The Italian Fisherman

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  $10.00 split plate charge--all I got was an empty plate!  They did not even put the meal on two separate plates in the kitchen! The portion was small to begin with.  Nikki, our server, was excellent.  Food was reasonable,  location nice,  the price has gotten way too high.  Pasta dish was $27 plus  a $10 split fee! Eeks!  Methinks not!!

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  Posted on 07.28.13 Ronna W.

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  Read the reviews and might not have stopped here but wanted to be on the water.  Glad we stopped..  The lunch experience was great.  Bing shrimp platter was plentiful with a remoulade dressing.  My Bourbon Salad was nicely done and generous with pecans, blue cheese, apples and a maple bourbon dressing that brought the tastes of salty and savory together nicely.  My daughter had a delicious burger, done just right.  And the drinks were quite good - the Pineapple Mojito and Lime and Coconut Colada.  Yes it is pricey - but if you want ambiance sometimes you have to pay.  We are a seasonal area and sometimes seasonal help can be difficult to hire and keep but our waitress, Grace, was attentive, pleasant and knowledgeable about both the beers, cocktails and food.  Take your time to read the menu, it has a nice selection and something for everyone.  Quite surprised also by the renaissance of Bemus Point.

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  Posted on 07.20.13 Patricia G.

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  Food OK, but over priced.  Service tonight was poor.

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  Posted on 07.20.13 Rob M.

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  My family and I have come to the Italian Fisherman once every summer for the past several years.  Each year, we would order the giant tray of seasoned french fries and dipping sauces, huge steak salads, and a large banana pudding dish, perfect for sharing with the whole family.  While certainly not cheap, the items were tasty, well-portioned, and served in a beautiful atmosphere overlooking the lake.
  
  This summer, however, we were sorely disappointed.  They removed the "Super Spuds" appetizer from the menu.  They also no longer offered the banana pudding, and you can't add steak to salads anymore.  
  
  Holding out that the meal would overcome our initial disappointment, we ordered two burgers, and a salad with chicken.  The burgers were acceptable but bland.  The salad was disappointing, having shrunk in size over the past year, and no longer featuring cornbread croutons and instead using cheap, stale commercial croutons.
  
  It seems that very little, if anything, is prepared from scratch, as I watched kitchen staff carry bags of commercial plastic wrapped items to the outdoor kitchen. We asked our server why they've made so many (negative) changes, and he said that they have a new General Manager this year who is responsible for the shift.  
  
  Whatever the cause, the result is unmistakable: this restaurant is overpriced for simply heating up uninspiring, commercial food.  The view, however, is still nice.

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  Posted on 07.13.13 Ryan B.

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  It was really nice to be able to sit out on the deck on a cool summer evening and enjoy a beer with a few co-workers....yep thats really all I can say that's good about this place.
  
  The service was slow. Really slow. Our waitress, bless her heart, breathlessly went through dozens of specials and featured bar items. I got the sense the whole time she was trying to upsell us like I was at a used car dealership. One of our guests ordered a well done stake and he got medium rare. However, it took her 10+ minutes to even show her face after she dropped off the food.
  
  This place is incredibly spendy and not once did I feel like I got my moneys worth. The food is utterly forgettable.
  
  It can all be summed up with the following statement: I paid 24 dollars for burnt chicken parm and pasta that tasted like it came from a bag.

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  Posted on 06.20.13 Douglas C.

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  The veiws of the lake are absolutely beautiful, but when I went with my husband for our first wedding anniversary I felt like the service was lacking. My husband asked the server what kind of dark beers they had avilable either by the bootle or on tap and he was recomended a beer that was far too pale to be considered a dark beer. At those prices, I expect my server to either be knowledgeable or take the time to ask the bartender what they would recomend.
  
