Several restaurant norms were disregarded during a visit to recently opened downtown Colorado Springs restaurant Bonny and Read.

Let’s begin with appetizers.

That was the idea: to start with the Bay Scallop Street Tacos ($12). We’d arrived a little early for our Friday evening reservation and were pleased to discover we could take advantage of half-price appetizers as part of the happy hour specials. The tacos are served with a scotch bonnet pepper sauce. Our server assured us that while the heat was evident, it didn’t overpower. Bay scallops as a taco filling intrigued us – besides the price was right, or so we thought at the time.

Our server returned to take our entree order. Clam chowder ($6) was the soup of the day and the roasted beet salad ($8) was enticing, so we ordered both. After much deliberation, we settled on the prime rib ($29) and the Caribbean spiced swordfish ($23).

Bonny and Read is a lively place with high ceilings, a full bar, booths and high top tables. It was crowded but still possible to carry on a conversation without being drowned out by ambient sound, other conversations and indistinguishable background music.

The beet salad was the first plate brought to the table. As the normal order for restaurant service is drinks, appetizer, salad and/or soup, entree, dessert, and we were expecting the tacos, we sent the salad back to the kitchen. A few minutes later another server arrived with a beet salad, which we again refused. When a third server arrived with the salad, we kept it. Even if the staff wasn’t weary of our explanations, we were.

The pacing was way off. Usually soup and salad arrive together. Instead, not long after the salad shuffle our entrees arrived; still no tacos and no clam chowder. We were asked if we wanted to speak to a manager. You bet we did. We rejected the entrees, making it clear we didn’t want them simply sitting under a heat lamp only to show up when we’d finished the still-tardy tacos appetizer, the salad and missing-in-action soup. A manager never did appear.

Ultimately, our salad was comped, but without any conversation with the absent manager. Later, our server claimed we never ordered the tacos. He did take responsibility for the soup not arriving with the salad, and assured us that the entrees would be refired when the time came.

Sadly, those late-to-arrive tacos weren’t worth the wait. They tasted as if they’d been under a heat lamp while musical salad plates were played at our table. What should have been firm bites of bay scallops were soggy. At the regular (non-happy hour) price of $12 (which we were ultimately charged), the three small tacos are pricey. The scotch bonnet hot sauce, served on the side, did have a bite but not as much as anticipated.

There is some good news. In spite of the mixup, the soup and salad were both above average, thanks to flavorful combinations of fresh ingredients. The chowder was creamy and thick with chunks of potatoes and clams. Topped with bacon bits, this is a good example of what clam chowder should be.

The beautifully plated salad features cubes of roasted red, orange and yellow beets over a bed of kale, dressed with pomegranate vinaigrette and garnished with a nice amount of toasted pistachios.

Much of the menu focuses on seafood and steak. The swordfish features two generous portions of fish served over a bed of pigeon peas and rice. The grayish peas, which are often dried, then cooked like beans, were bland. Fried plantains are a nice addition. The topmost piece of fish was flaky and moist. The second piece may have lingered under a heat lamp too long since it was dry and not as tender. The as-advertised Caribbean spices were difficult to discern.

The 6-ounce serving of prime rib was well-trimmed but chewier than expected. I’m not convinced this didn’t wait under a heat lamp, even though we’d been assured otherwise. The addition of mashers and broccolini did little to salvage the dish.

The key lime tart ($6) for dessert was the best part of the evening. It consisted of thick, rich whipped cream between thin layers of sponge cake and topped with a house-made key lime jelly. This airy and tangy creation demonstrates someone in the kitchen has real talent. It’s unfortunate that didn’t translate to the rest of the restaurant.