Overall 2 -
Food 2, Ambience 6, Value 0, Service 0
We had a TERRIBLE dining experience at Captain John's last weekend, the only thorn in our otherwise wonderful weekend away down the coast. It was evident from the moment we were seated that the waitress was not too pleased to have us there, her attitude was professional but on the other end of the scale from friendly. We ordered the 'natural' lobster to share between 4 of us, plus an entree each. The 'natural' lobster, which cost about $75, was a small sized lobster that came straight from the fridge, halved with a side of lettuce salad. The lobster was overcooked and was still half FROZEN! We could not believe that we were paying $75 for someone to halve a $30 lobster you can get from the local fish store. The other entrees varied in quality - the seafood broth was pretty good, the prawn fettucini dish was delicious, the oysters were yummy too (but you can't go wrong with the oysters in that region), but the scallops were overcooked also.
After our meal, we went to the bar to pay (we were pretty eager to leave). The waitress asked us how our food was and we told her that it wasn't very good. She seemed a little surprised and said (in what I hoped was a sarcastic tone) "Do you want to leave?". We told her we will pay for the meal (eventhough it was a complete rip off - at least the lobster was). We asked her where the lobster came from, she then said in her (perhaps permanent) sarcastic tone "Uh, the ocean?!". We told her the lobster was cold and still a little frozen, she then stated that "Well that's because it just came out of the fridge.". Perhaps I'm no chef or lobster connoisseur, but if I'm paying $75 for 1 dish, I expect more of an effort than just what I can get from the local supermarket chopped in half! She offered no apology or discount or showed anything other than disdain for our presence and our feedback.
This restaurant is called Captain John's, its bar is fashioned out of half a fake ship, yet its snobby waitress and pretentious white linen napkin that she lays on your lap suggests that it wants to be treated like a top quality fancy restaurant. If you want to pay $75 for a small half-frozen lobster that came from "the ocean?!" with a side of lettuce salad with not-very-ripe cherry tomatoes and grated carrot, then this is the place for you! But watch out for the waitress's bark, her bite has not been tested as part of this review. (Judy - November, 2011)
