I have to start by saying I was at Waterplace on the Water Fire night. I know it was busy, but I have to say it was the longest wait I've had at a restaurant to have my order taken. The managers at Waterplace know what happens on Water Fire nights. Their volume is much higher. You would think they would prepare for it, but apparently not.
I made reservations and was seated right away. No problem there. It took about 5 minutes for our waitress to come over for a drink order. Again, no problem. Another 5 for the drinks to arrive. Then she disappeared.
20 minutes later she reappeared and asked if we were ready to order. This was only after giving the girl refilling our water glasses a desperate look, and a guy who may have been a floor manager came over to ask if things were OK (No!).
So, order given, we wait another 30 minutes for the food to arrive. We ordered the spinach salad and 2 appetizers. 30 minutes.
We got the drunken clams which had an incredible broth. My date wanted the tater tots. Sounds funny, but they were very good. They looked more like falafel; large, dark brown, crusty, very good flavor. Came with a horseradish/thousand island dressing dipping sauce.
The food was excellent. Fairly high price. I guess it was worth it except for the wait. So if you don't mind waiting for good food, check it out. I won't go back.
Decided to visit this little place with some friends last night. Â It's got a good location, near the providence place mall and overlooking waterplace park. Â We were a little shocked that when we arrived we were the ONLY guests present for dinner...
Their website states that they are open until 10pm, however the sign on their door lists their hours to be closed at 9pm. Â It was 8:30 when we arrived and not seeing any other patrons, we were a bit nervous that they might be closed. Â After a few minutes looking through the abandoned restaurant, we were greeted and told we could still order dinner. Â We were seated and had the whole place to ourselves - a little party of 4.
The drinks were fantastic! Â The gran patron margarita was said to be delicious and mixed perfectly. Â I enjoyed the stoli belli tini - it was SUPER strong - just the way I like it!
The dinner menu:
Looking over all the beautifully worded dishes, I was a little disappointed with the selection of actual "large plates" - it was pretty basic. Â The "small plates"/appetizers section seemed to have much more variety and tasty plates.. I like small plates... I'm all for tapas... so that's what I did.
While Maryam enjoyed her grilled rib-eye cooked "medium-well" exactly how she ordered it. Â She thought the plating could have been a little better. Â The plates in a fine dining establishment are usually wiped clean and don't have grease droplets trailing to the edge.
I love love loved my black-pepper encrusted ahi tuna. Â This was probably the best cut and most properly seared tuna I've had yet. Â Make sure you have a glass of water because that pepper has a bite! Â My only complaint is that this dish is not served as a "large plate" - I would have eaten more... and paid more for that.
The calamari left something to be desired. Â We ordered it "a la mama" which added hot peppers and a spicy flare. Â The color of the rings was a little too light... they could have used a bit longer in the fryer to give them that crispy golden deliciousness. Â Also, I think the spicy element would have been better if it had been incorporated into the batter. Â Perhaps a buffalo sauce combination mixed in to give it a dash more zest and flare.
The hummus was nicely mixed but a little too heavy on the garlic. Â Good thing it comes with carbs to mask the pungency.
Next, onto dessert. Â We thought we were going to be rushed out the door since it was getting late, but our server Joseph informed us that it was the restaurants policy that we were not allowed to leave without at least hearing the dessert options. Â Since they don't have an actual dessert menu for guest to peruse at their leisure, the server recited them to us. Â Unfortunately, some of the ingredients in the selections were "out of stock" so we would have to order them without those components. Â Maryam and I decided upon the brownie sunday in a cup. Â It was really delicious. Â Nothing like a nearly raw browning at the bottom of a sundae to close a great meal. Â We got to keep the mug.... Um.... Â I thought this was a bit tacky honestly. Â I get to bring the mug home in case I want to the logo of their franchise company?
All in all, I enjoyed myself. Â I hope to come back - hopefully when we are not the ONLY group of people there. Â I'm assuming that there is a much different atmosphere as the weather warms up and especially during water fire!
This review is directed towards the nightclub. I recently was a customer at the bar area upstairs from the restaraunt, and was very impressed with the high level of customer service received from the wait staff, bartenders and the VIP manager Jess. I would recommend this spot to anyone looking to have a great night or for a spot to bring a group of friends.
