Reno food and restaurant reviews from three regular people

Grilled chicken breast over quinoa and parsnip puree at Bowl Restaurant, Reno

Bowl Restaurant is the latest reincarnation from the owners of the now closed Sezmu. Everything’s served in bowls, and the food is fresh, beautifully executed, filling – yet light, and very delicious. But that may not be enough to overcome their poor service.

The restaurant is located in the downtown West Street Market. After months of being open, they still don’t have a sign outside of the building – so it’s very easy to pass right by and miss them (hint: they face West St.).

It’s a tiny, casual place where you walk up to a counter and order from an ever-changing chalkboard of items.  The person taking the order was civil, but extremely aloof. Wouldn’t crack a smile, and didn’t seem thankful to see a customer. Considering it was the lunch hour and only one other table of two were there, you’d think she’d be nicer.

The food came out quickly and was beautifully made. After inhaling the chef-y flavors and visually drinking in the precise presentation, I was eager to dig in. I had the grilled chicken breast over quinoa and a parsnip purée. The chicken was moist, perfectly seasoned, and each layer in the bowl was just as skillfully made.

I was so in love with my meal, I decided to try Bowl again for dinner a month later. Another person was up front taking the counter orders. She was as cold and aloof as the other gal. Even my guest noticed this and he usually doesn’t comment about these things.

Fried calamari, romaine and fennel salad at Bowl Restaurant

It was Friday night and a bit busy for them with 7 tables (all two people each) and a few take-out orders. I’m usually pretty understanding of crunches when everyone seems to come at the same time. But it took over 70 minutes before our dinner arrived. During this time, no one came by to let us know it’s on its way. The two people up front just ignored everyone staring at the counter wondering where our dinners were. Then when they finally dumped it on our table, there was no apology for the long wait.

Making it worse, the person who took our order and delivered our dinner, forgot our hummus appetizer. When she delivered our dinner, I mentioned she forgot our appetizer and can just reimburse us for it. Rather than apologize and agree, she just looked at us like we were being disagreeable not wanting our appetizer WITH our dinner and over an hour AFTER we ordered it. She just said, “Well, I’ll just go get it for you now.”

The hummus sucked. It was a lemon juice overkill and felt like we were pickling our tongues with each bite. The accompanying pappadum was broken into wedges and stuck in the hummus. Although it looked cool, it was a bad idea because it made the pappadum as soggy and pleasant to eat as cornflakes left overnight in milk. Mush.

I’m surprised and disappointed by how poorly run Bowl Restaurant is. Sezmu had attentive, professional service. As repeat restaurateurs, you’d think the chef/owner would be more aware of their customer service. That’s the face of your restaurant. I’ve talked to several people who’ve gone there and they all have similar feedback: great food, poor service.

As much as I enjoy the food there , the consistently poor service (during busy times and slow), is enough to make me not want to return. At an average $14 an entrée, the bad service is enough to make me cross the place off my list. The only thing the front room staff does is take your money and pop your food on the table. They don’t talk to guests, they don’t even give you water – you have to get everything yourself. If they were at least friendly, I wouldn’t mind. But they seem annoyed by customers rather than grateful for them. If the chef/owner is reading this, pay attention to the front of your restaurant as you do the kitchen, so you can be the success you deserve to be.

In a nutshell
Rated on a scale of 1-5, where 5 is stellar:
Taste – 5
Quality – 4.5
Service – 0
Price – $$

Where to find ‘em
148 West St.
Reno, NV 89501
775-327-4443
www.thatbowlrestaurant.com
Hours: Tues-Sun 11am-11pm

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