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After my experience last night, I’m left with only one big question- why The Frog Pond won the weekly poll by such a large margin. I was joined by Whitney and Justin Catalano at The Frog Pond in Canadohta Lake around 7:45 on Monday night. As I walked to the door, there was a group of patrons leaving the restaurant who strongly urged me not to order the stuffed pepper special because the ground beef inside it was raw. Needless to say, that wasn’t a great start to our meal. We were seated on the back deck with a beautiful view of the sunset over the lake; little did we know that this would be the single best part of our experience. Our server brought us some menus and our drinks, but didn’t return to take our orders for close to fifteen minutes. The house specialties on the menu are marked with a small frog, so we figured those were good options to try. Whitney decided on the seafood trio, a side salad, and a cup of seafood chowder. Justin ordered the seafood platter, mashed potatoes, and a cup of the same soup. He was informed by the waitress that they were out of mashed potatoes and that Whitney was going to get the last cup of chowder. He then asked for a baked potato and a Caesar salad, only to find out that they were also out of Romaine lettuce. Understandably frustrated by this point, he inquired about the coleslaw, which they did still have. I decided to steer clear of seafood so we didn’t all order the same thing and I chose the house favorite, Prime Rib. I ordered a baked sweet potato and cottage cheese as sides.
Our sides came to the table first, but we then waited another ten minutes to eat them because our server never brought silverware. While we were eating, the table next to us sent back a stuffed pepper special because the ground beef inside them was indeed raw. I’ve never been so glad to pass on a restaurant’s daily special. We each finished the salad, coleslaw, and cottage cheese, which were all pretty standard, and after another 40 minutes of waiting and watching other tables get their food, we noticed our waitress walking toward us sans food and sporting a slightly nervous expression. She informed us that the kitchen had decided not to serve the entrees ordered by my dining companions because the seafood was two weeks old and had gone rancid. This should have been our cue to say “thank you” and leave for the night, but our growling stomachs were not prepared to skip dinner. Whitney and Justin were asked to choose something else from the menu and with most of the seafood options out of the question, they both ended up with the house favorite Prime Rib as well. The steaks came out rather quickly after the orders were placed, which was very odd. All three cuts were served at room temperature or colder and were full of inedible, cold, white fat. The few pieces that we were actually able to eat were far from “prime” and weren’t worth the extremely long wait, or the $16 per dish price tag.
Obviously it’s safe to say that this meal was a disaster. Before our check came to the table, I asked to speak with a manager about our experience and was told that she wouldn’t be in until Tuesday. After a few minutes, however, the waitress returned and I was told that the manager would be out to talk to me shortly. She did eventually make an appearance, and I couldn’t help but notice that she was the same woman I’d seen earlier having a cigarette only a few feet from our table, so, apparently, she had been there the whole night. I told her what the kitchen staff revealed to us about the seafood we’d ordered and the poor quality of the prime rib. She disappeared into the kitchen for a few minutes and returned to the table with an apology and our check. She then proceeded to take my $50, the full cost of all three of our dinners. At that point, I felt even more strongly that we should have left when they told us that the seafood in the cooler was rancid. I did talk to a few other people I know who have been to this restaurant before and they said they’ve had decent food there, but that service is consistently slow. As for my experience, I honestly can’t say that I recommend The Frog Pond or that I will be back to give it another try.
Keep sending me your recommendation for summer food stops to akochirka@goerie.com or to the Beard Vs. Food Facebook. Remember to come back and vote as well.
Until next time,
Andrew — Beard vs. Food
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I have heard from others that the place has really gone downhill and this seems to confirm just that. What a shame because I am pretty sure it used to receive very good reviews. Your experience was unacceptable (and I feel bad for you) and am crossing the place joint of my list of places to go. It’s also a shame because eating next the lake is so nice. What a waste!
Thanks for the honest review. At the very least the manager should have taken some $$$ off the bill, if not comped the entire meal. This restaurant needs to be inspected by the Health Department asap. The owner should be embarrassed and the manager fired. I will NEVER eat at The Frog Pond and am sure anyone who values their health feels the same way.
We totally agree with your view on the Frog Pond. Its a disgrace. We went there for a meal and the service was terrible. We put in our orders only to have the waitress come back and say half of the things were unavailable. We waited forever to get the food and when it finally arrived, the plate was just a lump of nasty fat!! Certainly NOT prime rib. We will NEVER go back and we have informed ALL our friends to never go there too. Your article just backs up our version of our story – and obviously it rings very true. The place is a SHAM and dirty too.
I’m sorry that you had a bad experience, but I can assure you, this isn’t the normal at the Frog Pond. My husband and I go there on a regular basis and have never had a bad experience. The waitresses are wonderful, the food is great, and the Long Islands can’t be beat.
