Last night we checked out Yarrow Bay Grill in Kirkland. I’ve been a few times before and had ‘mixed experiences’ (nothing overtly bad – just not inspiring enough to tolerate the price). I unfortunately did not read the fine print for Twenty Five for 25 (no Friday nights) so we paid the ‘full price’. Service was professional and friendly. Food was dog shit. Australians loathe confrontation with people in the service industry. We have no problem with aggressively confronting our peers: however we hate the idea that we might be ‘better than someone else’. This is usually the reason why Australian males are uncomfortable riding in the back seat of a taxi cab. Back to the canine excrement… so Ellie ordered the duck (medium rare). Her duck could only be described as chewy, stringy, tasteless meat garbage: hence the need for confrontation. Kudos to the waitress for handling the situation like a true professional. A replacement meal was brought quickly, a complimentary soup keeping Ellie amused in the mean time. Additionally we received free dessert. So yes the duck problem was handled well. But should it have happened at all? This duck was so bad it couldn’t have passed muster in the kitchen and it led me to seriously question their quality control and the professionalism of the homeless guy who is selling them duck carcasses he picked off the nearby road. This is the last ‘mixed experience’ I’ll have a Yarrow Bay Grill. On the positive side: I still left a decent tip (the waitress didn’t cook it or buy the duck).
