Tyler S.
Yelp
This was our second time visiting and now alongside our first time visiting parents and sibling. Our first visit July 2023, was incredible and I regret not leaving an initial review. But I can vividly remember what was ordered and everything was great including the service! Crab stuffed flounder, a dozen assorted oysters, and filet mignon--all divine!
This most recent visit was subpar to our last visit. We made a reservation for 7:45p, arrived 7:48p due to extremely limited parking and no directions online whereas to park. We ended up settling in a lot .1 mi down the road and walked up; not bad at all.
When we entered, just as last time there was line outside the door! We entered and checked in, we were quoted 15-20mins which is reasonable. 35mins passes and we still had a large party ahead of us, but were sat at 41mins passed reservation. The lobby being overcrowded with no wait seating and brisk outdoors all led to an uncomfortable and flustering, better yet, 'hangry-ing', start to our experience. After many years in the service and hospitality industry, I have found that during peak season, restaurants enforcing a 1.5-2hr seating limit has been the least stressful in guaranteeing a seat upon arrival, for both the patrons and the staff. It's extremely common in high volume tourism markets like Orlando, Atlanta, and coastal destinations.
Once we were finally sat, our server was quick to grab our drinks and soon after wrap up our meal orders. She was good and attentive but not to the extent of seeking out her name for remembering.
The raw oyster selection was the highlight of the night! I refuse to eat raw oysters harvested in the Gulf of Mexico; I'm a Virginia up to PEI kind of guy. The options were vast, and they had my 2 favorite regions: Wellfleet and York River, VA. I learned I have a hankering for Katama now as well.
The other folks of the party ordered the Shrimp Chesapeake, the Scallops, and the Grilled Shrimp Skewers--all were incredible tasty and the best side was definitely the special Potatoes (can't remember the exact name!)
We opted out of dessert because by that time, it was past 10p.
During this visit, I learned 2 important lessons: Eat here earlier in the evening and don't come here with a party of 5 or more; we had 5. My partner and I will surely be back for our oyster fix in the mountains but doubt we'll return with a party for a great selection of cuisine.