Perhaps part of the problem is that the owner has had the restaurant and land up for sale, overpriced, for the past 5 years. It is too bad, I remember going there when I was young and loving it. There are a lot of great places at Canadohta Lake, but some of the “old establishments” rely on what they used to be.
Beard wrote: “After my experience last night, I’m left with only one big question- why The Frog Pond won the weekly poll by such a large margin.”….Here’s Why…. Because people wanted to expose The Frog Pond for the fraud of an establishment that it is. This place should be shut down or sold immediately! Health Inspectors please take notice and go visit this place sooner than later. The food here is bad and the service even worse!
sorry for your bad experience, as a cook there, I assure you this is not the norm for the Pond, hope you consider us again, and enjoy our view, and the food this time.
You made TWO mistakes – not leaving when they told you the fish was fishy, and not INSISTING something be done regarding the bill. At least asking anyways.
I’ll never go there and I go to EVERY place you positively review.
We have been going there since the Lipchik’s bought the place 30 some years ago. Never had bad service or a bad meal. The staff and Leah are wonderful people. Must have just been one of those days when everything goes wrong. Give it another chance and order a Long Island, they are the best!!
I am a loyal customer of the Frog Pond and it is one of the reasons why I have a cottage at the lake as the people are friendly & make you feel welcome & like family. The one thing I can say is they are so busy because they are a popular destination that after a summer weekend the choices may be more limited on a Monday. You should respect the fact they would not serve you food that they thought was questionable from their supplier & talk to the owner before going off on a rant. They always make it right when there is a problem if you give them a chance.
If they know they are busy and run out of food, (don’t believe the busy part)than it is a poor job of inventory and ordering appropiate food supplies. Maybe they should close Monday but I believe it is poor management causing problems here. Also, Beard did not go off on rant but simply stated FACTS from his HORRIBLE dining experience. Not serving rancid food is a no brainer and they did not fix the problem, hence the manager charging full price without any discounts for terrible food and service. The Frog Pond owner should put a check in the mail today and hire new staff!
It’s funny to me the few comments who tried to say something nice about the frog pond mentioned to try a Long Island. The feature is titled Beard vs Food. There are lots of dives around the Erie area that can make a good drink but don’t know Anything about serving good food. Let’s get buzzed on the long islands so we don’t notice the lack of service and the spoiled and unedible food.
what makes this guy a food critic ? he likes food? big deal so do I. love the Frog Pond. great food. great atmosphere. great for familys.
My wife and I and another couple had dinner there last summer (2011) for the first and last time. We see nothing has changed since as we could have written the review for you. Thank you for doing this. It was a much needed expose’.
I guess what makes this guy a food critic is the endorsement of the region’s primary newspaper and number one media outlet – duh. I guess the fact that he eats out once a week professionally and keeps a record of his experiences for us helps – duh. Maybe when you go to the Frog Pond being a regular grants you better service. Maybe the food tastes good to you because of an unrefined palate.
Great Foood! Great Service! Clean! This is what comes to my mind when I think of the Frog Pond!!! Every business has a bad day and that has to be what happened on that Monday! A restaurant can not help that the food service provider delivered a case of bad fish! Not all the seafood was bad! Plus after a super busy weekend I am not surprised they were out of a few items! This doesn’t make them a bad restaurant! It only proves that they are very busy because they are GOOD!!!!Everyone should try the Frog Pond and get your own opinion! It is worth every bite!
LMAO Bobby. You funny guy. A couple things though. 1. No, that does not make him a respectable food critic–duh. 2. Just curious, have you ever been to the Frog Pond? I have. I would certainly not consider myself a regular, but Ive been there a few times. I personally have NEVER had bad service, food, or a bad overall experience. Certainly not even close to what this fella is claiming. Sorry to hear he (Andy) had a rather unpleasant experience. However, A respectable food critic does not do an article based on 1 experience, especially if it was an unpleasant one. This comes from a REAL food critic. The frog pond is a fine place to eat. Its been owned now by the same people for close to 30 years now(I looked it up). If the business was nearly as bad as this guy claims, then the business would have been out a long time ago–duh. My experiences at the frog pond have been: Good food, Great service, and an overall decent time. That, Andy(and Bobby), would be the reasons why the Frog Pond won the weekly poll by such a large margin!
Beard is a great food critic who tells facts and details about his dining experience, good or bad. In the case of the Frog Pond, very bad. Sad to see comments questioning Beard and making excuses for this place. Please read the article before making comments. A customer deserves a great dining experience whether it is a Monday or a busy weekend night. There will always be some days where a restaurant is not up to par for what the customer expects, but what happened at the Frog Pond is UNEXCUSABLE. Here is a list of what Beard experienced: waited 15 minutes to order, out of many basic side items, server did not bring silverware, raw ground beef, waited 40 minutes to be told seafood was rancid(if it was delivered bad, manager should have noticed right away), steaks were cold and mostly inedible, manager smoking next to customers table, waitress either uninformed or lying about availibility of manager, manager refusing to discount for poor service and food. There is NO EXCUSE for this at any restaurant, any day of the week, regardless of what you order. I value a good dining experience and would NEVER go to this restaurant, even if it was free!
