Lovely evening seated at the sushi bar! Excellent food and service in a tasteful and intimate environment. Highly recommend.

I wanna say every details is perfect, the food, service. the waiter is professional and explained the menu and dinner special, excellent place for a dinner with friends and family. read more

Visiting Vancouver - stopped at the Blue Water Cafe Sushi Bar & enjoyed some epicurean delights! Great Vibe - The bar patrons were all enjoying the creativity (food art) that was being created live. Our server assisted in our journey. From the pictures you will notice that we enjoyed the food as much as the presentation. Sawagani (Japanese River Crabs) Octopus- Dungenress Crab & Shrimp Salad - and the main event Sablefish! When in Yale town - you have to sit at the bar and enjoy the show. read more

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Our table for 3 ordered: - Seasonal Mixed Greens - Seafood Tasting for 2 - Hamachi Kama - Halibut Tataki - Haida Gwaii Sablefish - Western Pacific Yellowfin Tuna And for drinks, a Dutch Mule. We were STUFFED, for the price you're paying the portions are very fair and quality you can't beat! I've had seafood in the Bay Area, Boston, and even across countries in Asia, but I was SO impressed by Blue Water Cafe. It is a MUST if you're in Vancouver. Everything was honestly a 5/5, the only dish I would pass on is the Yellowtail, I just wasn't a fan of how much it was wavering between raw and cooked fish, along with the char. It's just not for me, but my parents enjoyed it. Nevertheless, some of the highlights was the sablefish, oh my gosh melt in your mouth. Sablefish is Vancouver locally caught, so very fresh and it has a sweet undertone with the soy and sake marinade. This was my favorite along with the Seafood Tasting for Two, which features scallop ceviche, Dungeness crab salad, albacore tuna tartare, and smoked sockeye salmon terrine. You get a diversity of fishes and flavors, which is most certainly worth the price point. It's the gems of the appetizers put into 1 order. Halibut was also noted to be locally caught, the slices were thin and a perfect app. Hamachi Kama is yellowtail collar, which has a rich, succulent meat. It tasted buttery and was also melt in the mouth. The Dutch Mule was a ginger ale with sorbet. Absolutely delicious mocktail, I held back on ordering a second. The service was also amazing!!! Our waitress welcomed us warmly to Vancouver and even gave us a complimentary dessert to welcome us to the area, even giving us tips where to go near the area and what sights to see in Vancouver. read more

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I wouldn't say it was perfect, but all things considered, I can't think of anything specific that could have been improved. The bathrooms even have bidet toilet seats and real hand towels. It's the type of place where your server comes by to fold your napkin into a triangle if you go to the bathroom so service is definitely top notch and Brent was fantastic. We opted not to get appetizers so we'd save room for dessert and Brent promptly refilled our bread and spreads for us so we weren't awkwardly waiting without anything during the 25 minute wait which he gave us a heads up on. Husband ordered the sablefish with two scallops (I had one) and I ordered the shortribs. Expensive at $72 but shortribs as an 18 oz portion had been braising for 21 hours so was it worth it? Yeah - I mean, I would be too scared to mess that up at home and this was date night. It was delicious but I don't know that I'd order it again. I'd probably want to try something else. Brent was great at explaining menu items - looking at it now online, for that price point, it would helpful to have labels for pescatarian, gluten-free, dairy, and vegetarian options. I appreciated that Brent pointed out how boozy the desserts were so I opted for the sorbets and was pleasantly surprised. Kiwi was definitely the best of the trio out of bergamot and apricot. Husband ordered an Americano and the Black Forest cake for dessert. He said the cake had a lot of whipped cream. Seems like everybody gets financiers for a sweet treat at the end. I was sad to see the table next to us just abandoned theirs. I could see this being a great place for a dessert date if it was a first or second date. You can impress but not blow a budget, though red flag if your date orders steak and you specifically made it an 8 pm dessert date. Valet parking was available for $21 which isn't bad considering public parking was $14 for 2 hours. Wonderful option for splurge-worthy date night or corporate dinner. read more

