My buddy, Ken, is a big fan of the restaurant chain “Tumbleweed”. Apparently, in his office, it’s a big deal togo there for lunch once every couple of weeks. Being that I always drag Ken toa variety of restaurants for my reviews, I thought I would suggest Tumbleweedfor our pre-movie dinner this past Saturday. Ken was especially eager tointroduce me to their cuisine since I have only been there once before and itwas many years ago. We visited the Louisville Tumbleweed on Outer Loop.
Per our usual M.O. we arrived well before 6:00p in order toget a good seat and with the least crowd. Also per our usual M.O., we startedthe meal with an appetizer. I had taken the opportunity to peruse the menuonline and had a good idea of what I wanted to try. We decided to split a largeQueso. One of the unique Tumbleweedexperiences is having your cheese dip sit on top of the table’s candle on aspecial tripod to keep it from getting hard. I was under the impression theChile Con Queso would be, shall I say more. It was great Queso, but their largewas less than half the size you would get at an authentic Mexican restaurant.And as I result, I thought it was a bit pricey.
When it comes to Mexican and Tex-Mex food, I always jump at thechance to try a Chimichanga. This is oneof my favorite dishes. And to make it even more special, Tumbleweed has a spicyturkey Chimichanga. Rather than goSalsa style, or Sour Cream style, I chose to go Queso style, having the thingcovered in queso. And, I must say, I wasnot disappointed. The finely ground turkey was spiced evenly and extremelytasty. The rice and beans that came with were also tender and flavorful. Iaccompanied my dinner with Peach tea, which was also a delight. Meanwhile, Kenhad a half order of the baby-back ribs. The ribs were render and succulent,literally falling off the bone. Ken went ate a side of waffle fries lightlyseasoned. Our server, Miranda, was very attentive, kept our tea flowing, andall around helpful with our selections.
But then, it started getting busy. And despite Miranda’scare, things suddenly started to go wrong. I am of the opinion that they did not have enough servers prepared forthe Saturday night dinner rush, because quite abruptly, Miranda wasoverwhelmed. We decided to experience dessert since it seemed like we still hadtime before we had to get to the movie. We both opted for the Chimified Cheesecake Trio, canapé’-likemini chimi’s stuffed with chocolate, cheesecake, and peanut butter mixes. I amnot a big fan of peanut butter, per se, so I asked for a chocolate to substitutethe peanut butter. Our wait for a dessert was a bit long. When it finally came,drizzled in different sauces with a scoop of ice cream in the middle, we dugin. It was very delicious; sweet, crispy, warm. I took a bite of what shouldhave been my chocolate substitute, but instead got a mouthful of peanut butterflavor: not happy. And by this time we are rushing to finish since we need toget to the theatre.
Miranda came around and asked us how we were doing. Iexplained. She offered to go get another one, but I declined due to the time.In all fairness to Miranda, whoever was cooking in the back should have beenpaying attention to her instructions. For me, it was merely one bad taste. HadI been allergic to peanuts, however, I would have been on the floor gasping forair. At this point, at most restaurants, I would have expected a discount, oreven not to have to pay for the dessert since they didn’t get it right.Unfortunately, other than an “I’m Sorry”, no such thing took place. Then to topit off, our separate bills were inaccurate, and upon fixing it, I ended up withtwo separate receipts myself, instead of one. Our server assured me when shebrought the final receipt back for signing it would be all on one receipt. Thatdid not happen. And, we had to wait agood 15 minutes just to get our copies to be signed.
Needless to say, I was extremely frustrated at this point.What had started out as a great dining experience went to hell in short orderbecause they couldn’t handle an anticipated Saturday dinner rush. As it was, wewere late to the movie, missing the first five minutes. We arrived atTumbleweed about 5:40 and did not get out of there until 7:30. I would verymuch like to believe that our server was just plain overwhelmed. That issomewhat forgivable. And at that point it becomes the Manager’s problem to takecare of labor coverage. My dessert screw-upby the food preparer in the back was inexcusable, however.
So, what can I say in conclusion? To be honest, I loved thefood. The food was absolutely amazing. When it comes to the quality and thetaste of the food, I give it high marks. But, I don’t think I will ever gothere on a weekend evening again since it is obvious they have labor issues.So, by all means, go to Tumbleweed and give it a try. You will no doubt loveyour food experience. Just make sure you consider your timing well. Had it notbeen for the issues that accumulated at the end of our meal, I would have beenmore than prepared to give them 4.5 stars. But the frustration I had to endurechanged that.
To learn more about Tumbleweed, peruse their menu, or find onenear you, hit their website: http://tumbleweedrestaurants.com/
My Rating: * * * ½
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