Last week we finally had the chance to check out Axle Brewing Company, the newest edition to Ferndale's eclectic dining landscape. We were really excited about trying the place out and enjoying a meal on their beautiful patio but we regret to say that we did not enjoy the food or the atmosphere.
Our waiter greeted us and let us know that it was one of their first days on the job. Which in my eyes means that you have to give them a little slack. That being said, it wasn't their lack of experience that made my experience so horrible. We placed a drink and appetizer order upon arrival and put the order in for our main course when we reached our first round of drinks. We then waited over a hour and 15 minutes for our chips and cold dip to come out to us. In the meantime, we ran out of water, and drank our first round of drinks and were not offered a second round until our food finally came out an hour and a half after we ordered it. The staff was aware that we were waiting a long time and offered to send over a second round of chips for us so that we could finish off our dips, but then took over 30 minutes to bring those over to us, which actually made us more frustrated.
Finally, when the food arrived I was everything but thrilled. I ordered the shawarma wings and they were the most blandly tasting wings I have ever eaten. My dining mates ordered the taco salad and what appeared to be the brew house's version of a grilled cheese. We all ordered the dill cheese curds to share. None of the items were anything to write home about. In fact, the cheese curds were good, but they did not taste like dill and our fries were very burnt. 
Overall it was one of the worst experiences I have had at a restaurant in a long time. The staff appeared to be doing their best, and it is a new space but waiting over a hour and fifteen minutes for chips and dip isn't acceptable. Next time someone suggests Axle for dinner we will probably take a pass. If you enjoy their beers it's worth a visit, but as a restaurant they have a long way to go.
~S
We have been back several times and the Service is much better, actually quite good. I have the same comments about the cheese curds, they do not taste like dill and the BBQ sauce is overly sweet and not balanced, the Lamb burger is excellent, the Chilaquiles were good but awfully expensive, same with the chips (are potatoes expensive?) the portion for both of these is rather small. On the other hand, the beer is excellent.
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