I love the Old Warsaw review. Exactly what I imagined it would be. Of course, I've never been. I just always wondered if I was missing something. Not anymore.

The Off The Bone thing sounds great. Easy access from my downtown job. Never heard of it before.

I've been to Old Warsaw. The review is dead on. Funny thing, a lot of people like it exactly that way.

Awesome about Off the Bone. It's one of those little gems you hear about hidden away that makes you happy you stopped in.

This food critic must be the worst one out there I love the Old Warsaw the food is all ways excellent and their souffle are amazing I wonder who told her she should be a food critic.One more thing all the vegetables all ways fresh. For all this people posting comments I recomend you visit the The Old Warsaw Restaurant first.

Maybe the food critic had too many apertifs prior to the arrival at the restaurant. I have dined at the Old Warsaw for the last 13 years. The service can not be touched, it is always flawless. The food exceptional. You mentioned 2 of my favorites, Lobster Thermidore, which in my words I would call perfection. Lots of lobster meat and the sauce is too die for. The Grand Mariner Soufle is the best that I have ever had and I have it at every restaurant in Dallas that I visit. There is no way that I will ever believe that the staff spoke to you that way or treated you with disrespect. The owner of the restaurant has come to our table on every occasion and he does not look like a person that would tolerate that type of insubordination.

As always, food critics eat our on their employers dime and never appreciate anything except for the silver spoon stuck in their mouth. This food critic would not know a good meal unless it was put on the finest china, chewed up and then fed to her. Find another critic for your staff.

Having been to and frequented "The Old Warsaw" when it was the true "Old Warsaw," and having gone to the new The Old Warsaw, I know the difference. I also have attended culinary school and ran restaurants, although that is not my current profession. I truly enjoy the old style dining with all of the pomp and circumstance. I haven't been to the new Old Warsaw in several years so maybe some things have changed. In my experience I have always found the service above average even on busy nights. The food of the new Old Warsaw was never the quality of its namesake but it was acceptable given what I wantd for the entire dining experience. Insofar as the wine selection is concerned, any serious "food critic" should know 1) Medoc is the lower end of Bordeaux wines, not that it is necessarily "lower quality;" 2) Sociando Mallet is not a "First Growth;" and 3) a 12 year old Bordeaux for $45 at a restaurant should give you a clue about its quality. I'm glad you settled on the Château Gloria, a St. Julien, that is now mature and should be drinking rather well, though not an exceptional wine. The critique of Old Warsaw is generally correct as it concerns the food. If you like the pomp and circumstance of elegant dining, it's not that bad for Dallas. Obviously, there are numerous other restaurants in DFW that are better value, better food and a better dining experience. Based upon my dining experience, I would give Old Warsaw 2 stars. Anything above 2 stars is a reach and shows you need to get out more often.

ars-
there is no reason for you to act without civility. that fact that you have made libelous remarks debunks any credibilty you think you have.

another example of blog rage...

I have been to Old Warsaw and Leslie's review is spot on - the worst fine dining restaurant in Dallas

Amen, Rob. Old Warsaw goes down in history as our worst special occasion dinner ever. The food was fine ( but nothing special) and the service was horrendous. The crowd was very strange, but we never went back, so I don't know if they were Old Warsaw regulars. Lots of little things added up to a very unpleasant experience.

I understand the frustration that comes with rude to complacent waitstaff and ok food. We have all been there before whether if we were treated that way or had an off day at work and was short tempered with a customer. However, in the case of what should have been a four to five star establishment, it is obvious that the staff has become a bit too comfortable with their customers. I have heard a few stories like this through the years and this is not the only established restaurant in Dallas where the desire to bow down and really take care of customers has disappeared or decreased. Respect for customers and respect for money is on the backburner these days in some places. Its all about survival and there are places that are giving smaller portions and trying to push the higher priced wines with no remorse. Whether it may be giving a reasonably high quality to price ratio for food, or going along with a guest who is basically telling you I only want to spend $45 for a bottle, there is an art to service and dining in this country that is not as prevalent as it should. And from that, a review like this should give you a greater appreciation for the restaurants that are trying to take care of business so they have a job tomorrow and their customers come back. This review is ashame and humiliating. One star speaks volumes and there is nothing to be upset about, but sad about.

Leslie:

I truly enjoyed this review. I found it gutsy and spot on. My most recent Old Warsaw experience came when we joined several other couples to celebrate a birthday. The air kisses and faux old world fawning were parody, though I guess some people like that. The food however was not up to interpretation. It was terrible and overpriced to a course, except for the souffle which was average. The most egregious and infuriating part of our experience concerned our waiter's appetizer recommendation: Upon discovering it was a birthday, our waiter asked us to allow him to prepare a "special"' appetizer for the table. We consented. What everyone got was a smallish assortment of seafood appetizers. It was not horrible, but nothing as fresh or clean as what you might expect at Oceanaire, let alone S&D. The punchline came when we received the bill. $50 a head for the "special" off menu appetizer. On wine...we had a similar experience. Everything we requested in the $50 range was unavailable...We wound up overpaying for wine were guided to. Anyway, I think this place is a gentrified clip joint and will never return. Judging from the crowd, I think they cater to expense account diners (do we still have those?), and those that mistake obsequious service as something special rather than the smokescreen it acts as to divert your eyes while they pick your pocket.

i totally agree. It was way overpriced for a nostalgic experience. It was dirty and just past it's prime. Not a classic, once was, but it has gone the way of the dodo.

Haughty? You nailed it, one of our worst dining experiences at a "fine dining" restaurant in Dallas.

I would prefer to hear more about the food and less about how much more Leslie Brenner knows about wine than some random waiter.

As a Concierge here in Dallas I have been recomending The Old Warsaw for more than 11 years with no regrets. Visitors to our city have always raved about the food and service at The Old Warsaw.

I loved the review of The Old Warsaw. I must admit, I was kind of hoping for a less than stellar review since after leaving the last meal I had there I vowed to never go back.

I had booked a reservation for a celebratory dinner hoping to have a nice experience. Like the reviewer, I was crammed into a table in the middle of the room; forced to coordinate my movements with fellow diners so as not to bump elbows. The food I thought was decent, when I could get it. Our waiter never returned after placing our order, drinks remained unfilled for the entirety of the night, and our third course never even arrived (of course they had no problem charging us for it, and no they would not take it off of the bill).

I left more upset than I had ever been. I took the time to email the restaurant to tell them of the miserable experience and asked them to contact me if they would like a further explanation or to clarify things. Of course I was not even acknowledged with an apology.

There are simply too many good restaurants in Dallas to bother with The Old Warsaw which is really unfortunate since it has been around so long and at one time was very high quality.

Leslie, thank you for your review. The Old Warsaw suffers from the Emperor's New Clothes Syndrome. No matter how many times someone insists that it is the height of fabulousness, the truth remains that it is an over-hyped, over-priced, not-that-tasty restaurant with a pretentious, inattentive waitstaff. Been there, done that, never again.

Amen to the review!

Having been to Old Warsaw for years, it was once our favorite for a good upscale evening. However the last trip we and our companions determined it was our last.

