Clementeam — Restaurant in Avon-by-the-Sea

I very rarely write a review but this time I felt it necessary to address the issue... While the restaurant's food and service was good... Our experience there this evening at the end of our meal was, in our group of 4's opinion, totally unacceptable..

When you make a reservation at Clementine's, it is clearly stated that you have 2 hours of dining time and not longer... We were having our coffee and chatting (still within our allotted time) while we finished up our evening, and I had asked the waitress for a glass of ice water... She went to go get it and came back to the table and said, the owner told me to ask you, would you mind leaving early because the next table came in early and would like to be seated... She had also mentioned that the owner was considering giving us a gift card for doing so... We were all shocked by this request and said, okay... I told the waitress that I'd be interested in what the owner had to offer in the certificate end of this request... The waitress looked at me and said, did you still want your ice water, I said, yes... Did she think because we were asked to leave early, I still wouldn't be thirsty ? She brought the ice water, and I said, so what did the owner say about his offer, she said, he hasn't said anything yet... I took a sip of my water and went to the ladies room to wash my hands. When I got back to the table, EVERYTHING was gone and already set up for the next party... I was TOTALLY AMAZED.. While we were leaving, I said to my friends that I am shocked that we were asked to leave and how amazingly rude that was.. The owner overheard my comment and said, did you think that was wrong? I said, yes, we were having a wonderful evening and not quite done when we were asked to leave early... He said, let me give you some certificates for two appetizers to make up for that... The four of us couldn't believe that after 5 appetizers, 4 dinners and 3 coffee's, we were asked to leave early... We all agreed that this will be the last time we spend our good money and time at a restaurant that treats their customers...

We stumbled upon Clementine's a few years back to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Since then, my wife and I have been back regularly and have never been disappointed. We have also turned several of our friends onto this gem who now also visit it regularly.

We ate there again last night with 4 other friends and as usual were not disappointed. The decor and atmosphere are unbelievable especially around the holidays when they turn the decorations up to eleven!

More importantly to me, the food is always outstanding. I had the Cajun Mahi special which they prepared to order sans the bacon in the rice, at my request. It was delicious and I wish I hadn't finished it all so I could have had the leftovers for lunch today. Our other orders included the boneless short ribs and jambalaya. The table also shared the oyster, shrimp & cheese bread, and calamari appetizers. Everything was prepared perfectly and was delicious. Unfortunately we were all too full to get any dessert. Our servers were attentive and polite, of course.

The last detail I want to mention, which is something I noticed from our first visit, is that the food always comes to the table hot. There are not too many restaurants that can make that same claim. I think most of us have just come to expect luke warm food as the norm.

Overall I would highly recommend Clementine's. The cuisine is a cajun/NOLA mix. Check the menu online if you're unsure. It is BYOB and there is a package goods next door if you forget to pack something.

Also make sure you ask for their olive...

I rarely write bad reviews or reviews at all, but after the experience I had at this establishment, I needed to say something. I made my reservation online and was aware of the 2 hour turn around...HOWEVER on the website it clearly states that the 2 hr turnaround is only for FIRST SEATINGS...which my reservation was NOT. After 2 hours had passed (we were just finishing up dessert) we were told by the host to leave because our two hours were up. There were other tables available at the restaurant so this completely confused us and considering our bill was about $600 including tip, I felt that this way EXTREMELY RUDE. The food is OK. I'm not going to call it great because everything tasted the same. The Jambalaya, the soup, the Etoufee was made from the same base and most of the appetizers were as unoriginal as our meals were. Dessert was better than the food. Don't come here if you have food allergies because they cook and fry everything in the same oil...the only saving grace of that night for us was that our waitress was very sweet and kind, I have nothing terrible to say about the wait staff, none of them were rude except for the host. I was recommended this place by multiple clients of mine and talking to them the past two days, I was informed that the host can be rough and rude and most of them had experienced that. Which leads me to question as to why anyone would want to give their business to someone that is less than appreciative. I won't be coming back here ever again and I certainly won't be recommending this place to...