We were celebrating a special occasion and made a reservation in advance which we were on time for. This was the fanciest restaurant my parents knew of in Edmonton, that is why they chose it. The views were beautiful and the revolving aspect is unique....The parkade at the hotel does not give a good first impression since it looks run down, dirty, and like it could fall apart at any moment.
I researched ahead of time about options for being gluten free and for kids. There seemed to be reviews that said there was a kids menu but when I looked online I could not find one. The menu I did find stated that gluten free options were available. I was disappointed to find out once we arrived that there was nothing for kids, no activity sheet, no crayons, no menu. Our server seemed knowledgeable about the menu and suggested kids could order smaller portions of chicken, prime rib or pasta with 2 options of sauce. My kids both chose pasta, and I added prawns to their orders so they could have some protein. I do not know what these cost since someone else paid the bill.
I did not see our server wash or sanitize his hands ever. He hit the back of my head with his drink tray and hit my daughter's face with her napkin (I did not witness this).
I was disappointed that when bread and butter were brought over, there was nothing for someone who is gluten free. Most restaurants have at least one option for gluten free bread. And there were no gluten free desserts except sorbet or ice cream. La Ronde should improve on their offerings for gluten free people, especially since the menu states they can make accommodations for food allergies and special dietary needs.
My daughter spilled half of her drink and we cleaned it up as best we could. Our server took away the wet napkins but we had to ask for new clean ones. It was kind of him to replace her drink with a smaller, less tippable glass. I am not sure if we were charged for this.
The salads were so simple and boring for the price and size. They should really have more toppings and creativity. I ordered the Artisan baby greens, $13 for very little toppings, not even enough for a topping with every bite and I could not taste the salad dressing.
We ordered a variety of entrees and my mashed potatoes were cold (a substitute for the spaetzle pasta). The bison filet was tasty and cooked to my liking. My dad was happy with his prime rib meal. He accidentally dropped his knife, or it slid into the gravy on his plate, so he asked for a new knife. Our server brought one over but then reached onto my dad's plate to remove the dirty knife. I felt like he shouldn't have done that, especially since I had never seen him wash his hands or use the hand sanitizer placed throughout the restaurant.
Overall, I was unimpressed with this "fine dining" experience and am not motivated to eat here ever again, especially being gluten free and having children.More