Fast seating, but no waiter for over 30 minutes; none of the wines we wanted were available; the food was overcooked, when it finally arrived after almost an hour wait. Waiters were absent once the food was served.

All in all a terrible evening in a restaurant where we used to enjoy wonderful evenings.

Haven't been back since.

Absolutely spot on review. I will NEVER go back.

Must concur on the review for the Old Warsaw. My only experience there was terrible. My friends' experience there was so awful they left after 45 minutes of no service. How is this place still open?

Perfect review for that dated, tired old dive. I have had very similar experiences at several Dallas restaurants(Javier's, Mi Cocina, Nana, Nick & Sams). The wine part of the review was particularly hilarious! Thanks for calling a spade a spade, previous reviewers for Guide would never have the confidence to do so.

The Warsaw is fantastic!! One of my favorite spots to have an elegant meal once in a while.
Most waiters will pick up on higher than thou attitudes better than others. So if this critic was in her mode then the waiter must have picked up on it right away. Also...never never...correct a waiter. Just be as nice apossible and you'll be suprised at the kind of excellent service you recieve. It works everytime. Don't be fake nice, because they will pick that up as well. Just have a great time and don't be too pius about cuisine and wine...When I read this I was like, this waiter was probably busting at the seems inside his head and maybe on the brink of bursting out with laughter.

Good read...Thanks!

How is this place still open? Because concierges like Drake send his unknowing out of town guests there!

It makes me sad The Old Warsaw has fallen so far in such a short amount of time. There is nothing worse than paying $200+ for a dinner and the only feeling when you leave is one of befuddlement as to how the place has such a sterling reputation. There are far to many options in the same neighborhood and price point to think this institution can survive much longer without a hard look in the mirror and a return to the things that have made it a juggernaut in the Dallas fine dining scene.

For anyone who thinks Leslie is trying to tout her knowledge of wine to "some random waiter", that random waiter is the sommelier of what many locals consider the gold standard for old world fine dining in Dallas. It is inexcusable for the sommelier not to have an intimate knowledge of each bottle in the cellar.

Here's hoping this is a wake up call.

Truly disappointed in this review. I have been a frequent patron at this fine restraurant for the past few years and have never been treated better or have had better food. I give the food critic a 1 star and the Old Warsaw 5. This is very typical of critics when a movie gets a bad rating it usually turns out to be one of my favorites.

Wow, for years I have wanted to go to the O.W. and now I know I am not missing anything. Thanks Leslie for "taking one for the team" and your
honest review.

I've disagreed with the Critic's reviews before, but not here -- Old Warsaw is awful, and I think it's an absolute crime for that restaurant to have gotten away with pairing mediocre, wildly overpriced food with unforgettably miserable service for this long. Old Warsaw is well and widely known for its snobby and rude service, and who knows how many people have had important life occasions (or simply one of the few times they eat at a very nice restaurant) ruined by their terrible service and poor food? Take note, Old Warsaw -- most of us don't have any problem with a restaurant charging high dollars for food, but when it does, it takes on the responsibility for the food to be consistently excellent, and for the service to be knowledgeable, polite, and decent to all. In other words, it's got to be a great all around experience, otherwise, all you'll remember is the bitter taste of an exorbitantly high bill.

Leslie, thank you for just writing an honest, straightforward review. I was getting a bit tired of Dallas' critics being promotional tools rather than actual critics.

I appreciate the honesty.

Wow, I can't remember the last time I read a 1 star review. I have never been to the Old Warsaw and never have had any interest, and likely never will. However, my impression of your review is that the service is atrocious (or maybe just one bad night) and the decor is mediocre/tired. However, you did not seem to have a problem with the food. I could not get a sense of how the food was. A 1 star restaurant I would expect to have horrible food, but from your review it does not seem so.

Leslie, this was the best review you've done since your arrival in Dallas. A real hoot. I loved it!
Except for one thing. You gave them one star too many.

Abe ~ Did you read the review, or not?
Leslie describes in great detail, just how bad the was!

I just can't imagine how the (very) Old Warsaw can stay in business in Dallas when we have the French Room at the Adolphus in the same city.
And just one more thing. "Jirout" ~ take your head out of the sand.

I have been to the Old Warsaw on a recommendation from the Concierge.

It was absolutey horrible.

We specifically asked for ambiance and atmosphere, I guess he missed that part. Which made me wonder why he would ever send us there (hmmm, kickback perhaps). The decor was old and tired, the room was stuffy and the waitstaff took the night off it seemed. Al needs to invest in his investment and go back to the drawing board.

I've enjoyed dozens, if not hundreds of evenings the Old Warsaw ( La Vielle Varsovie) since the late 1950s. In that bygone era, and through the 1980s, it was always enjoyable.

And then it started declining. First they began cramming too many people into a too-small area. Then the food began to suffer.

I still went there once a year even into the late 1990s, hoping to find improvement. After all, it's a Dallas tradition. But, alas, the old place has seen better days and they apparently will not return.

I spent my last $300-dinner-for-two evening there about four years ago. Heck, my wife says I cook better than they do!

Other than an occasional lunch there from time to time, the Old Warsaw is simply not worth the expense on the off chance that they "get it right" for a change. 'Tis a shame.

Leslie Brenner, you’re the kind of critic that shows up from out of town and wants to pick on the greatest restaurant in Uptown Dallas. I've been going to Old Warsaw for over 10 years now and I love it. I have tried everything on their menu I met every waiter and captain and also the owner Al Heidari and all of them are very experience with the wine something your not good at or else you would have order a nice bottle of Simi or maybe a bottle of Jordan cab. I’ve never had a bad experience in this restaurant before.

A true, honest review of the Old Warsaw. I have eaten there 3 times in the past year and have always left disappointed. Hopefully, this will be a wake up call to the management.

Thanks Leslie, the place is truly overated and survives on high dollar advertising, a core group of snobby "be seen" types who must care little about food or wine, and of course the win a free meal concierge contestant victims. I, like you, want a place like Old Warsaw that lives up to it's potential. I am a sucker for that embiance as well. But my goodness. They need to taste their food. And if they are pushing $100 wines, they need to know something about it more than just the country of origin. They just rarely get asked. And for a "wine expert" in any high brow restaurant to not know the difference between a Northern Rhone,(Syrah based) and a Burgundy,(pinot noir), means you wont be seeing me there again.

I have seen reviews like this before in this town,however; what is interesting is that they never recived "one star". If The Old Warsaw had a celebrity chef or if it was owned by a powerful corporation it would have never recieved this awful and I am sure to a certain degree unfair review.

To all my freinds who have posted comments, no matter what restaurant you go to and what day of the week, there is always a chance of bad experience. This should not be the reason to bring down an establishmnet and also be joyful about it. I think the Dallas morning news review team has been under pressure from the its readers and somehow they wanted to give them a show.Well, congradulations you did it.

Something else that evidently Leslie and many people in this town do not get is the simple fact, that due to the economy there are many restaurants that are empty when you go there, especially during the week. This does not mean that the place is bad or the food is awful.As a matter of fact try some of the fine dinning establishments in this town (that you like and that are pricy) from Sunday to Thursday(evening)and you will see that they are either empty or few patrons are enjoying themselves. You will not hear that from the management of that particular establishment but, unfortunately, it is the truth. That is why many of the restaurants have happy hour specials or other kinds of specials in order to get the people in.
I hope The Old Warsa fixes its problems and people give it a another chance.

