A Beautiful Restaurant, but a Disappointing Engagement Celebration…read more
Halloween night was supposed to be especially memorable. My fiancé had his first Saturday off in months, and he had just proposed! We were excited to dress up, enjoy a beautiful dinner, and celebrate our engagement.
We chose The Guest House for its upscale atmosphere and what we hoped would be a special dining experience. We were being mindful of our budget, so we planned to share an appetizer, entrée, and side while still treating ourselves to a lovely night out.
When I booked our reservation, I mentioned we were celebrating our engagement. I want to give the restaurant credit for initially giving us a beautiful table in the middle of the action near the DJ booth. It really did feel like a special spot! My fiancé, however, preferred somewhere quieter and requested another table.
Unfortunately, our new table was in the back, with the neighboring guests literally about six inches from me. It felt like we were sitting together! The couple beside us spent much of dinner discussing diarrhea and illnesses--not exactly the conversation you want to overhear on a romantic date. I understand the restaurant can't control guests' conversations, and we requested the move, but the tables were so close that there was no privacy.
On a positive note, the bread they bring out at the beginning is amazing! Warm, buttery, and absolutely delicious. It's a small detail, but it made a wonderful first impression.
Before visiting, I'd called to ask the price of the scallops and was told $26. I planned to order them while my fiancé ordered the $65 lamb chops. At the restaurant, however, the scallops were listed at $79! Given that surprise, we decided to share the lamb chops instead.
We ordered the crab cake appetizer (over $40), lamb chops, and mac and cheese. I told our server we would be sharing everything, but apparently there was a misunderstanding because all three dishes arrived together.
That was the biggest disappointment of the night. At an upscale restaurant, especially when you're paying over $40 for an appetizer, you expect to enjoy each course at a comfortable pace. Instead, the table was crowded with plates, and we felt we had to rush through the crab cake before the entrée got cold. It changed the entire rhythm of the evening.
There were definite highlights in the food. One lamb chop was cooked to perfection--tender and delicious. Unfortunately, the other was noticeably smaller, well done, and very gamey. That was the one I ended up with. For a $65 entrée, I expected more consistency, and I wouldn't recommend it for sharing. The mac and cheese, though, was absolutely on point! Between that and the wonderful warm bread, the kitchen clearly has some things it does very well.
We skipped cocktails, which were priced at over $20 each. Even without drinks, our bill was approximately $150 for one appetizer, one entrée, and one side.
And here's what stayed with me most: we were in and out in about 45 minutes.
Forty-five minutes for a dinner we'd been looking forward to as our engagement celebration.
I know Halloween weekend can be busy, and I don't expect a restaurant to make a production out of every special occasion. I also appreciate that they recognized our celebration with the original table. But knowing why we were there, I wish the rest of the experience had felt a little more thoughtful. We weren't looking for anything extravagant--just time to savor the meal, enjoy each other's company, and make a beautiful memory.
Instead, we left feeling rushed and disappointed. The Guest House is beautiful, and parts of the meal were genuinely excellent, which almost makes the experience more frustrating because I can see its potential.
Ultimately, it wasn't the $150 that disappointed me most. It was choosing this restaurant for a once-in-a-lifetime moment and leaving after 45 minutes without ever feeling like we'd really celebrated.
I genuinely wanted to love The Guest House. I hope this feedback is taken in the spirit intended, because I'd love to believe the experience we had isn't representative of what this restaurant can offer.