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What a great evening! I was a little worried at the business casual, and they won't let you wear a hat. But our server Eileen put us at ease immediately and was only interested is us having a great time. I had a caviar app, wife had pork toro. All good mains were chicken for her and butter lobster for me. This is the place to dine in this area!! read more

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Blue Water used to be one of my favourite fine dining restaurants in Vancouver. I went there often when they first opened about 20 years ago, the food was still good as two years ago. Unfortunately, my experience a couple of nights ago with my girlfriends was very disappointing. We started with the raw oysters. They were noticeably larger than usual, so I made a casual comment to our server. Our server simply shrugged and responded, "so, are you okay with it?" with no explanation. The response felt insincere, and overall, the oysters were not as good as as I remembered. Later, I tried the complimentary dinner rolls and found them rock hard. I flagged down a gentleman in a suit to let him know. He replaced them, but did not apologize or acknowledge the issue. The fresh rolls were much softer and clearly better. The lack of acknowledgment made the interaction feel dismissive, as I were viewed as a picky customer. Throughout the evening, our server was attentive, but the engagement didn't feel genuine. We may not have been big spenders, but respectful service should be consistent for all guests. There are many excellent restaurants in Vancouver, and dining out is about the overall experience, not just the food. I hope management will provide additional training to ensure servers treat customers with professionalism and care. Unfortunately, based on this visit, I will not return. Also, I noticed on Google reviews that management responses appear to be limited to positive reviews, which may give the impression that negative feedback is not being equally acknowledged. Bummer. read more

Blue Water Cafe - I don't recall being told the name of the oysters or their origin - Seafood Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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We had our New Year Eve dinner at Blue Water cafe. The place was lovely with great service and food. Our waiter did a great job explaining the menu and gave us great recommandations. The seafood options are amazing. Really loved the seafood tower, lots of food to try, a nice option if you are sharing. We also add some sushi and rolls as starters. Probably should have ordered less as it was only two of us but everything was great. As a main we shared the elk stirloin. That was amazing ! Best of everything we tried. Also can say that their cocktails are very good. I really enjoyed the Sakura. We will be back! Happy New Year!! read more

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Absolutely still loving this restaurant especially their amazingly fresh raw oysters!! We got a dozen and next time I'm going for more! I got the seabream fish and it was delicious! Not fatty and fish was firm and deboned for me. The short ribs had a thick glazed sauce that I did not like so I would not recommend the short ribs. Definitely will come back here every time in Vancouver. read more

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Our server was great! No baseball caps so apparently it's a little fancy but not over the top fancy. Everything we ordered was really good. The seafood tower was really fresh! read more

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food was excellent. The best food I've had in years however I've seen a waitress knocked over some wine bottles and it wasn't her fault and she was an amazing waitress, gorgeous too but then I heard a certain boss fired her for no reason for what four bottles that she knocked over but yet it wasn't her fault I've seen it happen. The question is does the boss need to be having a stick up their ass just to fire a lovely employee or something that wasn't her fault? to be quite honest I wouldn't come back here again if that's how they treat their employees I would hate to see how they would treat their customers if they did something like that. read more

Great service from the get-go. Food was excellent. Seafood plateau was everything you would expect and hope for, but the steak was also perfectly done, and pasta seemed to be handmade. Cocktails were also well crafted and well proportioned. Our server was fantastic- very attentive and had a message on our dessert for our anniversary. Ambiance is very classy and there is a dress code. Highly recommend. read more

Blue Water Cafe - Truffle - Seafood Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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They have the plumpiest oysters here. Highly recommend they have to get Effingham and Evening Cove. They were sooo delicious and they're local! Our server was so kind, friendly, patient, and helpful. They have top tier service here. The restaurant is very high quality. My water was never not filled. Their table bread was also so tasty. Their burrata and prosciutto was delicious and I usually don't like burrata but they also had a pesto crunchy piece of bread that paired so well with all of the flavors of the dish. For my main I got the scallops but was eyeing the sablefish. I'm so glad I got the scallops because there was so much flavor in that dish!! And I ended my meal with sorbets (strawberry, banana and coconut) mixing all three together was sooo good. It was the perfect apartment and didn't feel too heavy. I really enjoyed dinner here. I highly recommend trying this place out! You won't regret it! read more

