Our eldest child just closed on their home, so Hugh's wife (me), the new homeowner and the realtor all had lunch at Cardwell's, located in the Plaza Frontenac mall. I've been there before and knew that they had a reputation for high quality food. Our friendly realtor arrived first and was recognized by the hostess who sent me to follow my friend to the table. My eldest arrived soon afterward and we all ordered drinks. Our waitress was friendly and appeared to be training a new waiter. My friend, who had dined there many times, recommended the warm savory goat cheese torte. I must say that it looked delicious and I regretted not selecting it! It had a variety of vegetables, a goat cheese torte, and was covered in a balsamic-orange vinaigrette dressing. She enjoyed it very much except that the vinaigrette dressing was acidic enough that it was bothering her already allergy-irritated throat and she was compelled to order a soothing Irish Coffee which cost $10. A bit much.
The new homeowner ordered a diet Coke and the salmon sandwich, saying that the sandwich was very good. They did receive one soda refill, but after that, the glass went empty and our waitress never returned to fill it. They were parched to the point of my giving them my refilled iced tea. Service from the waitress seemed good at first, but not so good later in the meal. Was she busy training the new waiter? Was it a tactic to clear the table since they were very busy? Or was it just negligent service? For a side, my eldest chose the mac and cheese and deemed it excellent. I should have tasted it! It was good enough to be taken home for leftovers.
I ordered the turkey club sandwich, which have ordered from so many restaurants at this point that I would consider myself highly qualified to compare them. This one touted its herb avocado mayo, but I don't care for herbed mayo, so I asked for plain mayo. The waitress offered, and I accepted the offer, to put some of the herbed mayo on the side for me to try, but what came on the side was plain mayo and a thinly sliced avocado. I put the avocado on my sandwich and bit in. What was on the sandwich was good -- turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, plain mayo, and the avocado that I added. What was missing from the sandwich that is usually included elsewhere on a turkey club was cheese and ham. Without these items, it was a little plain. Admittedly, they were trying to make up for it with the herbed mayo, but that's not a good swap for me! The toasted bread on the sandwich was also excessively greasy. The sandwich assembly was messy and thus it was hard to keep it together while eating it. If you are a lover of the turkey club, I recommend instead that you get one from Camille's (best one around) or Schlafly's. I received fries as my side and they were pretty good. I would consider them above average but not superior. They were served in a bowl with no space for ketchup, but I was able to rearrange my sandwich plate enough to accommodate the ketchup.
Overall, the my dining companions' food was very good, mine was ok but nothing to write home about, and the service declined after the initial part of our visit. But the best part of all: if you have never been to the ladies' room in the Frontenac mall, then hop in the car and head over there. It's nicer that my bathroom at home. Individual little rooms, each with toilet and sink. Sitting area outside of the little rooms to wait for your companions. Extremely nice. The only nicer public restrooms I've ever visited were at the Shoji Tabuchi theater in Branson, Missouri.
Food and Initial Service
Later Service
Plaza Frontenac Restrooms
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