checking out some of the reviews and saw this piece of work. I had to write. First off they walked into the place a few minutes before the place closed, which, either makes them stupid or inconsiderate or both. Whined about the porkchop, that I had myself and maybe a little to much salt, but still very good. The waiter explained, I thought very profesionally that the kitchen had closed but wouldn't charge him for the porkchop. Again, professional and curteous, I thought. Come to think of it the wife's plastic surgury actually looked a bit like the porkchop. Huh. That waiter should have told these horrible people to pay up and beat it. Stay home teebone!

09/21/08

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

by scarlett89

I will just say this: Yes, it is a neighborhood hangout where people can come to eat organic food. However, behind closed doors, owner, Joanna Moore is a tyrant. Her image to the public (for the two people out there who still don't know the truth) is a portrait of peace and love?? A stark contradiction to her undeniably negative demeanor and downright abusive ways towards the good people on her staff, Joanna Moore repeatedly cultivates an unsavory environment for life to grow. So when you visit Axe and get charged for a meal you simply could not stomach or get treated poorly by the staff or simply denied of basic hospitality principles know this: Joanna Moore is in the building. The staff of Axe simply has no choice but to ignore your pleas of dissatisfaction or else they will get the wrath of Joanna Moore.

09/21/08

Axed the Axe

by teebone77

We have dined at Axe on two occasions. The first experience the hostess was down right rude, unaccommodating and was verbally abusive. Because the food preparation and flavor was worthy of a second chance we decided to give it another try. We scheduled a 9:30 reservation and were asked to leave a credit card to hold the reservation. We were not willing to leave our bank account number simply to make reservations. Because it was their last seating of the night, the hostess waved the policy. We ordered the recommended chef's special Pork Chop and when served the pork was so salty we couldn?t eat it. We brought it to the waiter?s attention and he said "Sorry, The Kitchen Is Closed"!! This was minutes after the food had been delivered. This is absurd. They would not remake it or offer us a substitute. He told us we could eat anyway and not be charged. It was not edible and the service was unacceptable along with the attitude. We then opted to have the apple crumb cobbler instead of dinner which we have had before and it was tasty. The cobbler arrived without the crumble topping which is what makes the dessert! Once again we brought it to the waiter?s attention and he said that?s the way it comes. I would have believed him except that we have had the dish before and the table next to us had the same dish with crumbles. After explaining this to the waiter, he came back from the kitchen "Closed Kitchen" and said that the chef said he will not make it again, because it will be served the same way.....No Crumbles! The waiters and chef have a very indifferent attitude regarding our experience. We will never subject ourselves to this abusive place. There are many fine restaurants on Abbott Kenny that appreciate their dining customers and who deserve our business. AXED the AXE.

• Pros: Good lemonaid
• Cons: Bad attitude, service, etc

09/11/08

Pass the Sustainable Labor Practices Please

by grendelina

Let's admit it--we love our organic, sustainable, farmers-market friendly restaurants, but we generally don't want to think about the labor conditions of the people who make our dining experiences possible. I wish this place was sustainable, but there is a history of lawsuits against the owner due to unfair labor practices such as health care benefits that do not materialize, salary increases that are denied, basic tools necessary for work that are withheld. I look forward to the time when the term "sustainable" also reflects this restaurant's labor conditions.

• Pros: Nice employees
• Cons: Owner

07/02/08

generally ok food, overpriced

by wam08

The food was enjoyable, however for the incredibly high prices I had expected it to be a little more inventive and intruiging. most of the dishes were very straight forward, meat and side. It was ok, good service, etc but I think I will be looking for more affordable and interesting restaurants in the future.

• Pros: Tasty food, nice environment, good service
• Cons: Uninventive food, high prices