char's restaurant at tracy mansion

overall, a very pleasant dining experience. my wife and i sat outside for dinner on a beautiful warm summer evening and enjoyed the sunset while listening to the live oldies band. however, the music was just a little too loud to allow easy conversation. food was delicious, service very good, and the ambience pretty darn good for harrisburg, pa (and i've lived here my entire life).

service good, food not so much.. party of two on a saturday evening. service was excellent. unfortunately, the rest of the experience was not. restaurant was warm enough for the servers, but the patrons sitting anywhere near the windows facing the river were freezing. it was very cold, somewhat drafty at our seats. bench seating against the wall and crowded tables that the server has to pull out in order for you to get in, not very upscale. but the real problem was the food. incredibly overpriced! particularly the salads. $10 - $14 for a small dinner sized salad! and the salads don't resemble the descriptions. the roasted beet salad had a few sliced of beets on the bottom, but you couldn't event taste them in proportion to the rest of the salad. it was as if they were a garnish. the other problem was that all of the other dishes (we had 5 items total - 2 salads and 3 appetizers or small plates) were way over salted. at first it just comes off as "rich" or "heavy", but then you realize it's salty. would not return.

wonderful food, excellent service. my wife and i had diner here and it was fantastic. the food was well prepared and visually appealing. the prices are what you would expect for a high end restaurant, and not unreasonable. above all, the service was awesome. we felt as if we were a star or part of the family. this is definitely a go to place for us.

i have dined at char's on several occasions and the meals and service were exquisite. since the circular dining room in hershey became more causal, here is a true alternative for formal yet also superb cuisine.

new year's extravanganza was great. decide to take family and a friend to char's for the friend's birthday party on new years. she's a new year's baby. oh what a time we had, very pricey, but lots of fun. we were not rushed and the food was so good, we couldn't finish the 7 course dinner and took home 50% which meant five star food for two days which made it a lot easier to stomach. char was a hoot and a good time was had by all.

poor quality and very overpriced. last nice a small group of us went for the first time to chars new digs. nothing like the old place! i ordered one of the entree specials pad thai- horrible. just a pile of mush on a plate for $25! much much much better at bangkok wok in mechanicsburg. $16 for one martini - drinks are cheaper in nyc. chars food used to be phenomenal. you couldn't lose! last nite i had a plate of something that looked nothing like pad thai and was mush! hate to say it but it's true. and the place was loud! was not a good dining experience and the price was top shelf!

evening drinks. my husband and i stopped by to check out the new restuarant, so we sat at the bar and ordered martinis. the drinks were very over priced, they charge less for martinis in new york city. the atmostphere seemed stuffy and the owner seemed annoyed when we enganged in conversation with her. she was very negative interacting with the customers. my husband and i would not go back there for dinner based on our experience at the bar. what happened to the old, warm, and charming char's?

anniversary dinner. chars new location is awesome. food was great. only problem i have with it is that the tables are to close together. a bit expensive as well!!

ok. this was by far one of the best meals i have had this year. that says alot for someone who travels and eats out six nights a week and knows good food. i started with the oysters and the duck liver pate. oysters were well presented and fresh. the duck pate was amazing. wine selection was good, i went with the house malbec and it exceeded expectations. i had the aged and blackened sirloin as main course. it was prepared to perfection. the service staff was on spot, knowlegable, and extra friendly. the ambiance was warm, and inviting yet classy. i will be back!

quality doesn't match cost. got to char's last night, and was disappointed. first, the idea of having dinner seating at the bar may sound good, but for those of us who like to have a drink at the bar first when dining out with others it makes it impossible. reservations for bar service took up the limited space available, even though they were not yet filled. there then left open seats, but we were told we could not sit down. we got their 30 minutes before our reservation and were essentially shunned at the bar and were made to feel very uncomfortable by the attitude of char and the other staff. we were told a couple times we were in the way, but there is nowhwere to go other than stand at the bar, looking at open bar seats we can't use, if you are waiting for a table. we felt rushed to our table, and it really got the evening off to a bad start when we wanted to spend some quality time with friends we rarely get to see. after looking at the bar tab for 4 drinks maybe it was best, as i can't think of any other restaurant in town that marks it's drinks up so high. dinner came and it was a solid meal. however, for the mark-up they are placing in their pricing it needs to be more that just solid. food is one of the few things i will never complain about regarding pricing, as long as i get that level of quality. the quality of food did not match the pricing. one other tidbit, that i think goes along with not having bar space to enjoy a cocktail: if you are going for a lively outing, this is not the place. that's fine if that is what they wish to cater too, but the crowd and atmosphere is best described as subdued. i think to call it an older crowd is being too politically correct. it is not "older", it is old. again, nothing wrong with that, with the deterioration of the downtown scene there is a need for this type of restaurant, just be forewarned that it felt a little stifling. i think this might be a place to take your parents out for a special occassion, otherwise there are many restaurants just as good, if not better, with a much better atmosphere and much better value for your dollar.

dining at char's. my husband and i with another couple experienced a delightful dining experience at char's new restaurant. the ambiance was lovely. our server was excellent. the cocktails were outstanding and the dinner was gourmet.
we wish char much luck. harrisburg has been waiting for this.