Aaron, Mindy, Josh, Kim, Laura, Chris Sheehan, and I all got together and headed out to Enjoy! in Apple Valley for dinner. Both Kim and I have eaten here before (back in 2004) but they have supposedly revamped their menus and will start to cater to those that enjoy good food as well as higher quality wines.
When we were here in 2004, we found the ambiance to be exceptional, the service to be adequate, but the food to be nothing more than mediocre.
About two months ago we had heard the Enjoy! had been planning to bring their menu more in line with the other higher end restaurants in the area and offer a better wine list and some different menu options. They said they should be completing the changes in mid-December. Kim thought we should give them some time to adjust to the new setup and that we should visit for our birthdays in late January.
With Aaron’s birthday just a few days ago and with our birthdays just days away, what better time to get together than this weekend?
To prepare, I called on Wednesday and asked about the need for reservations this weekend. I was told by the polite woman on the other end that if we called back on Saturday with a specific time frame that there wouldn’t be any problem getting a table for our group. To be fair, I didn’t tell her that I expected to arrive at 6/6:30 but I still would have thought she would think to mention their availability for the weekend.
Anyway, I called in on Saturday as instructed and was surprised to hear that the were booked until 8pm for a party of our size. Wow, not what I was expecting at all and certainly a bad start to our “enjoy!able experience”.
I decided to arrive two hours early and see if I could nab a table earlier than 8. No such luck there so I sat in the bar and waited while contacting everyone to update them to the change in plans. This gave me a great opportunity to check out the bar atmosphere and to do some pre-dinner writeup.
Josh joined me at the bar around 6:30. I had nearly finished my perfectly poured Guinness and ordered a Black and Tan. Even after the perfect Guinness, I was surprised to see an excellently separated Black and Tan placed before me.
Around 6:30 I started to get a little hungry and asked for a menu. Most of the appetizers were expensive (although rightfully so) but I chose the $6.50 spinach/artichoke dip to try and get something in my stomach to counteract the Guinness and Bass. The dip was excellent and came with huge wedges of pita to dip. The cheese and dip was so thick I had to fork it on. Nice!
Aaron and Mindy arrived around 10 after 7 and ordered some gin and tonics. Aaron said that the bartenders were quite liberal with the Beefeater. He was quite happy.
The only complaint I had about our barroom experience was the lack of communication between the bartenders that resulted in me being overcharged (4 instead of 3 gin and tonics). I was originally handed only the bill without a breakdown and had to wait nearly 10 minutes (while my party was seated) for them to print the receipt so I could argue the fact.
After finally making my way to the table we were greeted by our friendly waiter who took our drink order. After 15 minutes we were wondering if they were hand making the wine behind the bar. The drinks finally arrived with Aaron saying that the wine we had at Copper Bleu was better (and that wasn’t all that great). Aaron commented that the wine list’s description was nothing like what the wine actually tasted like — odd.
We spent the evening chatting over bread while we waited for our meals. I had originally decided on the Chicken Marsala but after asking the waiter what he thought of the Ahi and his high recommendations, I went with that instead. Kim and Chris went with the Lobster Ravioli. Laura had the Pasta Primavera and Josh went with a Filet Mignon. Aaron and Mindy planned to split a tomato and basil pizza along with their bottle of wine.
The meals finally arrived after another basket of bread and we were very pleased with the presentation. The lobster raviolis looked like zebra skins, my Ahi was perfectly seared and rare as can be. Josh’s Filet Mignon was great and Laura’s pasta was excellent. Unfortunately, Aaron and Mindy’s pizza was not even close to what they ordered: instead of basil and tomato, they received black olive, sun dried tomato, and artichokes. How they confused that order I’ll never know…
Our bill for the evening (minus drinks at the bar) was $47. Not bad although we didn’t bother with dessert as we had stuff at home.
I’d probably go back but it’s certainly not good enough for me to want to return on a regular basis. If you do go, make certain you check the bar tab and don’t just sign blindly. Also shy away from the pizza — you might not get what you ordered. If you’re going with a group, ignore the weekday hostess’ instructions to wait until the day you are planning on going to make reservations and make them then instead.
See all the pictures from today here (mobile).
