After reading Mr Leach's positively mouthwatering descriptions - and in spite of the fact that I almost never leave the city to dine - I couldn't wait to get to Embers. Friday night, my friend and I decided to indulge ourselves in a little culinary hedonism and made the trek to Livonia. We don't often treat ourselves and were downright giddy with anticipation.

Sadly, while the food wasn't particularly bad, it wasn't great either, and I'll elaborate on that. But the most memorable aspect of our visit was the service, I'm still scratching my head about. When we arrived, there was a 40 minute wait for a table (good sign, we thought) so, seeing several others dining at the bar, we decided to do the same. Bad choice as it turned out - the service there was beyond neglectful. I actually felt when I left that the three - yes three bartenders went out of their way to ignore us. We literally had to flag down one of them EVERY time we wanted to order another Tapas dish or drink - at one time in fact, my friend leaned over the bar and loudly asked if we could please order something else - we had been unsuccessful in flagging them down that time.

When they brought a dish, it was placed on the bar barely in front of us without a word, a glance or even eye contact before they walked away. We were not once asked how our food was or if we needed anything. Further, as we ordered different things, the dishes just kept piling up on the bar in front of us, nothing was ever cleared. It was especially puzzling as the bar and restaurant emptied of people - we were one of the few customers left - yet our service remained as elusive as when it was packed.

We decided to sample 3 different things from the Small Tapas menu, the highly touted pizza and Oatmeal cake for desert. Sadly every one was a bit disappointing - nothing horribly wrong with them - just not really right either. Grilled Fresh Veggies, to me anyway, suggests slices of veggies cooked al dente - on a grill, with nice grill marks and that wonderful slightly smokey flavor - these were strips of limp, soggy tri-color pepper strips with no discernible grill marks or taste at all. We didn't eat them - and were never asked why. The Asparagus, Pear & Gruyere "Tart" was actually a rectangular slice of puff pastry with the above ingredients simply layered on top of it. It's kind of the simple thing one makes when one doesn't know how to cook, or is just learning. And though it was the tastiest of our choices, would have been much better had it not been overwhelmed by the too thick pear slices. The Panko Breaded Chicken Stix, though plentiful and nicely cooked, were quite tasteless - which could have been remedied with a flavorful dipping sauce but alas, that was flavorless as well.

The Pizza Margherita, while larger than expected, was a bit lacking in flavor. Having tasted dozens of wood fired pizza (it's one of my favorite things in the world), and realizing there is much room for interpretation, I prefer the versions closer to what I've had in Europe; a thinner crust - crispy, smokey and charred from a very hot fired oven, fresh ingredients sparingly applied. While my friend didn't like it at all, I accepted it for what it was, a fairly typical American interpretation, barely able to tell it was wood fired, nothing to write home about.

Lastly, we had to sample the Oatmeal Cake Mr Leach described so lovingly as rich, moist and decadent. Our slice deserved much less praise. The thick and very dry cake seemed not to have enough frosting to combat the lack of moisture. I'm guessing it wasn't very fresh. We didn't eat this either.

Perhaps we should have stuck to more of the dishes Mr. Leach had, but I doubt I'll make that long drive again to be literally ignored while eating average food. If you go, hope you have a better experience - just don't sit at the bar.

Kat,
Thanks for the report. After reading this glowing review I was actually thinking of taking my wife there in the next few weeks on a trip to the Finger Lakes but I think I'll skip it. I like my wood fired (or coal fired) pizza pretty much the way you described it. That along with the poorly grilled veggies is enough for me to save the gas and time driving to Livonia.
ps: Is it me or does the sauce in the margherita pizza picture look more like jam?
maybe the color is off on my monitor

