June 2, 2026 - Two for Dinner, our 36th wedding anniversary. (we had last been here a year ago for…read morethe same occasion.) First up - PARKING was awesome!!! we parked in their lot and had plenty of choices. yay. Second - When I had made a reservation for our special occasion I was asked "Inside or Outside" which I picked Inside. I was then ASKED "window table?" to which I happily confirmed yes that would be great. I then confirmed to my wife. 6PM, Inside, & Window seating. When I arrived I was quizzed if I had a reservation. Yes. Then I was asked did i want to dine Inside or Outside and I replied I had confirmed an Inside, window reservation. And he brought us to our inside aisle non-window table. When I asked why not a window as I confirmed - I was informed they only give them out when they are available and he can't guarantee it? I then asked "Why do you ask then when the reservation is made?" He just walked away. Probably not a good candidate for a public or customer facing role. As others have stated (and I in my first review) the staff and server experience here is highly variable. 1/10 Third - Our server was excellent and gregarious. we were seated well over 5 minutes until we able to tender a drink order, but then everything went very smoothly. The bus staff seems "nervous" and inexperienced, I had to ask twice for more water. The bread and butter was a little disappointing. one of the rolls was ok, the other either old, stale or did not sustain the heating process very well - inedible. There were two flatbread crackers in the basket as well. 3/10 Fourth - We both got a cup of seafood bisque soup. This was a smooth and flavorful soup. Chunks of seafood of various types and a little shot of sherry on the side to pour on. (my 10 year AA medal pushed it away - smile) 9/10 My wife ordered a Pompano special with scallops and the chef special vegetables and green beans. This was very substantive entree and she did bring half of it home. The fish was nicely prepared and properly cooked, the vegetables were cooked al dente and not just something on the plate - good job. The green beans so nice as a vegetarian / vegan plant based eater I am going to order them as my entree! 9/10 I ordered a shrimp cocktail as part of my main. I haven't had shrimp in a few years, and these were fairly decent. the cocktail sauce was disappointing as I am a Kelchner's horseradish and Heinz Chili Sauce kind of guy.... pink from the 50/50 mixture. The sauce here was a restaurant pack can of catsup and a splash of tabasco. yech. 5/10 Also as my main an Arugula Salad with Roasted Beets, NO goat cheese, Almonds, Honey-Citrus Vinaigrette, Raspberry Coulis. A VERY nice salad with an extremely fresh and beautiful collection of arugula lettuce, and the roasted yellow and purple beets were nicely cooked and prepared. The dressing was light and tasty and not some gloppy oil slick of goo. 10/10 Finally, our server brought us out a little keylime pie to commemorate our occasion, we were actually pretty full from the dinner and declined dessert but she brought this out and we took a few pictures!!! VERY nice touch!!! Thank you. I think the kitchen has improved over the last three reviews and last three or so years. The reservation and front desk and the service is variable and inconsistent, still. The communications and reservation situation is flawed - a reservation is between two parties - if we agree on something the expectation is we BOTH deliver (I arrive on time and pay, and the establishment seats and accommodates as per the expectation) Both should expect what was agreed to? Obviously this is all personnel and seasonally dependent here in Venice, FL, now that we enter the slow and less tourist oriented I think the employees and the patrons will be less wired and unpredictable. My wife and I have discussed a mid summer visit to the Crow's Nest - maybe for my birthday in August?

Every time I go and eat upstairs, the more convincing I need to return again to the upstairs. Each…read moretime I go, something is off. Once again went with friends who are visiting, I live close by. The service was worse than before, had to flag the host down after 20mins of not being acknowledged by any server. The manager has been an issue in the past 2 previous visits. I'll continue to frequent the lounge. The servers are great and I can order the whole menu.