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January 21st, 2007 at 11:53 am
Linzy and I actually got two gift certificates to Enjoy for Christmas, so we’ve been talking about going over there. We too haven’t been there since shortly after it opened. At the time I wasn’t particularly impressed in relation to the prices, but it sounds like they might have made some improvements.
January 21st, 2007 at 1:09 pm
Yeah, I must say that some of their items (appetizers mostly) were a bit expensive but they were of the caliber that could command those prices. The spinach/artichoke dip was worth the low sticker price…
When I was there in 2004 the only menu item that was under $15 was the meatloaf (which was ok but not worth that kind of money). While they don’t have much under $15 now, the options do seem like they are worth that cash.
If I hadn’t ordered a Guinness with dinner I’m sure we’d even have spent less than $47.
May 24th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Random notes:
It is my impression (I could be wrong) that they essentially have two bartenders there, both of whom are seasoned veterans. My limited experiences at the bar have been stellar.
The Sunday brunch is quite good.
Someday I’ll go there when the weather is nice enough to sit outside. Anybody wanna join me? :)
May 31st, 2007 at 4:29 pm
We live nearby and have made a number of trips here. We have seen a very noticeable, positive change from back when they first opened.
Friendly and knowledgeable staff, quick service, GREAT food (especially the bananna dessert!).
They also had some nice live music the last time we were in…we look forward to sitting outside on their huge patio this summer!
June 21st, 2007 at 4:26 pm
I’ve eaten at Enjoy a lot (and I mean a lot). It’s not my favorite restaurant for food, but I love the atmosphere. I mainly go there for business meetings, but also go quite a bit for desert and drinks with my wife (she doesn’t care for the food, and they removed the only item on the dinner menu she liked). We always get the Rum Caramelized Bananas in Banana Ice Cream, which I very highly recommend. I don’t know how the other deserts are, as I’ve always ordered the bananas, which are so good I’ve never wanted to try anything different.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Jon,
Thanks for the comment and the suggestion.
December 31st, 2007 at 2:41 pm
I brought in 5 friends plus myself in for dinners on 12/1/07 at 5:30 pm for dinner and sat in the round table in the center of your first dining room.
We ordered some drinks, beer, cocktails and coffee and one soda. Our waiter NEVER once asked any of us for a refill not even water, I had to ask another waiter standing in the entry hall talking to another to please get me another beer. The person at our table with the coffee also had to ask several times before more coffee arrived.
Our friend said the meatloaf was inedible with a chili sauce overpowering everything including the sauce all over vegetables and she did not eat 90% of it. Our waiter was not around when the food was dropped off at our table and we were never asked if the food was ok. I had the king cut prime rib and that was very good. The rest of the people in our group also said that was the worst service they have ever had in a restaurant.
Only once did our waiter ask anyone at our table if they would like another beer or drink but that was when he handed us our tab, we were never asked if we wanted desert either which I usually order.
If I go into a restaurant I should not have to ask the staff over and over again for anything.
February 8th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
I was a little surprised to read through these comments. I’ve dined at Enjoy on a few occasions, including a special wine dinner (another of which I’ll be attending Valentine’s Day). Though I haven’t ordered wine outside of an event like that, what we did try was incredible. One couple at the last tasting I went to came specifically for a delicious red Marietta Cuvee.
A few weeks back I took a date in for some steak dinner, and our service and food were both top-notch. I ordered the Ribeye and my date ordered the Sirloin, both of which were cooked to perfection. Our waiter was very attentive, our sodas were nevery empty, and he checked back almost immediately after our food was brought to us to make sure it tasted okay. This was a Friday evening, and though they were quite busy our waiter was frequently making sure we were satisfied.
I will have to try back a time or two in the event that the good service and food were a fluke, but I would be really surprised if such were the case!
I also have to add that your Captcha is incredibly hard to read ;)
February 8th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Tony,
They’re mediocre at best. There are far better options elsewhere to eat (and enjoy wine since that’s your thing) than Enjoy! but if you’re not looking to go out of Apple Valley, it’s unfortunately the only choice for dinner of that caliber.
Yeah, the CAPTCHA is difficult to read — my apologies — but even with that, the fucking spammers still get through on occasion :(
Bill