Tonight will be my third visit to Acre in under two weeks. Although I don't live in Andersonville, I meet friends there a lot and I think Acre will easily becoming a regular hang. I've now eaten in both the tap room and dining room. When I ate in the dinining room this week, we ended up sampling some smaller dishes like the spaghetti squash, beet risotto, fennel and apple salad. Because I enjoyed it in a previous visit, we asked if we could get the sausage plate from the Tap Room. And my friend really wanted the duck flatbread on the Tap Room menu. They were happy to oblige us.

I've very much enjoyed my two meals there. Salads have been interesting and flavorful and nicely dressed (I eat a lot of salads....) And I think the sausage plate will become a staple for me. The only disappointment in my two visits so far was the beet risotto. It was very flavorful, but lacked the risotto creaminess I'm used to.

I'm looking forward to working my way through the menu as well as through the interesting beer list and wine list. Service has fantastic - very warm and friendly and efficient. The place just has a really great feel to it - someplace I feel I can hang out for hours, either alone or with a group of friends.

Apologies for lack of details on the food and drink. I'll remember to take pics and be more attentive tonight.

I'm trying to put some weight back on this week after my unintended imaginary diet, so I made my way to Acre last night. I think I understand the appeal of this place; it just didn't appeal to me.

Radishes with fennel, fennel pollen and pea shoots were doused with lemon juice and equally overwhelmed by zest. I couldn't taste anything but lemon, and the radishes had not a hint of crispness.



Polenta with wild mushrooms, rosemary and fried egg was just as soggy as the previous dish. I would have liked to see a more creamy polenta and less mushroom juice. Moreover, I'm very good at sloppily frying eggs at home, so when I have a fried egg in a restaurant, I want to see it executed better than mine. This egg was greasy and tasted primarily of oil and the crunchy egg white edges rather than a fuller egg flavor, especially from a "farm egg."



My friends had the fried oyster sandwich and burger.





By this point in the meal, I had more or less lost my appetite for food here, so I only partook in fries, which looked excellent but were very limp and greasy. The ketchup was extremely watery and didn't taste like anything. Unfortunately, I didn't see the note here about asking for aioli.

Service was friendly, and the space was comfortable even if bordering on too vast for me. I don't know that I'd return. In the neighborhood, if I wanted to drink and linger somewhere with friends, I'm generally pretty happy at In Fine Spirits. For bar food, execution and value seems much better at Hopleaf. There's also no shortage of Acre-like places closer to home for me farther south and west--equally or more comfortable, with more character, better food and better value.

But look at those portions!

i went to Acre a few weeks ago with a friend. We ate in the dining room side and got several small dishes to split. My friend is vegetarian, so we stuck to the vegetarian options, with the exception of a charcuterie plate. There were definitely some hits and misses, and I'm not really sure if I liked it or not overall, but I'd definitely be willing to give it another visit.

Besides the charcuterie, we had the beet risotto, celery root and mushroom gratin, vegetable turnover, spaghetti squash and grilled figs. The charcuterie plate had chicken liver mouse, country pate and rolled testa. The chicken liver mouse was pretty average. The country pate was delicious; perfectly seasoned and the correct texture. The testa was very bland - possibly the most flavorless charcuterie I've ever eaten.

The high point of the meal was the grilled figs with almonds and goat cheese. They were excellent. IF they were still on the menu, I'd probably return just for these. The figs were grilled enough to be warm, but still held their shape and they had a pronounced smoky, almost meaty flavor. The vegetable turnover and spaghetti squash were both good, but fairly unremarkable. As Hellodali noted above, the beet risotto had a nice flavor, but the consistency was not what I expect from risotto - it was more like rice in a creamy sauce. The gratin was not good. When I hear grain, I think of something brown and crispy on top: cheese or bread crumbs or both. This had neither. It was topped with sauteed greens. The texture was pretty off too. The gratin was bound with something creamy, but it appeared the celery root had released too much liquid during cooking, which resulted in big slices of celery root and mushrooms, loosely held together with a kinda slimy sauce.