"Never never correct a waiter"? That is preposterous. Why not? Why are waiters so untouchable that we cannot correct them when they make a mistake? I've been a server before, and just as in any other profession, if you make a mistake, you should expect to be corrected.

Those people that are vilifying Leslie, you should take note of the many people that have had similar experiences. Just because you don't agree with her doesn't mean that she is out to attack the OW.

I had to chuckle when I read your review. I felt like I was reliving my experience at the Old Warsaw. The food was sub-standard and the service...I almost hated to ask for anything for sake of getting an attitude from our waiter..if we could get our waiters attention. The asparagas soup tasted like..well..it didn't take like anything. When our server finally brought us our entree's, they weren't our entree's but the table next to us that had arrived 30 minutes after we arrived. The server was rather rude to us upon that discovery. We ordered a bottle of wine and received a hefty charge for two bottles of wine..the waiter said it was a mix up with the table next to us...again with a healthy portion of bad attitude..I was sorry I even brought it up. It was too bad that our experience was so disappointing. We were celebrating a special day and The Old Warsaw made it very memorable.

This is quite eye-opening. I haven't been to the OW, but I checked the blog comments to see if readers were outraged by the one-star review. Instead, I find the majority in complete agreement with it. That is VERY telling.

Leslie's review is especially courageous given the fact that OW is a major advertiser in the newspaper. Guess not anymore. But that's the way it should be -- ad sales shouldn't, and obviously don't, affect the reviews. Kudos.

Leslie,

My Family and I LOVE the Old Warsa.
Old Warsa is a Fine establishment with great food, service, and I hope pepole give them a another chance.there is always a chance of bad experience. This should not be the reason to bring down an establishmnet and also be joyful about it. Your review was UNFAIR

I don't know but is this restuarant a chain? Is there another that you guys are speaking of? Seriously...you guys all sound like it's a dump and so horrible to try. The last time I went which was last year on a double date, we had a spledid ol time. The waiter was awesome and witty. We joked about the menu, and the wine list...It was fantastic! The food was a little over cooked but I enjoyed every bite. The music was fabulous and even extra portions at desert. I don't know how spoiled you people must be to totally damn a place like Old Warsaw but wow...is all I can say.

Damn, that's rough. Auful? C'mon people. Unless it's gone south in the last year i say Poppycock. I really wonder about some people these days...

It's funny theres nothing about "Off the Bone" on these comments. Never tried...I don't know if I can trust Brenner's reviews now after that sour review of O-W. Can you say OW? Anyway...I guess nobody wants to deal with...let's say "Chewing the Bone" on that one?

I have a question about off the bone. Is that a whole smoked chicken? I love those if they are pink, moist, and falling off the bone. A lot of BBQ places only do breast meat. I like that thigh and leg.

Ms. Brenner's review of Old Warsaw is, regrettably, right on. Our waiter's indifference increased to outright surliness when my dinner companion and I asked to split our entree (an excellently prepared fish). My friend's sirloin was overcooked and mediocre.

For all of you compaining about the review, this is not the first bad review of The Old Warsaw and won't be the last. The Dallas Observer gave The Old Warsaw a very similar (but better written) poor review 9 years ago. Here is the link:
http://www.dallasobserver.com/2000-06-01/dining/old-war-horse
This is not the same "The Old Warsaw" that was founded in 1949 and which garnered great acclaim. It's not even the same "The Old Warsaw" owned by Phil Vacarro of Universal Restaurant Group that produced some of Dallas' better Chef's, i.e. Chris Ward, Jean LaFont, and Andrew Sutton to name a few. Al bought the storied "The Old Warsaw" and it has never lived up to its predecessors. It's not awful but it's not Dallas' finest dining experience as it claims to be. If you like it, then fine. Check around and you will find you are in the distinct minority. Better dining experiences with formal service, i.e. The French Room, are available. While this may be sad and may even anger some, it is nonetheless true.

SRD, Off the Bone indeed does whole chickens. You can get a quarter, a half or the whole bird.

Hey, the new girl reviewer has to "make a story, the facts be damned!"

In a few short years the DMN, and the likes of Leslie, will be truly yesterday's news.

Is that any way to run a newspaper?

I've heard there is a $100 bounty for link to her picture...just tellin' what I heard.

Annon

Hmmmm...Must be something in the water that attracted half of Dallas to that restaurant that evening of the review then huh?

Wow, Leslie, right on with the review, and looks like you have 50+ people that agree, Old Warsaw is the worst restaurant in Dallas. This is one of the most commented reviews I have seen with people agreeing. The last time I went to Old Warsaw was my last! The experience was just like yours, arrogant maitre d'; no show waiters, and less than edible food. And, to top it off, not only was the place overpriced, but I was secretly overcharged and I challenged my bill with my credit card company, and I won the dispute, Old Warsaw had to refund my charges. People of Dallas please save yourself the experience, and go somewhere else.

The photos make the place look like a great place to to eat, the review, not so much. Why is that?

looks like the people have spoken. I'd find it hard to believe the 50+ people panning this place had the same "off-night" experience. I've noticed the Old Warsaw doesn't have the ad in the same insode cover of the Guide on Fridays anymore.

I tried this little gas station turned BBQ place, and WOW! The ribs certainly carry forth the name of the joint well. BBQ in Texas as been vindicated. My favorite are the ribs, brisket, sausage & sauce. Tangy, awesome, and excited my taste buds. Truly a once a week got to have.

WHAAAA?

Whell...I NEVAHH!!!

How dare you bring down this fine establishment.
It just means faster service and lest complainingso we can enjoy our Dinner in PEACE!!!!!!! HA!

I knew the original sommelier for the Old Warsaw, Victor Wdowiak. He knew the difference between a Burgundy and a Northern Rhone. He is spinning in his grave right now.

Priceless piece on how someone who calls himself a "sommelier" can set things back for the rest of the hard working somms in this city.

Does any one knows when Stephen Plyes opening his new restaurant and also what kind of food and who will be his chef??? I am sure Leslie must be knowing this. BTW I love your reviews...

This review saddens me. Old Warsaw is one of our favorite spots, had been for years, the food and service are usually spot on used to just crave the escargot and steak tar-tar. We have not dined there in a while we have been trying to spread out as there are so many privately owned restaurants that we try to support like Al Bernat's, Bijoux, Dali etc. Just so saddened and feel horrible on how this review will affect Al, if he is struggling now this review will be sure to place a nail in the coffin.

Side note
: AC Victor was a wonderful person and ITA with you the term "sommelier" is thrown around much to lightly in this city, most whom claim to be this have not even gone through he first level of training and are truly no more than wine Stewarts.

