H2O's Waterside Grill

Atmosphere was great, and we were excited to get a table relatively quickly on a Friday evening on the patio. The decor and atmosphere is a solid 10/10, but the service was very poor, and the food was somehow worse. We are NOT demanding or needy customers by any means, and have worked in restaurants in the past.

We opted for the corn fritters as an appetizer. We waited more than 40 minutes from order to delivery, with empty drinks for most of this time. When the appetizer arrived, it was chewy, doughy, bland, and lukewarm at best. Plating/presentation was poor, and the portion was a bit on the small side.

The server did not even attempt to take our entree orders until after he came back to check on the appetizer, post delivery to us. My wife ordered the seafood pasta, and I ordered the grilled salmon with a baked potato and broccoli. We both ordered side salads. The server brought one salad and forgot the other. Side salads were actually quite good with artisan lettuce blend, and decent ranch dressing.

The entrees, however, were just not good. We are not picky or critical eaters, but the food was very bland and not properly cooked. The mussels/scallops in the pasta were gray and rubbery, the "sauce" was watery and bland. The salmon was very bland and under-seasoned, overcooked, and dry. My baked potato was not cooked through all the way, and the broccoli was bland and tasted as though it had not been properly cleaned before steaming.

The portions, again, were a little on the small side. We were there for over 2 hours for a 2-person dinner, which would be fine if the food was fantastic......but the food was just plain not good - ESPECIALLY for the prices they are charging.

It felt like a Murphy's Law type of visit. We went in with great excitement and anticipation, and left very disappointed. The constant wait of 15-20 minutes or more for drink refills, lengthy ticket times for appetizers and entrees, bland and lackluster food, and high prices left a bad taste (literally) in our mouths.

I give them a little grace because it was a Friday dinner during opening week, but it's not like this is the first time running a restaurant for the owners. An amazing atmosphere can't cover up for poor service, low-quality food with poor presentation and no flavor, and lengthy delays. For these reasons, the review is 2 stars instead of 1.

My wife and I are not picky or needy diners - But if I am going to spend $100 or more on dinner for two, I can think of half-a-dozen better options in Bay City based on this experience.

Hopefully they can turn this around and be successful before they turn too many people away. They could be a great asset to this community if they do!