Circa 1922

Reviews 4

RI

Richard Davis

I must preface this review by stating my wife and I are foodies and are willing to pay top dollar for the experience – we love great food and service and have gone to many places around the world to experience it. There are many great places we have been in Washington DC, Charlotte NC, Raleigh NC, Los Angeles CA, San Diego CA, Hilton Head, Outer Banks, London England, Munich Germany, Prague, Dubai, Kuwait, Bahrain, etc). So here it is – my family and my in-laws were referred to Circa 1922 by another establishment in Wilmington that could not accommodate our party size (7) or time. We called and made a reservation - it was easy. Upon arrival we were seated immediately in the upstairs dining area and noticed it was quite busy so we adjusted our expectations - no worries. Even so, the experience went down-hill quickly. We did not receive our Sangrias for 34 minutes and waited 1 hour and 10 minutes for our entrees. Unfortunately, the Filet entree was more suited for my 8 year old son and not an active male adult as it consisted of a 4 oz or so chunk of meat, a spoonful of potatoes, and 5 asparagus shoots with slender onion rings - that was it. The chicken and pasta dish my daughter ordered was adequate for a small to moderate appetite as was the shrimp plate. Truthfully the food was very tasty, but the portions were not commensurate with the price point or leaving the establishment feeling like you had a full meal. My 5 year old daughter, completely on her own, politely called out the wait staff by inquiring why it took so long to get our drinks and our food (as I stated before, my wife and I are foodies and take our children often1). I did speak to the manager about the unacceptable time-frames and the scant portions - she adjusted the bill by about 30% which I appreciated, but even so - I will likely try something else as this establishment serves small dishes with extended time-frames at an unreasonable price-point for what you get. If you have a lot of time on your hands and are not very hungry or a big eater – then come to Circa 1922, otherwise explore other options. For the management – if you cannot accommodate large numbers, then don’t. If you get behind, then don’t seat additional guests outside your reservation clients as these tend to spend more and come back. Should you choose to continue serving small portions as a matter of practice, then at least give your customers the curtesy of making a choice for themselves by placing the sizes of the portions on the menu. I know that most upper cust establishments do not regularly do this, but the portions for the Filet were so small it was insulting. If the floor leadership cannot orchestrate the kitchen, bar, and wait-staff, then find a new business model. I think Circa 1922 has potential, they just need to tie it all together.

NO

No Body

The food itself was good, however, everything else was so bad it made the food less enjoyable. Went there for an anniversary dinner and things started off bad from the time we walked in the door. Asked for a table and was told it would be a minute. 5 minutes later was told they were still cleaning. They asked for a number to call when a table was ready. Left a number and walked up and down the block never leaving the block or crossing the street. Decided to check out the shop next door, after 30 minutes and no call went back to circa 1922. Upon returning we were told they wrote the number down wrong and they couldnt find us when they looked. We were seated and looked over the menu, now its important to note this was the first time dining there. We had decided on appetizers, entrées and wine put the menus down before the waitress came the first time. She asked if we wanted water and then left. A few minutes later she returned with water and took our order. It took at least 45 minutes for our appetizers to arrive. After they cleared those dishes and gave us our first refill of water we waited almost an hour for our entrées during which time we saw a group larger than ours be seated, order and served food all before our dinner was delivered. After finishing our food with clear signs we were done, fork and napkin on empty plate, we watched our waitress walk directly past our table 5 times before she finally came back to see if we wanted anything else. Having had enough of the waiting game we said no, just bring the check. It was 20 more minutes before we left. They did not even offer any kind of apology for messing up with the phone number. And on top of all that they had someone there playing piano that only caused all the customers to yell over it. The only reason this place gets 2 stars is because the food tasted good.

JI

Jim Lamonda

We dined at Circa early last Sunday in fact we had 5 PM Reservations. We were seated promptly by a young hostess and given menus and the wine list. The restaurant was so dark my wife had to pull out her small flashlight so we could read our menus and the wine list. Now my first question is why, the darkness reminds of the Old Boys Steak House of many years gone by. Our waiter was friendly and knowledgeable which helped he even offered a flashlight. The darkness must be a problem for a lot of folks. The food was good but once again we could not see it, if this is supposed to be one of the better restaurants in town then why not show off your food. Why hide it. The entree portions were adequate but yet even with appetizers we still did not feel quite full, maybe this is a ploy to get us to buy a 10.00 dessert. The Manager stopped by the table to ask how everything was, she did not bother to introduce herself. She asked a quick question and moved on the restaurant was not crowded and she could have spent another minute. She was not dressed well at all the hostess and wait staff were dressed better, in fact she looked rather like a House Frau. What is up with this???. I am a former Certified Executive Chef so I think I know a little about restaurants. I will not be recommending Circa to anyone that I know.

AU

Aubrey Barto

Highlight of our culinary adventures in Wilmington! Eclectic Menu, creative pairings, delicious wine selection. We walked in w/o reservations and were seated immediately. We were greeted by a warm and intimate atmosphere. I started with perfectly cooked escargot served over pastry with a devinely rich mushroom sauce. Organic house salad was served with a simple yet elegant vinaigrette, walnuts, and a fried gorgonzola ball. The fried cheese was a little much for me, but made for interesting plate appeal. For an entrée, I enjoyed perfectly cooked duck con fit, she had the filet also cooked to perfection. Circa 1922 boasts a delightful and diverse wine selection at all price points, many of which are served by the glass, carafe, or bottle. We had a crisp Argentina carmeniere. Confections range from Grand to petit, all are house made, and serve as an excellent completion to our meal. I had café au lait, she had a small cheese cake with blue berries. Our server, Jamie, was knowledgeable, attentive, and provided good recomendations. My only criticism is that our wine was freshly corked, and there was no taste before serving... semantics. We highly recommend Circa 1922 for an excellent meal that could easily be twice as much elsewhere. Great food, warm atmosphere, fairly priced. Thank you Circa 1922.