  As for the food, for the price I've had much better from my own kitchen. The one thing I really enjoyed was my Ruby Red Grapefruit martini with muddled basil. I ordered the Lobster Ravioli, and I could tell that they were not made in house. The taste was mild considering I've had really fishy tasting frozen lobster ravioli, but the one thing that made the dish somewhat worth it was the lightly fried tempura battered rock lobster tail on top. The only thing that would have made it better is if it had been slightly bigger, but again I expect to pay a premium for anything with lobster.
  
  One thing that I am just learning is that they have different menus for different areas of the restaurant. We were never asked where we would like to be seated as to make sure we were in the area with the menu we wanted to order from. Good thing we were, or I would have been very disappointed and this likely would have turned into a 1 star review.

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  Posted on 05.31.13 Alicia G.

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  Decent food, excellent summer atmosphere.

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  Posted on 09.12.12 Michael S.

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  Good food, not too expensive.  You get a lot for what you pay for.

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  Posted on 08.25.12 Mary H.

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  Food okay, prices good, SERVICE STINKS.

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  Posted on 07.11.12 Sue P.

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  Server was indifferent and hostess was rude. Menu can be confusing since each part of the restaurant has different options. Great view which allows them to treat their patrons poorly since they know they will get guests regardless of the service.

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  Posted on 09.05.11 John L.

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  Other than for the fact that the Italian Fisherman is located right on the lake I can't think of anything good about the place. The food quality is poor, horridly over priced and the service is at best totally abysmal. If you want to be on the lake amongst a crowd of tourists paying more than top dollar for weak drinks and less than average food, this is the place for you. If not, the See-Zurh, Lenhart Hotel, Surf Club or the Hare and Hound are far better bets.
  
  Besides the view the only other redeeming part of the Italian Fisherman is that it often times does offer musical entertainment but everyone that I've seen has been rather third if not fourth rate in talent.

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  Posted on 08.25.11 Marqus R.

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  I was being treated to the Italian Fisherman, so I didn't experience the "investment" that eating here is.  I agree, it's very pricey.  
  
  As for the food... The "Italian" part of the Italian Fisherman was wonderful.  The pasta pillows, the chicken dishes, the lasagna "cupcake" topped with a cream cheese-y icing... They were all wonderful.  However, the "Fisherman" part of the restaurant was lacking.  I ordered the "fresh catch" - the ahi tuna.  It was an enormous tuna steak, cooked medium rare, and it just wasn't all I was hoping it would be.  Out of the selection of sauces with which to top the fish, I chose a mango salsa, and the meal was accompanied by coconut rice which I found also to be lacking in flavor.
  
  A disappointing seafood experience for me, especially for one on the Erie coast.  However, the lobster mac and cheese was to die for.  So were all of the Italian selections we sampled at the table (and the salads were great, too).

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  Posted on 07.28.11 Rachel S.

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  The Italian Fisherman can't be beat for the views - eating dinner on the back patio or floating dock is a beautiful way to spend the evening.
  
  BUT...
  
  It's kind of strange! Each section of the restaurant has a different menu, but they give you the whole menu when you sit down.  My dining companion was very confused when he tried to order things on the menu which was handed to us - and they said no.  It didn't start things off in a positive way.
  
  I had a delicious sandwich - the Salmon BLT, but everyone else wasn't as happy with their selections.  Also, it was very pricey for sandwiches ... very.

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  Posted on 07.11.11 Kimberly S.

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  We stopped in at the Italian fisherman for dinner and some music.  We ordered the nachos and the bada bing shrimp. They were both huge portions.  The toppings on the huge pile of pasta chip were good but there was not nearly enough for even half the chips.  The shrimp was ok but could have used more of the sauce.
  
  The entertainment on the deck was average,  we had a good time.

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  Posted on 07.10.11 Billy a.

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  The deck portion of the restaurant ran out of vegeterian options the other night.  When we attempted to order something from the pasta menu inside, we were not allowed to per the manager.  He was about as helpful as a wart.  Great view on the lake, but thanks to their lack of assistance and illogical rules we will not ever be returning.

