captains quarters riverside grille

i love coming here to dine or just havedrinksand watch the boats pulling in and out of the marina!

not what it used to be.. used to be the top of the top in louisville, but doesn't quite "rate" these days, at least it doesn't for me any longer.

the location? amazing. lovely. if going fordrinksout on the patio overlooking the river, don't read further - perfect place for it!
wait staff - pleasant and relatively quick.
drinks? as i said, go there for them - excellent - their bourbon/amaretto martini was very tasty.

the food? run-of-the-mill, at best. it was "okay."
adding insult to blandness, apparently if one orders a dish that comes with a side (in my case, it was french fries, listed in "side dishes" on the back of the menu for $3), but really prefers some other side dish - say, onion rings (likewise, listed in the menu as being $3), the official reply is, "i'm sorry, we can't do that." i asked about the reason for this (don't decide i'm "that" customer! i have worked in food and retail customer service, and i assure you i was polite! it's a tough job, no matter how you slice it, and people doing it deserve the utmost respect), the server has apparently not been supplied with a reasonable explanation by the powers-that-be - no tactful indication that the kitchen has some kind of silly rule, whatever...not even upselling by mentioning that the alternate side dish can be ordered as an extra item if one really has one's heart set on something different. i was tired, and not up for making decisions, so i let it go at that and thanked the server.

i expected a little...well, actually a lot more from a place of this size, location, reputation, and history (they used to have honest-to-god lobster, once upon a time), especially considering that louisville is now positively teeming with competitors that are very, very good alternatives for dining. if not stellar in quality of the food (it happens - off nights, slow nights with less experienced chefs/cooks, whatever), then i at least expected willingness to accommodate the customer on such a minor request - i can get a substitute side dish at any trashy sit-down chain restaurant in the country, but not captain's quarters.
it's too bad - i was really looking forward to a really good and enjoyable meal, and likely would have resumed going there regularly if it had been better.

mom's surpirse bday party at cq. we had about 65 people fordrinksand appetizers at captain's quarters and it was perfect. the masterson's handled everything flawlessly, including helping us find a jazz trio to play in the bar area near the very cool fireplace!

we did a rehearsal dinner several years ago on the cq princess, so we knew we could trust them to take great care of us on land or water!

andrew masterson handled all of the details pesonally, and even with a much larger event they were running at the same time (cyclocross event) andrew made time to stop in and check in on us, which showed how important each party is to them. their reputation has always been solid, and this type of ownership involvement is why!

the food was perfect, the green chili wontons were the highlight, and out guests were raving about the set up. the buffet was beautiful and delicious. plenty of room, and such a nice backdrop for an informal evening of celebration. mike the bartender was terrific, and there were servers all over us, plenty of help and we wanted for nothing!

the pricing was really good with the hosted bar package, well worth it, and we didn't even come close to running out of food, they made sure we were all stuffed, happy, and could concentrate on the celebration rather than how the function was running. they really know thier stuff. we got a lot of compliements on how "you guys know how to throw a party!"

thanks cq riverside for a great event, we will definately do this again!

drinks only. i find this is a great place to havedrinks& sit on the patio & watch the boats on the river but the food...not so much.