Jim M.
Yelp
I love this place! Too bad our last visit was so terrible. I previously reviewed and what a night/day difference. Before going I checked their website for any info on restrictions, etc. and it's the same as it has been for years.
Wife and I went for brunch on Sunday, at noon. I love breakfast, she prefers lunch so we went later and sat at the bar. One other person and the bar tender. We ordered drinks, I got the carafe and bottle of champagne for mimosas, wife wanted the bloody mary bar but of course covid has removed that (website update required), but got the bartender special. First issue, the BM was rimmed with salt not the old Bay as described on the menu, lemon ring and 2 olives. Strike #1.
The menu was shorter than usual [expected] but there were absolutely no lunch items! We asked if there was a regular menu and were told not yet (dinner?), so Strike #2. More on my thoughts later. So the wife decided not to eat, and ordered a second BM with Old Bay this time. bartender said they didn't have Old Bay but had a sweet chili powder that she could use, so she opted for that. *look at the drink menu and note all the references to Old Bay. If you're out, swing by Wal-Mart and grab a few cans so you can make the drinks as described.
I ordered the crab con queso benedict and it seemed most appealing to me. Arrived after a longer time than expected since the place wasn't jamming and how long does it take to toast a muffin and cook over easy eggs? When it arrived there was a small pile of potatoes and a massive amount of queso [yum] covering the ham (no pic, sorry). I wanted to check for the egg cook and lifted the ham to find an untoasted english muffin. Not a lightly toasted muffin, but untoasted. The manager must have seen me inspecting so he asked if everything was alright. I showed him the muffin and he seemed perturbed and agreed that it wasn't the quality he expected. Took it away and offered me something else, so I opted for the breakfast fajitas. Strike #3.
The fajitas arrived, bigger pile of potatoes that were warm and tasty. The tortillas were warm as were the eggs. The onions and peppers were't cooked enough, barely/aldente [everyone has different preferences on veggie cook- I like them soft and caramelized) and the sausage was flavorful. There was a cold plate of sour cream, shredded cheese, lettuce(?) and salsa. Of note, the salsa was frozen, not cold but literally icey. Strike #4. We got a checkin from the manager again and when he asked how it was I asked if he wanted some truth/feedback, and he said yes. So I pointed out the cook on the veggies and the frozen salsa. The salsa was a problem it appeared.
We finished eating and drinking and got the tab. 4% was automatically added to the tab. We said we would pay in cash so the bartender adjusted the bill. Be careful and check or bring cash so you don't support their choice of credit card providers.
So, given the menu listed, how hard would it have been to have a few non-breakfast items available. a cheese burger should be a staple for any restaurant; there were fajitas, why not grill some chicken and swap out the eggs/sausage (fish tacos were on the dinner special sign - maybe some fish tacos too), the breakfast burrito and BLT could of had variations for lunch options and even a limited kitchen should be able to pull that off. I mean it is advertised as brunch not breakfast. I get all the challenges of staffing now, it is everywhere, but this just seemed like a lack of motivation/caring/creativity.
Lunasea was a pretty solid place that we frequented, sadly the sun has set for us on their particular harbor.