For dessert we had a really good "chocolate" bread pudding, which turned out to be a chocolate chip bread pudding.

Service was good, with one complaint. At least three times our server referred to a dish (or version of a dish) that was no longer on the menu. Twice we had to point out to her that what she was describing was different than what the menu said: she described a different risotto and a different bread pudding than the current versions. She also suggested a dish (I don't remember what) that turned out not to be available any longer. I'm all for frequently changing the menu, but the wait staff need to be able to keep up with it.

After a few bad experiences with Charlies (slow service, rude bartender, ok food) I was excited to hear that we would be getting a new restaurant in Andersonville. I cannot stress enough how badly I wanted this place to be great and succeed. After discovering LTHF and reading this thread, I wish I would have found out sooner.

Really wanted to like this place but just found it to be as bad/worse than Charlie's. We were sat right away but waited what seemed like forever to get drinks. Finally the bartender came over after she probably saw us looking annoyed. We ordered our drinks (great beer selections) and she asked if we wanted to order food. I am always hesitant to order too much at once especially if there is no writing elements present. We gave her our order twice, she repeated back and I felt good that we were going to get everything. Not so.

We ordered (from what I am reading here, the 1 menu that is now available) beet risotto, mushroom pirogies, grilled sausages, heirloom radish salad, and the chili. The previous poster who mentioned the limp radishes and overwhelming lemon flavor was exactly correct. Very difficult to like. The sausages were good but not great for being "house made." The beet risotto was a complete disaster in my opinion. Maybe I am over critical about it but there was no creaminess or softness like a typical risotto. The beet flavor was lacking as well as salt. The beets turned the risotto pink and I felt like I was eating undercooked oatmeal. Not a good dish at all. The lone bright spot in our meal was the chili. Great balance of acidity, heat, and meat.

The pirogi finally made an appearance after we everything else was cleared and we had to ask for it when she thought she needed to bring the bill. A few minutes later it arrived and ended our night very poorly. The dough was so thick and so undercooked it was like eating raw dough. I ate 2 bites to make sure I wasn't crazy but it was just awful.

Worst meal of the year by far and it hurts me to say that we probably will not give it another try. Maybe we just ordered all the wrong dishes? Maybe it was an off night? With other options in AVille, it will be a long time before we try again, if at all.

As noted upthread, I believe Charlies and Acre are the same company (as is Anteprima). I like Anteprima a lot, so I'm optimistic that things at Acre will improve.

Based on what I'm reading in this thread, your contentedness quotient at Acre may depend largely upon what you order. We didn't try many of things that others did and the things we ordered we were almost uniformly happy with. LDC started with the deviled eggs with smoked trout and had the pork tenderloin; I went with the grilled house-made sausages and the salmon.

We went early on a Wednesday and were, indeed, the first table in the dining room. By the time we left (a bit after 7 pm ) there were eight tables of folks there. I was never in Charlie's Ale House, the previous incarnation, so can't speak to its layout, but we've been to Anteprima many times. One of my biggest beefs about Anteprima is the lack of space; tables are too close together. Acre is a welcome relief. Plenty of room and I mean plenty. Tables are widely spaced, leaving everyone--servers, runners, and especially customers--lots of room to walk and even move chairs back from the table. We liked the homeiness of the room and found it quite comfortable. There was a fire going and our only complaint would be that it would have been nice to have an even larger fireplace, but that's truly a nitpick.

Our server was very friendly and helpful and I attribute her somewhat frequent visits to our early arrival. As the room filled (relatively speaking), she got busier and we saw a little less of her--just enough, in fact.



