better than you would think from these reviews. down in baltimore with a group of 13 that travelled from all over, and the organizer had this rest. picked based on a recommendation from the marriott inner harbor at camden yards. we are a group used to eating well when together and the reviews suggested we would not be happy.
our coordinator (who brings tremendous amount of group business to marriotts all over)reviewed the reviews with the concierge and let him know we could not understand the pick. concierge actually went to luna to let him know our fears and expectations, as well as the report book would affect future referals. the concierge went a second time, to introduce us to the manager. stakes were very high for the restaurant. on to the review.
setting - it was game night and game had started. rest was pretty empty and we were led through to a back room which could hold many more people but tonight was just hours. very comfortable, brick walls, a painting of whos who in baltimore history, wine racks, and some hookas. lighting was mainly from large chandeliers, quite nice.
wait staff, was impeccable, polite, helpful and hospitable. very pleasant throughout the whole evening. appetizers were described and orders taken. appetizers were brought out and dinner orders taken (as we requested). appetizers came in with about a 10 -12 minute spread. a bit long.
i had the seafood bisque with shrimp and scallops. one of the best bisques i have ever had, maybe second only to mortons' lobster bisque. i can say no more about this wonderful soup. from a service perspective, spoons were delvered shortly after the soup leading me to want to ask the waiter to taste the soup. service would have been up a notch if the proper eating utensils were laid out while the appetizers were being prepared. one friend had clams casino which were perferct and there were various appetizers enjoyed throughout our group. one colleague had a shrimp cocktail that did not smell quite right. sent it back and it was replaced about 7 minutes later. another colleague ordered a stuffed portobello. unfortunately friend is a vegetarian and we do not think it mentions that on the menu. should have taken for granted there would becrabmeat. only other faux pax on apps is that some people received salads before their entrees.
on to the entrees, starting with mine, of course. i am old and have eaten italian food everywhere. my chicken francaise was on par with the best i ever had anywhere, end of story. chicken was sliced thin and pounded. dredged in egg with light seasoned breadcrumbs and fried in olive oil hot enough to crisp the breadcrumbs in same time it took to cook the chicken so it was still soft and flavorful. the lemon sauce was better than any i ever made, and cannot remember it's match. i was not interested in the side potato or vegetables and ordered a side of linguine alfredo which was tasty.
around the table people had various pasta and seafood dishes along with a few steak and seafood combos.. steak reported as good. grilled seafood in general ok to good, crabcakes as absolutely wonderful.
expectation and style can be everything. one of our diners, eating lots of stuff parmigianed over the years, had ordered the shrimp parm over pasta. lots of ny, nj and ct people at the table and we all would have expected the shrimp to have been breaded and fried, possibly butterflied. to us, the only style of shrimp parm. shrimp were not breaded and fried, may have been boiled or broiled without seasoning, covered with a very thin, translucent melted cheese, and placed on the pasta with tomato sauce. report is the shrimp were not tasty or appetizing which i would chalk up to style expectations as the diner said the sauce and pasta was delicious, and he ate all of that. none of us would recommend ordering the shrimp parmigian.
from a service perspective, wait staff was again excellent, friendly and helpful. entrees were brought out very quickly and many were served before there was time to finish the appetizers and salads. can be chocked up to appetizers coming out over a long time period and an eagerness to please us from a time perspective. a mild inconvenience at worst.
desserts, about 9 cheesecakes, were offered as display and described to the diners by the waiter, who managed to remember which were which, a very tough job. dessert and coffe/cordial order taken and delivered. i had asked for a hot chocolate and waiter suggested baileys. he was right so far so i agreed. one of the best hot chocolates i did not make.
soup to nuts, as the saying goes, without tip, came to $1103 with the wine and drinks.
have to tell you as a group spending time together, we could have been eating chicken at roys and popeyes and we would have had a great time.
our food and service was top notch though not perfect, but very rare indeed do we get perfection (gramercy tavern did hit that mark in spades). we had a wonderful evening and based on our experience, we would recommend a visit.
when making plans, remember, this was an empty restaurant with few if any other diners. did not see any when we went in (unless they were eating dinner on the outside patio where there were certainly people drinking) or on the way out. i would try this place on an evening you can expect to avoid a crowd. if you do that, i expect you will have a wonderful dining experience.
alex wolff