Riviera is potentially the best restaurant in Ottawa. From the moment we walked into the expansive and stately banking hall, we were captivated by the experience. Moody, art-deco vibes. Just the right amount and style of lighting. The busy-ness of the open kitchen and the operation is compelling. Professionalism abounds in this place; we asked for our server's honest opinion on the menu and we selected everything he recommended. The beef tartare was the best I've ever had. I'm not privy to the details of how it was seasoned but it was perfect. The sunchoke chips were an interesting detail. Tuna crudo was incredible. Lobster spaghetti and Fogo Island cod also incredible. It was a five star experience from arrival through closing. This is a must-go in Ottawa. read more

Riviera - Tuna crudo - Canadian (New) Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

We came here for dinner during a trip to Ottawa. All the food we ordered was lack of flavour and there were flies flying around our table the whole meal. I wil not consider coming back here again. read more

We were excited to try Riviera.. and must admit that we will not rush back. It started on a bad note when my partnered asked about the ravioli and was told by the waiter that it's not quite "meal size" and would leave him hungry as a main dish... Well we should not have listened, the table next to us got the pasta and it was a substantial meal! As for our meal it was... Well overly rich. No acidity, or freshness to cut the richness. Just rich on rich. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those who shy away from fat, but this was just too much and nothing to make it better other than maybe your drink I'd you were lucky and opted for something fresh and light (I opted for red and while great, it didn't help that much). Don't get me wrong, the food was good but every dish would have benefited from being more "balanced" in my honest opinion. Not quite worth it, for the price point, in my books. The bartending was great, but it didn't meet our expectations from a meal perspective. May go back... For drinks and appetizers only read more

Food is great; love the truffle mushrooms bread appetizer. Lamb pasta is also good; the duck breast is just so so (too tough) though it was served with awesome peas purée and veggies. If I were to visit again, cocktails and an appetizer are definitely way to go as the portion is generous. read more

Cool vibe and ambiance. We arrived with no reservation and the manager was quite accommodating. Drinks were great, so was service. For dinner, my wife had the seafood tower and I had the wedge salad then duck with kale, sauerkraut & prunes. Sounds like an odd mix but it was delicious. The wedge salad was just exploding with flavor. If you live in the area or traveling through, give the place a go! You won't be disappointed. read more

It had been a while since we last were at Riviera, but this dinner exceeded our expectations. The mood, the ambiance, the staff, the service were outstanding. It was the perfect Friday night dinner. And, the food! The octopus had the exquisite balance of heat, the proportions were just right, the burrata was one of the best we've ever eaten, the BC halibut was perfectly sized, cooked, and served with absolutely delicious morels. My husband, who asks for nothing more than a good beef tartare, was blown away by the quality of the dish. Last, the lavender creme brule was refreshing and lovely. Riviera is simply the best in Ottawa. read more

Riviera - Octopus - Canadian (New) Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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I came here for an anniversary dinner. The mushroom toast was TO DIE FOR! It had so many types of mushrooms, all served on a buttery piece of toast. This dish wasn't what I expected - I thought it would be more of a classic tartine, but it was actually a piece of bread soaked in mushroom and butter sauce, similar to how the bread on a French onion soup is soaked in broth. SO GOOD and definitely the highlight dish. Other food we had: For starters, we had the seafood chowder which was fantastic! Lots of yummy seafood; rich but not so much that you couldn't finish a whole serving yourself; and suuuuper tasty! We share everything, so the restaurant plated one order in two separate bowls. We had a super delicious and succulent lamb shank for our main course, along with a ricotta gnudi. The gnudi wasn't my favourite, but if you're a ricotta lover you should try it (TONS of ricotta)! read more

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Absolutely fantastic. The service, the food, the drinks and the atmosphere. The food is a bit expensive (For lunch too, our bill came out to about $80) but you'll see that it's because of the good quality of the food. I went at lunch with a coworker who suggested le big matt, which is kind of like a Big mac but with better ingredients and just made to taste better. It came with a side of fries and salad and it was sooooooo good. I couldn't finish it and took some of it with me back to the office but ended up munching on it throughout the day since it was just so damn tasty. The service is quite fast, it's prompt and it's delicious. I had a great time with our server who was polite and came very quickly. I had a side drink as well and it was mixed well and mixed strongly. Would absolutely come here again. read more