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We went to the restaurant nearing their kitchen closing time and the hostess was not very pleased especially because we had a decent party size BUT they accommodated us exceptionally and we are so grateful for it! Our waitress was phenomenal and so on top of it all! She helped us narrow down the menu and pointed us in the direction of things that were well known at their establishment. This was super helpful for us! The restaurant was such a cool vibe with a bunch of different stations on the outskirts of the room, one being the sushi making station which transported me back to my omakase experience in Japan last month. The food was phenomenal and it was gone quickly. We loved it all and would highly recommend for anyone who is in need of a great sushi restaurant! read more

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Exemplary offer business lunch. We hopped in a cab and were given a round table near the entrance for seven people. The service was impeccable and our waiter made sure to top up our glasses with wine or water. I started off with a delicious carrot soup. Most of our table ordered the scallops so many delicious scallops all on one plate great decision. We finished off with the very rich for a Valrhona chocolate cake. Can't do much better in Vancouver. read more

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Hands down the best meal we had in Vancouver! The experience was above and beyond from the start to finish. It is remarkable how incredible the food was and the RANGE of dishes! From sushi to truffle pasta- 10/10. Our server, Kristoff, was a delight and his wine recommendations were superb. We will be back! read more

Blue Water Cafe - Seafood Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Yes the restaurant is expensive but it offers some of the freshest seafood I've ever had! Most of the items on the menu you can skip but the seafood tower is an absolute MUST! read more

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This will be a hard review to write only because there will be some that will think I am a plant ( My wife and I are from another country.) as the superlatives to describe our meal will be nothing-less than excellent. (Note, When visiting Vancouver City and all the great dining venues here, we always make certain to have at least one meal is here.) From making reservations ( which we asked to change, and were accommodated) to arriving early and enjoying a fantastic beverage, to the fantastic meal ( our photos do not show the several orders of perfect Sushi (Nigiri and Rolls) ) to our amazing dinners, to the perfect way to end the evening with a delightful dessert. The restaurant setting is an example of how a fine dining restaurant should be. ALL of the staff comport themselves with professionalism and pride, for which we are grateful. The flavor of our mains were exquisite and we had such a wonderful meal we cancelled tomorrow nights dinner ( at a 5 star restaurant that we dined at last night ) and will return to the Bluewater Cafe as we spend our last night in Vancouver. If you have not dined here , please give it a try! Cheers to all! And thank you to Bluewater Cafe! read more

Blue Water Cafe - This is the Sablefish selection. - Seafood Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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It is great dining experience, the sushi/sashimi Oyster are so great , the place more comfortable read more

Dining at Blue Water Cafe was truly one of the best culinary experiences I've had in a very long time -- and honestly, one of the best meals of my life. We started with the oysters, edamame, and the Garden Roll, which was absolutely outstanding. The wasabi served with it was, without exaggeration, the best I have ever tasted -- incredibly fresh, vibrant, and perfectly balanced. The Branzino was exceptional -- easily one of the best, if not the best, I've ever had. Perfectly prepared, delicate, flavorful, and beautifully complemented by the mushrooms and fries, which were equally exquisite. I also had one of the finest gins I've ever tasted, produced on Bowen Island by Copper Spirit Distillery -- an unforgettable recommendation that elevated the entire evening. And the service deserves special recognition. Our server was incredibly knowledgeable, attentive, warm, and genuinely passionate about the menu and pairings. The level of hospitality made the evening feel even more special and memorable. Without question, Blue Water Cafe is a restaurant I will return to every single time I visit Vancouver. A truly world-class dining experience. read more

