Let’s start with the positives. Blacksmith offers a very extensive vegan and vegetarian menu in addition to their eclectic regular menu. The bar offers creative signature cocktails and a nice selection of locally sourced craft beers in cans, bottles, and on tap. Our waitress elevated...our expectations for the meal which was to follow with assurances that we were in for a dining treat. I certainly hoped that to be true, given the prices on the menu! The waitress was effective in making recommendations from the menu and summarizing the many daily specials. Every item that we ordered was tasty and nicely plated, but the prices exceeded the quality of the product. I understand if a restaurant business wants to promote itself as offering a “fine dining” experience; I generally appreciate it, especially in a small town where a place like this could be a "hidden treasure." However, when a restaurant offers “French press coffee” at over six dollars per serving, I expect MORE than a couple of scoops of Taster’s Choice freeze-dried coffee presented in a French press pot, yet that is exactly what it was! The kitchen spilled some freeze-dried coffee granules on the serving tray which served as the damning evidence. The deceit was made more egregious by our waitress advising us to “let the grounds steep for six-and-a-half minutes” as she served it! She chuckled as she said it, as if we might have been in on the joke. We were not amused when we discovered what we were served. I was offended when the waitress questioned my wife’s judgment when she asked for salt and pepper to season her meal, replying, “most of my customers are satisfied with the seasoning.” She also made several not-so-subtle suggestions to solicit generous tips from her customers which struck me as rude. Their cheeseburger was the most generous portion of beef I have ever encountered in a burger, consisting of two one-third pound (my estimate) patties on a brioche bun. However, it came at a premium price of almost sixteen dollars! The meat was cooked properly but the mound of meat on the bun was so cumbersome that it was impossible to eat it as presented. I would have preferred to be served one burger patty at six dollars less with an option to upsize to a second piece of beef. As far as the setting, the white faux fur which serves as back cushioning for the seat benches around the perimeter of the dining area is a tacky juxtaposition to the rest of its warm ambience. There is so much potential in Blacksmith; its shortcomings could be relieved with adjustment of their prices and some etiquette training for the staff. But the $6+ freeze-dried “French press” is hard to forgive.More