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  Posted on 07.06.11 Adam H.

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  We stopped back in when my dad came to visit.  We pulled up to the floating dock in the boat and piled out.  I think that they need to do a better job with the dead fish around the floating dock.  There were some monsters down there bloated and belly up, tossing out quite a bit of stink.  
  
  We ordered the nachos because they are really good.  This batch was no different than the ones that we ordered in the past.  Still really good.  The next round of food for all three of us was just not great.  My wife ordered the Caesar Salad- most of the lettuce was brown and wilted.  She pulled out about half of the salad before she just gave up.  Our waiter never returned to the table after he delivered the food except to deliver the check, so there was no opportunity to send it back.  
  
  My dad ordered the salmon sandwich.  It was so overcooked that it looked chalky.  The chipolte sauce they served with it was just not good either.  Two for two on the main dishes.
  
  I ordered the Stacker which is simply grilled veggies stacked up.  It comes in a vertical stack with two skewers poking out the top.  They have one cherry tomato, one black olive, a small piece of fresh mozzarella cheese, a huge slab of zucchini and summer squash, a couple peppers and a portobello mushroom.  It comes drenched in a balsamic "reduction" if you could call it that.  I will say that the zucchini and squash were done very well and that the portobello was good.  The skewers left huge wooden slivers in the mozzarella cheese and the balsamic just didn't go with too much on the plate.  
  
  The big winner was for our son.  We got him the organic mac and cheese.  He loved it and at the whole bowl.  I like the fact that it was organic, but thought that it was strange that they served it with a snack pack chocolate pudding with so much fake crap in it that it barely fits on the label.  Just doesn't seem well thought out to me.
  
  This place still gets two stars because the nachos are that good.  The location is great, but it really was smelly due to the dead fish.  There was still some sticker shock at how much it cost versus the quality of food and service that we received.  I say you stop in for a drink and the nachos and call it a day.

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  Posted on 08.21.10 Scott G.

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  This is a pretty good Italian seafood joint in a little beach community called Bemus Point.
  
  The town of Bemus Point reminds me of a place I used to live in Cape Cod.  There are lots of bars, antique shops and cute little gingerbread houses.  Hard to tell if Bemus Point is catering to the summer people; or, if there is a full time constituency.  There are a couple of good restaurants in Bemus Point - The Italian Fisherman being the most prominent, located right on the harbor.
  
  The chef here blends together a lot of different cuisines into some pretty good grub.  I had seared Ahi tuna (rare) with Tagitelli pasta in some kind of chili oil/Wasabi marinade.  I don't know that I cared too much for the combination of Asian and Italian - it didn't really work for me.  The tuna was cooked well and tasted yummy.  The pasta... not so great.  Would have enjoyed it better served with some rice and a nice seaweed salad.  Other dishes which our table tried included an AMAZING smoked calamari dish; a chicken and artichoke pasta dish which was pretty good; and, a variety of other standard Italian pasta dishes.  Overall, I'd say that the food was decent - not sure if it was quite worth the haute cuisine prices... but, then again, I'm a big 'ole food snob... so take that into account.
  
  The service was friendly, not overbearing.  We didn't have to ask more than once for anything and the orders were correct.
  
  They have an outstanding wine list, lots of great Napa choices (though I get a little weird about paying $11 for a glass of pinot which I know would cost me $6 in San Francisco) and a fairly impressive choice of Italian reds.
  
  The best part of this restaurant is ambiance - there is something so great about sitting on the water, enjoying a good glass of wine and watching a beautiful sunset.  Granted, we had to watch through a window - as a wedding reception was booked onto the outside seating area the evening we were there for dinner - but, none the less, it was a great view.
  
  I say three and a half stars... but, Yelp won't let me do that, so let's just say that the pinky-purple New York summer sunset I watched on Friday earns that extra half a star... The Italian Fisherman should thank Moms Nature for that.  ;)

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  Posted on 06.16.07 Kate K.

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