A diner from Baltimroe, MD
Dec 22, 2009
A BAD experience. Would NOT recommend.
A guest and I dined at Gibraltar on Saturday December 12, 2009 and regret to say the experience was very unpleasant. Having worked in restaurants myself, I understand mistakes happen but this dinner was very bad.
Having arrived promptly for our 7:15 reservation, we were seated fairly promptly. Our waiter, however, did not appear for almost ten minutes. We then ordered wine and, for appetizers, the mozzarella and bacon along with the soup de jour which was a mushroom bisque. The mozzarella was very tasty as was the soup which was served piping hot.
For entrees, I ordered the grilled chicken and the shellfish plateau for my guest. Noticing the plateau was listed under “raw bar” on the menu, I made sure to the waiter understood the dish was to be my guest’s entrée and to bring the chicken and plateau out together. He acknowledged he understood.
For over forty minutes my guest and I waited as we watched others who had ordered after us receive their entrees. After that, I noticed one of the kitchen staff walk through the dining room carrying a plate of shellfish only to disappear back into the kitchen. It was only later that I realized it was likely our order, had probably been prepared with the appetizers and was sitting so long one of the kitchen staff felt compelled to serve it himself before it became unpalatable. The waiter finally appeared with our entrees. It was now more than an hour since we placed our order. The chicken was bland and tasteless but worse the shellfish was almost inedible. The clams and oysters had a pungent smell and taste to the point where my guest tried one of each and was immediately concerned about the freshness. The crab was so completely soaked with water that it could be wrung out. The tartar sauce actually had a crust on its surface. Although I was inclined to send the entire mess back, it made little sense after having waited over an hour to be served and being exposed to bad service and a poor meal. Further, it would have been difficult since the waiter failed to come back to the table to check on us. Instead, I paid the bill amounting to almost $115. We could not even leave without aggravation, the coat check having lost our coats, we had to stand as she brought coat after coat to us before she found the correct ones.
I will NOT recommend Gibraltar to any family or friends.
A guest and I dined at Gibraltar on Saturday December 12, 2009 and regret to say the experience was very unpleasant. Having worked in restaurants myself, I understand mistakes happen but this dinner was very bad.
Having arrived promptly for our 7:15 reservation, we were seated fairly promptly. Our waiter, however, did not appear for almost ten minutes. We then ordered wine and, for appetizers, the mozzarella and bacon along with the soup de jour which was a mushroom bisque. The mozzarella was very tasty as was the soup which was served piping hot.
For entrees, I ordered the grilled chicken and the shellfish plateau for my guest. Noticing the plateau was listed under “raw bar” on the menu, I made sure to the waiter understood the dish was to be my guest’s entrée and to bring the chicken and plateau out together. He acknowledged he understood.
For over forty minutes my guest and I waited as we watched others who had ordered after us receive their entrees. After that, I noticed one of the kitchen staff walk through the dining room carrying a plate of shellfish only to disappear back into the kitchen. It was only later that I realized it was likely our order, had probably been prepared with the appetizers and was sitting so long one of the kitchen staff felt compelled to serve it himself before it became unpalatable. The waiter finally appeared with our entrees. It was now more than an hour since we placed our order. The chicken was bland and tasteless but worse the shellfish was almost inedible. The clams and oysters had a pungent smell and taste to the point where my guest tried one of each and was immediately concerned about the freshness. The crab was so completely soaked with water that it could be wrung out. The tartar sauce actually had a crust on its surface. Although I was inclined to send the entire mess back, it made little sense after having waited over an hour to be served and being exposed to bad service and a poor meal. Further, it would have been difficult since the waiter failed to come back to the table to check on us. Instead, I paid the bill amounting to almost $115. We could not even leave without aggravation, the coat check having lost our coats, we had to stand as she brought coat after coat to us before she found the correct ones.
I will NOT recommend Gibraltar to any family or friends.