Review Source:Stay far, far away from this place. I made a reservation for a Waterfire night, and when I got there, people who had made their reservations for two hours before were still waiting. The management and staff weren't being nice about it, either. Save your time and money and check out one of the many other great restaurants in the area if you want a Waterfire date night - there was no wait at USB just down the street.
Review Source:I went to Waterplace Restaurant on a Water Fires night and I chose this restaurant because of it's awesome location. My boyfriend's parents were in town for the first time and I wanted to impress them.
I called over a week in advance to make a reservation and made it at 7:30pm. I was unsure about sitting on the patio due to weather so the hostess told me she would seat us in the front by a big window so we could see Waterplace Park. I then called back 10 minutes later because I had changed my mind - I made a new reservation at 7pm on the patio but was told I couldn't reserve one of these tables, I could only put in a request for one. (?)
Luckily, I called to check on our reservation that afternoon. The girl that took my reservation forgot to change it to 7:30 on the patio. When we arrived at 7, the hostess showed us to a table in a back corner. When I asked about the table by the window I was told it wouldn't be ready until 8pm! I also asked about the patio and she said the tables were all reserved!
Our waitress was sweet but not at all efficient. We waited foreverrrr for our drinks. They were out of the two white wines we ordered (riesling and pino grigio). We then waited foreverrrr for the waitress to take our order. After that she NEVER came back to refill our drinks, give us bread, refill our water, etc.
At 9pm, we had been there for an hour and a half and had only had 1 glass of wine each. Our drinks were empty, water glasses were empty, and we hadn't received our food or even seen our waitress. After complaining to the manager our food finally arrived. One saving grace was that the food was actually very good. The atmosphere, though, was terrible - bare white walls with a club upstairs that apparently starts playing loud music with flashing lights later at night. Finally, at 10pm, we left and at lease still had 2 hours left to go see the Water Fires. Another saving grace was that the manager took $100 off of our check.
I would NOT recommend this place unless you sit on the patio (if you can even get a table) and are fine with slowww service.
In the interest of full disclosure I need to say that I went to Waterplace for lunch on a Sunday so that may have contributed to my sub-par experience.
With that said... I don't plan on returning anytime soon.
I had lunch with 5 other people at Waterplace this past Sunday, the place was empty besides us. Â The overall experience wasn't awful but it wasn't very good either. Â Let's start with the positives. Â Good location, decent view, calamari was awesome. Â Now onto the not-so-positive aspects. Â Waitress was inept: at one point walked away before everyone had ordered, didn't come back for 10 minutes; brought out the food in the wrong order, gave most of us the wrong dishes. Â The restaurant definitely needs some TLC: the booth cushions were ripped and had been duct taped over (classy), the tablecloth was torn/worn in several spots; no hostess was present so I had to wander around to find my party; polenta fries were too crispy and bland; grilled tofu was not marinated so it was mostly tasteless much with a tiny bit of sauce on top; food was overall only ok.
So, was it the worst restaurant experience I've had in Providence? Â No. Â
Was it good enough to go back anytime soon? Â No.
Dined at this spot last night for our third anniversary. Â Appetizers - I had polenta fries with gorgonzola sauce, hubs had calamari, both were eh to ok. Â Dinner - I had butternut squash ravs, hubs had NY sirloin - these were better but not great.
THE GOOD: 1) Â Obviously, the location - especially since we were there to experience the famed Water Fire performance (which was super cool). Â 2) Our server, Cara - very sweet, genuinely friendly and accurate.
THE BAD: Â 1) The restaurant is rather run down for such a fine location; poor decor and absolutely disgusting bathrooms, street entrance and seating. The first thing the management should do when the busy season winds down is rip out that filthy carpet - there were fruit flies everywhere. Â And - how about some fresh flowers and artwork? Â This place reminded me of a pop up weekend rave. Â 2) Every other table around us in an 8 table section was running seriously behind schedule. Â Several were seated before us yet received no water/bread service for nearly 30 minutes. Â I don't know how we lucked out - our entire meal was prompt - but being eyeballed by your surrounding diners isn't fun. Â 3) The menu is lame. Â Food was edible to decent but for this prime location - get a true chef in there to construct a signature menu, increase the prices by 30% and you will have a manageable volume that parallels the fantastic location. Â With a guaranteed season of Water Fire with thousands in attendance - the owner can't lose. Â 4) Front of the house manager seemed to just stand around while many groups of customers grew impatient and the young hostesses batted their eyes in confusion - pitch in dude!! Â It was sad to watch.
