Simpatica Dining Hall
Portland, OR 97214
Phone: (503) 235-1600
02/17/2008 Posted by portland1709
These are excerpts from a letter I sent to Simpatica after a horrid dining experience at their establishment. Space restrictions here required abridging it. I received no reply from Simpatica: I made my reservations weeks in advance and had planned a nice evening of taking my boyfriend out to a fine meal. We are both social people that enjoy meeting other couples and groups so the family-style dining was not averse to us. Unfortunately we ended up next to a group of people that were so loud that we kept having to repeat ourselves to have a conversation. We have been to plenty of loud establishments but this group was so loud and shrill that people at other tables were visibly disturbed... Appearing possibly drunk upon arrival, this group got increasingly intoxicated pounding on the table and repeatedly leaning back into me unwittingly as they talked. But the real offense was their subject matter... We were subjected to hearing stories about drunken parties in which [subject matter here was so vile, City Search did not let me include it's "inappropriate words" ] ...all of this at a decibel level that was truly piercing and impossible to ignore. Only one member of their party ever considered the others at the table, mentioning the fact that they “have neighbors”. This comment didn’t change their demure at all. I believe that this same person, who left early, paid for their meal, surprising them. Frankly, I feel she should have paid for our meal ...It is awkward for diners to complain either to the party themselves or the wait staff about such patrons in the intimacy of a family-style environment but considering that people across the room were bothered, it seems that someone at Simpatica should have done something or there should be some protocol for this scenario. We like to dine at fine establishments as often as we can. Because we are not wealthy, these nights are special to us. These people told us that they had been to your place several times before...
Pros: No pros at all
Cons: Overpriced, inconsiderate (vegetarians beware as well), overrated - AWFUL!
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