Kat and Local Observer,
My husband and I spend a LOT of time at Ember and I have to respectfully and completely disagree with Kat's description of the place...as a matter of fact, as I read it, I wondered if you'd actually landed at the wrong restaurant!
We've dined on the deck, in the dining room and at the bar and actually prefer the bar. The girls are more than friendly, they're a breath of fresh air! We laugh our heads off each time we sit there and my husband will tell you that the one there is real easy on the eyes, which, as shallow as it sounds, actually makes the experience all the more pleasant.
As a veteran bartender of more than one bar/grill, I can tell you that their job isn't easy! I often wonder if people who use the "flag down" method to get their drinks, know that these bartenders aren't just making drinks for the bar, they're making drinks for the entire restaurant. And being flagged down when you're under a whole lot of pressure in the first place not only makes you want to ignore that person, it makes you want to spit in their drink. I'm not saying I've never been in the same boat as you, I've been disgusted by terrible service more than once (NEVER at Ember), but I've had to sit back and think about my worst bartending night and try to understand that the person is probably having the same kind of night. Ever host a dinner party and get overwhelmed by the preparation? Now multiply that by 10 hours of that same work for about 200 dinners and you've got their job on a slow night! Before you shake your head and say "they chose their job", understand that everyone has good and bad days - you're kidding yourself if you disagree. I think you went on a bad night and maybe exaggerated to get your point across. Either way, I tell everyone I know what a great stop it is for us and I'll continue to do so!
Kudos Mr. Leach on your article!!! I completely agree!!!

Motherbear, Very happy to hear your experience of Embers is great! I do want to tell you I was a server and bartender for many years and completely understand the job and all it's stresses. Because of that, I am exceedingly understanding and patient with waitstaff where ever I am - and would normally NEVER rudely flag down a busy bartender. A smile and a quick "be with you in a sec" when you notice an empty glass goes a long way, we never got even close to that level of attention at Embers. I hope it was, for whatever reason, some kind of off night for the girls behind the bar - I was just honestly reporting our experience - which still has me scratching my head....

As the friend who dined with Kat, I ditto everything she says. I hadn't read the review, but was eager to go because of her enthusiasm.

motherbear, I, too have worked in the restaurant biz. I can assure you I wasn't flagging them down while they were busy with other things. I was trying to get their attention while they giggled amongst themselves. With the many dishes we ordered, and many different drinks we order to accompany them, I was actually quite astounded at the lack of attention we received, and the way the food was simply pushed in front of us, and our previous dishes simply pushed to the side.

I don't feel Kat's review was exaggerated. After tasting them the next day, I didn't eat the leftovers. That kind of says it all for me.

I have to say after reading the comment's from Cat I was Debating canceling our reservation . Right from the minute we walked in the door this place had it right. I stayed away from the tart but did try the pizza and it was amazing the Margherita was not sauce it was just tomatoes as it should be.The fresh vegetables where very good but I have to agree they were not wood grilled . The pickle selection Mr leach recommended was outstanding. We tried to order a pizza to take with us and our server informed us that the restaurant's policy was against take out food because there flour was special and not great when cold. The entire night was great and well worth the drive. the service was very good as well. I think Kat was at another restaurant or it was a very bad night at Embers.

I've been to Ember three times and I have to say that the experience that Kat and Dale had must have been a complete aberration. I have gone the reservation route and stopped in after a round of golf, each time I was seated in an acceptable time frame. The staff was attentive the entire time we were there.

Like I said I have been there a total of three times, I have recommended it even more.

Place is way too fancy.
WAY too expensive for drinks!

I went to Ember a couple saturdays ago and it was very good. It's got a fun atmosphere and a very interesting menu. I say to Kay and Dale sorry for your unfavorable experience but try it again. As having restaurant experience you know, things don't always go as they should every single time. I plan on going again with my husband and friends.

Just visited from calif. I HAVE NEVER Been in a upscale restaurant and had such martinis for 4.00. The food was beyond excellant. I don't know how anyone can say Embers is pricey.

I have been to Ember so many times I am a Loyalty card holder (earn points towards $50 gift card). I LOVE the food and the service has always been attentive and courteous. Not sure what happened on the days the negative reviewers were there, but I have never had something there that wasn't excellent. Locally grown seasonal produce and meat is a definite plus in my book and this is by far the best restaurant in the area there. I hope people give it another chance.