I took my parents to the old warsaw for Father's Day Dinner. My father had been wanting to go back there because when he first came to Dallas, it was the place to be. He recalled the numerous great experiences he used to have there back in the late 80's. So we went and had just the most HORRIFIC experience ever. Our waiter was extremely rude and incompetent. We sat there for literally 30 minutes withouth being approached by a waiter. And, finally when he did approach his first word were literally, "Are you ready to order?". I almost laughed. No greeting or anything. He never came back for questions about the menu or anything. It turned into a horrendous evening despite all the booze. I spent the entire time thinking "man, I should've taken him to Abacus or something." We have vowed to never go back there. As a matter of fact, I only left a 10% tip.

To those people in hotels who are recommending the Old Warsaw: The hell with you. Its people like you who are giving Dallas' dining scene a bad reputation. I hope this place closes soon. Since it is a great location, and maybe something legitimate will open up there. I would just hate to see someone else's special occasion get ruined by a place like the Old Warsaw. By the way, our bill for three of us was $350.

I can answer the Stephan Pyles question cryptically: soon, possibly in weeks. It's called Samar, and I know he has the chef in mind, but I don't know if the selection is final.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Leslie for getting it dead on with your review of Old Tired Warsaw. I took some clients there about a year ago and it was the worst service I have ever experenced. Not only was the food sub par the waiters acted like we had never dined out at a "upscale" restaurant before, letting us know that the lobster was suppose to taste dry and tough plus the steaks were way overcooked. I was so embarrassed to ever face those clients again because they kidded me about my taste in restaurants. It might have been a great place during the "rat pack era", but it will never be on my list again.

Kudos to Leslie for hitting the nail on the head. Old Warsaw used to be wonderful. The last time (and it is truly the last time) service was awful and food was mediocre at best. Our waiter spent lots of time with us, mostly asking if we were done yet right after our plates arrived. It wasn't like they needed the table. The place was not even half full. And I cannot believe the person that called himself a sommelier.

Nancy Nichols broke Stephan's announcement that the executive chef of Samar will be Vijay Sadhu, former chef of Bill Addison's favorite Indian restaurant in Dallas.

To Leslie Brenner,

I just want to say that I take back what I said about your review being unfair. I think you did your best at giving this place a chance. The thing is that I was a little upset at the ganging up on this place since I have many good memories here and I guess sometimes people want to hold on to that and go into a d mode. So with that said, I would like to say maybe it be appropriate to approach the management of this place and explain to them all the negativity that went on about them on the comments of this review. Maybe they can FIRE or get new staff to make this place better as it was before. I just think too many people joined a bandwagon and just started wailing on this place when all this negativity can be used positively to correct a restaurant in decline. I always enjoy your reviews and I wish you keep up the awesome work :-)

Wow we love Chef Vijay Sadhu Fusion cooking...(King of East West fusion cooking) Cant wait to try his cuisine... I think he is the best Indian Chef in Dallas. Stephen Pyles good pick.BTW what kind of cuisine???

I have just read the review of The Old Warsaw and it is on the mark. The last time I went there was over ten years ago. I was entertaining 6 couples for business and one of them had requested going to The Old Warsaw. Our previous visits had not been good, but this night was exceptionally bad. The waiter gave the specials to one end of the table and when we asked to have them repeated at our end he said "NO!". That was typical of the service all evening and on top of it the food was not very good.
I swore that I would never go back and we haven't.

To Leslie Brenner,
How is your knowledge on Indian Food???

This is interesting and shows how much competition and how much more sophisticated diners are today. To those with the emmotional tie, it is nothing personal and keep going if you like it. To the folks at OW, you can fix this in weeks. ALWAYS TASTE THE FOOD, LEARN ABOUT WINE, WATCH THE WAITERS, and train or fire them. You have to be ON IT. You have a great opportunity here. I quit going a long time ago but might reconsider if it was good. You waiters are arrogant and know less about food than I do. I do not want to speak for Leslie but I bet she would be the first to say, hey a place can get stale, fix it and let's give it another go in the future.

I think Leslie should give a chance to Old Tired Warsaw once again. I am sure there must be some thing wrong... This place is been there for long period and they are doing good business..

Leslie, I wasn't a fan of yours before your review of the (very) Old Warsaw but, I am now!

About ten years ago my husband and I went to The Old Warsaw to celebrate our anniversary which also happens to be Valentine's Day. Despite the fact that we had 9 PM reservations we waited over an hour to be seated. At 11:45, we had had appetizers, but were still waiting for our entrees and there was no explanation about the delay forthcoming from our waiter. We finally decided to leave and as we were making our way to the door, an angry man ran up to us to tell (scold) us that our dinner was about to be brought out. Too bad someone didn't bother to keep us updated while we were still seated! We payed for our drinks and appetizers and left, never to return. I've always regretted that we payed. They ruined our anniversary and should have offered to comp what we had consumed and apologize for the horrific service. The tables were so close that it was impossible not to hear the conversations going on around us. I thought that they may have added tables because it was Valentine's Day, but apparently it's always too crowded with tables. Haughty, dismissive, and yes, rude. If that's what you're looking for in a dining experience, Old Warsaw's you're place!

P.S. Because it was so late, we ended up eating at Keller's Drive-In that night and probably enjoyed our meal more than we would have at OW anyway, based on the review.

The problem with Old Tired Warsaw is Al...he not only knows what is going on, he embraces and perpetuates that culture. He has not had an actual "Chef" in that place since the mid 90's and has not changed the menu since then either.

He is living on reputation and the HUGE money he is spending on those full page Guide ads every Friday - as well as the PAYOLA going to the concierge all over Dallas...

So do not feels sorry for anyone over there. Al has suked the life out of that place and put every penny in his bank account! He could fix that place in a matter of weeks, but why would he when he is still printing money?!?!?!?

Back to the restaurant that got a good review...I went to Off the Bone today for lunch. The ribs were some of the best I've ever tasted and the sausage was very good as well. Highly recommend it for those two items.

I love all of these way-back-when stories about The Old Warsaw. These are the same people who go to Campisi’s Egyptian for Italian food and Sonny Bryant's for barbecue.

Any restaurant like OW, that advertises heavily every week in the DMN, has to come under severe suspicion. Good restaurants don't waste their money on such ham fisted marketing.

So that place is still open?

And it's common knowledge that concierges get kickbacks from restaurants for sending guests there. Maybe that is how they stay open. Can't be people from Dallas.

Leslie Brenner's review of Old Warsaw was long overdue. I first ate there 30 years ago as a college student and remembered it being an excellent experience--even the service.
Have eaten there twice in the last 5 years and after the last time we vowed to never return. It's pretty bad when you leave a nice restaurant feeling scammed. Based on the majority of comments to this article it is obvious that they were not just having a bad night.
In Oct 07 we dined at a newly opened, VERY popular fine dining establishment and while the food was fabulous, the service was atrocious. When asked by the manager how our evening was going we were honest about the service we had received. Next thing we know the "celebrity chef" was at our table with profuse apologies. In addition they comped all three courses of my husbands meal. That is how a good restaurant handles a bad night.

A very accurate review of one of the most overrated fine dining establishments in Dallas. My wife and I were there a few years ago, and felt the same as you do. We said we would never go again, and haven't. Can't live off the past reputation for ever. Thank you Leslie for telling it like it is.