I'll be keeping my eye on this restaurant as it appears to have enormous potential that as of last night was no where near reaching.
Horrible service from the moment we walked in. Â We had an 8:00 reservation and upon entering, the blank faced hostess told us they simply had to clear up some tables. Â 30 minutes later and still waiting, I was told it could be another 30 minutes or more until we were seated. Â Only after asking to speak with the manager was I told that they were still seating people with 6:30 reservations. Â Joe, the manager, was quite insincere with his apologies which makes me think this is a regular occurance. Â He did reimburse us for our valet parking but only because I asked. Â For the future I would suggest they not seat parties more than ten minutes late for their reservation or take phone numbers so they can call guests in advance and let them know what is happening. Â Never again.
Review Source:My review of Waterplace is restricted to the restaurant. I have been a regular patron of Waterplace since 2008. Over the past four years there has been a lot of change, but the one thing that remains solid, consistent and great about Waterplace is the quality of the food. I'm always disappointed to hear that folks either only identify Waterplace with its nightclub or haven't given the restaurant a fair chance.
Chef Andrea Leonardo is extremely talented and has created a menu that has something for everyone. An excellent way to experience the food is by selecting the pre-fixe dinner, which offers one appetizer, two entrees and one shared dessert for $29.95. There are a good deal of choices available with this offer, as well.
While Water Fire would seem to be an obvious time to try Waterplace, be warned that there is a limited menu on those nights. You can't fault the restaurant for this as it's an incredibly high volume night and it's not exactly an event for foodies. Best to go on a night when you have the full range of options to select. Of course, on Water Fire nights, this is the best restaurant with a view in the city.
The only reason I have deducted one star is that I have always wanted the restaurant to update its look. It's hard to attract people if you don't offer the combination of fantastic food and beautiful surroundings. If they did that they'd be a five-star restaurant in Providence, a city with its fair share of excellent restaurants. Â
Regardless of the decor (or lack thereof) indoors, try to go on a night when you can sit outside and watch the sun set over the city. Order the duck tacos, the delightfully lemony pan-seared chicken, and get dessert if you know what's good for you, because Chef Andrea always saves the best for last.
I'm writing about the View Lounge. I didnt eat at the restaraunt. I hated their music. We went on a Fri. night which was ladies night. Their website said compl. champagne and free before midnight for the ladies. Then when we got there a guy who was filling in for the cashier tried charging us a $10. cover! Then the champagne was 2 drops in a cup. Seriously with all the $ that place makes they couldnt give us a full cup of champagne. Their VIP was $400- $600. on the outside area! Damn, that's crazy to me! Nowhere to sit except for 2 couches on the lower part of the club. The view of the city ofcourse is gorgeous, but I don't care to go back to this place. Their website said top 40 music, but the dj played mostly house and techno.
Review Source:This place was the low light of our trip Providence trip, which is a shame because aesthetically Waterplace is a beautiful restaurant in a great location. But there are just one too many off things at this place. Like the awkward placement of the hostess stand. From either entrance [street level and water front] you'd have to walk through seated diners to get to the hostess. How are turistas supposed to know this?! So there we stood, looking all kinds of derf until the bartender showed us the way. The bartender! Whatever, let's talk about the food, which is actually 4 star worthy!
Homeslice and I shared the Miso glazed Grilled Tofu and Three Cheese Raviolis [sans pancetta] entrees. Both dishes were very good. The roasted vegetables and pineapple vinaigrette on the tofu dish really stood out. However there were some basic eff ups that sort of ruined what would have otherwise been a great meal/experience. Like, waiting an eternity for our entrees with no table bread to hold us over. Then waiting another lifetime to just get hot water for tea. And what's up with the cold jasmine rice in the tofu dish? We eventually asked for bread to sop up the yummy ravioli sauce, but it came out ICE COLD! And stale!
