Since this place has been open for a year I would love to be saying: “Better late than never” but unfortunately after my first experience I walk away feeling: “Better never than ever”.
Let me start this with a few facts:
The atmosphere is very nice
Huge out door bars and dining
Great view(s) especially of the sunset
Great place for drinks
Great place for hanging out
So please don’t respond to me telling me how great it is for cocktails or finger / bar foods etc. We are all here for “the food” and last night I was in the mood for some good seafood and this place came to mind so we headed over. For a Thursday night around 7pm the place was about 90% full, few tables opened and we grabbed the last two seats together at the bar, we were greeted fairly quickly by a bar tender, drinks ordered and menus received.
The menu is diverse from pizza to lobster and seafood, also a 16oz rib eye but this is obviously not a steak joint and I was in the mood for seafood. The staple for judging a seafood restaurant for me is their broiled seafood platter. ($34. includes house salad) In addition I ordered the “oysters sampler” 6 oysters ($12.) and Mrs. Notjr ordered the stuffed sole (I don’t recall the price also included house salad)
Salads arrived and they were actually pretty good, a spring mix with pickled onions and a vinaigrette dressing, light and perfect for an included house salad. Next came my oysters served with our entree’s. The oysters themselves were room temp, served on a warm plate with -0- ice, no mignonette and what I’m 90% sure was a canned/jarred gelatinous cocktail sauce. While I love oysters, I would prefer the illusion that they have been kept properly refrigerated / cooled, these made me very suspect and apprehensive in eating them, absolutely the worst presentation and preparation of raw oysters. They tasted fine, and thank God I’m alive to write this so I am thankful for that.
Next comes the entree’s which again were served with my oysters…this is where the SS Marina Grille hit’s the iceberg (wish they used some of the ice shavings for my oysters) and sinks. Please look carefully at my “seafood platter”…I even took two pictures to emphasize just how putrid and pale it looks. I don’t know about you, but I prefer my "broiled’ seafood to at least look broiled…a little bit of cooked / browned edges…even if it’s not genuinely browned from cooking take a page out of any NJ-diner cook book and sprinkle some paprika on it. For the love of God, show me the respect of trying to fool me into believing you care about what you are serving. Yes, I"m asking you to lie to my face instead of just throwing this pale crap in front of me and saying: “Please enjoy your meal”, seriously look at that close up pic, do you see anything enjoyable about that?
I was trying to think of a great analogy, generally I like to draw upon Gordon Ramsey in times like this, to me he is the king of culinary put downs. Channeling my best Gordon Ramsey this is how I would describe my meal: (remember Charlie the Tuna from Starkist commercials?) It’s like Charlie the Tuna, opened a can of Star-Kist tuna started to place it in a casserole, then decided that was too good, so instead he shit in the casserole dish".
This was probably the worst broiled seafood I have ever had, soggy water logged with -0- seasoning, flavor or anything. A mush of seafood, and my wife’s was just as bad. At least her stuffing looked to be cooked but again, look at the flounder filet just horrible. The “crab” cake on my platter was nothing more than a scoop of their crab meat stuffing the shrimp had refrigerator taste and the scallops and fish filet were complete mushy disasters. Horrible, just horrible.
It should be noted most people around us seemed to enjoy their apps and pizza’s, finger foods etc. I did not see many “meals” anywhere in sight.
On a positive note, the cole slaw was actually very good as were the french fries which I believe were fresh cut.
Would I go back? Sure…but I will NEVER order “real food” here again. Pizza, apps, salads, wraps, sure I’ll give those a shot, I’ll have cocktails and I will enjoy the sunsets.
HUNGRY ONION MEMBERS SPECIAL OFFER*********
If you decide to go and order the “fresh seafood” here, please inbox me the date and time of your visit and I will meet you outside after your meal and kick you in the ass and say: “I told you so”. This is a limited offer so please don’t act soon!!!
It’s rare I’m actually offended by food but this was certainly one of those times. A couple of other side notes, the service by the bartenders was good/fine however we were never offered or given bread (others around us were) and I don’t know what the story was with the app and entree’s being served together.
