Great thread.

I would say Oya! in DC (http://www.oyadc.com) is the worst restaurant experience I have had in years. Maybe it's perfect for people who like sugar in everything.

When the wine guy arrived (normally I would say sommelier, but here it's a wine guy), he shows me the bottle, then proceeds to break the cork. In a restaurant concerned with establishing a reputation, this would be a sign to get another bottle (especially since this was not a wine that is expensive in retail outlets). No, he visits his boss and they uncork the rest of it. He pours me a taste, no cork in it. Ok fine, they got lucky. Then he pours everyone else some wine, when he comes back to fill my glass he pours a good chunk of it on the table.

My soup arrives, and they did say this was how it was served, not cold, but room temperature. Some horribly sweet, tepid squash soup thing with lobster. Not good, but I was trying something new. Previously, I had asked the waitress if the duck was a breast or if it was boney...she told me with bones so I ordered something else. Indeed, when my friends received their duck, no bones. Instead, I got the beef ribs, which were INCREDIBLY SWEET served on a bed of garlic-infused mashed something...OMG YUK! I cannot imagine a worse combination than sweet and garlicky. I had to conclude that this chef had no palate. Get Gordon Ramsay to visit and see what happens .

The whole time the service was incredibly intrusive, they would always ask you before doing the expected. "Would you like some more wine?" "Would you like a spoon for your soup?" "Would you like some more water?"

This is by far the worst restaurant I have been to in years. I can only imagine it will be frequented by twenty-somethings trying to impress their dates with sweet drinks, fancy decor, obsequious service and funny-tasting menu items that they can pretend to be impressed with.