Eugene E.
Yelp
Came here for dinner on a Saturday night. Love the area, shame the hurricane did a number on the marina, but things are coming back. Gather looks like it was never touched by the hurricane, which speaks to a clear desire to get back to normalcy. While the ambiance was cool, the experience and the meal left a whole lot to be desired. Their hearts were in the right place, and the menu was intriguing, but execution was lacking. In certain areas, basics were fumbled, hence the three stars.
It was busy that night, and we were seated promptly. There are three dining areas--the bar, where the mixologists' skills are on full display, the adjacent dark loungey vibe area with couches and low tables, and the main eating area which is more brightly lit and full of air conditioners going full blast. There was also a singer there that night who seemed like she wanted to be heard over the (loud) ambient noise, which didn't exactly go over particularly well. I'd say try to sit at the bar, where it's darker, quieter, and you can see the most redeeming part of this place (the drinks) being expertly made.
I saw previous reviews that said some people felt as though they were ignored once seated, and indeed I began to worry after maybe 10 minutes that we'd join the ranks of the forgotten, but our server came by and apologized for the wait. Drinks were ordered. Hostess came by, too, making sure somebody was taking care of us. They must've read reviews, and are making an effort to correct their missteps, which is absolutely commendable.
As mentioned earlier, drinks were fantastic. I wish my Tropic Thunder was a bit boozier, but their Old Fashioned (aka the Rockefeller) was on point. The Mrs. enjoyed her Samurai Sour. I think that were we to come back, we'd sit at the bar, have a couple of drinks, order a simple appetizer or two, and be content.
As for which appetizer or two, well, it wouldn't be the wagyu meatball or the (special) wagyu musubi. Both were disappointing, especially the $30+ musubi. Now, if you've never had musubi, its usually a seared block of spam secured to a block of sushi rice with some seaweed and covered with a sweet/salty soy/teriyaki thing. Salty umami bombs of poor-man's decadence. Unfortunately, the upscale wagyu version was anything but. The meat lacked any beef flavor, was woefully under-seasoned, and had no sear to impart any variation of texture. The black garlic molasses sauce just tasted of pink peppercorn and a hint of vegetable oil. And, my biggest gripe of all, the rice was cold, mealy, and absolutely stale. For the price being charged, completely missing the mark on the very basic tenet of rice cookery was deplorable. Overall, the dish was a great idea on paper, but sophomoric when attempted. Just give me a block of spam next time. And the wagyu meatballs were nothing special, either. Likely made from the ground up trimmings of their other wagyu dish(es), these were very dry and very bland. The red sauce was good, but didn't salvage the meat. Maybe throw in some uncured pork belly or just a fatty slab of chuck roast into the mix? Just a thought.
The mains were better. Serviceable, but not spectacular. My wife enjoyed her grouper and pasta, though I thought her velouté was under-seasoned and over-reduced, almost like a really thinned out...cream cheese. I ordered their paella, which was pretty tasty, but certainly wasn't a paella. Maybe paella-adjacent. Call it a seafood risotto and I wouldn't argue. Shrimp were good. Clams were tiny. Sausage was fine. Description also says salsa verde...? Nah, dawg, no salsa here, verde or otherwise. At least they finally found the salt, because this was seasoned well.
We ended with the Coconut Opera, which was a lovely patisserie-esque offering, though the ganache and buttercream were fairly subdued. The coconut sorbet was freezer-burned or something, but still edible. Felt super fancy eating the gold leaf, too.
Overall, I thought it was a decent meal, but nothing special. This might just be a drinks and apps place for us. No more ordering $35 wagyu musubi specials like a rube, though, that's for sure. Live and learn.