Prime Bar - Wesley Chapel, FL

Date: 01/04/09

Time: Evening

Type: Restaurant/Bar

Where: Wiregrass Mall, Wesley Chapel, FL

Party: 3 person (1 female, 2 males)

Immediate Impression:

Confused! Immediately noticed how large, yet empty, the place was. Decided to give it a chance since it was the first Monday after a holiday weekend. It seemed the space was trying to be everything at once - upscale, sports bar, trendy yet homey, all at the same time. The wall decor did not match the furniture; actually, the bar seemed the focal point, which would have worked if the rest of the decor didn't seem like such an after-thought! Although, the fans were really cool looking, they did increase the empty warehouse, ready to host a rave, at any time feeling. The massive two row light fixtures, on either end of the restaurant, were extraneous and ostentatious, while the track lighting in the middle seemed to get lost. The entire atmosphere seemed mis-matched and mis-placed. As were the uniforms...I didn't understand why you would put anyone in black shirt/black SHORTS! Again, out of place.

Service:

Although our server was extremely attentive to our table (I think we were her only one), she did seem to not want to be working. She was knowledgeable with the menu and about allergans one might incur, even going so far as to make sure my personal dish was prepared properly. I appreciated the extra effort she made in helping me chose an alternative sauce due to my allergies and also made suggestions as to portion sizes. I would say - she is the only real positive experience.

Menu/Food:

Again, mix-matched. The menu seemed to be all over the map with traditional bar food - sliders/calamari/Quesadilla/etc; Sandwiches, Pita wraps, some sushi rolls, and rather extravagant sounding fish/seafood dishes. The drink menu seemed even more awkward - the wine was organized in the standard traditional red/white/other, but the choices were all of the same quality. The prices of the wine did not at all reflect the quality. Two of us ordered wine - a Malbec and a Syrah. Although the wine was fresh, the glass which it was served in was ridiculous. It was a water glass which would have been used at your local diner, not a "upscale?" restaurant. And the beer menu - where do I start! First, it pissed me off that they chose to not put any pricing on the different beers or even the sizes. Although they had a ton of beers on tap, they had no bottle beer. It seemed they wanted to try to sell local micro-brews, however, they put no explanation as to what a consumer could anticipate.

As for the food, my dish was less than stellar. I ordered the Ahi-Tuna with Corn Relish Salsa, rice and spinach salad with a side of asparagus. The tuna was not cooked properly, the Corn relish had too much onion and was on the side, the rice was so bland and mushy, I had to add Sirachi sauce to make it palatable, and the salad was dry. Luckily I was able to put lemon on the fish and the salad to eat it. The asparagus, however, was well cooked, although I could have done without the horseradish topping.

Now, to be fair, my friends dishes were much better. The Steak Quesadilla was delicious, well cooked and ample sized; the Macaroni & Cheese was fantastic and worth the side dish. The Prime Rib sandwich was good, but not amazing, and the Au Jus was completely bland.

Price:

The food pricing was pretty fair and standard for the area, and the quantity of food; however, the Wine/Beer pricing is out of line, probably because you have no idea how much the beer is going to be until you get the bill.

Final thought:

As a relatively new restaurant, I am hoping they are simply weeding out the kinks. I will give it another try on a Thursday/Friday/Saturday night to see how they react to a crowd - if they have one; and what menu changes they make. I will keep you posted.