I love everything about this place and experience. Maybe except when I have to pay. Steep! $5xx for 5 diners (2 adults 3 teen girls). We ordered: Salmon nigiri Hamachi nigiri Salmon roll Spicy Tuna roll Heirloom tomato salad Calamari Waygu Our server was a true example of what a server should be: friendly, attentive without being over the top; knowledgeable, and his timing was just perfect. It was an enjoyable and worthy experience. Beautiful and elegant space without being gawdy or pretentious. read more

We had a beautiful dinner tonight, Anton provided stellar service. Our bottle of Champagne was wonderful with a lovely oyster assortment. Even the bread with its lemon and carrot butter spread was fabulous! Enjoyed the Sablefish, a little salty but nice. The filet was tender & perfectly booked along with the potatoes pave, wonderful! First time in Vancouver, and at Blue Water Cafe, we hope to return soon. Highly recommend. read more

seafood is so so fresh it's definitely worth the price tag, was worried about the portion of the seafood tower for the table as my party are seafood fanatics. We ended up being super full! Server was also super attentive and explained all the items patiently read more

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I had a list of restaurants I wanted to try when we were in Vancouver and I let my eldest son pick. Blue Water Cafe was the place he chose for dinner after coming back from Whistler. The ambiance here was great. Our waiter was very helpful and delightful to talk to. My wife and I started off with our drinks and both enjoyed it very much especially after a day at the snow. The alive and well was smokey which I like. It reminds me of a mezcal margarita. The Miyazaki mule was refreshing. It had a good balance of ginger and sake taste. We ordered squid as appetizer and it was delicious. It comes with a dipping sauce and the chopped bacon gave it a nice twist. We also ordered the seafood plateau to share. My youngest son tried raw oyster for the first time and he liked it. The scallop ceviche was ok, nothing to really rave about. My kids ate all the other shellfish while waiting for the entree. The jellyfish was really good. If you like jellyfish dish at a Chinese restaurant, you will enjoy this dish. My eldest son enjoyed his Japanese wagyu nigri and was asking for more. We ordered 3 blue fin nigiri but both my kids ate them so I didn't try. They said it was really good. They tried their first blue fin nigiri earlier in the day at Whistler and are hooked on blue fin now. For our entree, my wife ordered the scallops. The scallop was cooked to perfection where it had the perfect texture and taste. It was very tender. I ordered my son the 2oz Japanese wagyu ribeye while I had the American wagyu flat iron steak. Since the ribeye were small, I ordered them a side of mashed potatoes and french fries. I gave each of my son a piece of my flat iron steak to compare the difference. They can tell right away the texture and flavor was different. The Japanese wagyu was much more tender and melts when they chewed. The American wagyu was more chewy and texture was not as buttery. They like both but prefer the Japanese wagyu. The meat comes with a dipping sauce. I also asked for sea salt on the side to put on the steak. My kids tried with and without the salt and preferred eating it plain. They like the way the meat was prepared and enjoyed it as is. After dinner, they gave us complimentary bread cookie. It was a good dessert to end our meal. I would highly recommend this place. The price can be very steep but if you are able to splurge a little, definitely give this place a chance. You will get your money's worth. The staff are awesome and the food is really good. They made us feel very welcome and were very attentive. I was glad we were able to fit Blue Water Cafe in our short schedule while visiting Vancouver. read more

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My friends and I just celebrated another birthday at Blue Water Cafe, our favourite dining establishment in Vancouver. As always, the cuisine was extraordinary, and the personalized service, even better. We also had the good fortune to have Jennifer taking care of us, who is just an amazing server and ambassador for Blue Water. She is the consummate professional, who is always eager to recommended a variety of excellent drinks and dishes that the restaurant is famous for. This expertise, coupled with her warmth and friendliness, always makes a person feel that they're eating at friend's house, more than just another restaurant. Anyway, I heartily recommend Blue Water Cafe for anyone looking for a first-class dining experience. Just ask for Jennifer!! read more

Blue Water Cafe - Birthday celebration at our favourite restaurant! - Seafood Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

The food was delicious! Service was amazing. We sat near the expo kitchen. Cool to watch them put the food together. We had desserts and an after dinner lemon drink! So good. read more