As noted above, LDC opted for the deviled eggs, each topped with a slice of smoked trout, the whole sitting on a bed of greens (arugula, if memory serves) and a preserved lemon aioli. (The presentation has changed somewhat from RAB's report/photo upthread.) The aioli had not much more than a hint of lemon and I guess our palates are not sufficiently sensitive to recognize/remember that it was a preserved lemon rather than fresh lemon. Again with the nits, though. The eggs were wonderful, the aioli, arugula, and trout wonderful foils for the eggs which, as they should have been, were the stars of the plate. A very nice app. Two eggs, four halves, for $7.



I had a tough time choosing my app (there are 17 apps versus 6 entrees, although the latter is supplemented by a couple burgers, chili, grilled cheese, etc.) I quizzed the server on the house-made sausages because they included a smoked chorizo. I was curious to know whether the chorizo was more like Mexican or Spanish chorizo. LDC thinks I'm being too critical but I was never quite convinced that the server was certain of the difference. In the event, the plate contained a nice (and reasonably generous) selection of curried pork sausage, lamb sausage, and the smoked chorizo. The star for me was the lamb: perfectly spiced, tangy, and altogether a delight. The curried pork had a little heat but didn't quite work for me. An interesting experiment, but I probably wouldn't order it if it were available separately. I'm not quite certain how to identify my disaffection: it was the curry, I'm sure. It didn't seem the right flavor for that sausage and added a note of sweetness that I found a little off-putting. The smoked chorizo was indeed Spanish style but not good: dry and largely lacking in flavor. It could have used a little salt (something I almost never complain is lacking) and a big dose of something, starting with fat, I suspect. I shared a piece with LDC and she had exactly the same reaction. The sausages were accompanied by roasted potatoes (which I thought, and still think, an odd complement, though the potatoes were very good) and a large shmear of whole grain mustard that, frankly, wasn't up to the sausages. The kitchen went to a lot of effort to make sausages in-house and then detracted from all their work by using mustard that tasted, frankly, like jarred. It wasn't bad in the sense that there was certainly nothing wrong with it but it was a big disappointment given the effort to do something special with the sausages. Something more creative or at least interesting would have been apropos.



LDC's entree was a bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin, five slices of perfectly cooked meat sitting atop a creamy polenta with a mushroom ragout (we think; the online menu doesn't list it). The bacon imparted flavor without being overly assertive and LDC, an infrequent eater of meat, really enjoyed it. Our only concern would be whether five pretty small slices would be enough for most folks. And, at $19, it seems a little pricey....



I ordered the salmon, a perfectly sized portion resting on a bit of parsnip puree and sauteed baby spinach, with wild mushrooms, and topped with a sweet (as in caramelized) shallot jam. I'm generally not a big fan of salmon but something about this dish made me order it. And I'm glad I did. The fish was cooked exactly right and the shallot jam on top, though slightly too sweet in my humble estimation, worked beautifully with it. There was enough of it to enjoy some with every bite of fish and the whole worked out to more than the sum of the parts. The salmon was Scottish, said the menu, and I don't know if that was made it more appealing to me (it seemed a bit less assertively salmon-y, if that makes any sense at all) but all I can say is that I enjoyed the entree and would order it again. (My sole complaint, and here I defer to dedicated, or more knowledgeable, pescatarians among us: the salmon was served with the skin in place. Ignoring the fact that that made it a bit difficult to cut, it made it unappealing to me. I am not used to having fish served, particularly salmon, with the skin intact. Am I simply too inexperienced?)



The dessert menu disappointed. It's not available online; according to our best recollection, it had six items: three ice creams and three sorbets, a cheesecake brownie, apple pie, apple/pear crumble, creme brulee, and a carrot cake. Nothing in the least out of the ordinary, particularly creative, or very enticing but, being fans of good carrot cake, we gambled. We shouldn't have. It was pulled from the fridge and was too cold/dense for the cake to be enjoyable (not to mention that seemed to be pretty ordinary carrot cake). The "frosting," such as it was, tasted to both of us like nothing so much as cream cheese. Period. Little sweetener and virtually nothing else. The whole item was so refrigerated that in picking at the "frosting," the whole thing came off in a sheet. It was accompanied, however, by a lovely "raisin compote" that I think also had some dried cranberries. Marinated in something (non-alcoholic, which was a nice change of pace, but I forgot to ask what it was), it was really the highlight of the dessert, sad to say.