At that point, we were so over the careless mistakes and mediocre service. So over it and definitely not worth it!
Dessert and service saved this restaurant from a two-star rating.
While the location here is prime - right on the Waterplace Park "strip" - it may be more for drinks and dancing than dinner.
I'd been for meetings and lectures but never for dinner, so we decided to try it one warm summer night. The cocktail menu was original but everything looked very sweet. My dinner date's sangria was too sweet for her to finish (the red) and mine had a bad aftertaste (the white).
I started with the Cobb Salad which was something I could make at home... and there's a reason I don't cook. It wasn't bad but just very generic like I could grab it in the pre-made section of Stop & Shop. My date said her Ahi Tuna Cakes were excellent.
We both had the beef medallion and it wasn't anything super special. I found my steak a little squishy.
We ordered the Bananas Foster Donut Holes (also, it's not "Banana Fosters" as the menu reads... someone there should know that) and the Waffles and Gelato. Both were supremely delicious and inventive. I can't stand when desserts are served in martini glasses but I made an exception for the Waffles and Gelato. The donuts were perfectly cakey, hot and mixed well with the scoop of ice cream and sauce.
Our server was so friendly throughout; attentive and helping us with the menu options. I'd request her again if I decided to go back and try again. But, I think I'd probably eat nearby and come here for drinks and dessert after.
Stopped in for lunch last week. Â Fairly quiet, maybe 5 tables inside and 3 outside being used. Â Food was solid (I had a burger as did one of my companions, the other had a salad that looked quite good) and reasonably priced. Â Server was polite and attentive. Â Place is very very busy on weekends, as they focus on their club nights.
Review Source:Gorgeous sunset views from the rooftop...cabana-like seating and a river rock inlaid bar enhance the on-holiday vibe... easy to mingle with friendly patrons...
didn't order any food, however  the aroma of passing dishes was quite delightful... and the staff was quite helpful and happy (a positive sign indeed)...
i"ll be back..
Came here during Providence Restaurant Week and I can safely say I won't be back anytime soon. The restaurant is in a great location so I was expecting great things, but the food is pretty forgettable. My wife enjoyed her cobb salad, my ahi tuna appetizer was decent, and her doughnut holes dessert wasn't half-bad, but....
Bread - We were told it was just out of the oven. I was excited to hear that but they give you a tiny dish of oil/vinegar that wasn't nearly enough and the bread was pretty dry and tasteless. I was sad about this.
Pork Chop - It was decent but nothing I couldn't have made at home. It comes with about a pound of broccoli (good thing I like broccoli) and yucca fries which were hard as a rock. Sigh.
Waffles/Gelato dessert - I was expecting to be wowed and unfortunately this was the worst part of the meal. The "homemade" waffles looked and tasted like they had been frozen for months so I put all the waffle pieces on my bread plate. The gelato was good but the strawberry syrup needed sugar...it wasn't very good.
My wife and I were excited to come here as it's in such a nice location, but the food isn't worth what they charge for it. I could see coming here for a cocktail and relaxing outside on the patio, but not for food.
I have been to Waterplace several times over the last four years i've lived in Providence, and somehow have never reviewed it. I recently went to one of the Marra Restaurant group's Vino Versity events at Waterplace. They have moved this event around to several of their restaurants all over Rhode Island, but this is my favorite place for it. Luckily this time, it was held on their new-ish upstairs outdoor patio (technically part of View lounge). This is a great space to have a cocktail with a great view of the river and Waterplace park. Afterwards, we went down to the acutal restaurant patio closer to the action at Waterplace and had a great glass of wine along with a fabulous cheese and fruit platter. The selection was presented beautifully on a wooden board.
If you are lucky enough to grab a table at this place on a Waterfire night, you are guaranteed to have an amazing front row view of the action along with some tasty food and beverages. Definitely looking forward to visiting their outdoor patio again soon... always a great place to be!
Came here with a group for my girlfriend's birthday. Â The setting is cool, it's located right outside the riverway that hosts Water-Fire. Â The restaurant has a good vibe to it. Â You can eat, smell the aroma of the floating bonfires (no sarcasm-it is really nice), and the upper floor turns into a club in the evening. Â
Setting-wise - I'd give it Five stars.