Leslie......I've heard of wine snobs but have never encountered one until' I read your review of OW....Sounds like you went there so you could pound on the wine steward & impress your friends.
Thanks for my first look @ a very nasty person...If I was treated like that poor guy I would have left you with more than a few choice words.............

When I read the review of Old Warsaw in the print edition, I ran headlong to this blog knowing I'd find exactly what I found: a few OW supporters ... hugely outnumbered and very angry ... and the majority who see OW as it apparently really is. I just wish the OW supporters had waited until their blood pressure had gone back down before they defended their beloved OW. As a result many of them wrote silly, silly stuff like calling the sommelier a waiter or a wine steward. And what was that comment, "never correct a waiter"? Excuse me, if a waiter Ever tosses attittude or messes with my food because I corrected him, that will be the last time I or my friends will Ever go back there! Wonder if the weekly full page ad will be there next Friday or if things will change at OW. We'll have to wait and see.

Leslie, I think you called it exactly like you saw it. Good for you!

This is a testimate to owners who are no longer passionate about what they do, they are far more interested in the bottom line. When you have line cooks doing all the kitchen management and servers who have been there way too long you get this kind of food and service.
You would think this would be a wake up call but don't hold your breath as long as the old guard continue to come in and the concierge keeps booking parties and getting there kickbacks.
This restaurant will continue to serve terrible food and have terrible service till there clientele die off.

Hmmmm. Total 79 comments. 37 comments from (different)people who have been to OW and say review is correct. 11 comments from (different) people who have been there and say "Oh No-this is the best dining experience in town." 10 comments from (different) people on topc of OW but who have not been to OW. 13 comments from (different) people wholly unrelated to OW. Interesting. Leslie sure hit a nerve

Thank you for finally stating the obvious, the Old Warsaw is a poor choice for dining (fine or otherwise)The fact that this clip joint is still in buisness is a reflection of the ignorance of the suckers who continue to pay big money for offensive service and overpriced marginal food.

It will be a happy day when this scam of a restaurant finally goes under.

Thank you Leslie! My foodie father-in-law is in town and Old Warsaw was on our short list, even though we haven't been there before. It isn't worth the risk of going there and then having a terrible experience.

Every week I glance at all the pretty people in Old Warsaw's add in the Weekend Guide claiming "how wonderful their dining experience was". My guess is OW is spending quite a bit of money on those adds. How refreshing to see an objective review without regard to possible lost revenue in advertising. In fact, this review was merely pages from the ad for OW. In today's economy with all the newspapers struggling, the DMN staff and especially LB should be commended! Keep up the good work Leslie!!!

Leslie: Absolutely SPOT ON review!
I completely and totally agree. One of the worst dining experiences I've ever endured.

I agree totally with the Old Warsaw review. It used to be a Christmas Eve tradition with my family. In the last few years the food and service have really gone down hill. Sadly, this past Christmas Eve was our last there. Hopefully, we can find a new restaurant that truly provides "fine dining"

It's interesting to note that the few "supporters" of OW are ones that seem to go on a regular basis...probably tip well, no matter what...so of course the service THEY receive is going to be "top notch"...as the waiters are not going to "bite the hand that feeds them".

I, however, have more in common with the majority of the writers. My Mom had always wanted to go to the OW, so we took her there for her 80th birhday. Same sad story of BAD and ARROGANT service. Fortunately for us, the food was actually pretty good - but when we left - all of us agreed on ONE thing - We would NEVER go back.

I really do not understand the negative comments about the Old Warsaw. I can only comment on my personal dining experiences which are many through the years. I consider it my favorite restaurant in Dallas and will continue to dine there in the future. The staff has always been polite and efficent during our dinner.
I wonder about the motivation of Leslie B.???

Annon ~ Just for the record. Regarding my negative comments about (very) Old Warsaw. I have been there. A million years ago, before Al Hedari took over, it was a great destination restaurant for special occasions. However, over the past 10 years we went there more infrequently because we were becoming increasingly unhappy with the food and service. A New Years eve dinner about 6 years ago was the final straw. A totally horrible experience! I have no wish to return under any circumstances.

To those of you who enjoy being insulted with horrible, condescending service and terrible overpriced food, I say, knock yourselves out!

I have no more to say on the subject of this blog.

I was so glad to see your review of Old Warsaw on May 1. We went there two years ago because I had never been there and read all the raving reviews. I was so disappointed in the service; fortunately the food was excellent; but they need a new wait staff. I even wrote a letter to them regarding the bad service and never heard so much as "I am so sorry". I do not know how these folks remain in business except they have their "regulars" whom they treat very differently.

I also had a bad experience at the OW on our anniversary three yrs. ago. Everytime Friday when I see their ads in the Guide, I remember it. The service was badly paced - I was still eating my entree when they brought out the desert. My husband waived the waiter off and he just stuck my desert under the cart. Not to mention the pile of paper towels in the Ladies room that were overflowing onto the floor. The food was pretty marginal for what we paid. It was like sitting with strangers at your own table as it was so pushed together. Never again. A special occasion was ruined.

"fool me once, shame on me....."

Stick a fork in it Al

Wow, you surely hit a nerve Ms. Brenner...after reading almost 100 comments (mine will surely never be seen at the bottom of this mess) I do wonder if the style of service/cuisine is just not a fit for everybody. OW does have an amazing following, and there are die-hard fans out there.

I realize from the tone of the review that you feel "Continental Cuisine" is going out of style - fine. Aren't the reviews supposed to be based upon how an establishment fares in their own niche?

Not everybody can be changing their concept to go green, go fusion, or fancy-up a home cookin' meatloaf. Some diners are still looking for the classics. After getting past the "too old school" bias of the review, it seems that the final verdict was exreme. Summing up both visits, the following seems more accurate:
Service - **1/2 (an average based upon the second visit, during which the service was stellar by your account)
Food - **1/2
Ambiance - **

Doesn't this average out to more than a single star?

BTW - OW did cut back on its VERY expensive advertising campaign prior to the review being published...really makes you wonder.

Fred P.-

Did you read the review? Ms. Brenner was trying to get the "sommelier" to recommend a wine. She wasn’t trying to one-up him. His response was to try and up-sell her on a wine without knowing even so much as where in Spain it came from. The bungle about the Rhone wine that he mistook for a Burgundy was ridiculous and he shouldn’t have argued with the customer. He should have gotten his facts rights. In fact he was the epitome of a wine snob, not the reviewer.

Wine service is just that, service. And to misrepresent wines and the wine list to a customer is just plain wrong.
If the sommelier hadn’t attempted to “impress” the reviewer and her group with his faulty knowledge the evening probably would have gone a lot smoother. But the “sommelier” made so many errors, in knowledge, and in his attitude. Textbook errors. One for the history books. One which I will forward to all young sommeliers as a warning what happens when one tries to “fake it.”

I think you have mistaken who was the nasty person in this scenario, sir. Bottom line, in the restaurant business the customer is king. And in these days everyone must watch their business and their bottom line very carefully.

