Washington House Restaurant — Restaurant in Bernards Township

First impressions are everything - and if a guest at your restaurant doesn't feel welcome and important it is hard to change that first impression. We were a party of 4 for a 5 o'clock reservation on a Sunday night. We arrived 10 minutes early and there were only approximately 5 tables that were occupied. We followed the hostess to a table - all the way at the other end of the tent to a table sandwiched between 2 bench tables of at least 6 people each. The tables were not six feet apart and the rest of the tent was empty. When I asked the hostess if we could sit at a table not sandwiched less than 6 feet apart she said all the other tables were reserved for reservations. I looked around at an empty tent and we had reservations. When I asked if she could find another table she turned and walked away. The hostess was annoyed - and just wanted me to sit in a place that I was not comfortable with and was not in compliance with 6 feet requirements. Another hostess came back and told us we had a choice of the table right next to the bathrooms or at a high top table. I am not sure who owns this restaurant and who trains their hostess staff - but when a party arrives at an empty restaurant WITH A RESERVATION they should be seated at a desirable table. If the guest expresses a concern about the table - the hostess should not be annoyed and try to punish the guest by giving them a table next to the bathrooms (porta-potties nonetheless). Instead they should be hospitable and accommodating, especially when there are so many empty tables. The food was very good and our server was very nice - but when our bottle of red wine arrived and it was chilled to an icy temperature - I was told that is how they serve their red wine. Some people like their red wine chilled and that is a personal preference but not the customary of serving red wine. This experience might be acceptable at an Applebee's but not an independent restaurant that should be so happy to...

Wildly unimpressed. We went to meet with our friends and had made a reservation for the tent not realizing the tent is fully enclosed and on warm days akin to a greenhouse. We asked to move tables which they accomodated; however, the common sense solution would seem to have been to move us into the cooler inside or even outside on the patio where there was a significant breeze. Plenty of open tables everywhere as opposed to across the street at Blue Cafe. Our children's cheeks were flushed and they were sweaty. It was miserable. I watched other tables struggle with their overheated and understandably fussy children as well.

The food was overall pretty good for the exception of our friend's daughter's burger which was burnt to a crisp. The service was fine until we realized that we were charged an autogratuity and not informed of this neither before we dined nor after when we were presented with the check. As we usually tip over the amount of auto gratuity, it was the lack of notice not the amount itself that rubbed us the wrong way. My husband said he didn't see anything on the check to indicate an autogratuity and as such proceeded to accidentally double tip. Most restaurants have a set policy regarding auto gratuity.

My husband was told by the one host when he called that the decision to apply auto gratuity is at the discretion of the server, which I certainly hope is not true as that can lead to very unsavory discrimination practices.

When my husband called to ask to have this tip amount corrected (twice)- both times he was told a manager would call him back and this has been over 2 weeks now and they still havent called him back. Not...

Everything tasted FRESH! It is one of the best new American restaurants we have dined at. My French onion soup was covered by melted cheese. It was a little bit salty for me but I eat mostly not salted food, so. The lobster thermidor toast point was a surprise! The topping was creamy with lobster bites, and the toast was buttery and crispy. I loved the micro greens on top as well. For entrees, I got their Beef Tenderloin with Truffle mash and green beans. The beef tenderloin was perfectly cooked medium rare; the mash, with truffle flavor, so creamy and soft. The truffle scent goes to my brain while the mash goes down so smoothly. I was speechless. So good! My husband loved the Sole Meunière. The spinach was so fresh and sautéd perfectly, and the parsley risotto was creamy and warm, with lemon butter sauce at the bottom, the entire dish had so many layers of texture and flavor. The sole fish was also one of the best, most beautifully cooked piece we have ever had. Look at the golden color on the fish. For dessert, my husband had the Pot De Creme, chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce and fresh berries. The fruits were fresh and big and clean, even the mint leaf was delicious! I had the flourless chocolate cake. It was warm, and it was very good with the caramel ice cream. But once the ice cream was done, the rest of the cake was so dry. We pack it home and finished it with more caramel ice cream we have. Personally I would want 2 ice cream scoops for the big slice of cake they serve, but again, it’s me. And the cake tasted so chocolaty. We had a great time overall. BTW, they do have a...