Echelon Sby

I’ve heard great things about echelon and was really excited to go there. I was one of a party of four, and the first to arrive. Our reservation was for 5 pm, an hour at which we usually receive good service. There was a huge noisy reception going on in the main room, and the server showed me to a small room in the back which she referred to as «the private room.» She explained that all of her reservations were being seated there due to the large party out front. It looked more intended for staff dining than for paying guests. The tables were small 4-​tops, and one party’s was so rickety the server had to fix it – I think it was a card table — before they could be served. The tables were covered with black cotton cloths and none of them looked quite clean. No place settings were in evidence. But the smells from the kitchen were enough to keep me optimistic.
The server brought me a glass of water and when the rest of the party arrived, we got menus, and everyone else’s drinks arrived. She took our orders, nothing complicated. I ordered the house specialty, shrimp and grits, as did the one male diner at our table. One of us had the Caesar salad with shrimp, and the other a cup of gumbo and the special grilled cheese for grownups. It seemed like we had an unduly long wait for our food, especially when a larger table who came in after us were getting their food long before the salad came to our table, with chicken instead of shrimp, and was sent back. A while after that, our gentleman’s shrimp and grits was plunked down in front of him, but he had no flatwear with which to attack it. The server returns in a few minutes with the chicken Caesar salad we had already rejected, and then notices that we need place settings, She comes back with four, as needed, and tries to leave with one of them, asking if we needed all four. Presently the gumbo comes out, then they finally get the salad right, and bring the grilled cheese to accompany the gumbo. I was left sitting with a refill of my water and nothing to eat. I watched dish after dish of shrimp and grits go out of the kitchen to diners around us, and the rest of my party were halfway through their meals before the server got within shouting distance. One of my dining companions got her attention so I could ask her whether they intended to serve my order. She seemed surprised and asked if I had ordered it, checking her order pad just in case. She gave a weak apology and said she’d put the order in.
After what seemed again an unduly long wait for a dish of the house mainstay, my dining companion asked how much longer we would have to wait, and when the server gave a lame excuse, the diner took it up a notch and the server apologized profusely in a tone we knew meant she couldn’t care less. She returned a few minutes later to say the cook was cooking some up «fresh» for me and would charge only half price for it. My table mates had completely finished their food, ordered and received dessert and coffee when my entrée finally arrived. The thing that earned this review’s second star was the quality of the food. Everyone enjoyed their food greatly, and if not for the grossly unprofessional service, all could have been forgiven. I’m not saying she was rude — she was very upbeat and friendly — she just had better things to do than be watching our table.
Sadly, the rest of my party, who had dined here before, were so upset that regardless of the great food and the last-​minute discount, said they would not be back. It is unlikely I will either.

We found your shrimp and grits! We were at the larger table and they were delivered to us about 10 minutes before the rest of our food. It must have been intended for your table. I bet they didn’t have table numbers for the storage room we were in so they got mixed up. I would like to try this place again but I hope for a better experience. The food tasted very good.