Encore Restaurant and Blue Bar

I’ve tried blue bar twice for happy hour and have had two less than great experiences. Probably some of the worst service I’ve had in Cle (apart from the bartenders who have always been nice.) Both times I visited the service was incredibly slow, slightly rude and left room for improvement.
The Mediterranean platter is good with baba ghanoush, hummus and olives. However, the fish tacos and beef kebabs were bad. The food came out luke warm and flavorless. I hate to post a negative review but this place is flopping on all accounts. It will be a while before I come back, if ever.

Sooooo… This is a tough one because I thought the food and drinks were tasty, and the happy hour deal is amazing, but service is not great… Slow, and the bartender apparently didn’t feel like making blue cheese stuffed olives, so I ordered wine instead of a martini, even though I really wanted a martini with blue cheese olives. I know they’re not fun to make, if you didn’t prep enough before the shift– I used to work in the business, but it’s part of the gig… :/

This review is for the lunch buffet! Their al la carte breakfast and dinner menu’s might be completely delicious, but the lunch buffet was disappointing. As advertised on the sign outside the Wyndham Hotel, the buffet is $ 10 with 30 salad toppings and a rotating hot bar. On Wednesdays, the hot bar selection included broccoli and cheddar soup, fried catfish, buttered corn, rolls, and grilled bbq chicken.
I was really disappointed by the salad bar. The mushrooms looked old, the shredded carrots were tasteless, and the broccoli was barely even green in color. That was about the extent of the vegetables on offer. Most of the 30 toppings they advertise must have been cheeses and dressings, because I had a hard time constructing a nice salad.
That being said, the staff could not have been any nicer. My waitress was so sweet and checked up on me multiple times, but a pleasant wait staff did not make up for the poor food selection.

This restaurant was recommended to me by a local as being ‘very under-​rated,’ so since we were staying at the Wyndham we decided to give it a try. My husband’s short rib entrée was very good, but I (intrigued by the inclusion of a single Indian entrée on an otherwise American/​French menu) decided to give the Shrimp Vindaloo a try. The shrimp was rubbery, the sauce resembled a slightly spicy tomato paste. I can count on one hand the times I’ve sent back food, but I sent this back after the first bite. I’m now wondering if this local actually works at the Wyndham because I would have a hard time recommending it to anyone for any situation other than it’s absolutely pouring, you’re tired and hungry, and you just want to get something in your stomach before going to bed.

Amazing food and atmpsohere

We stopped at the Blue Bar to have wine and dinner before going to a musical at the Ohio Theater. We were SOOO disappointed. We each had a glass of wine, which was fine but the food (we purchased two appetizers) was just awful. The poutine, a regular priced dish was embarrassing. I’m not sure that was actual cheese curds (unmelted) or chorizo on the cold french fries… what I do know is that fast food poutine in Canada beat it by 10. The flat bread had some sort of sauce (couldn’t make it out) and the equivalence of one ounce of chicken… and was also served cold. Both waiters who waited on our table had been there less that a week… and the only thing they did well… was take my money. I want to add that I’m a Clevelander and frequent anything local from Johnny Mango to Lola… but this, this was terrible!

«Happy Hour Review»
OK, it’s gotten out of hand. I can imagine a time when Encore’s happy hour was a lesser-​known thing and a great way to unwind after work or before a show. In fact, I still like the pork sliders, but «Blue Bar» has jumped the shark.
I’ve gone twice, once on a Tuesday and once on a Friday. Both times there were more people than the staff could accommodate. The Scotch egg, charcuterie board were lack luster at best and the Tuna Croquette Romesco was like a canned-​tuna-​salad paste in a fried ball.
It’s hard to get a seat, and if you do, don’t expect to be served, but if you are, don’t expect them to be nice.

*Happy Hour Review*
Blue bar is a great place to grab a drink and unwind after work.
The key here is that from 4PM-​7PM they have ½ off all drinks and ½ priced appetizers. When I say half off of all drinks, I mean it, the nicest scotch on the top shelf is much more affordable after work at Blue Bar.
The appetizers are solid, and with the price cut down to the $ 5 – 6 range you can’t beat them. I’d highly recommend the flatbread pizza or 3-​cheese chicken quesadillas. The bartenders aren’t the fastest, most experienced folks, but they’re super friendly and attentive, and they get the job done.
The atmposphere is great, with a traditional bar area, some high tables and comfy chairs scattered around. A big bonus is the more casual seating area so you can sit down on a couch and relax or sink into a leather chair away from the higher-​energy counter area. They usually have some Great Lakes on tap and a couple of other options. Which brings me to the only major downside of the bar, very limited draft selection and frequent shortages for the few taps they do have.
I live downtown and stop in at blue bar after work for a beer and some grub often, it’s a great spot and overall I give it ⁴⁄₅ stars. Haven’t been to the actual Encore restaurant area though.

The night here was like a ride a Geauga Lake’s big dipper (one of the first roller coasters ever built, which was known for its many up and down maneuvers). The waitress was friendly, but not very well prepared. I do not feel it was her fault though, she needed to be trained and informed better. The menu is slim, but the liquor, wine and beer selection is nice. I love beer, and they have a good selection of beer on their menu.
We sat down with a party of seven, and the waitress greater us quickly and asked for our drink order. I like trying new beers when I’m traveling to taste the different varieties in the area, so ordered the featured beer of the day, which was a plumb and raisin flavoured ale.
The waitress came back in five minutes to inform me that they were out of the beer. I then selected another beer from their menu. Five minutes later the waitress came back suggesting another beer. I was confused at first, but then caught on that the second beer selection was also out. The beer that was offered was a hoppie style larger, and the bartender informed the waitress that it was similar to my first choice: the plumb and raisin ale. This hoppie beer was like a shot of bankers club tequila that I wouldn’t have even drank in my college years.
I ultimately ended up with something I have tried before, the Great Lakes Dombuldorg. A good beer, but not what I wanted at a place in Cleveland that starts at $ 25 an entrée. I live in NYC, so this price isn’t shocking, but for Cleveland, it’s on the higher end and I expected more from the Encore management when they charge a premium.
I ordered the prime rib that was on the daily specials, and asked for asparagus in place of the potatoes. The waitress came back about five minutes after I ordered, and I was thinking she was saying they would comp my drink because of the beer issue, but she came to inform me that there was an up charge for the asparagus. I laughed at the situation and agreed to the up charge thinking it was ridiculous.
Our food came and there were exactly four pieces of asparagus on the plate next to 18 ounces of prime rib. Ridiculous in proportion, but it was excellent. The prime rib was some of the best I have had, and I suggest that it be added to the menu.
My girlfriend got the lamb shank, which was also very good. I would recommend it to anyone who likes lamb. One issue with this plate though, there was no bone marrow shank to pull the bone marrow out. I suggest the restaurant stock this if they continue to sell the shank.
In the end, the food was great and I really enjoyed it, but the first impression ruined Encore for me. You can’t feature a beer and be out of it. You especially can’t offer a second option and be out of it as well. If you do run out, you can always reprint the daily special and sub or delete the beer.