Mark N.
Yelp
Based off the amount of good reviews, we gave this place a try recently. While there are plenty of good reviews, I tend to agree with the overall sentiment of the not so good reviews. We left underwhelmed and laughing at our servers final "parting gift".
I agree with most, walking in we were impressed with the modern, yet open feel of the eating area. There were good views of the golf course and a nice outdoor area that looks like it would be nice when the fireplace is on. After we sat down someone came over and gave us silverware and a menu. Didn't look up to say hi or introduce herself. Hmm. Then came back with flat water and again, didn't say anything and walked away. Then another server came over and gave us a second set of silverware. Oh well. We started off with a few happy hour bites, the chargrilled oysters and meatballs. Both came out really quick. Though it was obvious after the first oyster they had been sitting for a while. The were barely room temperature so the cheese had hardened. Each oyster picked up like grabbing sausage on day old pizza. Just one big, cold, coagulated piece. Flavors might have been ok if it was hot. The habanero mignonette was so spicy I choked on it initially. This stuff could kill a small dog, I'm surprised this is being served. The meatballs were described with a "bourbon glaze, Serrano aioli and green onions." They came out in a little bowl half filled with some type of bitter liquid. Fairly odd taste/presentation and the meat was painfully overcooked.
My main was the blackened redfish. Came with "jalapeño cheddar grits and pickled okra salad". The "grits" had more of a texture of creamed corn that had been sitting for a while and developed a gelatinous texture with way too much jalapeño overpowering any other flavor. Salad was an afterthought. The fish itself was pretty good and cooked well. Though they left the skin on and presented it skin side up. Which is fine if the skin was crispy. Instead it was just soggy fish skin that I put to the side. We noticed that there were only a few seats taken at the bar. Though it seemed no one was getting service and we all had to flag down people to get help ordering. We heard other people having to explain how to make their drinks properly. Definitely got the sense that the 2 bartenders didn't communicate well, nor did they check on any of the customers. Wife had the chicken wings. Again not hot and still had hair and fried chicken giblets on them.
Wife ordered a hot coffee dessert drink and the seasonal fruit cobbler crisp. Again, the drink took a while and the bartender eventually apologized that they were figuring out the coffee to put in the drink. Ultimately, while the flavor was good, it was barely warm after waiting 10 + minutes. Cobbler had good flavor though it was mostly a tin of baked apples and dough. More of a cake. There wasn't anything that resembled "crisp" or "cobbler" about it. Unfortunately none of the dishes seemed very composed. Most had strange presentations with overcooked, yet somehow room temperature items. The sauces were weird/mostly inedible, and the items we were served didn't really match what was described on the menu.
After I asked for the check I was asked if wanted any more water? I had ordered sparkling water in the beginning and finished it fairly quickly while it sat empty the whole meal. Apparently I had ordered a large bottle of pallegrino. I was never informed I ordered a bottle, it was never used to fill up my glass during the meal, nor was it given to me to fill my glass myself. By this point I was disappointed in the food/service and just wanted to leave. She didn't have a cap to put on the top so she put a quark in it for me to take home. After putting it in the backseat of my car, while backing up, the pressure had built and exploded the bottle of water all over my backseat. At this point all I could do is laugh about the whole experience. Thankfully it was just water.
From the bar, we could see plenty of wait staff and hostesses running around. Perhaps the service would have been better in the main area. Unfortunately it was clear the 2 bartenders were out of their element. A couple times we had servers bring us food that was for someone else. While they seemed to be staffed properly, no one seemed to communicate. And the food/preparation had us wondering if the chef called in sick and they were covering for them. Like a yacht chef had been fired and the deckhand with "some experience" was stepping in. We went in hopeful to find a new local spot but there were too many misses to warrant a return trip.