Review of The Alchemists' Garden

This place is good but we noticed some things that could really be improved on. Overall, it seems like they are trying too hard with a concept, and struggling to execute on it. We approached the restaurant to find the host sitting outside in 30 degree weather, bundled up and admitting to us she was freezing. We noticed they eventually let her inside, but in the moment we felt pretty bad for her. They had this velvet rope setup outside which seemed unnecessary given we were seated right away. We understand that’s because they usually have a much longer wait, but as newcomers it felt weird, especially with the cold weather. The host offered us a bar table and said that we could sit at the bar while they “got the table ready”, but we were never moved from the bar to that table, even after it seemed set. We didn’t know who to order from, which in our case mattered because we have dietary restrictions we wanted to ask about. Speaking of dietary restrictions, they have items marked gluten free on the menu that share a fryer with gluten items, so these are not safe if you have celiac, like me. I had chosen my meal, only to find out upon asking further questions that it would not be safe for me to eat. My partner does not eat meat, and there is some discrepancy between the menu showed online and what we got in print, vis-a-vis what is vegetarian. We asked the bartenders what the V on the print menu meant, considering there were items that seemed vegetarian but did not have the V, and we got conflicting answers from both on whether it meant “vegan” or “vegetarian”. One bartender couldn’t remember the difference between those two terms. The cocktails were good! I had two of the seasonal cocktails, and I liked the hot toddy but not the butterbeer as much. My partner had the hot buttered rum and the old fashioned, and enjoyed both a lot. I had the skirt steak and my partner had the bucatini, and we split the deviled eggs. The eggs were tasty, though overcooked and chewy. The skirt steak was good, but the sweet potato mash under seemed like an odd flavor pairing. That said, I did eat all of it and enjoyed it. My partner thought the pasta was cooked very well, but some of the mushrooms were undercooked. In summary, this place has a lot of potential, and we will be coming back next time we pass through Paso. We hope to see some improvements then. It has all the ingredients of a truly great restaurant, but they haven’t quite come together yet.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Somewhat

Safety Feature Ratings

• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Good

Other Characteristics

• Good for dinner
• Good vegetarian options