Castle Restaurant

My husband and I visited the Castle in May of 2013, I have been a patron for about 45 years and my husband for the last 22. We try to go once or twice a year now that it is as upscale as it is, prior to this we stopped by more often. I will say that our last visit has made us rethink where we spend $130.00 for one dinner.

When we arrived, we were sat in the bar area rather then the dinning room, this is the first time this has ever happened. We were so stunned that we just sat down. We ordered some of our food from the menu provided and some from the main dinning room, we know what we like off the other menu so we just ordered it.

The service was slow and we were in a high traffic area so very noisy. We ordered Caesar salad, which we normally get in the dinning room made table side. We assumed it would be the same only prepared in the kitchen. It cost $4 more for two on this menu and it was TERRIBLE, we did get a really large portion but there was no taste, the dressing was watered down and there were no anchovies. Both of us put our plate aside and did not finish. Our main meals were tasty, we both ordered from the menu of the day, the only complaint would be that my pasta came with 5 1/2 ravioli's and my husbands potatoes came out of a box.

When we ordered dessert, my husband ordered two. The waiter made a point of saying he ordered 2 when he wrote it down. When he returned there were only 2 deserts not 3, although he REALLY did  not need the extra helping, we did order it and it did not come.

In total we ordered the same amount of food we do in the dinning room, and paid only $20.00 less. For that we should have received the same service no matter where we sat. I was insulted that we were given a once over and placed in the bar, did we appear to not have the means to afford the dinning room? And we were VERY DISSAPOINTED in the salad and potatoes. It will be a while before we return, other people we know that have gone for decades have stopped and now I understand why.

I just don't understand The Castle. The waitstaff is always friendly and on point. I like the decorations, the look of the place. I even like that its slightly dusty. Its like eating at a hunting lodge of an eccentric uncle back in the 70s.

The outside deck has one of the best waterfront views in the Worcester area...so there should be  a lot to like about this place...

Although I have occassionally gotten food that was very good here, more often than not I've been disappointed, and not just in comparison to the price, but in comparison to anything.

My first visit was on a wintery night back in 2009. We started off with escargot and were promptly disappointed...everything taste bad, from the pastry, to the sauce to the snail itself(my girlfriend at the time was French, so she assured me that they are not supposed to taste that way). Our entrees were veal chop and steak au poivre. Both were...okay. Edible. Not super enjoyable. When you are paying 30 for a meal, in Worcester County, you expect it to be near perfect. It wasn't an issue with the way it was cooked, that seemed fine...the sauces were awful, and the there didn't seem to be any actual seasoning on the meat. Side vegetables were sad and listless. As I mentioned before, the service was great, although the tuxes are startling.

Second visit we went to the patio and staying mindful of our past disappointment, tried the cheaper Crusader menu. My date started off with French Onion Soup and it was so oily and bitter she had to send it back. She got a second helping that was just as offensive as the first. Perhaps soothed by the excellent view and sun, we pressed on. Crispy Duck Roll for me, Chicken Florentine for her, and an order of french fries to share. The duck roll was delicious. I could have eaten two. The french fries, which must be fried in either lard or the sweat of Aphrodite, were great. The Chicken Florentine was swimming in a rancid oil that made my date gag on her first bite.

Last visit, Worcester Restaurant week: New girlfriend but same results. We got rolls that were frozen in the middle, lamb shank that was all gristle and fat, frozen apps, stale desserts. We paid too much, even with the deal. Service once again however, was impeccable.

I don't know if the cook doesn't give a shit, or what, but this place deserves better than it does now. I've had people tell me that they've had wonderful chateaubriand, wild game dinners and the like, so I know that they occasionally do but...I've given it too many chances and spent too much money on awful food to go again.

The Castle was one of the stranger places that I have dined at. The exterior is has the appearance of a castle, but the landscaping was overgrown.  There were cobwebs in the moat and weeds growing everywhere.  As soon as you walk in the door we were greeted by a woman sitting behind a desk covered with 2 foot stacks of papers.  It looked like a dusty and disheveled office.  They really need to clean this up and move it to a back room.  The room that we had the event in had wine bottles on the wall that looked interesting.  When you got close to them you could see the dust on the bottles.  The room was dingy and the air conditioning was too low.     There was also a box covered in duct tape in the corner.  It was an eyesore. The place is old, which is fine.  The part that was not fine was how dusty the restaurant was.   My wife and I both had an allergy attack and were constantly blowing our noses.  

The food was just OK and nothing to get excited about.  We attended a function which had a buffet so we did not order off their menu.   The staff on the buffet line seemed a little disorganized, but were generally pleasant.  Drinks were on the pricey side.  

Overall it was OK.  The messy desk/office in the lobby and the dustiness of the restaurant turned us off.