It isn’t in my nature to be the type to buy lunch everyday — if you tally up all your lunch bills (and especially so in the city!), I’m sure there’d be enough to feed a whole family of vegans in Tanzania or something.
But once in a while, I’ll break free from my brown-bag ways and eat lunch outside.
I chose Ellary’s Greens because (a) it’s close to work & (b) it didn’t seem too crazily overpriced.
I was grievously wrong on the latter.
Although I did like the décor and ambiance, which evoked a hip-to-be-green kind of vibe, the portion size imply didn’t justify the price of my sandwich. But if you need to conduct a business meeting where you’ll be mostly talk and not so much eating, this seems like a great place for it.
As far as service goes, I was seated promptly and there were plenty of waiters to go around.
Portobello Mushroom Sandwich –
But, don’t expect your food to turn up within 15 minutes. I waited a whole 25 minutes to finally receive my sandwich, a sandwich that was literally two pieces of sliced bread with spinach & romaine lettuce, some portabello slices, cooked onions, hummus and some sauerkraut.
Nearly half an hour to make a sandwich? Simply unacceptable.
As far as how my actual sandwich tasted, I have to say, it was nothing special — or something other than what I could’ve made at home. Sure, the sandwich was tasty, but it wasn’t something I’d go out of my way to purchase the next time I want lunch. I’ll save $9.00 + tax instead, thanks.
So next time, I’m sticking to my trusty brown bag. At least I don’t need to wait 25 minutes for it!
Aside:
Ray ordered Ellary’s “Crispy Roasted Organic Chicken Breast” and I got it to go along with my sandwich. When he got home and opened the meal, he found a quarter in his food for some inexplicable reason.
Obviously, the chicken was then rendered inedible, and after tweeting a picture of the ruined meal on his Twitter, I was able to settle my check and receive a refund as well as a $35 gift certificate from Leith, the owner of Ellary’s.
Therefore, even though we had a less-than-favorable experience at Ellary’s, the outcome was commendable and I’d like to thank the folks at Ellary’s for resolving and attending to our problem.
