Pinon Bistro - Cottonwood

It has been almost five years since we ate at Farside, but we ate there three times in our short trip (we live in Alabama). We LOVED their food and service an we love to eat there again. We are planning a trip to the are in early 2022.. Maybe they will reopen by then?

What a great experience! Their wine selection is small but well thought out. We had the Rack of Lamb and it was perfection! We are Keto folks so were thrilled to see the option of having a Rack of Lamb Salad. The atmosphere is delightful and the Staff was very attentive. Golab Hojat, the owners are extremely friendly and fun to interact with. Theyoffer takeout, delivery and catering. We plan on returning time and again.

We had called ahead for reservations. Credit goes to the chef for a delicious and nicely presented meal but we will not be returning due to the extremely poor service. It was a bad experience from the moment we were greeted. (1) Although there were tables available in the center of the room, we were seated next to the restroom door. (2) The woman who waited our table was gruff and made no attempt to be pleasant. (3) I ordered a glass of chardonnay, my husband a house red. When the wine was served my husband was told to move himself as she couldn 't reach this at a table large enough for four people, open to the room on three sides. She was obviously indignant when my husband was less than immediately compliant and from that moment made a point of ignoring him. (4) We each enjoyed our glass of wine but when we had finished it no more was offered and our water glasses were allowed to go dry for the major portion of our meal. (5) We ordered the calamari appetizer but didn 't care for the garlic spread that came with it. The calamari itself was quite good. When we asked for an alternative sauce such as cocktail sauce or ranch dressing we were told that neither were offered at this establishment. Vinegar and oil or lemon slices were suggested as our only other option. (6) Although other tables were offered salad or soup when ordering, we offered no compliments to our meals. (7) The dinner plates were practically thrown at us as our waitress rushed past our table. We declined dessert and paid our bill in cash. (8) After the change was brought we had to request a receipt and waited several minutes for it to be brought to the table. Because of the poor service we left a tip of only $1 to indicate our total dissatisfaction. When we arrived home there was a phone message telling us we were cheap (and other insults) and never to come to their restaurant again.

I had to pick the ratings for cleanliness etc. for the review to be accepted. All I really know about is the service and my overall opinion of the restaurant and my rating is poor or worse. My confirmed reservation for one was greeted with the information that I could either eat in the bar (uncomfortable and not a nice dining atmosphere) or risk having to move from the dining room (pleasant looking) to the bar mid-meal if they needed my table for a walk in party of two. Needless to say, neither option was palatable and I made the 20-mile trip back to where I was staying hungry.