Bascule Bridge Grille — Restaurant in Ashtabula

This was my third visit. I live out of state and visit the area occasionally. This night, I brought my husband. I had been telling him how wonderful it was there. We had reservations, and we were seated immediately . The restaurant was busy but not full at this time. We were seated at a table in the corner by where the chefs were coming. We were out of the main area, so we couldn't see what was going on out front. Our waiter started off great telling us all about the specials of the day. He told them in detail. When he brought out drinks he dropped off my husband's ice tea and just went away, we had to wait to see him again to get sugar for the tea, sugar and salt and pepper are not on the tables. We ordered our appetizers, the steak Tatar, and the mussels . The appetizers arrived quickly, but then so did the salad, like almost immediately. We do like to enjoy our meals, so I did mention to the waiter that we were not in a rush. Don't know if that is where this went wrong. He did come back and remove it dishes. Our dinners came up at a reasonable time, but another serve delivered them. That was fine. It was nice to see the staff work together helping each other out. We did enjoy both the appetizers and the dinners. Although my husband didn't really enjoy the bread that came with the steak tatar, he felt it was too crunch and took away from the steak. My duck was cooked perfectly and was so tender. My husband was happy with his veal dinner. Our waiter was MIA at this point. He never checked to see if we got our food, if the food was done to our liking, if we needed anything with our meals. We didn't see him again till we were finished and sitting with our empty dishes. He was bringing our check to us as he mentioned we mostly likely didn't have room for dessert but would let us know what was available. We ordered coffee and then he was gone again. Being in that corner made it hard to know where he was all that time. They may have been understaffed, and he was waiting on other tables, but we never saw he come pick up food or check on us. As we had plans after dinner, we just got our check. I was very disappointed in the service. First, we felt rushed, then abandoned in that corner. What if there was a problem with our dinners, which there wasn't. The food was great, but what if there was? No one checked to see if everything was OK. My husband did ask the person who did serve our meals for a refill on ice tea, but he never got one. Yes, I did feel the service this night was sub-par, which is a shame since we drove two hours to come to this particular restaurant . Yes, I had told my husband how much I liked this restaurant and this cute little town, so this is something we do: road trips for dinner. I did want to add the kitchen staff did a fantastic job calling the orders and getting the food out. My husband wasn't thrilled sitting next to the kitchen area, but for me, it was dinner and a show. The chef were very professional, and their service was smooth. The kitchen area was neat and tidy. Chefs worked well together, and staff was on top of getting that food out. Just wish our server remember...

I can not say enough good things about this establishment and their over the top wait staff. Our reason for attending was not for the best of reasons. The recent passing of my wife's father. It was a place to talk about memories and tie up loose ends with her and her siblings. Our night started at Rennicks just up the street. Where my wife had made reservations for 6 just days after her father passed. When we got there, she forgot one spouse and they refused accommodations for 7, even under the circumstances. We said we were sorry but explained the circumstances and it was just a mistake made without clear thinking at a time of sorrow. They just told us one had to sit at the bar. We simply left and it was the BEST choice we ever made.

Moe met us at the door at Bascule were he said they were full but under the circumstances said he would" try" but couldn't make a promise. He talked with the front of the house and the rear. Simply coming back and saying "Please follow me and we will MAKE room for you!" A gesture of just pure kindness and human empathy. A trait the other place simply doesn't even comprehend. Our service was the best we ever had. My wife and I as avid foodies have eaten from high end steak houses like the Marble room to Le Bernadin in NYC, Including everywhere in between. We laughed and shared memories of her father. We tied up loose ends and the whole time Moe and the gang were always smiling. Always spreading laughter and we couldn't have asked for a better evening. The universe truly gave us a blessing by steering us out of the other joint and into Bascule.

The food was amazing to say the least. The steak tartare was better than the Marble room. The cocktails were amazing and the Duck breast was spot on. We shared bites, we sampled each others high end cocktails and left with a smiles, Happy memories of good food and lost parents. I can't say enough about Bascule and their amazing staff. If you're reading this and looking for a spot in the harbor. This is it hands down. However if you want lack luster food and crappy service from arrogant narcissistic staff by all means go back up the street to the other joint.

Also make sure you buy the kitchen a round. They work their tails off and as someone who appreciates the kitchen culture. they will appreciate a round to wrap up their...

This place is a Michelin star worthy restaurant. I've been to the best restaurants from London to Paris to NYC to Tokyo, and this ranks up there with all of them. The service is great without being pretentious. Holly was sweet, friendly and very attentive to our needs. We went on our 20th anniversary and we're treated like royalty.

We had the Crab Cakes and Beef Bolognese to start with. The Crab Cakes, like everything we ate, were perfectly balanced in flavors. The cakes were delicate, with a freshness you wouldn't expect. The layers of flavor were amazing, and each dish was completely unique. The jalapeno slaw was crunchy with a little spice, the remoulade was creamy and refreshing. The perfect balance of acid was added with a pinch of lime (or lemon) juice on the cakes.

The Beef Bolognese had perfectly cooked pasta, with tender chunks of perfectly seasoned and cooked beef. It was mouth-watering, and a crispy garlic panko topping added a nice crunch, albeit subtle and not overwhelming.

For the main courses, we shared the scallops and lamp chops. The scallops (5 big scallops) were again perfectly cooked, with a combination of red pepper, almond and saffron with tomatoes melted in my mouth and made me want more. The lamb was also perfectly rare, with sumac mint salsa Verde was incredible. The tender meat and perfectly balanced flavor profile was unique and amazing. It was hard to share because we both wanted all of everything!

The side dishes includes an amazing parsnip puree that was like creamy heaven, brussel sprouts a little al dente as I like them, and my wife's green beans. Each was delicious and complimented the meals.

We topped it all off with the chocolate pot de crema was again perfectly balanced, rich and not too sweet or heavy, but decadent in the chocolate custard. I had the strawberry parfait, which was lady fingers soaked in cognac, with a light creme. It was again understated, smooth and decadent. Nothing was too heavy, and even the three courses didn't leave us feeling lethargic or over stuffed. I wish we lived closer so we could go for every special occasion.

With reasonable prices, including the delicious cocktails, we'd go in...