It's been several years since we visited the Brigantine so as Mom had been wanting a nice meal, we…read morewent for an early Sunday dinner. Unfortunately, the ONLY thing good about our visit was the service by our waiter Maria. Everything else -- from the Shrimp Cocktail + Wagyu Burger for Mom, to the Shrimp/Crab Fondue + Oysters Rockefeller for me -- was so tragically ill-prepared, we were simply dumbfounded. So much so, we wondered if Chef had gone missing, leaving others to attempt the recipes, OR perhaps Chef had gone rogue, ignoring the decades old, once-tasty recipes.
The first sign of impending doom was when Maria brought Mom's Shrimp Cocktail -- nothing more than plain-water boiled shrimp on a plate next to cocktail sauce + a lemon wedge. No classic recipe here with its visible bits of onion, celery & aromatic spices. And Mom? She looked at me in her customarily reserved manner, head tilted questioningly to one side, and said, "Is this supposed to be shrimp cocktail?"
Next, Maria brought Mom's Wagyu Burger, along w/my Shrimp/Crab Fondue + Oysters Rockefeller, which I'd asked be served together. Now, perhaps all those years as a corporate road warrior by day, expense-account epicurean by night simply ruined me. Because the first thing I noticed was the plate Maria placed before me contained several (fake?) shells filled with large gelatinous clumps of pale yellow goo -- definitely NOT the same broiled-to-perfection breadcrumb, spinach and cheese topped WHOLE fresh-shucked oysters I'd savored from San Francisco to Savannah. Instead, with no resemblance to the classic recipe, The Brigantine's version had only the tiniest, occasional bits of spinach, bacon & oyster (pieces instead of whole oysters) hidden sporadically beneath the pale yellow goo. After two bites, I sent this dish back, telling Maria, "This is the worst Oysters Rockefeller I've ever had, anywhere across the U.S.!!!" I assured her this debacle was NOT her fault, and ordered the Day Boat Scallops instead.
Next, diving into the Shrimp/Crab Fondue -- a previously lick-the-bowl clean starter we'd enjoyed several times in the past -- I was stunned to find this usually mouth-watering seafood and cheese concoction was instead tainted with the distinct artificial Mexican flavor of a McCormick Taco Seasoning packet. "Yuck !!!", I blurted out loud, causing Mom to try it too -- with the same unsatisfactory response. Not only that, unlike previous orders, there wasn't a single piece of seafood to be found. And so after another bite, I decided to forgo more of the mystery concoction, instead choosing to nibble only on the sourdough rounds while waiting on the scallops.
Turning my attention to Mom who'd been unable to fit the burger into her small mouth, she'd disassembled it, revealing a dry-looking over-compacted hockey puck-sized wad of meat -- not at all the juicy patty you'd expect from high fat Wagyu beef. Upon tasting, it was indeed dry AND totally absent of seasoning, even salt. Zip. Zilch. Zero.
And the accompanying "Garlic Truffle Fries"? Limp as a newspaper left out in the rain.
So much for winning any points with Mom for this dinner...
Finally, Maria arrives w/the Day Boat Scallops, placing them gracefully before me while simultaneously glancing worriedly at the uneaten Fondue I'd banished to the far side of the table. Unable to bring myself to report yet another disaster, I just thanked her for her exceptional service.
Back to the Scallops, I am confused by the plate before me. I recognize 4, definitely-NOT-jumbo sized but well-seared scallops. But what is the strange looking slop they're sitting on??? I literally can't make out the origin of a single piece of the multi-colored bits on top of an orange/yellow sauce. And why I started tasting this "slop", I'll never know. I literally took one bite which tasted so bad I immediately spit it back out onto the plate. OMG! Did I REALLY just do that? NEXT, I promptly moved the scallops onto the small starters plate, as far away from the "slop" as I could get them. Fortunately, the scallops tasted like well-seared pan sautéed scallops should, and not at all adulterated by the hideous taste of the "slop". Geez, finally a redeeming quality to this otherwise hideous (and outrageously expensive) meal.
By this point, I'd spent a good hundred and some odd dollars for Mom to eat 4 boiled shrimp and 2 bites of dry unseasoned beef that I doubt was even Wagyu. As for me, I'd consumed 4 quarter-sized not-Jumbo scallops, a few pinky length fondue-intended sourdough rounds, plus 2 tastes each of the Oysters-Goo Rockefeller and Crab-Absent Taco Fondue.
Obviously, we won't be back to this utter Dive-in-Disguise. I only hope Maria can scrape the stench of The Brigantine off before leaving for an establishment that takes as much pride in their product as she does in the outstanding service she provides.