Food - I tried the Chicken Skewers as appetizers. Â The chicken was bland and the dipping sauce didn't make too much of a difference. Â I would have asked for ketchup, but didn't want to make a case or anything for the birthday girl. Â For the entree, I had the Organic Double-Cut Pork Chop. Â This too was bland and I could have done without the "wilted arugala". Â
So Food would really get Two stars from me.
Service - haha, about that. Â Our waitress was serving our group of about 14. Â She was really nice, but perhaps a little too comfortable with us. Â Having not met before, she seemed to assess us and think that she could be relaxed and speak casually as though we were all a group of friends. Â I really didn't care as much, but my group did comment about that and I figure y'all should have a head's up in any case. Â Considering, my indifference to this I won't rate the waitresses professionalism, but be damned if she didn't mess up our orders and our bill. Â I suppose it comes with the territory of working with large groups. Â
Overall, I'd give Service Three and a half Stars to be fair. Â And to give credit where credit is due, the waitress did hook up one of our group when he forgot his license. Â She carded me instead and put the drinks under me without me having to ask (cause I was thinking the same thing). Â
In the end, my girlfriend had a good time and that's what matters. Â For those of you who aren't celebrating birthdays and have bland taste buds, I'd suggest sticking to the bar or the patio and shoot the breeze with the staff.
After picking up my two friends from back home, I wanted to greet them to Providence the right way, with food. Â They had settled into their hotel room and we immediately headed out. Â I wanted to take them to one of my favorite local eateries. Â Well, this time I wanted to take them somewhere I had never been, to experience a first time for everyone. Â I'm glad to say that now Waterplace Restaurant is now considered one of my favorite local eateries.
It was quite early for dinner but I was eager to check it out, for during the Water Fire season it boasts the best seating for the main lighting. Â I was very impressed by the valet at the door, even though we had been dropped off and we did not need his services, he still greeted us with a smile and the hospitality was present. Â We ventured down the stairs to the main restaurant and as we turned the corner, the host/waitress greeted us. Â Not only did she walk us to our table but for the first time in a long time I felt that she actually valued us as guests, rather than just people who want dinner. Â Throughout the night I couldn't help but acknowledge her true hospitality and she was a real human being with laughter and personality, who made no error. Â
After the waitress brought us our waters and menus, we were a little overwhelmed. Â Everything on the menu from appetizers to the noodle selections sounded so good, but it's impossible to try it all. Â The waitress was able to help us make up our minds and we left with no regrets. Â For the appetizer we ordered "Falafel and Tzatziki". Â Not only was it presented beautifully, every falafel was warm and crisp and the tzatziki was the perfect touch. Â For my entree I ordered the "Crispy Squid Po' Boy". Â I am very picky when it comes to calamari, it cannot be too gummy and the breading must stay on. Â I felt that calling this a sandwich is an understatement. Â This nine dollar entree could have fed a family of four. Â In addition for three dollars, the sweet potato fries were dynamite. Â The sandwich had fried green tomatoes along shredded lettuce along with a large amount of calamari. Â On top of that was a drizzle of a homemade lemon herb with spice dressing. Â It was filling, hearty, and extremely satisfying. Â
My friends decided to order a couple items and share amongst themselves. Â One ordered the BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad, which again was served to share, the other ordered Capelini Pasta with Classic Pink Vodka Sauce. Â Now, this restaurant does not boast to be Italian, but many items do reflect the culture. Â I found that after tasting that pasta, that Water Place could easily gain quick recognition for such a quality dish. Â The basil was just the right touch to the top of the noodle mountain. Â
Water Place, in my opinion was able to capture the sole essence of dining. Â The beautiful and perfect balance of quality service, quality food, and old fashioned hospitality. Â As we departed, the general manager, Juan, introduced himself. Â He asked us how our meal was, and again his question was sincere and genuine. Â We responded with a sincere and genuine answer that we couldn't have asked for a better meal and overall experience.
