From a 09/09/2020 visit at 7pm EDT.
NOTE: I havent been to this location in at least 15 years prior to this visit.
So first, COVID-19 concerns. There is a disjointed and haphazard enforcement of whatever measures the management has put in place related to COVID-19.
1. The hostess stand is directly in the doorway. They have closed the seating/waiting area, but people leaving the restaurant (WITHOUT MASKS!) have to walk right past you to get out. Also, the hostess stand being right there causes a crowd of people trying to get seated. This is supposed to be safe?
2. They are clearly allowing masks to be optional. I saw many people being seated that didnt have on masks. I even saw a group of 5 new employees being trained that had two new employees wearing their masks below their noses. If the TRAINER of new employees doesnt know how a mask is supposed to be worn, how do you expect the new employees to know.
3. Seating. They have very high backed booths, so they arent skipping booths like many other restaurants. That's fine, but they sat 5 people at the booth behind me, so one person pulled up a chair facing the table as well as facing me while he ate. Again, is this supposed to be safe?
Decor: It's an island vibe, but honestly, this place is a little tired. The colors on fabrics are faded andit's dark in the restaurant (It was still daylight when we went). It's time to spruce up or clean. It just felt old and tired.
SERVICE: Our server was generally fantastic. She was very attentive. I wish I had her name, but couldnt hear through the mask. The only thing she did not do was explain the table top ordering system. If she had, we wouldnt have had to keep looking for her. I finally did see you culd order from it which was very easy, with descriptions of drinks and desserts.
Food: Most of the food was just so-so. Our food arrived incredibly fast once we ordered. (Wait...that's a good thing-right?) No...it's not. It was so fast, that the food had to be already sitting. And the temperature of our food showed it. Nothing was hot, everything was lukewarm.
Appetizer: Beef Empenadas: Good. And the hottest (by temperature) dish we had. Comes with two dipping sauces. One is a creamier one that goes better, the other is (I think) a sweet and spicy sauce. It really is just sweet. My only complaints are that there isnt enough filling in these and they werent fried long enough.
Here is what my party had (I tasted everything);
-Seafood Paella. So this was OK. The seafood wasnt fresh, it wasnt really paella, just a seafood rice dish. If you think of it that way, it was ok.
-Ropa Vieja. Again OK. This is shredded beef with cheese with fried plaintains over rice and beans. It was lukewarm and very so-so.
-Coconut Shrimp. Still not hot. The dipping sauce was really just sweet and flavorless - they didnt need it. The shrimp themselves were certainly from a food supplier, not fresh made, but decent quality. They just werent fried in oil hot enough to get them crispy.
-Dessert. Key lime pie. Very good. "Seemed" home made or bakery made. A large portion. We all shared it and still didnt finish it.
Alcoholic drinks. The bar is on point.Very quick and flavorful, Caribbean inspired drinks. No complaints.
Conclusion....It's OK ... Just ok. read more