Max M.
Yelp
Jan 2, 2024
Euphemia Haye Restaurant , Longboat Key, FL - Our party of three dined at Euphemia Haye on a weeknight right after the New Year. Glancing at the reviews of this restaurant from the past year, we saw that they ranged all over the lot, from 'superb' to 'mediocre' to 'terrible,' with the average rating coming up as a surprisingly positive 4.5. We considered ourselves warned that the restaurant may be resting on its laurels from a high point decades ago, but decided to take a chance anyway. Our consensus after dining there: on a scale of 1 to 5, the quality of the food was just 2, the service was 4 and the atmosphere was 5. We ordered one appetizer (Caesar salad); three entrees - two meats (peppercorn steak and lamb shank) and eggplant parmesan; three sides - cauliflower mash, mashed potatoes and potato pancakes; no dessert; one beer. The bill came to $186.50 excluding tax and tip. Food details: The Caesar salad was good; the peppercorn steak, while not inspiring, was cooked to the requested doneness; both the steak and the lamb shank were a generous size; the eggplant parmesan side was large enough to serve as a main, but flavor-wise, was just OK; the cauliflower mash side was not only not particularly flavorful, it was also completely cold - we asked our waiter to have it heated up; the garlic mashed potatoes were not in the least bit garlicky-tasting, with only a lone piece of garlic spotted on the side of the dish; the potato pancakes were unsatisfactory in flavor, texture and temperature. In fact, out of the six hot dishes we ordered, five were somewhat warm, not hot. We waited for 30 minutes for our entrees after our one Caesar salad was served. All in all, it was not a satisfying culinary experience. We regretfully concluded that Euphemia Haye is indeed resting on its laurels. We will not be back. (Note: We did not indulge in desserts. For anyone wishing for a charming 'Euphemiya Haye experience' without the culinary disappointment, perhaps coming in just to enjoy sweets in the restaurant's upstairs dessert room is a way to 'have your cake and eat it.')
Food: 2
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 5