To me, a “one star” restaurant is one where a rat runs out from under the booth, a roach crawls across my food, and I end up with food poisoning after dining there. I do not know how Leslie Brenner can get away with giving The Old Warsaw just one star when she gives credit for special touches such as the silverware being placed precisely in the old-fashioned European manner, the dinner menu with no pricing for ladies, the flaming tableside service, and the fact that she thoroughly enjoyed specific menu items, such as Crepes Suzette.

Her review was too opinionated for me – the fact that she challenged Al about his vegetables being fresh or not is ridiculous. Also, why was there a need to mention the violinist hitting a sour note? I mean, come on!

I do not feel that the same person should need to come just twice, either. A fair review is one where the establishment is visited at least three times, and by at least two different people, to give a varying point of view.

I know how important reviews are (especially to those “foodie” types in D/FW), and I feel that Al was given the short end of the stick by some critic who seems to want to “make her mark” early on…and The Old Warsaw was the unlucky target. (amazingly enough at the same time he ended his $100K+ annual advertising campaign with the DMN....)

AC ~ Well said. Thank you. Your post mirrored what I was thinking but, was unable to put in words as eloquently as yours.

Anonymous-

Paying the prices charged by OW I would certainly expect fresh vegetables.

The silverware is a nice touch but is neither food nor service.

This is not the middle ages. I want to know how much whatever I order costs. I have many times insisted on the menu with prices.

Again paying that much money I expect the music to be impeccable. Last time I was there it was so loud we couldn't carry on a conversation.

I have to agree with the Anonymous one hundred percent. I smell some thing very funny reading this review. I do believe that Leslie and probably DMN had an agenda against Al or the whole establishment.
I am not surprised about this fact at all, because I have been reading these so called fair reviews for many years and I have seen many less than stelar ones, but I have never seen any of the reviewed retaurants get "one star". Ofcourse, they were either run by a celebrity chef or owned by some corporation that some how intimidated the food critic or the outlet that he or she worked for.
What is surprising to me is the level of HATRED that I am sensing here. Honestly people, what is wrong with you? This town is full of places with rude service or vegetables that are not fresh, but they are busy, and none of you would even dare to make a negative comment abot them. I can name at least 50 of these establishments.

I also believe that Leslie should go back and relearn her trade or at least figure out this whole star system.

OH-

What exactly are your qualifications that you feel you can ride herd over the DMN and the full-time-reviewers? Fess up, leave your real name, and your credentials, and let all of us readers decide for ourselves if you are more qualified than the career professionals.

First of all, OH is not saying he/she is more qualified...just that the reviewers need to be more objective.

Why so defensive? Lighten up!

OH
I agree, it seems very unusual that most of the comments that are supporting Old Warsaw, are either signed anonymous or have the last initial H. Curious, Al the owner's last name begins with H as well.
Seems the family is weighing in to defend themselves, but not "honest" enough to leave their name as owner.
A simple repeat of the restaurant service, and quality.
Leave the one star restaurants to someone else to patronize, there are a number of other great restaurants in Dallas, far exceeding OW. And, the bill will be correct, always check your bill for overcharges when leaving OW. Be warned.

Thank you Leslie for your honesty in your review of the Old Warsaw. It's about time that someone pointed out that the Emperor (OW) is naked...and certainly past its prime! We dine out frequently at many Dallas restaurants, so we feel able to make a reasonable comparison. Our experience at The Old Warsaw was absolutely AWFUL, and we can say, without question, that we will NEVER return.
On our LAST visit we went into the foyer, which was totally empty (which we thought was unusual). There was considerable noise in the dining room, so after 5-6 minutes (the time it would take to seat someone)....and no one came, we looked around the corner to try to get someone's attention. We were ignored by several waiters who looked up, and then looked away, and finally caught the eye of someone who might have been the head waiter or Maitre D. He didn't speak to us, but rather waved his hand back and forth, and gestured to wait where we were (was he coming to get us?). Our reservations were early, so there were only about 6-8 occupied tables-the restaurant was NOT crowded. We had been waiting more than 25 minutes in the foyer (no one ever came - not even another customer) before we were brought to the dining room...certainly with NO word of apology or explanation for the wait. We were seated a tiny, tippy table in the middle of the room, even though there were other tables available (we asked for a booth with a larger table and were told it was taken - it remained empty the whole time we were there.)We had to wait 15 minutes for someone to bring the menus, and then the waiter came one time to our table to take our order. He said he would bring bread, but never did. The live music was OK, but was so loud it was hard to hear the waiter, and when we asked questions about the choices, he actually rolled his eyes at us! Good grief!! We chose 3 different wines, but they were conveniently "out of them", so we settled on a selection by the glass. Not once during the meal were our water glasses recharged! Both of our salads were soggy, wilted and over-dressed. When the food FINALLY arrived, everything on BOTH of our plates (I had fish, my husband had lamb) was stone cold. There was not a waiter in sight to signal so we did the best we could (you could actually pick up the mashed potatoes in one piece!) Neither of us even had the stomach for dessert after our bad experience, but we had to wait almost 20 minutes for a busboy to come to take the food for "take-home". When the waiter came with the check, after another long wait, we told him about the cold food, and he said very rudely "It was fine..." RIGHT! For the bad experience, for the terrible, cold food, for the rude service and the total indifference of the entire staff and management, I totally agree with the "One Star" rating. And our disgust didn't end when we finally left the restaurant. WQhen we got home and looked in the bag with the leftovers, There was only one container....they had taken my fish, and plopped the lambchop right on top of it, juice and all...what a mess! We wrote and e-mailed our comments to Mr. Heidari at the restaurant, and had absolutely NO response. THAT did it for us!!! There are many, many wonderful, attentive restaurants in Dallas that we can highly recommend. Our very favorite is ARTHUR'S in Addison on Quorum Drive...if you want fine dining, elegant atmosphere (linen, crystal chandeliers, etc)excellent service, and great food, THAT is the place!

To George and ldascha,

I can assure you that I do have some qualifications and I am not a family member. There are many last names that start with "H", and my identity is not important. All I am talking about is the fact that in my opinion this review did not seem right, however, I am sure mistakes were made the 2 nights that Leslie showed up, but "one star"? come on people!!!!
I do not even care about that anymore what concerns me is the joy and hate that I sense in these comments. People are actually happy about the potential negative ramifications for this restaurant, and the fact that people might loose jobs is not even important evidently. That is all I am saying.

Also, do look at the old reviews, you will see what I am talking about when it comes to the "star system", it just does not add up.

I have been OW in the past and after the review tried it out last night, I guess management did not get the message. The condescending additude of the staff and luke warm food was all I needed to make my mind up. We will not line Al's pockets (or the pockets he lines) To Mac all the funds don't go to the bank just ask the ladies...
Too many other choices in Big D to waste your time there!!!

OH, based on Joyce's post, (above yours) wouldn't you have to agree, there something very, very wrong with this restaurant.
Or, do you think, all these negative experiences at the (very) Old Warsaw were just, flukes representative of an "off night".
Get real, OH. Take your head out of the sand!

OH-
If your identity is not important then it's hard to take your opinion with any degree of seriousness.

Dallas Foodie Girl-
This has nothjing to do with lightening up for being defensive. It has to do with C.R.E.D.I.B.I.L.T.Y.

