My buddy, Ken, is a big fan of the restaurant chain “Tumbleweed”. Apparently, in his office, it’s a big deal to
go there for lunch once every couple of weeks. Being that I always drag Ken to
a variety of restaurants for my reviews, I thought I would suggest Tumbleweed
for our pre-movie dinner this past Saturday. Ken was especially eager to
introduce me to their cuisine since I have only been there once before and it
was many years ago. We visited the Louisville Tumbleweed on Outer Loop.
Per our usual M.O. we arrived well before 6:00p in order to
get a good seat and with the least crowd. Also per our usual M.O., we started
the meal with an appetizer. I had taken the opportunity to peruse the menu
online and had a good idea of what I wanted to try. We decided to split a large
Queso. One of the unique Tumbleweed
experiences is having your cheese dip sit on top of the table’s candle on a
special tripod to keep it from getting hard. I was under the impression the
Chile Con Queso would be, shall I say more. It was great Queso, but their large
was less than half the size you would get at an authentic Mexican restaurant.
And as I result, I thought it was a bit pricey.
When it comes to Mexican and Tex-Mex food, I always jump at the
chance to try a Chimichanga. This is one
of my favorite dishes. And to make it even more special, Tumbleweed has a spicy
turkey Chimichanga. Rather than go
Salsa style, or Sour Cream style, I chose to go Queso style, having the thing
covered in queso. And, I must say, I was
not disappointed. The finely ground turkey was spiced evenly and extremely
tasty. The rice and beans that came with were also tender and flavorful. I
accompanied my dinner with Peach tea, which was also a delight. Meanwhile, Ken
had a half order of the baby-back ribs. The ribs were render and succulent,
literally falling off the bone. Ken went ate a side of waffle fries lightly
seasoned. Our server, Miranda, was very attentive, kept our tea flowing, and
all around helpful with our selections.
But then, it started getting busy. And despite Miranda’s
care, things suddenly started to go wrong.
I am of the opinion that they did not have enough servers prepared for
the Saturday night dinner rush, because quite abruptly, Miranda was
overwhelmed. We decided to experience dessert since it seemed like we still had
time before we had to get to the movie. We both opted for the Chimified Cheesecake Trio, canapé’-like
mini chimi’s stuffed with chocolate, cheesecake, and peanut butter mixes. I am
not a big fan of peanut butter, per se, so I asked for a chocolate to substitute
the peanut butter. Our wait for a dessert was a bit long. When it finally came,
drizzled in different sauces with a scoop of ice cream in the middle, we dug
in. It was very delicious; sweet, crispy, warm. I took a bite of what should
have been my chocolate substitute, but instead got a mouthful of peanut butter
flavor: not happy. And by this time we are rushing to finish since we need to
get to the theatre.
Miranda came around and asked us how we were doing. I
explained. She offered to go get another one, but I declined due to the time.
In all fairness to Miranda, whoever was cooking in the back should have been
paying attention to her instructions. For me, it was merely one bad taste. Had
I been allergic to peanuts, however, I would have been on the floor gasping for
air. At this point, at most restaurants, I would have expected a discount, or
even not to have to pay for the dessert since they didn’t get it right.
Unfortunately, other than an “I’m Sorry”, no such thing took place. Then to top
it off, our separate bills were inaccurate, and upon fixing it, I ended up with
two separate receipts myself, instead of one. Our server assured me when she
brought the final receipt back for signing it would be all on one receipt. That
did not happen. And, we had to wait a
good 15 minutes just to get our copies to be signed.
Needless to say, I was extremely frustrated at this point.
What had started out as a great dining experience went to hell in short order
because they couldn’t handle an anticipated Saturday dinner rush. As it was, we
were late to the movie, missing the first five minutes. We arrived at
Tumbleweed about 5:40 and did not get out of there until 7:30. I would very
much like to believe that our server was just plain overwhelmed. That is
somewhat forgivable. And at that point it becomes the Manager’s problem to take
care of labor coverage. My dessert screw-up
by the food preparer in the back was inexcusable, however.
So, what can I say in conclusion? To be honest, I loved the
food. The food was absolutely amazing. When it comes to the quality and the
taste of the food, I give it high marks. But, I don’t think I will ever go
there on a weekend evening again since it is obvious they have labor issues.
So, by all means, go to Tumbleweed and give it a try. You will no doubt love
your food experience. Just make sure you consider your timing well. Had it not
been for the issues that accumulated at the end of our meal, I would have been
more than prepared to give them 4.5 stars. But the frustration I had to endure
changed that.
My Rating: * * * ½
Ken’s Rating: * * * *
