08/26/08

Okay to Dine out

by hansen741

I have to admit that this restaurant has its unique design but the service I received on Sunday was not up to par. The whole staff seems a little unorganized. The server tried her best, I believe, but it was not pleasant when I left the restaurant. Overall, it was okay to dine out.

11/15/07

Nice Atmosphere

by katstein

This place has great coffee and an excellent wine list. It's a great place to go for lunch with your girlfriends. I also like the patio in the evening. Very cool.

• Pros: Fabulous
• Cons: Parking is a nightmare at the Waterfront, and valet is always full

11/05/07

All Looks, Stick to the Bar

by retullio

Atmosphere: The place is gorgeous - all soaring ceilings and mood lighting. We sat on the patio. The smell was tolerable -- similar to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Unfortunately ordering was a production -- the patio has inadequate lighting to read the menus. The servers should carry flashlights. We were seated next to a speaker, it wasn't too loud, but it was spewing bad House music.

Food: We ordered 2 apps, bacon wrapped dates and the hummus with pita. The hummus was not bad, just not worth $7. The dates were okay -- the bacon should have been crispier.

My entree, salmon, was a disaster. The sharp greens and horseradish sauce were a nice combo, but the dish was very oily. Salmon was also a poor choice for the flavor profile -- seabass or tilapia would have been better.

The others had the tagliatelle with meatballs, the pasta was a little overdone, and the meat a little pink. It was just okay as well.

For dessert we had strawberry shortcake and the lemon meringue, from the market menu, and the peanut butter cup. It was pretty to look at, but it tasted as if it had been previously frozen, and the chocolate lacked flavor. The espressos we ordered were nearly unpalatable, like they had done all 4 shots from the same grounds.

Service: Server was friendly but not efficient. Coffee was served without sugar and spoons, no replacement knife after the apps, too many check-ins, corrected (wrongly) a pronunciation of a menu item. Timing of courses was fine, though I'm growing less forgiving of pauses between entrees. Especially considering 3 people were eating the same meal. That leads me to think it is a management issue.

I'm a huge foodie, and have dined at many of the top 50 restaurants in the U.S. I've also had good experiences with other Fox Restaurants -- while the food isn't "top 50", the overall experience works for an evening out with friends. I don't think we'll be returning to Ivy any time soon.

• Pros: Location, Ambiance
• Cons: Food