Blue Water Cafe - Dessert - Seafood Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Great food, cocktails and presentation in a fun setting. The staff is amazing and made dinner really enjoyable. We had a variety of dishes and all of them were exceptional. The cocktails were also creative, well made and delicious. read more

Food was really good. I was with a large group of around 50 people. The steak was cooked to perfection. I ended up getting two desserts and both were amazing. Staff was very friendly, joked around with us. Food took a bit but expected with a party of that size. read more

Used to be our favourite place, but not any more. We waited for 1.5+ hrs for our main. The kitchen definitively has issues. Tables around us are all waiting for the food. Does this restaurant have new management?? read more

Sat at the sushi bar expecting precision and timing. What we got instead was a front-row seat to disorganization and poor judgment. We watched our hamachi and wagyu sit on the pass for at least 20 minutes, untouched, while staff moved around it. The disconnect between the waiter and the sushi chef was obvious. When the delay was questioned, the waiter made a snide remark suggesting we could "yell at the chefs ourselves." That comment alone reflects a breakdown not just in service, but in professionalism. This was not a busy service, which makes the delay inexcusable--especially given that hamachi should be served immediately after slicing. When the food finally arrived more than 30 minutes later, it was flat, tired, and underwhelming, clearly compromised by sitting too long. Management attempted to smooth things over by sending a complimentary dessert and comping the edamame, but that felt like a poor substitute when you're paying premium prices for very small portions. It did nothing to address the core issues of execution and service. Escalating the issue to the manager, Adrien Boutet, only compounded the problem. He was dismissive and condescending, offering no accountability or meaningful response. Unfortunately, this mirrors multiple recent reviews from just days ago, suggesting this is a pattern rather than an isolated incident. Blue Water Cafe appears to be coasting on its reputation. On this visit, the service, timing, portion value, and management all fell well below what should be expected at this price point. read more

My wife and I had an excellent dinner. The sushi was delicious, and it melted in your mouth. Aaron was great; he walked us through the entire menu and provided recommendations. First-class service, I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

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We ventured into Yaletown on day two of our visit to Vancouver. Wow, what a happening place! There are so many restaurants here ... Such a lively vibe! I ordered a bottle of 2019 Checkmate Queens Taken Chardonnay ($343) from their Dekleva Vineyard. Generous fruit, including peach, pear and nectarine ... it offered a balance of acidity and a rich, mineral finish. The menu is extensive ... We ended up ordering ten dishes, mainly raw ones. We started with six oysters ($28), two each from Effingham, Shigoku and Barstool. Our server (Melissa) recommended Effingham, but we found the other two to be superior. My favorite was the Barstool. Next up, Halibut Tataki ($22.50, fourteen slices of halibut, dressed with yuzu kosho / tonburi / ponzu sauce. I'd never had raw halibut ... It was delicate, similar to sea bream (to me). Next was unagi and Hamachi nigiri ... the unagi was fine but the Hamachi lacked the coloration and taste I'm accustomed to. Our main dishes were beef sashimi and halibut. There were fourteen slices of beef tenderloin ($23) dressed with a yu'kke sauce (soy, ginger, garlic, red pepper and sesame), garlic chips and chopped scallions. This was very good, tender and flavorful. The Johnstone Strait Halibut ($52.50) was served with braised kohirabi, baby carrots, sea asparagus, whipped bintje potatoes, chanterelle mushrooms, with a smoked oyster beurre blanc. Halibut is delicate and this dish was a visual treat. We ordered sauteed baby spinach ($10) as a side. The finale was a Black Forest Cake Bar ($16), white and dark chocolate mousse layered with griotine cherries and topped with wafers of chocolate, accompanied by a quenelle of Morello cherry gelato. This was a visual sensation! We enjoyed our time at Blue Water Café though we felt the cost to be a little high for the food and wine served. The nigiri sushi didn't meet our expectations; every other dish was fine. read more

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Delicious food, fresh ingredients, wonderful artistic display. A fun knowledgeable and engaging server. Great ambience. Probably my best experience in years. read more