This was one of the worst dining experiences I've had in a long time. Â
The service was terrible, decor terrible and yup, you guessed it, the food was terrible. Â We went for a Birthday and because they said they had a gluten free menu. Â While the menu looked good, they could just not execute. Â We asked for gluten free calamari and I am almost 100% sure the server gave us the regular, I was ill the whole next day. Â While our server was sweet, she had no clue what "Gluten Free" meant. Â i ordered the filet which came out rock hard and charred. Â My parents had the "Brick Chicken", it was just a sliced chicken breast. Â The veggies were cold, etc, etc. Â While it wasn't outrageously priced, we would have been better off at a chain restaurant. Â I hate to write a poor review, but it was really that bad.
My husband planned a really romantic night for us during the breast cancer water fire last year. He made reservations for sun down so we could see them light the torches. They sat us at the perfect time, the service was great and the food was really good! The view of waterfire was PERFECT. (We sat outside right by the path perfect for viewing the lighting)
Review Source:I went on a night that there was the waterfire and sat out on the deck. It was a great view of the event and all the people.
The food was decent, but nothing to rave about. There's a bar/club upstairs afterhours that seems like a lot of fun. This would be a cute place for a casual date.
The calamari was really really good.
There are two parts to this review, the club section which is called view and the restaurant section which is called Waterplace restaurant. Â Both are the same place in the same building just happen at different times of the day.
The restaurant: Â I have not eaten at this restaurant and to be honest I will not be eating here based on what others have said. Â There are so many great places to eat in Providence and it's to bad that this place has such a great location but such poor food quality.
The night club (4 stars): Â The night club is called View lounge and it's a great time! Â Drinks are reasonable, crowd is beautiful, and the views are awesome. Â There is a huge square outdoor bar on the patio which fits around 100 people and it open as long as the weather is nice. Â There are VIP areas that you can reserve and are set up like cabanas. Â The middle floor is where the dance floor is located along with two more bars and a few more VIP sections. Â Dance floor, like all other dance floors gets HOT and packed on most weekend nights. Â The cover to get into View is usually $10 but is worth it based on the amount of people. Â There is only valet parking unless you feel like parking a little ways away and walking over. Â
Conclusion: If you are looking to have a great night out I would highly recommend heading to View lounge. Â If you are looking for a place to eat dinner go somewhere else. Â If you are looking for a great night out and drinks with friends than head over to View Lounge.
Food here was reasonable and not cheap but not too overpriced. Calamari seemed a bit overcooked, and I wasn't a big fan of the steak butter (too mustardy). Hard to tell what the ambience is typically like, as there happened to be a free WBRU concert right next to us.
My two big complaints were the drinks and the service. We were thinking of getting a bottle of wine, but we were swayed by the advertisement for muddled lemonades as featured summer drinks. They supposedly had vodka in them, but I'm pretty sure we could have passed a breathalyzer test with flying colors afterward, so the bartender either skipped an ingredient or was incredibly stingy.
Second, the waiter seemed very distracted, and occasionally emerged onto the patio, walked around aimlessly, and then went back in without seeing if we needed, for example, more water. In particular, after our main course plates were removed, we waited ten minutes with nothing on the table before being asked about dessert, and the waiter had the nerve to make a joke about this instead of apologizing. I was constantly given the impression that he had more important tables to deal with, yet I never saw him serving them.
It's a cute menu with fair prices, but the food wasn't good enough to overcome the lousy attention to detail.
Had the meal been pricey, this would have been a bad experience, but the reasonable tab allowed it to simply be completely lacklustre. Dining options overlooking Waterplace Park are few, but even with the advantage of an al fresco view, this spot falls short with bland, dark indoor decor (not that there was even one party dining indoors on a Friday night, mostly outdoor cocktails, it seemed), unimaginative dishes, and a general sense of mediocrity. The location does offer a nice view of the city for a couple of outdoor cocktails, if you don't mind a schmoozy piano player belting out easy listening and your waiter in jeans (the ones your dad wears 21 times in a row before he washes them), taking shots with the bachelorette party.*
*Of course, as far as upping the cool-factor, bachelorette parties themselves don't do anybody any favors.
