3 /5 Mr. Carter: (3/5 stars) Confusing experience vs. the 4.7 rating - great management, but major misses
Came here last night for a friend’s birthday and left genuinely confused by the current 4.7 rating. The manager on duty was extremely accommodating and kept coming by to apologize and try to fix things, and I want to give her real credit for that. But the number of issues we had in one visit was hard to ignore.
We were seated on the third floor. The vibe up there was a bit odd. Very dark green, minimal Masonic decor, and it felt more like an unfinished lounge than a polished dining space. The band was decent and did keep the room lively, which was a plus & The drinks were really good!
Now the food/service problems:
Oysters: Very disappointing. We didn’t realize until after ordering that they were farm-raised (menu note), which is on us but the bigger issue was the quality. Several shells barely had any oyster in them, and overall they tasted off. They also weren’t as cold as you’d expect oysters to be. The manager tried to make it right by bringing additional ones, but we ended up giving them back because they were still not good.
Table: Our table was lopsided, to the point our drinks were literally sliding/spilling while we were eating. Staff did come by to fix it, but it’s not something you expect to deal with at a place with this many high reviews.
Ribeye: We were told 4–5 times that the ribeye was “the best thing on the menu,” so we ordered it. Honestly, it was one of the most disappointing ribeyes I’ve ever had. It came pre-cut into very thick slices, and THE STEAK HAD ZERO JUICE OR TASTE, lacked flavor, and had a lot of fat. We ordered medium, but it arrived VERY medium-rare, with some pieces closer to rare/blue. When we brought it to their attention, we were told that was “their version of medium.” The manager offered to take it off, but after so many issues already we just kept it and my wife didn’t eat it because of the flavor and the way it was cut (she prefers to slice her own thin).
Chicken fried steak: I also ordered the chicken fried steak. The mashed potatoes actually had good flavor (which ended up being most of what I ate), but the chicken fried steak itself was rough. There were a lot of breaded sections with little to no steak, and the pieces that did have meat were gristly/tough to the point I had to spit a few bites into a napkin and eventually just stopped eating it.
Getting sick: The biggest issue is that both my wife and I got sick. We started feeling it before we even left, felt worse when we got home, and we’re still sick the next day (today) with stomach pain, and we strongly believe it was the oysters.
I really wanted to love this place, and I appreciate how hard the manager tried. But if you come here, just know the experience may not match the rating and if you’re coming for oysters or the ribeye, set expectations accordingly.