The only other points I would add: LDC loved the bread (me, not so much). And though I am not a serious aficionado, the beer menu is pretty extensive and may be of interest to those who are. I was disappointed that so few wines were available "by the glass." I put that in quotes because in fact what they offer is one-third of the bottle for exactly one-third of the bottle price. Very few of the wines are offered like this and, frankly, one-third of the bottle is often more than I care for. Why not offer a glass? And why not offer a greater selection? Especially in a place that shares space with a taproom.) We expect to return. In a neighborhood where we've already been blessed with a variety of choices, price points, and styles, I'm pleased that Acre is here. We enjoyed what we had enough to visit it again soon. And who knows? Maybe they'll take some of the tables out of Anteprima and put them in the dining room here!

Gypsy Boy wrote:

I ordered the salmon, a perfectly sized portion resting on a bit of parsnip puree and sauteed baby spinach, with wild mushrooms, and topped with a sweet (as in caramelized) shallot jam... (My sole complaint, and here I defer to dedicated, or more knowledgeable, pescatarians among us: the salmon was served with the skin in place. Ignoring the fact that that made it a bit difficult to cut, it made it unappealing to me. I am not used to having fish served, particularly salmon, with the skin intact. Am I simply too inexperienced?)

I've not eaten that much salmon in my life, but I don't think it's unusual to serve it with skin. I like the crispness and sometimes smoke that the skin adds. One of the more memorable experiences I've had is a dish I ate at L'Etoile in Madison a few years ago: wild Alaskan sockeye salmon with asparagus and chevre gnocchi, morels, baby leeks, carrots, turnips and black truffle butter. Serving the fish skin-down helped with the cutting.

I love salmon with the skin on. I think it's where a lot of those lovely Omega oils are But I don't think it's as common to serve it in restaurants. Except in sushi bars, where you can get salmon skin rolls (salmon skin handroll with cucumber - yum!).

leek wrote:I love salmon with the skin on. I think it's where a lot of those lovely Omega oils are But I don't think it's as common to serve it in restaurants. Except in sushi bars, where you can get salmon skin rolls (salmon skin handroll with cucumber - yum!).

Also, the broiled teriyaki salmon at Itto Sushi comes with the skin.

I had a light dinner at Acre the other night. The only item I had was the hickory grilled trout (skin on) served atop braised escarole, tomatoes and turnips. The hickory flavor was noticeable, pleasant, and not at all overdone. I thought the skin was just a little slimy, not crisp, but otherwise I enjoyed the dish and other than the skin, the fish was cooked well.

I was disappointed that we were not served bread. I didn't even realize they had bread service until I got up to go to the bathroom and noticed a couple of large loaves of bread near the back of the restaurant, and then noticed bread on some other tables. On the other hand, wine glass pours are as generous as at Anteprima so I was pleased with that aspect.

Here's a review posted this morning from Tammy of Chicago Bites: http://www.chicagobites.com/2010/12/acre-restaurant.htm

She tried the deviled eggs, Scottish salmon and apple & pear cobbler among other dishes.

Tried Acre today for brunch. It was my first experience there. I hate slamming a restaurant based on such a small sample, but I really disliked my meal. My first complaint was that the brunch menu was a bit odd. What I wanted was a fairly standard breakfast of eggs, bacon, potatoes, and toast. Apparently this is not an easy option at Acre. They have a menu item for house made bacon or sausage with potatoes for $5. They have a separate menu item for three farm fresh eggs and toast for $6. When I explained to our server what I wanted and asked if ordering both menu items would get me there, he seemed a bit confused and never quite gave me a clear answer. Fearing that by ordering both items, I would be getting too much food I opted for the breakfast skillet.