Skip it. There are so many other wonderful restaurants in Providence to experience, this place is just a waste of your time and money. The decor of the restaurant is cheesy. They could do so much more with this building, which has such a nice location. We went for dinner with a group of friends and stayed for dancing. As an appetizer we ordered the drunken clams which in all honesty is why I'm giving two stars instead of one. The clams were quite good. The broth was very flavorful and the clams were cooked just right. This, however, was the highlight of the night. Because I wasn't very fond of the menu to start I ended up ordering a very simple pasta dish, which literally translated to fresh tomatoes and pasta. LIES. The tomatoes were anything but fresh and the whole dish was depressingly under seasoned. As I looked down the table at the other dishes, everything seemed very uninspired and boring.
At around 10 o'clock the staffs starts breaking down the restaurant area to make it into a VIP/Dance room. This was beyond lame. Because it was a friends birthday, someone had reserved a VIP area. We were told we would have our own "VIP section". Turns out a VIP section means two white couches (oohh lala) on the side of the dance floor. With the "VIP couch" comes your own waitress. I would recommend ordering a few drinks at a time because she doesn't visit often.
All in all, it was disappointing. I doubt I'll be visiting again anytime soon.
Came here after a day at the office with a couple co-workers.  It was a week day and the place was pretty empty.  The service was exceptional - a friend mentioned an allergy during our conversation, and the waiter  overheard.  He took care to keep the friends food allergen free with no requests made at all. Â
The food was distinctive, but not nearly as good as I was expecting given the description and the look. Â Peanut Butter and Jelly wings came off tasting dull, while wine and cheese fritters were surprisingly bland. Â It was highly surprising as the presentation and look of the food were top notch.
The tastiest part of the night for me turned out to be my mushroom and cheese meatloaf.  Which, when you get down to it, was still meatloaf.  I ordered it, so that's on me I guess.  My friends steak and jambalaya were also good representations of their food groups, but nothing to match the atmosphere and presentation.  Perhaps we were there  on an off night. Ultimately, the service was enough to make one mostly overlook the fact that the taste could have been better.  Mostly.
I really wanted to like this place. Came here for NYE with some friends after seeing Waterplace's NYE deal: $100 per couple got you dinner (1 app, 2 entrees, 1 dessert) along with entrance to the lounge afterward to ring in the new year.
However, the night got off to a bad start when we waited over half an hour to be seated... and we had a reservation. The explanation: due to the weather, people came in for their reservations late so everything got pushed back. Granted it's hard to plan for mother nature's interventions, but it was not a great way to start off the night, especially since there was really no where out of the way to stand and my party was constantly moving to keep out of the way of staff and guests making their way to the upstairs lounge. (Also, I thought I came home to New England where snow in the winter is a given. A little slush should not impose too much).
Once seated, we discover that our table is right near the stage, my end closest to the speakers. While the live music was appreciated, the volume was a bit much. Â Had this entertainment been in the lounge area, I would have been fine with it (volume and all) but it didn't really make for a relaxing dining experience. To their credit, management did step in and have them lower the volume a bit which made conversation a little easier. However, when the group was finished, a DJ accompanied by a live drummer took over... and the volume slowly crept back up and then some.
On to dinner. I will say the dinner/club entrance for $100/couple was a great value. You could pick anything off the menu, and the wiser among my group went straight for the filet mignon. Had I done this, The review may have been bumped up a star... but I'll discuss that in a minute. For my appetizer I chose the calamari in a BBQ basil butter. For my entree, I went with the scallops (seared and topped with jalapeno, mango and roasted pineapple butter, served atop a sweet corn pancake with corn, red pepper, and spinach saute). And for dessert, the chocolate cake (I think the waitress called it the fudgie-wudgie).
The calamari was amazing, best part of my meal. Sadly, after finishing, I wished I would have stopped there. The sauce on the calamari was nice and tangy, would have been happy if that was my main course.
On to the scallops... Long story short, they were way over-cooked, rubbery and I needed a knife to cut them. I managed to eat one but that was it. On the plus side, the flavors were good, and I enjoyed the corn cake and spinach saute that came with it. I don't know if we just caught them on a bad/busy night or what, but overall I was unimpressed. While it was new years, and they did have the lounge area to manage as well, I feel if you are going to offer the dinner portion of the night, you should put just as much effort into that part as well.
