Yue B.
Yelp
We had high hopes for Gene's and decided to give it a try for a birthday dinner with friends on a Tuesday night.
The restaurant itself was very cozy--cute, fun atmosphere, and it was full when we arrived. We made a mistake with the reservation and ended up with bar seats, but the host was very kind and accommodated our request to switch to a table due to a no-show.
The service was fine. It was attentive, but with the pricing, we expected slightly warmer interactions. Our server asked about our occasion but didn't offer or acknowledge anything after learning it was for a birthday--not even a candle on the dessert we ordered, which was a little disappointing.
Lastly, the food. Again, we came in with high hopes since Gene's was mentioned by several local blogs as a fun new spot. We got the raw fish and croquetta appetizers--they were good, but for the price, you'd get much more at a Japanese restaurant. For entrées, we ordered the pork chop, steak, mushroom, and black cod. Everyone agreed the dishes were a bit underwhelming and needed more flavor. You get much more for your money if you drive another 15-20 minutes downtown to Basi, Veritas, Speck, Lindey's, etc. Our bill ended up around $400, but nothing was particularly memorable.
Overall, it's a little sad to see that Gene's isn't much different from most restaurants in the Dublin area. I guess we'll stick with Kitchen Social at Bridge Park and the Pearl.