I don't exactly know what I was expecting the breakfast skillet to be, but it was something very different than what I got. The menu describes the skillet as having leeks, mushrooms, cheddar cheese, sausage, grits, and two eggs. I'll take their word for it. What came out was a small cast iron skillet with two over easy eggs that were really undercooked. These eggs were served over some very watery and tasteless grits. When I cut the eggs to break the yolks, my skillet suddenly turned into a soupy mess of grits and egg yolk. Somewhere in this muddle were some fairly bland sausage, leeks, and mushrooms. I could not detect any cheese. I also could not eat this thing easily with my fork because it was so soupy. Probably not the worst thing as what I could get on my fork was terrible.

I know that every restaurant can have an off day, and there are many items on the menu that I didn't try that could be excellent. However this was a really ill conceived and poorly executed dish. I can easily say that it was the worst thing I have eaten in a Chicago restaurant in a long time. The owner stopped by our table and was very nice. If he reads this forum, I highly recommend re-conceptualizing or getting rid of the breakfast skillet and creating a consolidated menu item that includes eggs, potatoes, toast, and the option to add a side of bacon or sausage.

Giallo - just curious, did you communicate your issues w the owner when he stopped by the table? Definitely does not sound like an appealing dish given the soupiness.

Giallo wrote:Tried Acre today for brunch. It was my first experience there. I hate slamming a restaurant based on such a small sample, but I really disliked my meal. My first complaint was that the brunch menu was a bit odd. What I wanted was a fairly standard breakfast of eggs, bacon, potatoes, and toast. Apparently this is not an easy option at Acre. They have a menu item for house made bacon or sausage with potatoes for $5. They have a separate menu item for three farm fresh eggs and toast for $6. When I explained to our server what I wanted and asked if ordering both menu items would get me there, he seemed a bit confused and never quite gave me a clear answer. Fearing that by ordering both items, I would be getting too much food I opted for the breakfast skillet.

I don't exactly know what I was expecting the breakfast skillet to be, but it was something very different than what I got. The menu describes the skillet as having leeks, mushrooms, cheddar cheese, sausage, grits, and two eggs. I'll take their word for it. What came out was a small cast iron skillet with two over easy eggs that were really undercooked. These eggs were served over some very watery and tasteless grits. When I cut the eggs to break the yolks, my skillet suddenly turned into a soupy mess of grits and egg yolk. Somewhere in this muddle were some fairly bland sausage, leeks, and mushrooms. I could not detect any cheese. I also could not eat this thing easily with my fork because it was so soupy. Probably not the worst thing as what I could get on my fork was terrible.

I know that every restaurant can have an off day, and there are many items on the menu that I didn't try that could be excellent. However this was a really ill conceived and poorly executed dish. I can easily say that it was the worst thing I have eaten in a Chicago restaurant in a long time. The owner stopped by our table and was very nice. If he reads this forum, I highly recommend re-conceptualizing or getting rid of the breakfast skillet and creating a consolidated menu item that includes eggs, potatoes, toast, and the option to add a side of bacon or sausage.

So the owner came by, and I am going to assume he asked how everything was, and you said none of this to him? Why?

I believe Tim does read these forums so he'll probably see it but still, why not talk to him then? It's quite possible they could have made you feel like you got your money's worth by addressing it then as opposed to post-brunch and on the internet.

jtobin625 wrote:

Giallo wrote:Tried Acre today for brunch. It was my first experience there. I hate slamming a restaurant based on such a small sample, but I really disliked my meal. My first complaint was that the brunch menu was a bit odd. What I wanted was a fairly standard breakfast of eggs, bacon, potatoes, and toast. Apparently this is not an easy option at Acre. They have a menu item for house made bacon or sausage with potatoes for $5. They have a separate menu item for three farm fresh eggs and toast for $6. When I explained to our server what I wanted and asked if ordering both menu items would get me there, he seemed a bit confused and never quite gave me a clear answer. Fearing that by ordering both items, I would be getting too much food I opted for the breakfast skillet.

