Carriage House Arcata Restaurant — Restaurant in Arcata

Ten months ago I wrote a 5-Star review (below). Now I'm revising it down after a recent experience. The original chef has moved on and ownership is changing. The food COULD be really good, but it seems like the staff simply doesn't care. There was only one other couple in the place and yet our entrees were tepid when served (chicken and beef dishes).

Overall current observations:

The room is a bit cold and having the door to the back area wide open created a draft. While friendly, the staff was more interested in chatting amongst themselves than checking on their customers. The food has gone downhill. What were previously wonderfully crispy smashed potatoes are now just smashed. The chicken was OK but uninspiring. And while the Caesar Salad was good the Heirloom Tomato dish could have used more tomatoes.

Would really like to see them succeed but they need to improve!

[Original Post] Delightfully delicious! Small plates with fabulous flavors, good wine list. Wonderful to have a go-to place for celebrations and nice...

Returned last night and while the restaurant physically looks more or less the same under new management, the vibe has shifted dramatically and sadly not for the better as far as overall experience.

Out of many menu items like olives, tuna and Jewell Gin 😱 Caesar salad was drenched in dressing and our pasta was drowning in sauce, mashed potatoes were chunky and while there’s some of the original menu still available, the additions aren’t nearly as tasty or beautifully and carefully presented, Door to back office wide open, cold and unappealing Service is not of the level it was neither was the care or attention to detail

Good luck to the new management!!

THIS REVIEW WRITTEN WHEN CHEF ROCHELLE BURGESS WAS LEADING THE CHARGE IN 2023 Best spot in HumCo, lovely service, beautiful interior, cocktails were spot on (the Shane rocks!) and the deviled eggs, anchovy toast and burrata were all delicious. Excited to go back and try more drinks and food. Congratulations and glad...

I was excited to try this restaurant as I'd heard very good things, unfortunately, the carriage house did not live up to the hype. Cocktails were good, most of the food we ordered was not. We tried a variety of things from the appetizer menu as well as shared the cordon blu pasta. Appetizers were poorly plated and all had something off, the chips with the ceviche were stale, the shrimp cocktail was almost identical to the ceviche and served with the same stale chips! The dumpling filling was good, but they were overcooked and tough. The miso cabbage wedge was probably the highlight of our meal, albeit the simplest dish. The cordon blu pasta was good, but served with moldy bread! It seems like this restaurant has potential, however, the quantity and variety of culinary errors was definitely a turnoff. I do not plan to dine here again. For the price, there are numerous restaurants that far surpass the...