Wildwood Restaurant

Reviews 4

A

A Private User

When one is spending $30 and up for an entree, the expectation is that the food will be superior and the service perfect. Although this restaurant has been in the area for a few years, we had never eaten here until a friend invited us. Now I know why-nobody has ever raved to us about it so it was never on our radar. I had high expectations as we walked in because the restaurant is beautiful and inviting. We waited about 10 minutes for our server to greet us. He was pleasant enough. We ordered wine and some appetizers. The artichoke fritters were below average. They were supposed to be in a parmesan batter but they just seemed very oily and flavorless and I think they used canned artichokes. The baby octopus was okay but it was more on the tough side than tender as the menu touts. It had good flavor. The Caesar salad was bland with almost no dressing. The homemade croutons were good. I had the seafood risotto which was recommended by our server and the hostess. Unfortunately, one bite and I knew the rice was undercooked. For $28, there was no way I was going to suffer through it. I beckoned our waiter over and told him. He informed be that that is how risotto is supposed to be..."with a bite". Since I have eaten risotto many times at home and in restaurants this was slightly insulting. I am well aware of "bite" and even if this was someones first time eating it, wouldnt you know if the rice was cooked all the way through or not? What happened to the customer is always right? He brought it back to the kitchen and a few minutes later came out to say "It was undercooked!". He then said that they had been serving it all night and I was the first to complain so they were surprised I was right. I feel badly for all of the people who ate it. I guess the chef must make one large batch early in the night and then finish each serving off with one more scoop of seafood broth which didnt quite cook it all the way through. He brought me a new dish of risotto which was better but some bites were still undercooked and it was extremely salty. It did have 3 very large shrimp and 3 large scallops that were delicious. My husband and friend had the swordfish which they both said was good and my other friend had the grouper which she also said was good. For dessert, we shared a the carrot cake which was moist and dense and one of the best Ive had and the flourless chocolate cake which was good. I would have given it a below average but the server did take my risotto off the bill so at least they acknowledged the risotto was not their standard. When you spend $300 on dinner for 4 (with 2 apps, 2 bottles wine, and 2 desserts), you want to leave feeling like you had a really great meal. We did not. I think the restaurant is ok but nowhere near the quality it should be for the prices they charge. There are so many other restaurants in the area with better food and better prices, I am not sure why we would go back. If I did go back it would be at lunch with friends to eat outside on their patio.

A

A Private User

Horrible experience - it all began when no server came to the table for 15 minutes after we sat down. The food took forever to come out and it was simultaneously overcooked and cold. One of the dishes was completely wrong, and when we told our server this she did not apologize but instead stood at the table for 20 seconds looking at what she had written down (hint: you take it away immediately and resolve the problem). Once she brought the correct entree, she said the kitchen screwed up. The owner came over ten seconds after she left and apologized, saying the server put the wrong order in. After the owner left we discovered that this dish was also cold, but could not flag down the server for another ten minutes. We were finally able to tell her that while the dish was edible, we would prefer that it would be heated up. The server left for another ten minutes (we assumed she would perhaps bring out another dish), when she came back without a dish we complained about the temperature again and she said "well you said it was edible, I thought you were going to eat it." We told her to heat it up, and the manager came over. After relating him our grievances, he said "well its Christmas Eve, so its all hands on deck. Please come back and try us out again." (note: this is not an acceptable explanation, if you cannot handle the traffic, you reduce the amount of tables you book). The correct dish finally arrived at the correct temperature but of course the rest of the party was finished with their respective meals. When it took an inordinate amount of time to get the check we assumed the manager was going to do the right thing and comp some or all of the meal. Alas, this was not the case and we against our better judgment paid the bill in full with a commensurately modest tip. The restaurant itself is strangely designed - entering on Third Street places you in a bar area and you have to cut cross the entire dining area to reach the hostess station. The decor is tasteful if bland - you would expect a tad more sophistication if you are dropping at least $50 a head, but this would hardly be a sticking point if the food and service wouldve been on point. The menu is standard American, nothing interesting or particularly enticing. In conclusion, all we were offered was contradictory excuses for poor execution at an exorbitant price on what was supposed to be a special night for my family. No one resolved the issues in any satisfactorily manner. I suggest you dine elsewhere if you have the option.

CA

Calvin Richard

I went to this restaurant for dessert with my family last night and it was so awful we left before getting our drinks (separate from the water.) When my 20 year old brother tried to order a martini under a state law that minors can have alcohol in a restaurant if approved by a parent. The waiter eventually agreed to it, but not before checking with his boss. Also, someone else in our party said to the waiter >5 times that he wanted a cappuccino and he didnt respond until we shouted right before he went back inside because either he couldnt hear or was just ignoring us. 10 minutes later the owner comes out and says that him having alcohol underage with a parent is not Illinois law. We asked him if he checked and he said no, responding "I know the law." He had a big attitude telling us, which then my brother said "Youre kind of being a dick" He didnt hear us but if he did I thought he would kick us out. After that we decided to leave. Terrible service and expensive food made that short visit a terrible idea.

KI

Kira Kornecki

I dont understand why people think the food is good here. Its WAY over priced. My $38 ribeye tasted like they bought it at Walmart. The sautéed spinach was gross. My husband didnt even eat his pricey Pork Belly appetizer because it was awful. I know its not a restaurant you take kids but the quality they were served was bad. The quesadillas were dry & flavorless...pretty much inedible. (They at least took them off our bill). My daughters chicken fingers were like the soles of my sneaker and shoe string fries are never a good choice since they go cold so fast, dont hold salt and have no flavor. So many better places to eat in Geneva. Well never go back.