02/16/09

Far exceeded our hesitant expectations.

by TC9966

We booked a Valentine's day reservation and were worried that the service would be extremely busy to provide us a good experience. Thankfully, that was not the case. We were very satisfied with the level of service we got, water was always full and the waitress had time to explain the menu and answer our questions, some of which were not menu related, but small talk.

To be sure, we spent several hours there (not ideal if you are looking for a quick meal) and worked our way through each course, from appetizer to dessert, including 1 drink each, and spent just over $100. But we knew the cost going in and had observed the menu on the website.

I can see how people would have mixed experiences here, but if you know what you are getting into before hand, with costs, timing and menu offerings, I think you will have a GREAT experience. We were fortunate to be in one of the best looking rooms, make a request by a fireplace if you can. The food was tasty, but some offerings were unusual and there is not a ton of variety, only 8-10 offerings. The portions might be small if you do not add the salad or soup (both very good) or an app. Value is not necesarily a strong word here, but the experience is top notch. Preperation is key, forwarned is forarmed. Service was great for us, but may be uneven depending on timing and capacity. Too bad, consistency should be guaranteed for this price, but I would not be willing to guarantee excellence, though we certainly experienced it. We even got a short private tour of the wine cellar on this busy Valentine's night, and we are not even wine snobs! Great for us, recommend making reservations at an early time 6-7 to ensure service and put in a request for a good seat.

• Pros: Ambience and attentive service
• Cons: lengthy stay, not all seating is as good as ours appeared to be

02/16/09

Nice Renovation, Great Service and Ambience. Menu change displeasing, Less for More

by 5yrTraditionalPatron

We were engaged at Forepaughs, Valentines Day 5 yrs ago & made it tradition to return every year since. We were unaware of the renovation until we got there. It turned out well, not taking away any charm of the house or atmoshpere. We arrived early & were very welcomed by the hostess who seemed to recognize us from previous years. We relaxed in the bar until our table was ready, we ordered & PAID for our drinks at the bar & were surprised at the $20 charge for a Tom Collins & Captain Coke. We had a 9:30 reservation and were seated timely. Our waitress Samantha was very friendly, attentive & informative. We were surpised at the menu change, not at all what we were used to and expected to order, we always ordered the stuffed chicken "Meal" which came w/ salad, potatoe & vegetable. We decided on Pan seared walleye which the waitress informed us was a bit spicy w/ a curry sauce. We decided to try it anyway. We found out it no longer included a salad. The menu is ala carte now. We decided to split a $8 blt wedge which was very good. Our walleye came in a huge plate with a very small fillet soaking in a sauce which had bits of veggies, more like soup. It took up only 1/4 of the plate, very small but probably a "healthy" size portion. We tasted more ginger in the sauce than curry & it had a very asian flavor to it. We did not like it at all. We took our walleye out and ate it seperate from the sauce. The waitress noticed & offered to get us something else but we said we were ok, it wasn't her fault. So for $27 each, we got a small palm sized walleye fillet which was cooked to perfection but not filling by any means. The waitress insisted on giving us free desserts (which were good) after informing Mgmt we were displeased. We got our bill & found we were charged AGAIN for the drinks we had downstairs. They gladly took those off. Food & Drink prices were much higher. We felt like we got LESS for more, we left hungry for $100 bill for two. Sadly not sure if we'll go back.

• Pros: Ambience, service, story of the history of Forepaughs
• Cons: Food, drink prices much higher, extreme menu change, meals not filling, LESS for more

01/01/09

Awful New Year's service - partially redeemed by complementary meal :(

by KarlMN

We had 6:00 reservations, ordered by 6:30, i think, and proceeded to wait OVER AN HOUR between our soup and our entrees. Waitress and then hostess both came an apologized profusely, but it was VERY painful. Fortunately, we had no other New Years Eve plans, as we were in the restaurant for more than 2.5 hours. When we complained to the hostess, she apologized and said they would comp our entire meal. Even after that, when they should have been concerned, it still took 20+ minutes for our food. My food (lamb) was very tasty, although amazingly, it was not sufficiently hot. We were seated on the 3rd floor, and they may have had some trouble getting food up there, as they also had to comp (entrees only) the table next to us. After our horrible service, they told us the entire meal was free, encouraged us to order dessert, and even brought us glasses of champagne with dessert. Even at that point, the desserts were unacceptably slow in arriving. To be fair, this was New Year's Eve, but we were there from 6 until almost 9 pm, and all times there were at least a few open tables in our room, so they were definitely not full. (The restuarant is quite broken up, so we were not able to see if other rooms were full.) They also turned their (normally free, i believe) surface lot into $5 valet parking only, but did not have enough valets on hand to get your car promptly. We left feeling marginally satisfied, since they comped our ~$125 meal, but it's really tough to sit there that long, and stressful to be put in that situation. I understand they just reopened a few months ago, but they clearly do not have their act together (yet). I'd be very careful.

• Pros: atmosphere is nice and interesting, food was ultimately adequate
• Cons: HORRIBLE service.

12/17/08

Slow Service Ruins Otherwise Good Meal

by atfromphl

Do not go to Forepaugh's if you hope to eat relatively quickly. We allotted 1 1/2 hours for our office's Christmas lunch. We ordered, then waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, almost ONE HOUR later, half of our orders arrived. The last order did not show up until more than an hour after we had ordered. They did comp that last meal and give us extra cupcakes, but should have done much much more in my opinion. The place wasn't even that busy! The service was simply unacceptable. The food, on the other hand, was good, some of it even quite good. It's a shame -- I certainly will not be returning.

