Restaurant Review: Pure Spirits Oyster House

Top: Pure Spirits back in the day when they were making pure spirits.

Bottom: This is the after picture. HGTV sent a design crew in to fix the joint up. :)

The hubby and I went to this Distillery District restaurant for his post-birthday celebration. Pure Spirits looks small in comparison to the Boiler House restaurant next door but it is still a snazzy setting. We sat in the patio and had fresh baked bread which was a god-send as I was starving. Following that, we had crab cake as an appetizer. It was tasty but I was disappointed by the size of the lone crab puck.

It went downhill from there as my muscovy duck breast was chewy and a little overdone. The hubby's Ahi Tuna was tasteless and paired with equally bland fingerling potatoes. Not terrible. Certainly not wonderful. In retrospect I should have told the owner, an elderly gentleman, who drifted to each table to ask how people were enjoying themselves.

I normally make it a rule of thumb not to complain about food unless it is blatantly horrible or dangerous (hubby had shards of glass in the bottom of his drink at Milestones). I've worked in a few kitchens in the past and I know that complaints can bring about some terrible deeds by disgruntled cooks or waitstaff. I find it best to simply avoid ordering the same dish in the future or eating elsewhere. If you choose to complain about the food DO NOT send the dish back and have it "fixed." It will get fixed alright. If it is really that horrible, ask for an entirely different dish. However, I find it is best to let the management or waiter know after your main course is done. Sometimes they will compensate with a discount on your bill or a complimentary dessert. Being courteous and discreet will work in your favour as this will be appreciated by management.