02/20/09

A Great February Birthday!!!

by troytruly

My wife surprised me for my birthday and had me drive right up to the door before I knew that this restaurant was the surprise. I had never heard of it although I take the FDR often enough. There was a valet that took our car immediately so no search for parking. We were seated immediately by a host who knew of us without reading a guest list. The ambience is beautiful. There was a live pianist. The food was great. I ordered from the pre fixe menu which is anything but cheap in quality for $35. The tomato soup appetizer was "assembled" right in front of us. The chicken breast was a hearty, flavorful proportion and the layered chocolate cake was a symphony of rich nutty flavor. Did I mention sterling silver utensils? I had some great gourmet coffee and a glass of white wine. In total our bill( I snuck a peek) was $86 and well worth it. Most people sat at the window but you can see the east river from anywhere in the resaurant. The wait staff was courteous and they checked in with us often. We lastly took pictures by the fireplace lounge and we were unrushed and completely comfortable the whole time. THe host even took the picture for us and offered to take as many as my wife deemed "cute". I had an unforgettable birthday there and I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking to have a truly fine dining experience.

• Pros: Seemles Service and dining experience. Incredible view
• Cons: Get directions as getting there may be tricky ( it's hidden under the FDR)

01/24/09

Staff was great, food wasn't

by Food12345

My friends and I went here for restaurant week. The bartender and staff was awesome but the food was not up to par. For the appetizer, all 9 of us ordered the crab soup - which ended up being flavorless and had an after-kick to it. For the entree about half of us ordered the lamb and while the rest ordered the chicken and salmon. The lamb was bland & overcooked, the olive sauce was just horrible. No one enjoyed their dinner. Dessert was a little bit better - we had the chocolate cake & the apple tart but by then no one wanted to eat anymore.

01/20/09

Great Lobster, nice atmosphere but pricey

by plue

I can not agree with all the negative reviews on this site. We had a 40th Birthday celebration for a friend of mine and the service, food were excellent. The entire staff was friendly and attentive to our needs and all of our dinners arrived on time and cooked exactly as ordered. The 2lb lobsters were worth every penny. Served tableside, cleaned and shelled, all we had to do was dip in butter. We were treated very, very well and the staff made this 40th birthday celebration very special. Yes, this place is pricey, but for sure it is one of those places for special occassions. I would recomend this place to anyone. Try it, you will not be disappointed.

• Pros: Beautiful and elegant setting, friendly staff, great lobster!
• Cons: Hard to get a cab after dinner. Side dishes are ala carte!

01/04/09

don't bother/ rude host

by zacharyjo

Was there afternoon January 3, 2008

Rude host in dining room/below average food

Save your money, and to an option with reasonable and courteous service

10/23/08

the best lobster and ambiance...

by janet68

I'm obsessed with good food and win and always want to eat in a special place. My husband?s family is English and they came over from England so I took them to The Water Club to eat, it?s a classic American cuisine, a very fashionable and cool restaurant. At the front doors a hostess with her big charming smile. We were given a nice table by the window with a great view on the east river and 59 st. bridge. It is fairly priced and you won't be disappointed. Our waiters were great! They were polite, funny and attentive without being in our faces; the service was very nice and fast. The talented pianist played some great music but was at a realistic sound level so you could still chat without yelling. The great atmosphere combined with the reasonable prices and tasty food makes it the perfect place to go in the city, the ambiance is great and the bathrooms are clean. It was a great experience, from start to finish. I highly recommend the water club restaurant and I will be definitely coming back soon!

• Pros: reasonable prices,tasty food and good service.
• Cons: nothing

10/03/08

rudest staff ive ever experienced

by eaglepar4

I wanted to take my father to a really great restaurant with awesome NYC views; however, what was supposed to be a fantastic experience turned out to be an absolute nightmare b/c of the inexcusably rude staff. Upon arriving, we encountered a rude host, which could have been forgiven had our experience changed. Unfortunately, the rudeness continued throughout our dinner. The waiter was not only unfriendly, but he acted as if he had a major problem when we asked him to describe a few meals to us. Additionally, he was so put out when we asked him to refill our drinks, etc. Simply put, a fine dining experience should be just that....you shouldnt have to put up with waiters and hosts who act as if they are better than you and who are clearly miserable doing there job.