I can say for myself that I trust the Beard’s reviews. He has been around food his entire life basically and has been to many restaurants and eateries for his blog. So he has gone once and had a horrific experience, did you want him to lie or not write about it? YES, you can go to a place once and be a respectable food critic. I can speak from experience that this is not an isolated incident. The Frog Pond does treat regulars differently from just an average customer. The service is poor and especially slow. The food is below average and overpriced. The manager is very unprofessional and should not be working in the food service/customer relation industry. I’m sure if they knew who Andrew Kochirka was they would have put on a dog and pony show for him, but they did not and he got to experience what the Frog Pond is like for most customers. This place may have been alright many years ago but surely is going downhill fast. New leadership is needed for this restaurant to succeed. Thanks to the “Beard vs Food” for another honest review.
Who likes to eat at the Frog Pond? EVERYONE tonight. The place was jammed and the community circled the wagons to enjoy some great food. ♥
I enjoy reading this blog and have found Andrew to be fair and accurate with what he writes. Whenever you tell the truth about a restaurant and it is unfavorable, there will be sour grapes. This appears to be a restaurant that is inconsistent at best. Too many things went wrong to say I’ll give this place a try. Of course you may have busy nights with it being summer and not much competition in that area. I doubt there are many repeat customers if they have an experience like Andrew. Good restaurants do not need to circle the wagons to get people to eat there. I will choose to avoid the Frog Pond, Thanks.
The people commenting that local customers get treated differently are just plain ignorant. I come up to The Frog Pond from Pittsburgh every now and again. I know some locals there. Ive been to The Frog Pond with several groups of friends while locals were there. I did not see a bit of difference in the way locals were treated. If I had 1 bad thing to say about The Frog Pond it would be the length of time it takes to get your food. HOWEVER, it is clearly stated (on a sign) at the entrance to expect a longer waiting time (or something to that nature). That is (and has been) part of their business MO. Take it or leave it. It is what it is. Oh, one more thing. The people complaining about “fatty” prime rib are also clearly morons. I have eaten at some of the finest restaurants in the world. I have had prime at some of these restaurants. The prime Ive had at The Frog Pond was not far off from those I have eaten else ware. Prime itself is one of the fattiest steaks you will find. There is only one section of prime that is not fatty. This section is often times 1/2 the steak or less. Also, no, it does not surprise me that the prime that was served was out shortly after it was ordered. Prime is slow cooked all day long so that its ready when ordered. Just sayin… Oh and I will be going back to The Frog Pond!
As some who has over 25 years of restaurant what bothers me most is that the stuffed peppers were raw and it was served to at least two tables if not more. That is completely unacceptable in any reputable restaurant.Management failed ! The stuffed peppers should have been “86ed”- restaurant slang for “OUT” and thrown out. Again Management failed ! THEY COULD HAVE KILLED SOMEONE. What people needs to understand this review was one experience that happened to be a food critic. He had a bad experience and wrote so. Live with it , how would you feel had he wrote a raving review and you spent your hard earned money for a very sub par dining experience Ownership should use this as an wake up call to improve their operation though I somehow don;t believe they will. @ Joe, all beef is sold by USDA Grades, No roll- not graded , Select , Choice and Prime. This is determined by the marbling of the meat, more marbling of the meat the higher the grade. A good “prime rib” the ‘fat eye” should be no more than 1″ in diameter and the fat on the “tail” should be no more than 3/4″. From the authors review and description of his meal it sounds as the thought they are using a inferior grade of prime rib and passing it off as something more superior
To foodguy71. You obviously don’t have 25 years of English experience. I couldn’t figure out whether to read your senseless rant or correct the numerous mistakes. I came here to read opinions not be treated like a ignorant donkey who knows nothing about food. Also perhaps you should go try the food for yourself instead of putting your own twists on fellow contributor’s opinions.
Now, on to the frog pond. I’ve eaten at the Pond literally hundreds of times. Unfortunately ever since the death of one of the owners the place is in serious disarray. People who know who the cook is should not be the least bit surprised as to how the food is turning out. But having said that, I will definitely be back to the frog pond. It’s the only game in town and raw beef inside a stuffed pepper is better than raw chicken from the bear.
looks like alot of people have alot to say about the Frog Pond, well heres my 2 cents, gather round folks and lets all have a big group hug and be nice to each other. I was there last night and I will be there this weekend. love it or hate it. this is a free country and I for one love going there.
Englishteacher –Looks like you were absent from your English class when they covered when to use a capital letter at the beginning of a person,place or thing. Yes, I have have dined many times at the Frog Pond when Chuck was still with us. Don’t think I am willing to go back till it is sold