• Pros: food was good
• Cons: service was unacceptably slow

11/07/08

Not What It Used to Be

by chinadoll65

New Forepaugh's is bitterly disappointing at best. I was hesitant to try the new establishment, as prices have risen drastically. I thought perhaps the prices would be justified by quality. Not so. For $35+, I was served an undersized, bland, and disintegrating dish of Beef Wellington. My "Vegetable Medley" was four pieces of limp asparagus. For a starter, I ordered the corn soup, which came up luke-warm, and with a greasy, fried pepper.

Gone are the days of bustling, festive rooms. My party of two was placed alone in a room, with no music. While some might consider that romantic, I thought it to be awkward and uncomfortable.

While the service on the floor was very pleasant, I found the staff greeting us at the door cold and unattentive. They had "lost" our reservation, and were not able to grant our request of a window table, even though most of the tables in the building were empty.

Having dined at Bruce Taher's other establishments, I knew not to expect all too much from his latest. But even my low expectations were not met. It is with true regret, as my wife and I have celebrated our anniverary here every year for the past eleven years. We will not be back.

• Pros: No wait for table.
• Cons: Very long wait for food, disappointing food.

10/12/08

The Best Birthday Gift

by BDReynolds1011

When my son asked where would you like to go to celebrate your 65th birthday, I thought of Forepaughs, I hadn't been for a while. Personally, I couldn't have asked for a better evening. I've travelled the country on business and have eaten at some of the best French and American cuisine restaurants. We had reservations for 7p. The staff from the moment we drove up, were friendly and attentive. The Hostess looked as if she had been expecting us and was very glad to welcome us. Our seating was made to our satisfaction. When travelling, my son and I like to try new dishes, and since this was my first time since the remodeling and his first time, the Beef Wellington was exquisite, melt in your mouth experience. He had the Lamb, which was equally as good! Our attendent Michelle was overly attentive, although appeared busy, was patient and informative regarding questions we had. We sent our compliments to the Chef, and later Mathew showed up for us to tell him in person!All in all, a wonderful way to end 65 years and start on the 66! I won't wait, however until the official date to return.

• Pros: Ambience, Service, Valet

10/06/08

Beware! Forepaughs will no longer honor their own 2007 gift certificates!

by Kenlyn

Warning! Forepaughs is under new management and has gone to the dogs! We purchased over $200 in gift certificates last November and tried to use them since the restaurant re-opened and the new management will not honor them. We were sent to a supper club in Minnetonka instead to talk with the former owners about our purchase. So the moral of the story is this: what the new owners saved by not honoring our gift certificates they lost ten-fold in customer loyalty. We will never eat at Forepaughs again. Shameful."

• Pros: Victorian Mansion setting
• Cons: Terrible customer service, new management, no longer serving Brunch

History, romance and French-inspired cuisine intermingle at this elegant 19th century mansion.

by Molly Priesmeyer

In Short
Three floors of bedazzled rooms are romantic and lush enough to inspire longings in even the black-hearted. Good thing the new menu, laden with hearty American and European fare, is enough to satisfy any hankering. In the summer months, Forepaugh's is loaded with Victorian charm and sweet fixings. Wintertime, the fireplaces snap, crackle and blaze. For daters, this is the perfect setting for an intimate evening, an ornate and cozy dining spot rich in history that also offers a menu rich with tradition and inspiration.

12/29/07

Avoid this moldly oldie

by priorlakelisa

My husband and I took his and my parents to dinner here a couple of nights ago. We thought it would be a charming and appropriate place to dine after our tour of the James J. Hill house.

Charming is not a word I would use to describe our evening. Instead, words such as freezing, ignored, musty and inedible come to mind. Our reservations were for 5:30 p.m., the first seating. When we entered the chilly room on the first floor, we asked if the heat could be turned up. "Oh, sorry," we were told. "The heat only has two settings: on and off. It's been off all day, and we just turned it on. The room will warm up in a while." Gee, thanks. We were seated by windows, and several of us left our coats on for most of the meal.

Our waitress was pleasant, but we saw her only occasionally, with lengthy waits in between. I believe an hour went by between the time we finished our salads until the entrees were served. She came by once to say she didn't know what the hold up was and she was sorry for the wait.

Forepaugh's decor reminded me of Norma Desmond, the aging star of the movie Sunset Boulevard: though it surely has seen better days, it has an inflated view of its appeal. The house could use some new wallpaper and a good cleaning. I realize it is a Victorian home, but its owners aren't keeping it up. I think they assume that guests will find it quaint, no matter how infrequently repairs, replacements and cleaning are done. Sorry, but this guest wasn't fooled; the grand old dame is definitely not ready for a close up.

Finally, I come to the food -- as much an afterthought in my review as it seems to be for Forepaugh's owners. My pork entree was so tough, I could barey cut, let alone chew, it. The salads were swimming in dressing. My husband's Beef Wellington had some tasteless filler between the poor cut of meat and the pastry. I felt like asking for a discount when the bill came.

The next time I want charming, I'll go to W.A. Frost instead.

• Pros: At least they have valet parking
• Cons: Very slow service, bad food, worn out decor, freezing temps

12/15/07

Friendly but absent waitress

by brickhouse21

We went here for brunch and our waitress was friendly but where did she keep disappearing to? Luckily our wait assistant was always hovering near-by. The food was okay but the house/history is so interesting that I would make it back here just for the ghosts.

• Pros: Beautiful Historic Landmark