Riviera - Let's big Matt with the hanky panky drink! - Canadian (New) Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

I strongly recommend this restaurant, the manu was elevated and varied. My entree was mushrooms on tost and it was delightful, I enjoyed my main dishes the ricotta and spinach ravioli. They have a large drinks menu and the atmosphere of the old bank with the kitchen open to the room was superb. I will go again for sure. read more

Beautiful place. Gives off New York City vibes with tall ceilings. Expensive prices though.

Love this spot , food was good and Environment was great, I was visiting from the states .

Word is the Michelin reviewers are poking around Toronto trying to decide whether to include any Canadian restaurants. If that is the case, then the judges should head over to Ottawa and try Riviera. Of all the places we've dined during our extended visit in the Canadian capital, and there have been many, Riviera is hands down our favorite. Riviera is ranked 23 out of Canada's 100 best restaurants and it shows. Physically the restaurant is lovely. Riviera took best advantage of the elegance and high ceilings in the converted bank space to create a chic, inviting atmosphere. We sat at the counter and were treated to watching the talented chefs' put together dish after stunning dish. The plate presentation was consistent and flawless in each plate. But the food and drink are why we love Riviera. We love to share food and we love raw bar so we asked our waitress to serve us in a series of four courses. We began with oysters expertly shucked in front of us. Since both of us were students in Maryland, we have a high expectation for oysters. We were not disappointed. The Canadian oysters were sweet and succulent made even better by the freshly grated horseradish. Yum! Our second course was the tuna crudo with puffed quinoa, chili, tomato & argan oil. This was a healthy crudo with delicious albacore tuna. The crisped quinoa added great texture and flavor. Yum again! Our third course was the white fish caviar with cand crumpets. We love caviar and do not eat it often. The dish was served in a caviar tin with the caviar on top of the creme fresh and dill. The instructions were to dig down to be sure to get all three and then place on crumpets rather than the traditional blinis. The crumpets were served warm making the dish a triumph. Triple yum! Our final course was the mushrooms on toast with shaved black truffle & an egg. This is a hearty dish with a flavorful assortment of mushrooms and gravy on a thick piece of toast. Even more yum! Our friendly waitress brought us a second round of drinks from their extremely creative drink menu and talked us into dessert. We selected a rich chocolate cake that was very moist covered in handmade, fresh whipped creme. A perfect ending to a great meal. If you have the chance to go to Riviera, then go, we highly recommend it! read more

Absolutely lovely interiors were the first thing that stood out to me. The inside was previously a bank, and it has super high ceilings, and romantic dim lighting. Great for a date! I sat at the bar, and had a phenomenal time watching drinks being made, and seeing the dishes arriving at tables around me. I would say their drinks are a lot better than their food dishes; the drinks are strong, and gorgeously presented. I shared maybe 5 with a friend and definitely love the whiskey sour the most! Foodwise, I tried: - Scallop crudo: frdsh, but the sliced veggies on top covered the scallops, so it was not visually appealing. - Grilled octopus with romesco and shishito: the ocotopus was super tender, the sauce was rich, and the pepper added additional flavour. This dish definitely stood out, and I would order it again. Service was great; they were talkative, and explained the different elements of the drinks when I asked. The Atmosphere was busy, but not too loud. There were a lot of tables with people who were dressed up, so it seems like a great place to celebrate a special occasion! I would come back again, but choose my dishes more strategically! read more

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I ordered the burrata & tomato salad ($22) and the grapefruit cocktail, both favourites recommended to me. Delicious! A bit pricey, but I think the ambience and food quality makes up for it. This restaurant has a dimly decorated interior preserving the look and feel of an old bank. We walked in on a rainy Wednesday evening and the only seats were at the bar - it's a very popular place but doesn't feel crowded at all because of the tall ceilings. read more