From the rest of my party: everyone with the filet enjoyed their meal. The other person to get the scallops also felt they were overdone. It was a split decision on the halibut (one thought it too was overcooked, the other liked it). The only other snafu to occur was one of the entrees was 'stolen'... when our meals were brought out, the hesitantly asked who ordered the jambalaya, then apologetically said there was a mix up, it was stolen, and he had to pick something else, since they were now out of it. He ended up with the filet and a comped meal for the hassle so probably ended up better off.
The dessert: chocolate cake, hard to mess up, it was good, chocolatey. But honestly, by that point in the evening we were all just ready to get up to the lounge (especially since the aforementioned DJ/drummer had taken over and my eardrums were taking another beating).
The lounge area was nice, a few bars spread throughout, with an enclosed patio. Probably would have stayed out on the patio longer if it was a bit warmer because it offered a great view of waterfire (and there was also fireworks that night, but I missed out seeing that). The drinks were a little pricey for the size, but they did pack a punch so that made up for that. The aerial acrobatist was pretty cool. The lounge got pretty packed but there was still enough room for us all to get out dance on (only a few minor collisions). We were so busy dancing the night away we nearly missed out on the champagne toast as midnight... almost. Luckily we made it in time.
All in all, I think Waterplace has potential, but I think they might have been overwhelmed with the NYE crowd. With some more planning I think these kinks could be worked out (just a suggestion, either regulate the volume in the dining area or don't sit people so close to the speakers). While I'm not in a rush to repeat this experience, I could see this making a nice dinner destination in the spring/summer for the outdoor seating with waterfire view. Go for the view, the calamari, and the filet (which I sadly missed out on).
Blech. I went here for mother's day last year with my family and my grandmother. I made reservations and asked specifically to be seated outside. Once we arrived, to my horror, we were placed upstairs where they jammed 30 tables into a room that could maybe fit 12 tables. Keep in mind, the tables were card tables and the chairs were foldable.
After we squeezed ourselves in, we noticed IT WAS A BUFFET. Now, don't get me wrong, I do like a buffet now and again. But I would not have made reservations there had I known it would be a buffet!
Our server was horrible... I'm not even sure he understood what we were asking him. Water? uhhhh.... Knife? uhhhh.... Place setting? uhhhh....
The food was mediocre at best. The only okay items were the croissants, and I'm pretty sure they were from a box.
Overall, I would think twice before trying out this restaurant again.
For this company affair, we had a cut menu, fish filet, steak filet or pumpkin-chicken ravioli.
i ordered steak, my immediate supervisor had the fish and our assistant was forced into eating the ravioli since she couldn't recall exactly what she reserved. i'll get to the point quickly: gross, bland, disappointing.
the steak could have been anything, but it didn't taste like anything but refrigerator. the mashed potatoes lacked any discernible spice or flavor, and the broccoli tasted like the steak.
the pumpkin ravioli served with chicken cubes, most succinctly summed up in the following quote: "can i just say that i will forever remember that meal as the most disgusting one i've ever had?" it was bland and tasted neither like ravioli nor pumpkin, nor anything else that she would ever put in her mouth again.
the fish dry and overcooked with bone remnants so large, our poor guest had to excuse himself from the table to spit them out.
we were, however, served a great shiraz and i had the strongest (tastiest) hurricane that thoroughly rocked me.
This place is just called "Waterplace" now, but it is a strong option for Waterfire dinner, if you can get an outside table. Another in the string of Pinelli Marra eateries populating little Rhody, this offers their standard New American fare with a nod to italian.
Scillian salad (Romaine, blood oranges, goat cheese, smoked prosciutto) was very good, and large enough to share. Honey Chipotle Calamari was tasty, sweet and smokey. The Pillows from Above (pumpkin Ravioli topped with glazed chicken, sweet peas and candied walnuts) were excellent, but we asked for no walnuts and they forgot and nearly  offed my lady who is uber allergic. Oh well, honest mistake, albeit potentially fatal.
Great wine list, and despite the slow service, this was a fantastic al fresco Waterfire meal out.
Prices are exceptionally reasoble, as is standard for Pinelli Marra establishments. They have a full two floor lounge and inside dining as well, but if weather permits, enjoy your meal outside.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
