Restaurant review - Market Broiler

Marilyn and I decided to try the new Market Broiler seafood place here in town and we were less than wowed.

The service was adequate, but am I the only one who is tired of being greeted by a seventeen year old at the reception desk with, "hi guys, how are you doing tonight?". Maybe I'm just a curmudgeon, but I prefer to be addressed in a little more respectful language than that.

The waitress was dutifully efficient, but I get the feeling all of the wait staffs at these chain restaurants have been cloned and then indoctrinated. I almost feel like they are reading a script sometimes. I'm sure they are much more clever when posting to Facebook or IMing their friends, so why not try a little of that same spontaneity with the customers?

To the food. We were given a nice loaf of hot, crusty French bread to start out, which in hindsight would turn out to be the highlight of the meal. Marilyn ordered the Thursday special which was a combo of shrimp, salmon & red snapper. The shrimp and salmon were overcooked and over salted, but the snapper was good. The plate came with steamed vegetables and rice pilaf, both of which were of average quality.

I ordered a Caesar salad and the crab Alfredo. The Caesar salad was just o.k. with croutons that looked and tasted like they had been scooped out of a sack, however Market Broiler has come up with a new twist on the Caesar salad by adding fresh basil. Suggestion for Market Broiler, don't mess with a classic unless you warn people on the menu first. The addition of the basil and the use of bottled dressing of some kind eliminated any wow factor. No fresh ground pepper was offered by the staff.

The crab Alfredo was o.k. from the standpoint that the noodles were done perfectly (although from a box), however the sauce was thin and actually pooled at the bottom of the bowl. The crab meat was soggy and stringy and over salted. A languid piece of garlic bread was included, but had spent too much time in the warming drawer to have retained any of its original luster. All and all a very forgettable dish.

Marilyn had ice tea and I had a glass of Sauvingon Blanc which were both fine. A quick word on wine prices at these chain restaurants, they are outrageous. $7.50 for 3 1/2 ounces of wine will not bring customers back to your establishment (at least not to drink wine). California Pizza Kitchen is especially guilty when it comes to high wine prices. They are pouring from bottles that average around $12.00 each (retail), they can afford to be a little more generous.

All in all I would rate our experience at Market Broiler as disappointing. Marilyn and I both love seafood, but we would have been much better off going to our locally owned fish place instead of to a run of the mill, assembly line style eatery. Out of five stars I would give Market Broiler a two.