Classic, established, fine dining. Fresh seafood.
Had a reservation for two, we were told our table was not yet ready. No big deal. We were immediately offered some champagne and then escorted to our table a minute later. The whole place looks like you're dining in a boat. Classic nautical decor, polished wooden and gold accents.
We were probably seated for a good ten minutes at least and had not yet received menus or a hello from a waiter. After easily flagging staff down we received menus. It was so hard to decide, everything looked delicious. Mostly seafood offerings of course. But after at least 15 minutes of reading, talking, looking around, we had to flag down another waiter to let them know we were ready to order. Yes it was a busy Saturday night but this place is no newcomer..
We opted for half a dozen Spanish oysters, half portion of tomato seafood soup with fried bread, half portion of clams fisherman style, seafood paella with lobster, and a steak. Yes, entirely too much food...
** If you are indecisive/want to eat everything, be sure to ask your server about half portions!**
We had to ask for the wine list as it was not offered. I'm starting to realize that this might be an American thing to pour over the list rather than just tell the server red or white.
The oysters were great! Large, juicy, fresh, tasted straight from the sea. Served with lemon wedges.
The tomato seafood soup with fried bread was okay... I was hoping it was just a translation issue and that the fried bread was maybe just homemade toasted croutons, but no it really was oily fried bread that was just way too oily and crunchy. It did not compliment the soup. The tomato base could have had some more flavor and spice.. it tasted more like it should have been served as a sauce on a protein, not as a soup. There was plenty of fish in it though. And the shrimps that were in it were sweet and fresh.
Onto the fisherman clams... holy moly be sure to soak up all that amazing sauce/broth with your table bread. Make sure you get this! A little salty, a little garlicky, maybe some white wine? To be honest the flavors were so deeply entwined I couldn't dissect what it was really made of. Also I was too preoccupied with stuffing my face. Make sure you get this. We got the half portion which would probably feed 2-3 people as a starter.
Now the seafood paella was very tasty but a bit salty for my liking.. also I regret getting the lobster version. The lobster was a tad overdone and it was a very small bit of lobster.
Boyfriends' steak was huge! And really good, perfect medium rare. Served with steak fries and blistered shishito peppers.
I don't know why we didn't also think to get half portions on our entrees, both could have easily fed 2-3 people each.
We passed on dessert but we're given a little complimentary dessert plate of some nutty brittle cookies, a sort of pound cake, and some chocolate truffles. The chocolates were divine, the others weren't good.
Yes this place is expensive. You are paying for fresh, top quality seafood in well known establishment. The service is fine, though not spectacular. I was a bit irked that we had to constantly flag down waitstaff but at the same time whenever we did they quickly came. Overall, I enjoyed my meal and the atmosphere. The staff was pleasant just not overly helpful. I think that if you compare the service to American service, you might be a bit disappointed but it is still decent. If you compare it to typical European service, it's probably typical to good. Because it is such a well known place, I really was expecting more from the service.
When comparing US prices, I'd say the food offerings are reasonable to pricey. Looking at the wine, bottles are cheaper than what would be offered in a similar place in the US. Also we were charged for olives and pickles that we didn't ask for, just thought they were included. I know, I know, I should know better by now.. However our bread was free!
This is a nice place to go on a date or for a celebration. The celebrity photo wall was entertaining as always. read more