Joy G.
Yelp
Oof. Sadly, Yelp led me astray on this one. We came here for a Christmas dinner and nearly everything we ordered was overpriced and mediocre. In total, the bill came out to almost $160 for two people, not worth it at all.
The only good part was the dozen oysters. Expertly shucked, not a bit of shell, firm and nicely sized. I was expecting puny ones given the off season but these were a pleasant surprise. The downside was that they came all the way at the end of the meal, to the point where I forgot we ordered them and the waitress even asked if we still wanted them. The cocktail sauce was an interesting texture - not the blended kind typically seen at seafood places, but pulpy, almost like salsa. If I ever came back, I'd stick to just the oysters (they do a $1 special on weekdays from 2-5).
The issue was with everything else. They were running a limited holiday menu (specifically not doing their regular menu) and, even though we came at the early-bird hour of 5, had already run out of one of the five appetizers (the scallop ceviche). O-kay. It turns out they were still doing the clam chowder and the cheeseburger, which was not on the limited menu, so you had to spot one of these dishes floating about in the room and then ask your waiter if they still had them.
The chowder itself, despite being a Fin Point original, was just all right, too heavy on the corn starch. I liked the generous amount of clams, though the parmesan crisp on the side didn't add much. Would have preferred the regular oyster crackers. And not to split hairs but a cup of chowder was $12 versus a $14 bowl. The cup was offensively small for the price.
Caesar salad was serviceable. Hard to mess it up, except the croutons tasted right out of the bag.
Haddock ($42) was way overcooked, dry and stringy in the middle. The spatzle on the side would not have been out of place as a conference offering.
I had ordered the cocktail shrimp but sent it back as soon as I saw how minuscule they were for $5 each. The prospect of paying $10 for two little shrimps was too much. (I am not That Person. This is the first time I've sent anything back in years.)
Service was spotty, maybe given the holiday crowd. After asking if my husband wanted a drink, the waitress immediately turned and started walking away, before asking if I wanted anything (I did but should have taken that as a sign to keep my trap shut).
Another nit: the street entrance to the restaurant was closed, with a sign to go through the lobby entrance. The hostess stand was all the way inside, right by the street entrance, so you had to trek awkwardly through the restaurant to get to the hostess.
All in all, this was not what I had in mind for a holiday meal.