I don't exactly know what I was expecting the breakfast skillet to be, but it was something very different than what I got. The menu describes the skillet as having leeks, mushrooms, cheddar cheese, sausage, grits, and two eggs. I'll take their word for it. What came out was a small cast iron skillet with two over easy eggs that were really undercooked. These eggs were served over some very watery and tasteless grits. When I cut the eggs to break the yolks, my skillet suddenly turned into a soupy mess of grits and egg yolk. Somewhere in this muddle were some fairly bland sausage, leeks, and mushrooms. I could not detect any cheese. I also could not eat this thing easily with my fork because it was so soupy. Probably not the worst thing as what I could get on my fork was terrible.

I know that every restaurant can have an off day, and there are many items on the menu that I didn't try that could be excellent. However this was a really ill conceived and poorly executed dish. I can easily say that it was the worst thing I have eaten in a Chicago restaurant in a long time. The owner stopped by our table and was very nice. If he reads this forum, I highly recommend re-conceptualizing or getting rid of the breakfast skillet and creating a consolidated menu item that includes eggs, potatoes, toast, and the option to add a side of bacon or sausage.

So the owner came by, and I am going to assume he asked how everything was, and you said none of this to him? Why?

I believe Tim does read these forums so he'll probably see it but still, why not talk to him then? It's quite possible they could have made you feel like you got your money's worth by addressing it then as opposed to post-brunch and on the internet.

He seated us. A few moments later while we were perusing the menu he came back and introduced himself as a co-owner. He also asked where we were from and inquired about how we had heard of the restaurant. Nice enough guy, but at that point we hadn't really digested the menu (no pun intended) or tried the food yet. We did not seek him out after our meal. I'm not really looking for any restitution for a bad meal. My contribution to this thread on Acre was really to add a data point to the discussion and, if the owners are readers, provide some feedback.

Giallo wrote: I'm not really looking for any restitution for a bad meal. My contribution to this thread on Acre was really to add a data point to the discussion and, if the owners are readers, provide some feedback.

Personally, I never understand the "argument" that one shouldn't post here about a negative experience when the opportunity existed to complain in-person to owners/management. Bringing a problem to the attention of management is often a good idea for a whole host of reasons; so is reporting accurately to LTH about it.

I tend to agree with the last post; from an owner's standpoint, you want to get feedback immediately from the guest if the food or service are not right. That gives us a chance to make amends (comp the meal, re-do the dish...), determine if the dish was executed correctly or not, check on the steps of service, etc. I also think a forum like this is an appropriate place to provide input on one's experience, good or bad. We find the feedback very useful as a tool to continually improve our food and service.

Tim
Co-Owner - Acre and Anteprima

Resurrecting this thread.. I've visited Acre a few times since the first week it opened and had good food, but inconsistent results. We visited yesterday for brunch and we think they're finally hitting it home. The service was excellent and we had the grilled ham and eggs as well as the chesnut crepes which were both fabulous. We took a look at the dinner menu and it has changed dramatically since the first few weeks so it seems so we're very excited to try dinner again. Not that we were disappointed before, it's just we never got to try many things we wanted to from both sides because there were so many options. It's definitely going to become on of our go to places in Andersonville!

My wife and I had a (somewhat surprisingly) very good dinner at Acre last week. We shared a burger, an appetizer of sausages, and an appetizer of deep fried oysters. Everything was really good. Martini was well made. Service was friendly. Based on my earlier experience, I was prepared for another mediocre experience.

