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The Waterfront Restaurant Review
It wasn’t so much the warnings of high menu prices that I was thinking about as Lauren and I got ready to head to the Waterfront restaurant at Hotel Baker. The last time we had eaten there, Shawn Brady was the head chef, and I was worried that perhaps I would be making comparisons between then and now. Putting that concern as far aside as possible, we strolled into the Waterfront at about 7:00 pm on a late summer Wednesday evening. The restaurant was not busy. It was warm and only a mild breeze was blowing, so we decided to eat outside. Oil torches were lit and the river eased quietly by. We were seated at a deuce right next to the river, and even the sound of numerous passing emergency vehicles was covered, throughout our dinner, by the sound of the water falling noisily over the dam. We relaxed with a pair of Grey Goose martinis and contemplated the serenity of the evening, at ease with the pressures of the day left far behind us.
We were presented with a menu and a wine list that was as extensive as any I had seen. The menu listed appetizers ranging from an Iceberg Wedge ($5.00 – with tomato-citrus relish, crumbled bacon and Roquefort dressing) to a Shrimp Cocktail ($12.00 – with Creole cocktail sauce and lemon crown). There was also Calamari ($8.75), Baked Herbed Goat Cheese ($7.75) and Oysters Rockefeller ($8.00). Main courses listed items ranging in price from $14 for Homemade Pasta to $32 for Bone-in Ribeye, with stop-overs in between at Amish Chicken ($17), Jumbo Prawns ($22) and Double Cut French Lamb Chops ($29). All items were a la carte, with a number of “side” dishes listed for $3.50 each. We skipped the appetizers and Lauren opted for the Wild King Salmon ($18 – over braised crimson lentils with pancetta, garlic and a shallot vinaigrette), and I selected the Petite Ribeye ($18 – grilled 9-0z. petite Ribeye with demi-glaze and lemon-pepper pommes frites). Everything sounded simply mouth-watering. The service was prompt and professional and the meals were quite good, the ambience of the outdoor evening almost outdoing everything else. I do have to say that the meals, although fairly imaginative sounding on the menu, were a tad bit disappointing on the plate; there was almost a complete lack of presentation. My Iceberg Wedge (with tomato-citrus relish, crumbled bacon and Roquefort dressing) was simply cut-up iceberg pieces and the dressing was watery, the Roquefort weak. Lauren’s Waterfront Salad (field greens, cucumber, hearts of palm, pepperoncini & carrots, tossed with balsamic vinaigrette) was overly drenched in the dressing. Neither was plated in any particular way so as to add appeal. The salmon was very flavorful but was quite undercooked (hard to see in the darkness) and easily overpowered the mild shallot vinaigrette sauce. My steak had very good flavor, but was tossed limply atop half of the pile of pommes frites, its other end just dipping into a small pool of dark demi-glaze. Nothing else adorned the plain white stoneware dinner plates – not even a sprig of parsley.
All the accoutrements seem to be in place at the Waterfront, they just don’t match the prices. Our bill for two cocktails, one glass of wine, two salads and two entrees – without gratuity – came to just less than $90. Let me make clear that neither Lauren nor I were displeased with anything that evening in terms of our meals or the service. But when my check reaches triple digits for dinner for two… well, I expect to see some imagination in the plate presentation… at the very least. If the Waterfront were to drop their prices a bit, I think that they would have a real winner. The other option would be to have someone spend some quality time with kitchen and wait-staff alike in order to have them produce a top-notch, well presented dinner and plate. Our only real complaint that evening was the hail of carbon ashes that flew from the oil burning lamps – our clothes were spotted with black at the end of the evening. Other than that, we had a great time. At this point, I can easily recommend the Waterfront – if you don’t mind the sticker shock - but can only award it Three Zins.
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