Employees Only...and now I can see why

Yuck! The food at this place is definitely subpar...but I can see the hype, because the cocktail menu (at $14 a drink) compiles a list of creative and delicious drinks. Employees Only is a place that one would pass on a normal day. On the surface, it looks like a psychic's venue, with no windows revealing the contents inside. Once you enter through the curtain in the front, revealed is a beautiful bar, great music, and a few tables in the back for those who fall for the dinner menu. My advice: don't. Food is not so great.

I went with my friend Adam, and I think it's safe to say for the both of us that the best item we tasted was the bread and white dip (it was never specified, but I believe it was their version of the tsadziki sauce). Our Salads were greasy and unexciting - I order the arugala salad with oyster mushrooms, but the oyster mushrooms were so discreet that I would never have guessed they were in there, and to be honest, I wasn't too happy once they were discovered. Doused in oil and fried to a crisp, they almost tasted like a decayed calamari. Sorry, I'm being a bit harsh. My meal took place 20 minutes ago.

For my entree, I ordered the mussel roast pan - mussels out of the shell with mushrooms in spinach. It tasted good after two glasses of wine, but the oil and greasiness couldn't escape me. Chunks of bread absorbed the butter that had been poured over the dish, and it tasted like a big dish of seafood swimming in butter. I tasted Adam's mashed potatoes (accompanied by duck), and had I not known what he order I would have guessed it was dessert. Mashed potatoes have never in my life have never tasted closer to whipped cream.

I feel badly for giving such a harsh review, because I would admit I would return. I would return to employees only for a one drink session - to meet a long lost friend or a fellow employee. Something quick at the bar to sample a delectable $14 drink. Yes, the drinks and service are quite good.

But don't go for the food.

Love,
Erin