Riviera - Burrata & tomato salad ($22) - opened - Canadian (New) Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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This place is a hidden gem. The service is welcoming and the food is exceptional. It's not a weekly splurge but definitely great to come grab and a drink and appetizers. We had the rabbit pappardelle and the braised lamb. The lamb was tender and the pappardelle was perfectly cooked. See you there! read more

Riviera - Ambiance is filled with high ceilings galore! - Canadian (New) Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Love the space. Love the food. Love the service. I assume they have an ever changing menu so I will skip the details except tobsay if you get a vhance to try the duck ham, take it! Another reviewer noted sitting at the counter can be a great experience. I agree. Watching the effort that goes into making each dish is fascinating. Would I return? Yes Would I recommend? Yes read more

I really enjoy the vibe in here. It's art deco and always playing some of the best music when I drop in. There are a lot of great cocktails, let your server/bartender know what you like and they'll bring you something that should meet your expectations. I've been here for food a couple of times and I always get their iceberg wedge. It's probably my favourite item there. It's a wedge lettuce loaded with bacon, shrimp and their amazing salad dressing. The crowd is mixed from young and hip to stiff and government...j/k, not really read more

Great ambiance and vibe, the food was very good and service was top notch, which is the expected at a high class establishment. No real complaints as the food and service is great, but it is pricey. Not saying its not worth the money, but its not a place I will crave or visit often. More of a place to go for special occasions. 4 stars because its a great place, but 5 stars are reserved for places I truly crave. I will definitely be back but i am not sure when. read more

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Came here with my wife for our third anniversary after a recommendation from a friend. We both got an appetizer, I had caviar and my wife got a tomato salad. I really appreciated that the server showed me the proper way to eat caviar as this was my first time. We ordered a pasta with rabbit and the Chicken Kiev for our entrees. I really enjoyed the rabbit which was really succulent and the pasta was very fresh. My wife really enjoyed the Chicken Kiev and the turnips that came with it. Lastly we had creme brûlée for desert, which was much more creamy than I've had before but the flavour was awesome. Really overall the service was impeccable and truly enjoyed the food, would definitely come back for a special occasion in the future. read more

Before I proceed, do note that this is a pricy restaurant. There is no escaping that reality. With that out of the way, I move onto the review. The decor was refined and subdued (the building is a restored historic bank). The waiter was friendly, and after the first round of drinks, we simply followed his recommendations, which were unerring. We had a selection of cocktails and wines by the glass, ranging from no complaints to spectacular (I loved the "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and the last cocktail, the name of which escapes me). I had the beef tartare and my wife had the grilled octopus. She had a grilled octopus at another restaurant recently, and this was the winner hands down. My tartare was excellent. For the mains, we had steak et frites and braised lamb. The steak et frites was excellent, but the braised lamb my wife ordered still managed to make me jealous. I would recommend it to anyone. We had two desserts, the crème brûlée that I loved, and a chocolate mousse that my spouse said was delicious. I agree. Our server was Shadi (I apologize if I have misspelled it), and I mention him as he absolutely contributed to our wonderful meal. read more

Business travel on Valentine's Day resulted in 6 guys with our wives & girlfriends in other locales. It was apparent all the couples & groups around us were enjoying their Valentine dinner. As did we. Upon entry, to departure, and all points in between, service was attentive, timely, and always with a smile....on a very busy night. Food was deliciously prepared as ordered across the board. What a great place to enjoy a nice dinner in the city. read more

Riviera - Canadian (New) Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Amazing food every time I have been. Most recently I had the oysters and mushroom bruschetta with a glass of chardonnay. Highly recommend even just for the location. I think it used to be a bank? The ceilings are high and the people watching is good. read more

