Restaurant Review: Tumbleweed

 

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.

To learn more about Tumbleweed, peruse their menu, or find one near you, hit their website: http://tumbleweedrestaurants.com/

My Rating: * * * ½

Ken’s Rating: * * * *