Palo Santo

Not For Families. I was given a gift certicate and thank god I did not have to pay for this place. My wife & my food was cold. Our soda had no fizz and when I asked my waiter for a replacement he argued with me that the owner would get mad at him. So I just accepted water. Our prawn appetizer smelled extremely funny & was very gritty & difficult to eat. About the only thing nice about the place was the lighting outside & the fact that the restaurant is like a little hideaway. I can't believe the good reviews here....mmmm...I wonder...maybe friends of the owner?

All in All - Don't waste your money.. There are so many other options.....…

Worst Restaurant Customer Service EVER. Last night we went to Palo Santo with friends who had been there before and had a great meal. We were all very excited to try this eclectic, pan South American cuisine. Things started off well, the appetizers were delicious, the recommended wine was great, we all had our first tastes of our entrees and everyone was happy. I ordered the turkey mole, and the mole sauce was just right. But then, as I started eating it I realized that I had stuck my fork in a large, fatty piece of turkey skin. I pulled that to the side and went for meat, more turkey skin. By the time I had pulled it all out, more than half of the protein in my dish was this flaccid, rubbery, fatty turkey skin and I was left with only a few pieces of actual turkey meat. I called the waitress over, she apologized and said she'd handle it.

This is when the awful, incredible part of the dinner began; Chef and owner Jacques Gautier came out - we didn't realize he was the owner at the time. He informed me that when he makes the mole stew he puts all the turkey pieces in and can't help what gets plated! I said, but surely you don't mean to serve a $19 dish that's 75% inedible turkey skin and fat. He said "I'm happy to take the dish back and give you something else on the menu", I said "but I like this dish, the sauce is really wonderful and when I get a piece of turkey it's great. I just would like all turkey. Can you just take the dish back and put some more turkey on it?" When I said that I liked the sauce he said, "fine then we're done here and started to walk away". I continued to protest.

He refused to take the dish back to replace the turkey skin with turkey. He said, and I swear I'm not making this up, "if I take more turkey from the pot to give to you, that won't be fair to the next customer." He absolutely refused to give me a decent amount of turkey meat and the only thing he would do is to give me a different dish, which I ended up having no choice but to do.

Now, either he really intends to charge almost $20 for a plate of turkey fat and skin which is criminal, or this was the worst customer service ever. Since being home, I've read some other reviews and it seems that my experience wasn't abnormal. This guy is totally arrogant and cannot deal with even the most perfectly reasonable criticism of his food. I have never in my life had this customer service response in a restaurant, particularly from the owner! My recommendation: if you're in Park Slope, a place with a huge number of really good restaurants, why waste your time here?…

I love getting Yelled at by the Chef. Chef Jaques hates his customers Up until Saturday I would have given this place very high marks. However on my 6th visit I made the mistake of ordering the Cobia, a white fish. Normally this dish is tender and flaky but everyone at the table who ordered it was unable to cut through it. We sent it back.

5 minutes later we were greeted by the same plates and Chef and Owner Jacques Gautier... Not to apologize but to tell us (and this is verbatim) "I'm sorry you don't like the fish but they were beautifully cooked, and I'm not cooking it again so either take it back or order something else."

So that's how they treat you at Palo Santo... They charge you high end prices but offer you arby's level service, except at arby's they don't come out of the back and yell when your roast beef tastes like shit.

The customer is ALWAYS right. ALWAYS. If you can't deal with people sending back food, cook it right the first time.…

My wedding reception at Palo Santo. Where to begin...EVERYTHING was perfect, the food was delicious...the drinks (frizantes being my favorite) were superb, the cake was the talk of my wedding for weeks after...the music hit the SPOT! Jacques was attentive to detail with every aspect of this party...great communicator despite my momentary "bridezilla" moments! His staff was courteous. The restaurant itself became even more romantic after just adding about 120 small votive candles all over the place...no need for crazy wedding decorations! Everyone of my family and friends could not STOP commenting of how delicious the food was, and have made plans to return and continue to try different dishes! If you are looking to have a small wedding (about 50ppl or less) THIS IS THE RESTAURANT TO HOLD YOUR PARTY...…