A fabulous evening. This place is popular and as a result hard to find a spot on a spring Friday night. Open table said "nothing before 2100". I called at noon and a very helpful person advised me that all tables were booked but they had a place for two at the Chef's bar at 1900. Done. We arrived a few minutes early and were welcomed to our place, just in front of the Chef at the north end of the kitchen. The place was full and busy, and the staff were welcoming and professional. The menu is special... you get the sense it is built around the best food available that day. One of us is vegan, and when we mentioned this our server seemed excited about the opportunity. And I went for the menu. Superb wine including and amazing special Syrah that night for me and a French Chardonnay for her. Her salad was wonderful with the right mix of green fresh and crunchy dressed perfectly. My mushrooms on toast took this umami base to unexpected heights with a shaving of black truffles. Her pasta was perfect, texture right and the tomato and herb and mushroom sauce resonating. My bouillabaisse was heavenly... the right mix of Fogo Island cod, shellfish, and a tomato tarragon sauce. A sublime cappuccino to finish and off we went. Prices are commensurate with the experience, but not crazy. The setting is amazing and the energy in the place, both from the other diners and the kitchen, was invigorating. This place is a "must do". read more

Riviera - Riviera from the back - chef's bar. - Canadian (New) Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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food was good service was good ambiance seemed a little cold as the ceiling was 30+ causing a little feeling of being small and insignificant. read more

We came back to Riviera for a birthday dinner. It may be an annual tradition, sure it's on the pricier side of Ottawa restaurants but the level of service, attention to detail and quality of food is beyond superb. This time we had the chicken Kiev and Black Cod as the mains. The cod was smooth and flavorful and melts in your mouth. The Chicken was expertly breaded and cooked, the herb butter was a perfect addition to the chicken and mashed potatoes. A can't miss restaurant and worth the visit. Average entree price between $35-$46. Cocktail and wine menu is top notch!! Our server Melissa was great, knowledgeable of the menu, meal preparation and wine list. read more

Riviera - Canadian (New) Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Excellent food. We didn't have a reservation but the manager squeezed us in anyway. Had more than enough time to eat before the next party that reserved the extra large table was due to arrive. Food was excellent and my son really loved the smoked duck. read more

Wonderful place, a must go if you're in Ottawa!!!! Food was awesome especially the tuna and steak!! Service was perfect! read more

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It's tough to get reservations so make sure you book in advance! Heard a lot of good things about this restaurant and it definitely lived up to its expectations. Their drinks were good - our table just told our server what time of drinks we prefer (sweet/sour/etc.) and he brought us the perfect recommendation. I had "The White Lady" ($12), which tasted similar to a whiskey sour. My coworker had one of their local brew beers and he enjoyed it as well. Half tower of seafood ($80), it was ($140 for full tower). All the seafood was fresh across Canada. There were 2 sets of raw oysters (total of 6), snow crab, half a lobster, raw shrimp, raw tuna, and shrimp cocktail. The seafood was amazingly fresh. Loved it! Grilled Octopus ($20) Gotta love this presentation. 3 pieces of octopus tails seared in perfection. Texture was soft and slightly chewy. Loved the sauce it was served on - had a nice kick. Really flavorful dish. Rib-eye and Frites ($65) The rib-eye was approximately 20 oz so decent size. It was cooked perfectly medium rare, seared really nicely. I wasn't really feeling the gravy that was poured on top of the steak - I felt like it took away the steak's original flavor. The frites were good - love crispy skinny fries. Chocolate Mousse ($12) The mousse was rich in chocolate flavor and not too sweet which was nice. I really liked the cookie crust. Actually, I think I liked it more than the mousse. Delicious. Loved the service here, and I'm big on service. My cup of glass water was always full without me having to ask for more water. The servers were very attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. Definitely enjoyed my meal here and would love to come back! read more

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Finally went to Riviera, and it did not disappoint. The restaurant has an amazing ambiance, with high ceilings and roomy interior. The food and drinks are fantastic! and the service is second to none. Another thing i love is that they have a negroni menu !!! I will definitely be returning to this place. read more