• Pros: views
• Cons: unacceptable staff...RUDE

10/02/08

This floating restaurant should be CONDEMMED 09/25/08

by Ninakap

On the East River - The Water Club restaurant at 30th St. with the brass bar and polished wood floors, the large wrapped windows in the main dining room that look up/down the waterway to see what? The crows nest with its cheap plastic chairs on a wooded plank deck with broken pieces of glass pushed into cracks (out of the way of patron?s eye) with the smell of garbage bellowing from the river.

The few inside improvements are just a cover for the rude, sarcastic attitude of the wait staff. The small portions with BIG, BIG prices -3 slimy slices of tomatoes with 2 slices of mozzarella cheese at a mere $11.00. I ordered the filet steak (medium/rare). First steak, seared on the outside grey on the inside (where is the juice?), second steak seared on the outside and raw (not cooked) on the inside. I told the waiter to bring the chicken dish instead; I could not watch another steak being destroyed. Now with a sarcastic inquiry ?How do you want your chicken MEDIUM? No side dish of vegetable or potato was included. To make matters worst, one individual at our table order sorbet for dessert, the waiter was quick with his rude respond ?You want sorbet? Do you know what sorbet is?

How rude can you get? We are paying customers and this restaurant is not cheap.

I would not recommend this restaurant to anybody. It you are curious, don?t be. Save your money. If you need to see the water stroll on the promenade and enjoy the fleeting views. Better yet go somewhere else for lunch or dinner.

This floating restaurant should be CONDEMMED

Try Mr.K?s on Lexington & 51st Street. The inside of the restaurant is art deco, prices are not cheap, but food was great and the presentation of the food was like being in a royal palace. Lunch has a pre-fix menu. Try the lover?s dumpling.

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• Pros: parking
• Cons: need a car,service rude, too expensive

07/24/08

Worst Rest Experience Ever

by dvsh

This was the worst restaurant I have ever been to in NYC. I will definitely not be going back and I would discourage everyone from going. The service is horrible and food is expensive and poor tasting!

Went for restaurant week 2008 and were assured there would be vegetarian options- upon arrival they only offered to give us two appetizers which if ordered separately would have been cheaper than the restaurant week price. Ended up ordering off the menu and the salad was bitter and bad- they left off the polenta croutons which we had to ask them to bring out . the creamed spinach was tasteless. My partner's meal was equally poor - the rest week menu was bad, tasteless, dry, and the service was rude beyond belief. Will never go back!!!!

04/04/08

The worst fancy restaurant I've ever been to

by SNL1125

This is the worst restaurant service I ever received!!! DO NOT go here.

First, when I asked them to be careful keeping shellfish away from my boyfriend's food, instead of accomodating me they actually told me to go elsewhere and wrote a letter saying they had warned that they cannot prevent shellfish from touching his food so they wouldn't get sued.

Then, we got a bottle of wine and it was not so hot. The waitor came over and asked if it was ok. When we said it was not the greatest, he offered to get us another bottle.

We agreed, and the next thing we new, the host was coming over, leaning forward on our table and saying "You know, there was NOTHING wrong with that bottle of wine... We're going to have to charge for that..."

He was so rude and disparaging, we decided to leave. On the way out, the host had the nerve to call my boyfriend an A**H**E.

A restaurant this fancy that a) can't accomodate a food allergy, b) has the audacity to charge for a bottle after offering to replace it with another one and c) curses at its customers is NOT worth it.

I was so disappointed...... I thought it was going to be a great anniversary dinner for us.

Instead, we went down to Gonzo on 13th between 6th and 7th.

It's no where near as fancy as the haught taughty "Water Club," but the service and the food are amazing!!!

01/29/08

Unbeatable Brunch!

by eynatcitychick

My boyfriend took me here for a Sunday Brunch and it was wonderful. The food was amazing. The service was attentive and polite. The view was relaxing and romantic. I am constantly on a diet, and even I was able to get a wonderful choice of food. However, when it came to dessert I forgot about my diet because of the huge amount of delicious desserts. If you want to sample the food before paying top dolor for your meal this place has an unbeatable brunch value.

• Pros: Great brunch value, great food, attentive service, romantic view
• Cons: Can get pricey during dinner