 |  |
When flying within the United States, the biggest gamble of any trip is the leg based on commuter jets. If there are any weather issues at hub airports then the first planes grounded around the country are the smallest. So planning a trip to Asia and knowing that there was 24 hours flying time in store, it seemed that a two hour window should be loads of time between arriving in Detroit and leaving for Tokyo. WRONG! One crew delay and parking at the end of the runway waiting for weather to clear over Detroit meant that the connection to Tokyo departed just as we were taxiing to our gate at Terminal C.
But every cloud could have a silver lining. Customer service confirmed that they had a hotel room reserved for me and even more importantly they were going to give me meal vouchers towards each meal. Reality check, the hotel was the Best Western Gateway International hotel and the meal vouchers were for $6 that would be a generous stipend 20 years ago but now was, frankly, taking the piss.
As the bus rolled up through a desolate park of non-descript hotels before arriving at the Best Western the signs weren’t encouraging. Going inside sunk the mood further. The hotel was a sprawling, single storey building with decor that was dated as soon it was built. Dinner was in the charmingly-named Palms cafe and lounge, an exotic locale in humdrum surroundings.
In truth, The Palms was as unusual as the rest of the hotel. A huge barn of a room with seemingly half its furniture missing and other half loaned away. Having TVs at each end of the room tuned to different channels helped ensure that the room was dominated by a babbling, incoherent soundtrack.
But every cloud could have a silver lining. Customer service confirmed that they had a hotel room reserved for me and even more importantly they were going to give me meal vouchers towards each meal. Reality check, the hotel was the Best Western Gateway International hotel and the meal vouchers were for $6 that would be a generous stipend 20 years ago but now was, frankly, taking the piss.
As the bus rolled up through a desolate park of non-descript hotels before arriving at the Best Western the signs weren’t encouraging. Going inside sunk the mood further. The hotel was a sprawling, single storey building with decor that was dated as soon it was built. Dinner was in the charmingly-named Palms cafe and lounge, an exotic locale in humdrum surroundings.
In truth, The Palms was as unusual as the rest of the hotel. A huge barn of a room with seemingly half its furniture missing and other half loaned away. Having TVs at each end of the room tuned to different channels helped ensure that the room was dominated by a babbling, incoherent soundtrack.
 |  |
Service was old school. Unwelcoming from the moment the menu was put down and unfriendly all the way through to payment of the bill, at least it was consistent.
The menu was fairly basic with a mixture of dishes common to most family restaurants. Playing it safe, I went for Buffalo wings that were sold as the most exotic of the appetisers, priced at $8.98 compared to Nachos at $8.95. The restaurant seemed to buy into the current small plate trend by delivering the appetiser at the same time as the main. Moving onto the wings themselves, unusually for an appetiser, the four breaded wings came with a portion of French fries. The wings themselves had absolutely no heat and Buffalo sauce flavour was only possible if the side of wing sauce was poured over them. The portion of blue cheese dressing added nothing but hostility. Never mind, the single piece of celery and single carrot stick added a refreshing counterbalance to the rest of the plate (almost). This was a lazily put togerther dish that contibuted nothing in terms of flavour. It also represents really poor value when compared to my local neighbourhood restaurant where I can get a dozen, plump, juicy wings properly prepared with one of a variety of sauces for the same price.
The menu was fairly basic with a mixture of dishes common to most family restaurants. Playing it safe, I went for Buffalo wings that were sold as the most exotic of the appetisers, priced at $8.98 compared to Nachos at $8.95. The restaurant seemed to buy into the current small plate trend by delivering the appetiser at the same time as the main. Moving onto the wings themselves, unusually for an appetiser, the four breaded wings came with a portion of French fries. The wings themselves had absolutely no heat and Buffalo sauce flavour was only possible if the side of wing sauce was poured over them. The portion of blue cheese dressing added nothing but hostility. Never mind, the single piece of celery and single carrot stick added a refreshing counterbalance to the rest of the plate (almost). This was a lazily put togerther dish that contibuted nothing in terms of flavour. It also represents really poor value when compared to my local neighbourhood restaurant where I can get a dozen, plump, juicy wings properly prepared with one of a variety of sauces for the same price.
 |  |
Main was the 8 oz burger with lettuce, onion and tomato, served on a Kaiser roll. Preference for how you’d like the burger cooked was not an option. In common with other establishments that take that approach, the burger tasted remarkably similar to a Burger King Whopper with the pickles dominating the flavour. The burger came with another portion of the dull bought-in cooked from frozen fries, although Burman’s tomato ketchup (rather than Heinz) gave the dish a touch of the exotic.
 |  |  |
Overall verdict.
Awful. Should just have stayed in my room with an occasional excursion to the Palms for a glass of ropey red wine. Even taking that approach, all drinks would have to be ordered by 10 o’clock because that’s when the doors were closed to new customers.
Would I revisit Palms Cafe?
Not. A. Chance. A solid competitor for worst hotel restaurant in North America.
Overall Rating - 0/5
Awful. Should just have stayed in my room with an occasional excursion to the Palms for a glass of ropey red wine. Even taking that approach, all drinks would have to be ordered by 10 o’clock because that’s when the doors were closed to new customers.
Would I revisit Palms Cafe?
Not. A. Chance. A solid competitor for worst hotel restaurant in North America.
Overall Rating - 0/5