Not by any means bad, but so many flaws and so far below my high expectations from other reviews…read morethat my 2 star rating is appropriate, though it gives me no pleasure to do so. I have no issues with my waitress, Brianna or any of the other staff I interacted with. And, while the food certainly sounds interesting on the menu, it doesn't translate to tasty, attractive plates and this needs attention desperately.
The menu is very small, all fitting easily on one page. There were no specials. My appetizer was the best thing of the meal, Roasted Cauliflower, with fava cream, roasted almonds, fresno puree, mint oil, and duck crackling. The plating was attractive. I liked the subtly minted fava cream (think hummus), the cauliflower florets tender and sweet from the roasting. But the mint leaves were whole (should have been julienned), the almonds didn't seem particularly roasted, and as for duck cracklings? I forgot they were even there until I reread the menu this morning while writing this review.
There were 5 specialty cocktails listed on a card on the table. My Water Street Ol' Fashioned was made with Knob Creek bourbon, Liqueur 43, maple, honey, burnt orange. It wasn't sufficiently chilled. But the flavor was good, it seemed strong enough, and the cherry was of high quality; perhaps Luxardo.
The wine list included some unusual selections, including an ice wine from Ontario by the glass, which I had with dessert and enjoyed.
My entree was - there's really no other way to put it - a disaster. Braised Lamb: charred eggplant, blistered red pepper, polenta cake, mint gremolata. First impression: what incredibly sloppy plating! Everything piled onto one side of the plate, stray crumbs on the other side. Like somebody tripped but caught themself on the way to delivering it. This was not a cohesive dish. It was a collection of ingredients. The meat lacked flavor (what was it braised in - water?) and was divided into two odd-shaped chunks. The eggplant was chewy and sour, not noticeably charred as described. The greens (pea greens?) were a tangled mass off to one side, uncut and difficult to eat. Even with these flaws it might have been saved by a flavorful sauce to bring it together but there wasn't any. I would have added salt but there was none on the table and I didn't bother to ask.
I hoped maybe they could redeem themselves with a good dessert. Sadly this was not to be. Just 4 things on the menu, none of them sounding very interesting. I should have just settled on the Affogato - hard to get this wrong. Instead, and untypically for me I chose the Chocolate Pot de Creme, unimaginatively described "... strawberry jam, vanilla granola." Like chocolate pudding out of a box (or how I remember it, being over 50 years since I've had it). The granola? Literally like they opened a box of cereal and dumped some on top. The jam unmemorable but it added contrasts in sweetness. Some whipped cream and maybe chopped mint would have been welcome additions.
They had the audacity to list "Bread & Butter" in their small plates section. Described as "warm bread, lemon chive butter." How unimaginative! And while it is unfortunately getting more common to charge for bread, I believe strongly that table bread should be free. Always.
Some good things too. The main dining room and bar are beautiful, with an uncluttered, modern look mixed with country touches like a farm table adorned with some wine bottles and potted plants, a worn oriental rug beneath. Knick-knack shelves on the walls, painted vines on the walls. Mostly soft jazz playing for music. But the long and thin layout is a drawback because no table gets good views, especially on the porch. I could have faced the outside windows with a view of the parking lot or the open windows to the inside, where I sat, where my views were cut off by large plastic plants. Really the best place to sit is at the very attractive bar. Where, by all means if you're staying at the hotel have some drinks and a snack, but I suggest you seek other alternatives for dining.