I had a $20 gift certificate to Acre for brunch (given to me at Anteprima for spending over $100), so I figured it was worth another try. We had dinner at Acre a few months ago and were disappointed but expectations were very high as we love Anteprima. For me, the brunch menu looked great but the execution as well as service just missed a bit. I had the chilaquiles which were very tasty except that the fried eggs were overcooked. This seemed to be an issue as my mom had corn cakes with pulled pork and poached eggs which were also overcooked. Both egg dishes pretty much lacked any runniness which certainly hurt the dishes. My dad had the whitefish sandwich which I did not try but he described as "fine". He had fruit salad with it and I personally found the combo odd - strawberries, melon and raisins. The raisins just felt quite out of place. My toddler had the hot dog (which was really more of a sausage). I had requested it without the chili and cheese and it came with both. When our server returned, she quickly noticed that I scraped it off, apologized and asked if we would like a new one. I said no need but accepted the offer for a new bun to appease my son. She seemed in a hurry to get a new bun, but it took at least 5 minutes which seemed odd as it was not toasted or heated in any way. Generally, I found the service although very friendly, quite slow especially as there were only a few tables at 2pm on Sunday (ie it was 15 min before our drink orders were taken). I hope they get in their groove a bit more as I really do think there is alot of potential but it just seems to miss a bit, at least for me.

ecs wrote:He had fruit salad with it and I personally found the combo odd - strawberries, melon and raisins. The raisins just felt quite out of place.

I like Acre, but to that combo I join you in saying "ick".

The wife and I were in the neighborhood on Friday night and decided to give Acre another shot. We enjoyed this trip more than our first.

Menu construction seems a bit more conventional, which is definitely a good thing. We sat on the bar side and decided to just share a bunch of things from the appetizer section of the menu.

We had the fried cheese curds, grilled housemade sausages, octopus salad, and salmon tartare. We enjoyed each dish, some more than others. The cheese curds had a lighter breading than most fried cheese curds that I've seen elsewhere, which was nice. The sausages were all tasty (pork, lamb, one that was chorizo-like) although some were somewhat over-grilled. The octopus salad was really good, with the octopus properly tender. The salmon tartare was really the only miss for me. The fish was over cured which I think takes away from a good tartare (just give it to me raw, let the flavor of the fish shine).

Anyway, I'm glad we went back. It's probably still not a destination place for me, but certainly a solid option if in the neighborhood.

Despite living in the neighborhood, I've avoided Acre since it opened for a number of reasons -- many of which are loud and clear in the mixed reviews here on LTH. A friend and I had brunch here yesterday (her idea) and I've got to say, chances are good it's my only visit.

First of all -- we went at 11 and the place was empty. Now, I have no idea what their hours are because their website does not seem to show them -- which is not a plus, in my opinion. Websites should have menus, hours, maps and little else but that's another thread. Anyhow, for me it was annoying that the man who was seating us chit chatted with us at the wait stand for at least 7 minutes without showing us our table. Couldn't he chit chat while he moved us to a table? The place was empty except for one or two other patrons and all the tables were quite open and ready. He was just spacey. It was very weird.

Anyhow...as we were contemplating the menu I ran into the "nothing looks that tempting" problem. At brunch, I usually go savory and all the savory items did not appeal at all. I ended up settling on the Buttermilk pancakes with a side of pork sausage but it wasn't at all what i wanted. And it's interesting -- i don't recall seeing any potato options for breakfast except for fries.

I will say that the booze was delicious. My friend and were amused to see a sloe gin fizz on the menu and we both decided to get it for nostalgia's sake more than anything else (ah, youth!) and they were quite yummy. Very sweet/tangy instead of too syrupy (like the fizzes of my late teens) and easily drinkable. One was enough.

Back to the food. The pancakes were pretty good, actually. Crispy edges, nice and light and topped with some very nice whipped cream flavored with lemon zest. They were a good dish. The sausage was not as advertised -- while house made, it was an appetizer portion (almost $5 more than the side I was advertised) and they were a selection of andouille, chorizo and some lamb curry. They were awful. There were odd tastes in each sausage that just completely made them very unappetizing and I soon abandoned them. My companion tried them and didn't find them as objectionable but she didn't eat them either. I am actually tempted to add them to the worst things I've eaten lately thread. At any rate, my friend had chicken salad sandwhich, which she enjoyed a great deal although the fries that came with it were completely limp and unappealing. I wasn't even tempted to try them and my friend soon gave up on them.

