October 29, 2011: Guest Post Restaurant Review Torreon

I recently had someone contact me, we’ll call her Sherry, who offered to provide occasional restaurant reviews. Because there hasn’t been such a person up until now, I agreed. Sure, this isn’t a recipe, but the reviews might help you come up with your own at home dinner menus.

Review of Torreon Clubhouse Restaurant, October 28, 2011

For years, my husband and I have been going to the Friday Fish Fry at Torreon because it was such an exceptional value. Diners are given a choice between a single plate or all you can eat baked or fried fish, along with a choice of potato, coleslaw and a basket of warm rolls (soup or salad is extra).

The last time we went for the fish fry (October 28), nothing was the same. We ordered a cup of clam chowder, which is normally quite creamy and full of clams and vegetables. This time around it seemed to be watered down a bit. Still good flavor but not quite the same texture.

When the fish arrived, we wondered if it had fallen off a food truck somewhere along the way to the restaurant. Instead of the thick, large, tender pieces of cod we’re used to, these were thin little slivers of fish that were overcooked and tough. The portion size had changed, as well. Usually we're served enough on the single meal plate to share, or have enough to bring home in a doggy bag, but not this time. There were only four little, measly strips of that tough fish on the plate.

We thought that surely there must be a new head chef in the kitchen but were assured by staff members that this wasn’t the case. To the restaurant’s credit, they didn’t charge us for the fish meal but that wasn’t our reason for pointing out the declining quality of the food. Hopefully the restaurant’s management will take our comments to heart and bring back the delicious fish they used to serve, which we considered the best fried fish we’d ever tasted. If not, we won’t be back.

The service was quite attentive. Even though it’s no longer high season and many of the summer residents have returned home to warmer climes until next year, the restaurant was hopping and thankfully they had enough servers working to handle the extra load. A couple snafus, such as two different wine lists which caused one server to go back and forth from our table several times before serving my wine and too long of a wait without something to drink, weren’t enough to make our dining experience bad but did highlight the difference between Torreon and upscale restaurants in the Valley. 

Bottom Line: Overall, you can't beat the ambience, service and quality of food at Torreon anywhere else in the Show Low area so I'd still highly recommend this restaurant - just not the Friday Fish Fry! I will return and order a different entree next time.

The scores for the Torreon Clubhouse are as follows (on a scale from * to *****):

Food: ** (based solely on the fish fry) - updated score as of January, 2012: *****

Service: ****

Ambience: *****

I want to thank Sherry for letting those of us on the Mountain know what’s up with area restaurants. Unfortunately, she didn’t get a picture of the food but she promises me next time she’ll do better!

UPDATE:
Sherry returned to Torreon in January and her husband once again tried the fish fry while Sherry had the Ahi Tuna Salad. Both were excellent! 

Torreon's beautiful and delicious Ahi Tuna Salad