We went out to go and check out Michael Symon's B Spot in Strongsville, Ohio location on a Sunday. We had to wait about an hour and 15 minutes even though the time was quoted at 45 minutes. Michael does say in his rule book that they could be off, but an extra 30 minutes was way off. That was almost the double the time told. Whatever, it was a nice day, we had the kids and we kept them entertained. The location was new so that would explain the wait of course and with all the hype and it being in the suburbs, it was going to happen.
We were seated and the seats were silver metallic color and I thought they would be heavy metal chairs but then I moved mine and noticed it was a painted wood or fiberglass or some light weight material. Thank goodness I didn't put full strength on lifting the chair being that I thought they would be metal and heavy, because I could of flung the chair across the room. The waiter came by and asked for our drinks, 2 chocolate milks, a soda and a top shelf margarita for me! The margarita was yummy and done perfect. They had no chocolate syrup as they ran out so the kids drank white milk. No biggie. We were handed menus and a little extra menu type rule list on how to order at the restaurant, I thought a little pretentious.
Here are the rules:
1. Welcome to B Spot! Help us help you!
2. No Whining! We will do our very best to make everyone happy. Just like line jumpers at an amusement park, whiners will be prosecuted & removed from the establishment. Life is short, have fun & enjoy the moment.
3. Due to the fact that we do not take reservations.... we need your cooperation and patience. We already assume that you know Michael, Liz, Doug, the Mayor, President Obama, etc... We will seat everyone in the order in which they arrive & only seat complete parties. We will do our very best to quote wait times correctly. Occasionally we may be a little off. Please refer to rule #2 if you are feeling any strange urges.
4. All food will come to the table together. This way we'll keep everything running ship shape & keep waits to a minimum. If you're interested in courses...ask your caddie.
5. We have a burger for every taste (even vegetarians)!! If there is something you do NOT want on your burger, let us know and we will take it off. Due to the many choices & thought put into their composition, we ask that you do not substitute or add items.
6. How our temperatures work...
RARE:
blood red, cold/cool in center
MID RARE:
reddish, cool in the center
MEDIUM:
reddish/pink, warm center
MID WELL:
barely pink, warm center
WELL:
no pink, very sad, hot center
7. If you're reading these, making funny faces & squinching your nose...you're too uptight! You should immediately consume bourbon, beer or your beverage of choice & relax a little!
Much Love,
Michael
I couldn't believe I read that let alone typed it here, but I guess it should be considered a warning label. My first reaction was like wow, he's got nerve. But I guess if you've worked hard as he has to make a name for himself in the culinary world, then I guess he can do whatever he wants, after all it his restaurant.
Anyway, what we ordered was a Lola Burger, a Thin Lizzy, a side salad for our daughter, Onion Rings and Chili Cheese Fries. Which all came together on a already crowded table. Our son just snacked on some fries and luckily they let my daughter just have Italian dressing instead of the Lemon Vinaigrette that came with the side salad, we got the salad her way because then she wouldn't of eaten it the way it came, she's a leaf lettuce, shredded cheese and ranch dressing girl, but they didn't have ranch, so her second fav. is Italian Dressing. They have yet to have a kids menu but do offer high chairs for babies/toddlers. If they had the time to order the chairs for tots then Mr. Symon should of come up with some kids menu. So defying his rules, I got a salad my daughter's way, what do you expect from a kid anyway, Celebrity Chef means nothing to do them (nor I) and it didn't matter to them who Michael Symon was.
Lola Burger:
Thin Lizzy Burger:
The YUMMY Onion Rings, just the way I love them, Battered not Breaded!
The NOT so Cheesy Chili Cheese Fries: Could of used more cheese but the chili did have no beans which was good cause really we could do without.
We ended the dinner with 2 shakes which we shared, one chocolate and one chocolate banana marshmallow. The Chocolate Banana Marshmallow had a cute touch with toasted marshmallows on top of the shake. Cute presentation. Here's the top of it:
Okay so the low down on our experience:
Seriously I could of done without the rules, I wanted to order the Shroomage Burger but it came with Blue Cheese as the cheese, although I like burgers with cheese, I wasn't feelin it that day and really wanted cheddar instead, but the rules prohibited me of that. Yes they take the rules seriously. My husband got the his Lola Burger without the pickled onions, I got the Thin Lizzy, both burgers were yummy. The beef was melt in your mouth and juicy, a little undercooked according to how we ordered it but as the rules say, no complaining despite them not cooking our burgers correctly. If you just order a burger, you're going to still be hungry, nothing comes with them so you should order sides which each side feeds 2 people easily unless you're really hungry. (I think that's why it comes together, because the burger would seem very small if it came alone) The burgers are a lone piece, probably because it is the star of the restaurant obviously, and they are very yummy but I think they could be bigger for the price they are. Since the meat is supposedly flown in from a butcher in New York, I am thinking the burgers have an air fare price attached to them. The Onion rings are awesome, couldn't of been better onion rings in my book. The chili cheese fries could of had more cheese. The shakes were yummy and there was a lot, each metal cup filled easily held 2 milk shakes in it. So with all the food we ordered our bill with tip was about 80 dollars. I don't know if you would say that 80 dollars is worth the wait, the rules and everything else. I can just say, it was a good burger and I will probably be back with friends, buying just my plate. But to go out as a family to get a burger, I can't say it's economically right. Maybe a once in a blue moon but not the go to place for burgers as a family, which is a shame. Also until he gets a kids menu, I don't know if I could go back til then, it's just not worth it for the kids and as a parent I have to think of them too. I know of other places I can get a burger that is good with my family. I just can't imagine buying a nine dollar burger for my kid.
In the end, it was a good place, I recommend it. But I have to be honest, the whole rule thing bugs me. I hate it actually. If I want it my way, then I should be allowed it. I think that if a different cheese on a burger is going to throw off a whole kitchen, then who are you hiring? It makes no sense to me. Yea, they're Michael Symon's creations but he can't expect to please everyone and his customers are the backbone of his restaurant's success, after all I can MINUS BUT NOT ADD, weird concept to me. I think to me that it seems in his rules that he lacks the faith in the competence of his workers in the kitchen. I didn't know food now had rules, we all have different palates, some not the same as Chef Symon. I appreciate his hard overwhelming work on the creation of his burgers, but come on... Also, it's one thing to put the rules on the wall and your waiters to tell us the stipulations, but to actually give your guests a card of the rules as they sit down is snobbish, selfish and shows a little Diva qualities in his fame. My opinion, you can take as it is. I'll still eat at the restaurant and I will hate the rules. I know that Chef would agree to disagree on that with me.
Lastly, I wish Chef Symon the best, it's a proud accomplishment for him right along with us Clevelanders and to be able to call him one of our own. He's earned his title and his success. You can take the Chef out of Cleveland but you can never take the Cleveland out of the Chef! Good Luck and Eat Well! Now go and get a burger and use my suggestions if you'd like, if not well, BLAH ON YOU! LOVE ONTO YOU READERS!
Until A Bite Later,
Annamaria