Service was friendly but really forgetful and inaccurate. Coffee was ordered and forgotten (which is never good for a brunch) but when it finally came, it was quite good. Big cup, too. There was also the sausage debacle -- when the server brought me the app plate of hideous sausages (and please...let me be clear here -- I'm a fan of sausage. I love sausage -- but these were just oddly spiced and really not delicious), I asked the waitress if this plate was indeed what I had ordered (a side of pork sausage). She went into the back to clear it up and came back several minutes later telling me that the pork sausage was not available and this was the only sausage on the menu. I should have probably made a fuss about having it removed from the bill after I found them so icky but I was with a friend who was paying and I didn't want to be annoying. <grin> So....requests for water were noted and then forgotten, no attempt was made to check on us (and she had very very few tables) -- it was like she wasn't quite awake yet. At 11:30.

Not exactly a great brunch experience. Good booze though. The thing that was most telling to me was that I had such a difficult time deciding what to get -- not because everything sounded good but because nothing did. I just don't think Acre is my cup of tea -- and I'm a major Anteprima fan. I never thought I'd miss Charle's Ale House, which despite a few menu items was mostly mediocre, but I don't find Acre to be a good replacement. Plus...for 2 people -- it was over $60. And that's highway robbery for what we were served.

earthlydesire wrote:I asked the waitress if this plate was indeed what I had ordered (a side of pork sausage). She went into the back to clear it up and came back several minutes later telling me that the pork sausage was not available and this was the only sausage on the menu.

This is one of my pet peeves--menus being out of date, so that they list things the kitchen no longer offers. The same applies to wine lists that contain vintages the restaurant no longer carries. First preference would be that they make the menu and/or wine list accurate. Second preference would be that if they can't manage to do this, they at least alert the waitstaff to tell you this when you order. I send wines back on principle when places fail to do this. If the wine list describes a 2006 [Whatever Varietal], and I order that, and the server brings out a 2007 [Whatever Varietal] from the same vintner because the place no longer has the 2006, I send it back--no matter that the 2007 may actually be as good or better than the 2006! It matters to me that menus and wine lists be accurate.

It's strange that the same people who do a such a good job with Anteprima (which is one of my favorite places) can't seem to get it together with Acre.

I think this weekend is a weird one for going out. Places that are normally packed are empty. I bet also that the "second team" is doing a lot of serving due to that, people with more experience/tenure having taken the day off if possible.

I think this weekend is a weird one for going out. Places that are normally packed are empty. I bet also that the "second team" is doing a lot of serving due to that, people with more experience/tenure having taken the day off if possible.

I'm certainly willing to believe this. However -- the sausages were still icky, the fries were still limp and unappetizing and the menu still not very appealing to me. And the bill was still outrageous for what we got.

I'm beginning to realize that as much as I like Anteprima, I may just never have much passion for Acre. A very light dinner with a friend Friday night showed some promise but ultimately missed the mark.

The worst of the evening were the duck pierogis which were really greasy and had so little filling . . . we were really amazed that anyone would have bothered plating these ultra-skimpy pierogis.

The grilled octopus (w/ chick peas, Hungarian peppers, wax beans and radishes) could have fared much better, but for the most part, the octopus was not the least bit charred. The pieces that were charred were quite nice and paired well with the accompaniments. Finally, the heirloom tomato salad with cucumber, pea shoots, basil, mint, feta and red wine vinaigrette really had some great ingredients - tomatoes were beautiful, great feta. The only negative was a huge green chunk of core that somehow made it onto the plate.

The one thing I am noticing about Acre - also one of the things I love about Anteprima - is their ability to source great produce, and in everything I tried, it was the produce that really shined.

I just noticed on their website that they have an oyster selection/bar now. $1 oysters Monday - Friday from 5:00 - 7:00.

-M