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Great spot for an occasional date night. Beautiful decor with high ceilings and a classic feel, Grand Central station-esque. We enjoyed watching the bartender work his magic. Service was attentive if a little bit slow. We had the steak tartare, spot shrimp and scallop chowder, mushroom and black truffle on toast, lobster lasagnetti and the lemon meringue. All the dishes were tasty and well presented although none were particular standouts. The flavour of the truffle did not pop out as much as expected, which was a particular disappointment to me. A very nice addition to the local food scene, and well done to the owners on three excellent local restaurants. We'll be back...although maybe only for a special occasion since we can't afford to eat here regularly (and that would probably take away from the glamour). Of note, there were lots of spots open at the bar for the spontaneous diner this particular Wednesday night. read more

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I ordered the striploin steak frites with bordelaise sauce, and my bf ordered the Fogo Island cod with dill sauce. Personally I liked his dish more because the cod was just so thick and the quality tasted very fresh as well. The steak frites were good too but considering the price point, I felt the quality of the steak could be better in terms of tenderness, meat flavour and it was a bit overcooked for my preference (ordered medium rare, got medium instead). Nonetheless, the frites were really great, I think it's likely fried in animal fat and that combined with fried sage, the flavours worked together to make the frites really aromatic! The bordelaise sauce was delicious as well, I ended up just soaking my frites in it instead of the sauce provided sometimes read more

Riviera - Canadian (New) Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Was in Ottawa for the weekend with my boyfriend and the wait staff at Town recommended Riviera. It's own by the same owner. We loved Town so much we waited to try this place. It's pretty pricy and fancy inside. A majority people eating at the restaurant were older and business people. We started off with the ceasar salad it was huge almost like a meal! But delicious! We also had the octopus which was yummy as well. My main was steak and frites it was good but my steak was a bit dry. I ordered medium well and should have ordered medium. My boyfriend order d half a portion of lobster pasta but the portion was super small! I would get the full portion next time. The food was good. I would come again. I took off one star was because the table was so tiny there was hardly room for the plates! The service was excellent! read more

Riviera - Ceasar salad, best I ever had! - Canadian (New) Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Stopped by on a Thursday evening with a reservation. Seated comfortably at the front in a plush booth. The food and cocktails were phenomenal. Between my date and I, we enjoyed the beef tartare, seafood chowder, lobster spaghetti and red deer tagliatelle. The meal was on the pricier end as expected with apps going for $20 a pop. The service was really attentive and the complimentary bread was also amazing. The mains took a while to arrive so they did apologize and ended up comping the $5 doughnut dessert. The doughnut was light and airy, a great finish to our meal. It was a nice small gesture, though they could have comped one of the many cocktails instead. The Mary Celeste was such an interesting drink, one of the Stephen Flood cocktails, with such a sweet aftertaste. Great experience! read more

Riviera - Seafood Chowder and Beef Tartare - Canadian (New) Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Second visit and I was not as amazed as the first. Our first visit was back in July during their first weekend and everything we had was absolutely amazing! We came for our second visit yesterday and it not quite as delicious as I remembered it being. We shared a tuna tartare app to start. This was very good. For our mains, we ordered the same ones as our first visit since we loved them so much before. My husband ordered the short rib and I had the black cod. Short rib was as delicious as we remembered. Perhaps I was too excited or my expectations were too high from the first visit but the black cod was good but not amazing. The first time the carrot puree was so complex and buttery and unlike anything I've ever had before. This time it was just, well, your average carrot puree. The black cod itself was again just alright, not amazing like the first time. For dessert we shared the chocolate peanut butter cake. It was good but nothing special. When the server came by to ask how we were liking our mains, I mentioned that mine was not as amazing as I remembered it. She apologized and went to speak to the chef. She came back and she said they couldn't really think of a reason why it would be different except maybe different chef and different seasonal ingredients. She also offered to remake my dish. This was very nice of them but I declined because I didn't want to wait for a new one while my husband was half finished with his meal. When I declined she mentioned that she would "do something with dessert". To us we were assuming that meant she was going to remove the charge for the dessert off our bill. When we received our bill we were charged for everything. We didn't say anything because it was not a big deal but it's bad form on her part to hint at that and then not follow through or forget to do it. Overall still pretty good but perhaps I would try something else next time. read more

