Harbor House

Reviews 7

A

A Private User

I wish I could give this a 2.5, The service overall was substandard. It was slow, inattentive (drink orders were forgotten) and the waitress was easily distracted when asked a question while in the midst of the special description. We were pretty much left on our own for long periods of time. The restraurant was crowded, almost too many tables and very warm. The waiter was sweating up a storm. Waitress also mumbled and it was hard to hear what she was saying. People at another table were commenting on the amount of time it was taking to get a drink as well. We ordered a side of asperagus. They were very thick stalks, not the thin stalks as should be excepted at a restraurant like this. I asked for a knife, the waitress pointed to an enlarged butter knife looking utensil next to my plate and said, "What does that look like?" Well, I supposed it could be a fish knife. However, it would not cut the asperagus and I ended up using my friends knife once she was finished with her meal. Desserts were average, nothing special. The entrees were okay. Again, nothing special, you could do better somewhere else. I did like the martini with the cucumber and mint. We would have ordered a bottle of wine with dinner, but the menu was taken away and the waiter/waitress never suggested it, so we thought "forget it". My husband and I were with another couple we all thought the same thing - average at best. My in-laws were there the night before and they thought the food was average as well. Save your money for Roots, Crazy Water, Tess, Iron Horse, etc. All are more intimate and the food and service much better.

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TY

Tyler Schritz

My wife and I decided to try out Harbor House to celebrate our first anniversary, and we were not disappointed. The staff was very friendly from the get-go, including the bartenders that waited on us until our table was ready. We had a table right next to the window with a great view of the harbor and art museum. The decor of the restaurant is fantastic, and they also spend a lot of time and money (it appears) on their outdoor flowers and landscaping. Both of us had the 6 oz Filet Mignon; mine paired with half a Maine lobster and hers paired with a South African lobster tail. The filet was done PERFECTLY to order (medium rare and medium respectively), and the lobster was also delicious. The wait staff was terrific, making sure we had a great experience, but also not being intrusive. They also provided us both with a complimentary champagne toast, and we were congratulated by several of the staff on our anniversary. Absolutely no complaints about the staff. As far as pricing goes, it did not seem out of the ordinary for an upper-scale seafood restaurant in Milwaukee. $50 for a steak and lobster seemed fair to me. Overall, a great experience, and we will be back again!

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JO

Jo Ann Sheldon

Happy Mothers Day! We went for Brunch, GREAT selection of food fresh and very nice variety. The raw bar was so good, East and West coast oysters, delicious sauces and toppings. Tuna Tartar was amazing. Also forgot to mention the salad dressing were so good, I have to believe the were all freshly prepared. Lobster pot pie was interesting. We all ordered eggs Benedict two were with smoked salmon, mine with a crab cake. The Hollandaise was perfect! Not one of those instant sauces from a can. Tried some salmon from the lunch buffet with a brandy cream sauce, it too was delicious the sauce was amazing with the salmon. Desserts....what can I say it was a great ending to an amazing meal. This is not your typical brunch buffet, everything is fresh and replenished throughout the time we were there. The entire staff was so friendly, definitely made the experience so nice. The only thing that I could say that need improvement was the made to order omelets, there was only one chef and the line and wait was very long. All in all it was a great meal and made my mothers day fantastic.

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JO

John Hastings

Visit started off a little sketchy with a fire truck arriving for an emergency as we were walking in. The staff handled the situation gracefully and we were sat at a small table by the window overlooking the lake. The restaurant servers work in tandems, and we were lucky enough to get Amanda and Jack who were great. Fast, friendly, and attentive. My wife (newlyweds if 2 days) had the swordfish which was great, and I had the Maine Lobster (Jacks suggestion) and the 18 Oz ribeye. The lobster was great, but the steak......the steak was quite possibly the best steak I have ever had. The night closed with Amanda bringing us a crembrulet like we have never had before as it had expresso flavor to it. I think some would say the price was a little high, but honestly if you factor in the ambiance with the amount of food you receive with the exquisite taste (again, that steak was phenomenal) it really is a great value. We will definately make the hour and a half drive to come again, possibly multiple times a year.

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IR

Ira Lee

I was utterly unimpressed. 1: Price: 3 people, 200 dollars (tip and valet included), which would be understandable if the food was better, but it wasnt. 2: the Food I ordered the filet minon. It was DECENT. Not worth the price! It was equivalent to a steak at Longhorn. Ive had MUCH better steaks at longhorn 3: The ambiance: meh. It wasnt anything special. Yes there was a decent view of the city skyline. MUCH better view from the north avenue hill, and you can have a picnic there. The noise was average, but for what I expected it might as well been a chuck e cheese. I think many of the reviews are influenced by the price and by the view. The food is decent. But i think people expect it to taste better than it really is, because its supposed to be better than it actually is. BUT 2/3 of us got steaks, and they arent known as a steak house. Perhaps the seafood is better. Not going to waste my time or money there again. Had a better and cheaper meal at the Butterfly club. MUCH more romantic and quieter.

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DA

Dave Schwalbach

I took my girlfriend to the Harbor House this past Sunday for our 1 year anniversary from our first date. I mentioned this in my OpenTable reservation in "special note section" and was not sure anyone had seen it. After we arrived, we were seated at on of the larger booths meant for 6 people or so, even though there were plenty of smaller tables available. This provided a more intimate and private dining experience, while still having a great view of the lake/skyline/art museum. As our server brought us our drinks, she brought a champagne toast and said she understood we were celebrating a special day. I had not said anything about it in person, just the note on Open Table. This was really an awesome touch, and one that my girlfriend really enjoyed. At the end of the meal, the server brought us a free dessert to celebrate, and none of these special touches were reflected in our bill. The food was great and the experience was one to remember. Thank you!

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MI

michele braun

We are long time Bartolotta Restaurant customers and have never been disappointed until we visited Harbor House April 10 2016. The first disappointment was the appetizer. We ordered the deep fried clams with French fries. There were 7 small strips of clam and a pile of French fries. There should have been more clams and less fries for the 12.95 price tag. Then I had the clam chowder soup, which was delicious but had grit and sand in it. The next disappointment was the entrée. I ordered the Walleye. Flavors were good however, I ended up getting fish scales and bones in my mouth. When I brought the scale and bone issue up to the waiter he said "That is to be expected because the fish is fresh and butchered at the restaurant." Scales and bones in my fish from such a high class restaurant is unacceptable. We will think long and hard before visiting Harbor House again.

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