I'll start with the highlights. The restaurant itself is beautiful, and our server, Riley, was friendly, attentive, and wonderful to work with. We were there celebrating my aunt's birthday, and the team did several things that made the evening feel special. They had all signed a birthday card for her, gave her a complimentary glass of wine, and were very accommodating about allowing us to bring our own cake and helping us with everything we needed to serve it. Those thoughtful touches were genuinely appreciated.
Most of our meals were also very good. Our party ordered a variety of dishes, including the bluefin tuna, salmon, and burger, and everyone was pleased with those.
Unfortunately, there were also several misses that surprised me, particularly because I've dined here five or six times over the years and have always thought of this as a higher-end experience.
One person ordered the King Caesar with fried oysters, and the oysters were extremely small and over-fried, with very little actual oyster left inside. I had also requested a fried oyster for my burger because I remembered how delicious the burger used to be served that way years ago--with a beautiful, substantial fried oyster on top. What arrived this time was tiny, crumbly, and overcooked. I'll include a photo because I think it speaks for itself.
We also paid the additional $9 for the cast-iron bread, but unfortunately the entire bottom of the bread was black and appeared to have been badly overcooked.
Drink service was another issue throughout the evening. Drinks were extremely slow to arrive. After dinner, two of us went to the bar for one last glass of wine and waited approximately 20 minutes. The bartender explained that he was waiting for a glass, which seemed surprising for a restaurant of this caliber.
There were some other service details that felt off as well. When our meals were brought to the table, the person delivering them didn't know who had ordered what, so I ended up directing him around the table for each plate. It's a small detail, but at this level of restaurant, those details are part of the experience.
Overall, we enjoyed celebrating my aunt's birthday and really appreciated the kindness shown to her, particularly by Riley and the team. But compared with my previous visits, this was definitely my most disappointing experience. There were simply too many lapses in food preparation and service for a restaurant at this price point. I've enjoyed coming here over the years, but after this visit, I would pause before making plans to return. read more