My bride and I dined...or rather, 'ate'.....there last night in celebration of the 20th anniversary of our wedding. Poor choice!

Parking was an issue. Despite our early reservations, the only parking available was in the next lot over. One had to traverse an earthen embankment and a grubby alley to get to the place. Tell your companion to wear something other than high heels!

I dislike places that serve olive oil in place of butter. I know it's fashionable, but it gives an impression of economy. That's fine for Macaroni's Italian Grill, but detracts from the tone of a place with Tarbell's pretensions. I'd prefer it if they'd serve both, or at least give one a choice.

The soup of the day, potato and leek, was of delicate flavor but redolent of Potato Buds. Could it be possible that they're making this stuff out of a dehydrated product? The Caesar salad starter was a nonentity, and might have been improved by a little ground pepper, which wasn't offered.

My bride was mightily impressed by the grilled salmon....some of the best she'd ever had, she said. The effect was somewhat dissapated by the peculiar potato product offered as a side. If you like to peel off and eat the crust around the edges of a pan just used to bake scalloped potatoes au gratin, you'll like this stuff.

I had the pork chop, which was very good without being memorable. It's served with a side of what they claim to be 'wild boar bacon' and unidentified greens. The pork, independently, was bland and uninteresting....spear a cube of pork, add to the end of your fork a fragment of bacon, and then a green or two, and the dish is much improved.

Dessert was uninteresting. The sorbet was of the store bought variety....and not top shelf stuff, either....and the apple tart was bland and as dry as if it been left in the oven overlong.

The ambiance of the place leaves a lot to be desired for a celebratory experience. It might work for a business meeting, but it ain't no place I'd care to take a date, ever again. The dining room is crowded and noisy, making conversation difficult and at times impossible. The tables are too close together and I had to endure a faceful of server's butt whenever he waited on, or cleared the dishes of, the folks at the table neighbouring ours.

I suppose I've saved the best....or the worst....for last. I haven't been as rushed by the waitstaff at a meal since my experience in an Army mess hall at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. The place is being run as a money making machine and that means that they are trying to turn over tables as many times as possible in an evening. Services is overly rapid and at times one is feels pressured to finish up and allow the waitstaff to get the next course on the table. The object, of course, is to get you fed and out the door, freeing up a table for another party. My wife resorted to the tactic of picking up her fork when she saw the bus-guy approaching....otherwise he'd be on us to clear the plates containing food over which we were tarrying, in his opinion, overlong.

The check was presented to us the moment it was ascertained that we had completed dessert but before the plates had been cleared. I returned it asking that she bring it on AFTER we'd finished our coffee. Which, by the way, hadn't been offered, either.

To his credit, the dining room manager did come over to apologize for rushing us, and comp'ed our coffee. He explained that "the standard in America is to present the bill when dessert had been finished". I beg your pardon? Not in any place I've ever dined, and I was born in Ohio.

This place seems popular enough on a Saturday night, but I certainly won't be gracing its dining room any time soon. In a place of this caliber (and at this price point!) I prefer to dine rather than to eat.

Sorry, folks, I know this sounds like a rant, and to some extent it is. It was an important evening for us....after all, twenty years only comes once in a marriage (well, most marriages, anyway)... and we had hoped for a gentler experience.

We had a wonderful evening. We were quickly seated. Our waitress was friendly and helpful. The food was served quickly (but not too quickly) and was fantastic. Even the trained chef who was with us had high praise for every aspect of the meal.
A definite place to check out for foodies!

My husband and I enjoyed dinner here on a recent Wednesday night. We both had the ahi tuna as our dinners and shared the mac-n-cheese and the pomme frites for our sides.The tuna was wonderful ! We were a little disappointed in the mac-n-cheese. It was just o.k. Nothing out of the ordinary. The fries were were perfectly done..not to greasy! For dessert we shared the chocolate cake with homemade ice cream. This was outstanding! Not to be missed if you are a chocolate lover! Overall, the food was great, the service was good and the place had a nice,fun crowd! Highly recommend it!

I hosted a business dinner for 12 clients and colleagues on 4/20 at Tarbell's. From the minute we arrived to the minute we left there was nothing but flawless execution. It is rare that you find such quality of dining experience combined with a relaxing environment. But it was certainly the food that has to take front and center. I encourage you to try the Ahi tuna. Mark Tarbell spent serveral minutes with us as we made our exit. What a pleasant gentleman. He and his entire staff are doing everything right. It's definitely on our list for the next trip to Phoenix.