Over and out...

I have been OW in the past and after the review tried it out last night, I guess management did not get the message. The condescending additude of the staff and luke warm food was all I needed to make my mind up. We will not line Al's pockets (or the pockets he lines) To Mac all the funds don't go to the bank just ask the ladies...
Too many other choices in Big D to waste your time there!!!

To George...I can hardly take anybody seriously who does not have the ability to spell "credibility" correctly when trying to make a point.

Quit writing while you're spitting mad, and maybe you'll make a bit more sense - ciao.

Dallas Foodie Girl-

Having a bad day?

Thanks for the s.p.e.l.l.i.n.g. lesson. I feel better now, hope you do too.

We rarely post on other critics reviews but we clapped in unison when we read Leslie's review of the Old Warsaw. Our last experience a few years ago was so bad, I called the owner the next day - not looking for anything more than a "sorry to hear that", etc and honestly was just wanting to notify him of a bad experience in his restaurant. First, after we described our waiter he said, "there's no one here that looks like that." Reply, "really? I'm on your website and he's the guy standing right next to you with the moustache." "Um, can I call you right back?" "Sure." Never called and didn't respond to a follow up email or handwritten letter we sent. Classless and indifferent about an unhappy guest (who has a forum now...good play Al).

I went to the Old Warsaw a few years ago--it was the first and the last time. It was horrible from the moment we stepped in the door until we left. We arrived a little earlier than our friends. They first tried to show us to a table set for 12, but we had reservations for a party of 4. Once seated, they asked for our drink orders, and we said we wanted to wait until our friends arrived. They came back 3 times before our friends arrived, a time frame of about 10 minutes. Once our friends were seated, they immediately shoved menus into our hands, but did not ask if we were now ready to order drinks. We had to call the waiter back over to place our drink order. Then they wanted our food order very quickly. We ordered, and the first course came within minutes. Before we were all finished eating, they kept removing the empty plates, AND our entrees had already been sitting on a cart next to our table for several minutes. Once I tasted my entree, I noticed that the sauce and seasonings were almost identical to that of my first course--I would have hoped that the waiter (who NEVER even looked us in the eye--he always was looking somewhere over our heads) would have told me that and suggested an alternative. They NEVER offered us another drink or a wine list. Our water glasses were kept filled, but the person pouring the water kept reaching across the table and dripping water from the pitcher over us. As we were eating, the room we were in slowly emptied, and the staff begin clearing the tables (I mean CLEARING the tables--removing the flower vases, etc., not just clearing dirty dishes) and then put the chairs up on the tables! As we ate, they removed the empty plates before everyone was finished. Once all the plates were cleared, they immediately brought our check without an offer of dessert or coffee. Not that we wanted to stay a minute longer! I am so glad you exposed this restaurant for what it really is.

The review of the Old Warsaw was right on. My wife and I went there years ago for an anniversary special occasion and were so ill-treated that we never went back. We did however take the lobster thermidor home and fed it to a stray cat. She enjoyed it much more than we did, so the evening wasn't a complete loss.

Good for you, Leslie. It's been going on for some time. My wife and I dined there for the first and last time in 2004. Wrote a friendly letter to Heidari and got no response, repeated below since I still have it on my PC:

Dear Mr. Heidari:

My wife and I chose your restaurant to celebrate our 22nd wedding anniversary for its fine cuisine and elegant service, but our evening on the 18th was somewhat disappointing.
I am sure you would like to know some points upon which your wait staff might need additional training:
• My husband’s menu was hurriedly presented upside down. The waiter never even looked at it;
• My bread roll was served in front of me from the right, not from the left. I was a bit disconcerted when the waiter reached across me with his arm and “tossed” the roll onto my bread plate;
• The brie soup was tepid and a skin had formed;
• No freshly ground pepper was available or offered to us;
• The Chateaubriand was cut lengthwise into four long muscles, not against the grain in slices, causing it to be tough;
• We had to ask for steak knives;
• And the wine steward was late.
Knowing of the legendary reputation of the restaurant, I decided respectfully to write to you. I’m sure you want to keep standards up so the reality matches the promise. “Old Warsaw” is a brand that needs careful vigilance in order to stay competitive.

Don't think he listened.

As a retailer in Dallas, I would never wish another business any ill will. But, I sincerely hope the (very) Old Warsaw begins to see the end of it's days. The sooner, the better!
This excuse for a restaurant is a disgrace and an embarrassment to the city of Dallas.

I had a friend that was the marketing manager at another fine dining restaurant who asked me to come eat with her one night when she got off work. I told her the food at her establishment was delicious and she needed to advertise in the DMN guide to let more people know of this place. She prompted replied that no one advertised in the same place as OW as they did not want to appear to be associated with it. Not ever being there- I inquired about it...she said the service and food was terrible (she gave me several examples that were similar in the review and in the comments) and the owner was scamming customers-you gotta watch your credit card and the prices he charges and also any female that worked there was treated like dirt and evenually fired you can count on that. I never ate there- and my boyfriend and I planned on it-but never got around to it. It appears that I did not miss out on anything. I always wondered why he had to have so many good "self" reviews in his ads. Now I know why.

What a timely review. Today is my 18th wedding anniversary, and my 10th was spent at the Old Warsaw, to which I have never returned. Not much has changed in the past eight years. My husband and I were seated, not in the middle of the room, but just inside the entrance in a small area with about eight tables; we were the only ones there until several other parties began to arrive who were dressed much more casually than we were. We later learned that when local hotels send people to OW who are not dressed well enough for the dining room that this is where they are seated. After being ignored for at least 15 minutes we asked for a waiter, and watched as one who was in the main dining area was pointed in our direction. His gestures indicated he was not interested in serving us, but lucky us he had no option. Actually "serving" is an overstatement, as we rarely saw him during the evening. The food was actually quite good but the service and atmosphere were horrendous. One "tableside" item was prepared at least three tables away because the cart wouldn't fit inside the area where we were seated. When I called the next day to complain I was told that we were seated in the out-of-the-way location because we arrived 15 minutes early for our 7:00PM reservation and that was the only table available. Hmm. There was no explanation given for the absentee waiter. We received a $60 gift certificate in the mail to apply to our next visit. I shredded it.

IS THE CRITIC ON CRACK?! Apparently, coming from Las Angeles has left her with some type of mindset that everyone should be out on a Tuesday night spending a full eveing with dinner and dining. That is the excellence of this restaurant, the fact that you can take one night a week with your loved ones and enjoy a dinner filled with drinking great wine from an extensive wine list and enjoying a 4 to 5 course meal. I have spoken with other random people in Dallas, sitting in the salon or even working out at the gym that have expressed how lovely the atmosphere and performance of the staff and food is. The restaurant has updated its atmosphere quite a bit and still tends to do so today. As far as I heard, they are adding windows to the inside of the restaurant. The Old Warsaw maintains elegance and has never made me feel awkward to dress up and enjoy looking gorgeous for one night and not feeling out of place. No doubt this is only a special occasion event for me, but we have been attending for family birthdays and annivesarys and holidays over 20 years. Thank you to Al, for making my family and every young lady that walks through that door, special. For those who had a bad experience, need to go back and sit down and enjoy themselves.
Giving one star to a restaurant is like giving 5 stars to a restaurant filled with rats. Every review before Leslie appeared in the Guide noted how wonderful and spotless the restaurant was.
There is a reason it has been around for so long and people still call it a "landmark" because it is still KNOWN!
I never read reviews and was so excited to see this one and am so disappointed with whomever hired this woman.
Thank you Al!