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Make reservations well in advance if you want a table at a decent time. I booked about 2.5 weeks out for a Thursday night and my options were 5pm, 5:30pm, or after 8pm. Not too fussed about an earlier dinner, my girlfriend and I opted for 5:30pm and off we went! First, the place is stunning. Incredibly high ceilings (not sure if any other restaurant in Ottawa is like this), very nice decor, and everything looks clean and modern. Very well done. We were seated at a nice booth (a bit too close to the front door, especially on a chilly day, but not a big issue). We were given menus promptly and our waitress diligently went over the cocktail and wine list for us. For drinks, I settled on the "Jockey Full of Bourbon" from the section called "The Great Flood." Drink arrived quickly and my girlfriend and I ordered the seafood chowder and a tuna crudo to start, and for mains she ordered the nettle spaghetti bolognese and I ordered the duck a l'orange. Our appetizers arrived in a decent amount of time and we quickly tucked in to the bowl of chowder and the tuna. Both dishes were outstanding. The chowder was flavourful and full of seafood. The tuna was fresh and had a great balance of flavours. We were really excited for our mains at this point. Our two main dishes took a fair bit of time to get out. By our estimate, it was between 25-30 minutes from when we finished our appetizer, which is quite long. We figured that the ticket had been lost because the table next to us (who placed their order after ours), received their mains before we had. Our waitress did come by and apologize and gave us an update on when our food was coming. When the food did come, we were both extremely impressed. The duck I had was fantastic, the salty richness of the duck mixed very well with the tangy and slightly sweet orange sauce. I also liked that their duck a l'orange dish came with both duck breast and a confit leg. It was a filling plate that I would gladly order again. Their extruded pasta dishes are a bit on the smaller side, but pack a huge punch of flavour. My girlfriend really enjoyed hers and she did say it was filling enough. When our waitress came by to collect our empty dishes, I was going to mention the long wait time to her. But before I even had a chance to say anything, she offered dessert on the house to us, along with coffee or tea. To me, this is great customer service that is often missing from restaurants. We chose the oreo dessert, which came with oreo crumbles, a peanut butter whipped cream, slightly spicy peanuts and a chocolate ganache under it. Again, it was fantastic and a great way to end the meal. All in all, despite the issue with the timing of the main courses, the experience at Riviera was fantastic. They are a welcome addition to Ottawa's restaurant scene. The service was very good and the food simply delectable. I would return for a meal in a heartbeat. read more

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Definitely one of the best restaurant in Ottawa. Food is amazing, drinks are very special and well presented, ambience of the restaurant is spectacular!! But with honest opinion, I don't think I can recommend the patio dining because there is clear difference in timeliness of service, opportunity in attentiveness, and ambience of the seating. Overall still very excellent restaurant and will highly recommend to dine in this restaurant! read more

I absolutely love this place, but has anyone else noticed the really disturbing and misplaced picture in the back near the bathrooms? It's by the artist Johnathan Hobin who does really sick and twisted photography involving children... check out his "in the playroom series"...why would Rivieria support this???? read more

Delicious food and great service. It'll be one of my regulars when I'm in Ottawa. Beautiful decor as well.

Whoever said Ottawa isn't worth while as never visited Riviera. From the décor to the desserts, Riviera will make your taste buds Insta famous. The Burger & Fries is a must; and don't get it twister the pasta is fire as well. In addition, the service is immaculate, the waitresses truly made it a memorable night. Thank you Riviera for making Ottawa great again. read more

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Food was not bad at all and service was OK too. We were more hoping to get the former restaurant 18's fine dinning cuisine and taste when Matt Carmichael was the exec chef. Maybe a couple of the dishes got close to that level but definitely not as good as before. The menu was just too small with only 3-4 items in each category. For the high end price, 18's service is definitely better and more attentive for sure. I had high hope for the $50 10 oz steak based on what the waiter said. However, I was disappointed with the steak. Can easily find much better steak in other not as expensive restaurants. Food was also a bit on the salty side for my taste. Probably the seafood chowder and the lobster spaghetti were the best on the menu. read more

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