Chart House

Reviews 3

RA

Rachel Fitzgerald

We have been to the Chart House before, several years ago in Jacksonville FL. Our most recent experience in Melbourne FL was a COMPLETE disappointment in comparison- they have definitely gone down hill. The first very little annoyance was the ordering process. After my husband ordered his Mahi, the server asked "and would you prefer our salad bar or soup with that". After serving in upscale restaurants through college, I know that servers are clearly trained that when something is an additional cost, you must say something to the effect of "would you like to ADD a soup or salad bar to that," and should not indicate that a soup or salad is included with the meal. I do feel that the waiver was trying to deceptively up-sell. Again, this was just a small annoyance, and simple a pet peeve of mine. The big issue was the food. It was absolutely terrible. I ordered a Filet medallion and shrimp combo for $30+, and is was disgusting. My first round (ordered Medium Rare) came out WELL done and chewy. My server dropped it off and ran, and even though I could immediately tell upon seeing the plate that it was very much overdone. Im not super picky with my meat temps, and will take anything from rare to medium- especially when its a good cut of meat like filet. Usually, it tastes good anyway! So, even though it looked really overdone, I tried it anyway. Im not sure many people would have been able to keep that plate- it was hard and chewy. Certainly nothing I could put up with spending $30 on. It took me several minute to get the server back. After showing him the steak and explained him it was very well done, he asked "do you want another one" shortly. I sent the plate back to get a replacement. Then, about 3 minutes later, the chef brought out a new steak. It was VERY rare (cold, red middle, barely done outside). This, I could handle, so I said it would be fine. However, upon actually taking a bite, I found that the quality of the meat was very poor, and the sauce was absolutely horrendous. Im not sure even a perfect medium rare cook could have made that meat taste good! It was topped with a flavorless, brown colored diner style gravy with a few mushrooms in it. Terrible! Additionally, my husbands dinner, although well cooked, was laughably bad tasting overall. The mahi was macadamia crusted, with a peanut satay style sauce, and a sweet mango relish on top. All three things separate were ok, but together? A mess. The one saving grace of this meal was the chowder and the lobster bisque. Both were great! Overall this was absolutely the worst meal Ive eaten in a restaurant in years. We went to Chipotle for lunch the next day and laughed about how much higher quality and better tasting the food from a FAST FOOD place was compared to the Chart House. Well be sticking to River Rocks, and even Melting Pot for special dinner before well ever go anywhere near a Chart House again!

ZE

Zester Taylor

We made reservations to celebrate an anniversary, requested a particular waitress, and a table at the windows. All requests were confirmed. When we arrived we were seated within ten minutes at a table away from the windows and handed menus without any preprinted congratulations on the top. We asked about that and the person left and came back with the preprinted ones. Our waiter (Not our waitress) took our orders, but only suggested the most expensive things on the menu. Our first drink orders came quickly, but one person at our table was drinking beer and all of his reorders were very slow and one had to be asked for the second time. The waiter claimed he had to wait for it to come up. Right, you go to the bar and say I need a Miller Light and they hand you one, he just hadnt gone to get it each time. One person asked for a certain wine and he informed her they were almost out of it, but he would try to get her a glass. He didnt take one persons drink order and had to be called back to take the order. The person drinking the beer wanted a fillet mignon, but was informed they were out of the large cut. The Salad Bar was lacking in many items. While eating the salad the waiter took a plate that my wife was still eating from and she called him back to retrieve her food. Our meals came and three of us ordered from the early bird menu so they each came with mashed potatoes and we all agreed they were gummy and tasted like powdered potatoes(Terrible). We had a side of sautéed mushrooms and they had very little flavor. We always have the mushrooms because they were always very good. One person had ordered the Lava Cake and ended up eating about two bites because it had very little chocolate sauce so it was very dry. Service and food used to be the forte of The Chart House, now from the staff seating you, supplying the bare salad bar and staff serving your food something is lacking. This is to me an indicator that management has slipped in their efforts and selection of staff. I know Johnny O has been there for years, but should we ever return we will be requesting that he not be our waiter and if that request would be denied we have walked out restaurants before and would again. On our way back home we all discussed the possibility of finding a new place for dinning. If you are going to charge five star prices you should give 5 star service and food.

DE

Derek Sherman

Having grown up in the area and remembering that this was the most exclusive restaurant around, I was incredibly disappointed with my visit in June 2013. The ambiance is the first, most shocking disappointment. There are simply too many tables crowded in to the dining area (which is overwhelmed by the salad bar.) Due to the number of guests, it was incredibly to LOUD. One simply could not enjoy an elegant dining experience with all the noise: it felt more like a cafeteria at a railway station. The salad bar: a definite no-go at a restaurant in this price category. Rip it out and made more room for the guests. The bar: sluggish. We thought that an apéritif would be a delightful idea, sadly, it arrived after the appetizer, since the bar was backed up. The meal: mediocre. There is nothing more than can be said. I started with the gazpacho. I am accustomed to having the ability to add the fresh chopped vegetables at MY wish to the gazpacho, and not already mixed for me; and I do not like having what I eat dictated to me. For the prices of the entrées, one should expect something different than simply mediocre. I had the pan seared scallops: made better at home, and had better at inexpensive Asian grills. The only option for vegetarians/vegans is the chopped salad; very sad, indeed. The server: a little too personal. When one expects a finer, more elegant dining AND pays the prices, one expects a server to be a background part of the experience in a dignified manner. The whole serving team seemed to be too involved in the meal, somewhat like an aftertaste that one simply can not define. Although our server naturally did a good job, the whole style would have been more fitting for a riverside grill on the docks with some wine or cocktails. Experienced better of all of the above in many other places in the Melbourne area, and have visited one that met all the expectations and was definitely worth its price (less than the Chart House and only a few hundred yards away,)