Me thinks that Jessica H. is the one on CRACK....did you not see the majority of the comments on this specific review...apparently there are others out there that would vehemently disagree with you ...

Jessica H ~ Just what the hell were YOU smoking when you wrote that?

Jessica is totally right on! I went to OW with my husband and friends for a "special" night out a few years ago, and the experience was one of the worst I've ever had in a restaurant, anywhere! We owned a restaurant some years ago, and so we understand the challenges, but this was ridiculous! The Maitre'd was rude, condescending and arrogant, the food was mediocre, and the waiter was far from attentive, or even respectful. (Actually poorly trained!) I also totally agree with the quality of the music. The night we were there, the live music was uninspiring - often BAD! We are not wealthy people, but we still pop for a $300 meal occasionally, on special occasions, because we truly love fine dining. OW was such a huge disappointment, it made us skeptical about trying new places! OW needs to rethink their approach, stop advertising quality, and take down those billboards!

Cookin' Sharon@ I think you meant, the critic, (Leslie Brenner) was totaly "right on".
"Jessica H" is the person that lambasted the critic above for poorly rating OW and giving it only one star.

Leslie is gutsy - go girl! The Dallas restaurant scene is going to get spicier with her writing for the DMN.

Ok Jessica H maybe family dinners included Your dad Al H? Maybe that is why you had it good? It seems only family can say something good. Shame on all of you open your eyes!!!

The problem with OW is Al himself. He doesn't get it. By that I mean he doesn't understand American culture in general. He will never change. He is very proud of his pompous condescending waitstaff and truly believes that this is what elegant and high dollar dining is all about. It is obvious to Ms. Brenner that the Old Warsaw is "old world" in the worst sense of the word and she called them on it.

I see the 100+ comments as a big wake-up call to the OW. These 100+ comments represent all the unanswered complaint letters to Al Hedari over the years that he simply threw in the garbage without even the decency of responding to. You should be ashamed of yourself Al.

Also, if you go to the Old Warsaw website and click on "crtic reviews" you will see a badly written review from none other than the DMN -- obviously a phony review that the folks at the OW wrote themselves. And the review gives the OW a whopping 5 stars -- no kidding.

If you can get past all the grammatical errors, poor sentence structure, and over the top pandering in this "review", you may even find it as desperate and humorous as I did. Has anyone else read this faux review they have on their website? Utterly ridiculous.

I too have had both good and bad experiences at Old Warsaw. It seems that the further they get (timeline wise) from where they started, the worse it gets. Jean LaFont took that restaurnt from fair to fabulous but he has been gone so long that they have forgotten all that he taught them. Anything on the menu worth eating was his creation twenty years ago and the current owner is such a cheapskate that he has never brought in a decent chef to maintain what was once a great kitchen.
The guy who runs this place thinks that he can rest on the laurels of time past and he is wrong.
Dallas diners are no longer uneducated about food and wine.

Yes. They do have a fake or very out-dated review on their website.
It states that the price range of a meal being between $21-45. That is a hijack of copyright if I have ever seen one. When was the last time the price was that low?

Jessica H - if Brenner's wrong, what is one to make of the overwhelming agreement from the people who've posted?...

Dallas dining options are far too wide to waste any time at a dinosaur of a restaurant that refuses to upkeep quality.

If that review did come from the DMN, then it was written prior to 1984. I searched the library, which covers 1984 to 2009, and I found five reviews: Leslie's 1-star, a 3 1/2-star from 2002, a 4-star from 1998, a 4-star from 1994, and a 4-star from 1990 -- definitely no five stars in the last 25 years, according to my research.

The review states "OW has been perfecting what they do best for the last 56 years"... With OW opening in 1948... that would mean the purported review was from 2004 ....

The review states "OW has been perfecting what they do best for the last 56 years"... With OW opening in 1948... that would mean the purported review was from 2004 ....

have we become just a nation of negativity and complainers? wow, i can't believe that a 1 star review generates such a response. let's admit one thing! Ii you're apart of the "old boys" restaurant club, that's at least 2 stars. also, most past restaurant critics (leslie is new) in this town have been nothing but INCONSISTENT in reviewing many establishments. Whatever happen to if you can't say something good, then don't say anything at all?

i've never been to this place and the review could be right on, but it's amazing how many of us today are EXPERTS at things we don't do for a living.

have we become just a nation of negativity and complainers? wow, i can't believe that a 1 star review generates such a response. let's admit one thing! Ii you're apart of the "old boys" restaurant club, that's at least 2 stars. also, most past restaurant critics (leslie is new) in this town have been nothing but INCONSISTENT in reviewing many establishments. Whatever happen to if you can't say something good, then don't say anything at all?

i've never been to this place and the review could be right on, but it's amazing how many of us today are EXPERTS at things we don't do for a living.

"Whatever happen to if you can't say something good, then don't say anything at all?"

This list of responses has told me everything I need to know about OW. One or two negative comments is one thing, but over a 100 is a trend.

I'm sorry so many people had bad experiences, but it is helpful in making dining choices.

You can no longer get to their website - hmmm.

Yep! Just clicked on it. It's gone. There is a ATT message to call a phone number to get to the website.
I don't think OW is gone. My guess is, they are "screening" the people who want to go to their website. Out of curiosity, I went to their website last night and, it was still up then.

Their website is up again.

Schocked to read this review. Stan and Janina Slawick would turn in thier graves!

Unbelievable.
Janina and Stan Slawick would be turning in thier graves after reading this review of what happened to thier old restaurant they opened up in 1948 with stellar food and service for Dallas. Sad.

Good thing I can across this review before wasting my money there.

I would like to know exactly how OW is a Zagat winner? Where do they get all those quotes that are in those full page ads in TDMN? Do they bribe people?

I have been waiting for the Guide to update their rating and review for this over priced junk restaurant for a long time. I was blown away by the bad food I service I experienced there not once but twice over the past few years.

I can't imagine why this place is still in business charging the prices they do for the crap that they serve. The veal is horrible, tough and flavorless, the apps were lousy and the service is just as described.

Now I will say this, ONE STAR?? Seriously? That’s a little harsh, BUT I don't feel sorry for those rip off artist in the least. I would give them 2.5 stars so there's that but I don't really care. There are so many great restaurants in this town. I'm glad they got called out.

They Got A New Website its oldwarsaw.com

like Rick said New Website Oldwarsaw.com

Went to Old Warsaw to celebrate our engagement. They were notified beforehand of the special day and were really accomodating. The hostess welcomed us and congratulated us. They had our table waiting with a bottle of champagne already chilled. We did the pre-fix menu and really enjoyed all the food. The service was impecable. They really helped put a special touch on an exciting night. A really fine restaurant.

So Go screw your self leslie brenner