We love this place! We've been there 3 times in the last month and we have another reservation there next week. The service is great (although we had one pushy server who tried to upsell us on everything including water) but Michael and Chris were both excellent! We've tried many items on the menu and everything has been consistently good. We've had sushi, fish and chicken. All were excellent. I highly recommend this restaurant. We like the vibe inside but it also has a lovely patio as well. read more

First time in Canada!! Did not disappoint. The food was amazing. We got some caviar, sushi and shellfish tower. It was delicious. We made a reservation and sat in a wine dinning area, very pretty and cute ambiance. The service was amazing, the staff was really nice. read more

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This is a super nice restaurant! If you're looking for a elegant place for a fancier dinner, I would definitely recommend coming here. Service is spectacular and the food was also delicious. We got the saba aburi nigiri and the miso marinated cod. Both were fantastic -- the sushi was so perfectly torched and melted in your mouth, and the cod was also so tender and well seasoned. Savory, sweet, and umami. The drinks we got were also nice, and they gave us two tiny jelly for dessert! It was a fun and delicious experience here -- if you're in Vancouver looking for a nice dinner spot, definitely check this spot out! read more

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"Everything was just perfect. From the ambiance to the sushi, the drinks and the very friendly and professional waiter!!! We would come back next time we are in Vancouver! just loved the place read more

Our sushi rolls with bbqed eel were delicious starters. The cod dinner I had was delicious! And my husband had the scallop dinner plate. He said he's never tasted anything so delicious as this. It's worth it to treat yourself with the exceptional service your given from greeting you at the door till your fantastic server like Brent says...have a great night and thank you for visiting us:) Even the other servers were all attentive to each others tables. They have the whole package at blue water. Treat yourself! read more

Was in Vancouver for a work trip and had the pressure of finding a place that could accommodate several people with dietary restrictions. The one thing we all could agree to was that we wanted seafood - which is a much when in Vancouver. I found Blue Water Cafe via a google search and it was AMAZING! They can accommodate large parties and the service was superb. We tried a variety of dishes and EVERYTHING was good. I highly recommend the lobster it was prepared perfectly. read more

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Had some good experiences in the past with Blue Water and have always considered it one of the better seafood restaurants in Vancouver. I'm not sure I will revisit after my most recent visit. I brought my dad here for his 70th birthday - a big milestone. We checked in with the hostess and immediately there was a mixup - the people leading us to the table missed us and I was confused and disoriented for a couple of minutes until I finally figured out where we were going. Once we sat down, our waiter wished my father happy birthday and walked us through the whole menu, which was nice. I did mention my dietary restriction on my reservation, but he didn't seem aware, so I asked him about my options. The rest of the night kind of fell apart. Our waiter was attentive at first but got busy as the night went on. It was difficult to get his attention when we needed him. Our son's fish and chips off the kids' menu ended up completely soggy and inedible, worse than any other fish and chips shop on the street. It took me 10 mins of actively looking around before someone else acknowledged me to get it replaced. I will note that my waiter did ask me if the food was ok before, but I was pre-occupied with taking care of my young child at the time and told him all was well. We got the seafood tower. Kind of mediocre tbh - the scallops and oysters were a bit fishy which I did not expect. After we were done with that, our entrees took 30-45 min to get to us, and the waiter was nowhere to be seen for us to ask about them while we were waiting. I had banked on a seamless service so we can get our 4 year old home for his bedtime. We arrived at 5:45pm and we weren't served our entrees until 7:45pm. When it did arrive, the food was perfectly unremarkable. My halibut which was the feature of the day was overcooked and dry. Husband said the soy notes on his sablefish was a bit overpowering. To top this all off, the waiter failed to clear our table at the end and serve us the petit fours he had communicated to us and was on the receipt. We sat around waiting for 5 minutes after we paid the bill (because we wanted to get home asap) and figured he wasn't going to come back, so we left. I am pretty upset that the service was fumbled for such a big milestone, and feel some regret that I brought my father here for it. He and my child would've been a lot more comfortable elsewhere and we would've been home an hour earlier. read more