Randy's Restaurant - Hello?

Last night I went to Randy's for Happy Hour with a friend of mine.  They have $5 Happy Hour deals on drinks and appetizers.  I got a Cosmopolitan for $5, or you could get a Tanqueray and tonic for $5 

(I can't remember the others - neither could my server *hmmmm*)

Unfortunately, I didn't have the greatest service experience.  But, I have asked friends who have been there before and they said that they didn't have an issue.  Regardless, I had to wait a really long time to get my drink and I was completely ignored when I arrived.  I have never been to Randy's before so I had no idea where to go or what to do.  If a restaurant wants to ignore you, they usually have a large, unattractive sign that says, "Please seat yourself" - I think this translates to, "This place is either cheap, crappy, or both".  This is not what I would liken Randy's to, it is very elegant and I would consider it 'Fine Dining'.

After getting my drink, which was pretty darn good, my friend arrived.  We had to wait quite a while to see our server, this is when I mentioned that I was reviewing them (surprise! the service got better!).  But, when we told her what my friend wanted to drink, and that we were ready to order, she actually told us to wait so that she could put the drink order in the computer - but it was obvious she was busy and didn't want to take our food order at that time.

The bread was free, hot, fresh, and very good.  She even gave us another basket when my daughter joined us later - which we scarfed down.  Who doesn't like bread and butter?

$5 Calamari with homemade giardiniera - really good.  I loved the dill aioli, but the giardiniera was a little too spicy for my daughter, and it made the calamari soggy after a while, I will order it on the side next time. 

$5 Polenta Fries, these were, 'meh' I wouldn't order them again - it was almost like they were lacking a sauce or something to dip them in.  Our server brought us Bleu cheese dressing, which was okay.  But, Randy came by and suggested a honey-mustard aioli - which, while delicious, just wasn't it.

Here was one of the the saving graces of the night, $5 crab salad.  This was excellent, I could have eaten the platter by myself.  The addition of thin slices of strawberries was divine; they brought a clean freshness, that when combined with the rich crab, really made the dish delectable.  The crackers that it sat on were quite tasty too, but very crunchy - if you try this, use the strawberry and a cracker to 'sandwich' the salad so bites are easier.  Also, the presentation was stunning.

The ambiance is really very nice in Randy's, I felt really comfortable.  The view of the sunset was amazing, all pink and blue; this served as another saving grace for the bad service.  Another thing that I liked (and this is so dorky!) are the hooks under the bar for your purse.  I just LOVE those.  Overall, my experience was a 3 out of 5 stars.  I will return, but I definitely will chat with Randy about the service before I go again.  Oh yeah, when I go back, I will definitely be trying the Crab Rangoons (they are not a $5 deal).  I saw someone else order them, and they looked so tasty (and were huge!)  I think that they would definitely be worth the $8.95 or so.