La Fermata — Restaurant in Bremerton

It was mediocre. I'd give it 2 1/2 stars if I could but I don't get that option.

This review is based solely upon three factors:

Comfort/Appearance Cost Variety

Comfort/Appearance: Pretty unsatisfying, in my opinion. The ambiance is excessively dark, the only real visible light was the ambient light from the street front window. We had been seated in a booth on the far side of the wall opposite of street window just to the right of the bar when facing the bar itself. No cushions on the wooden bench they have in place. I was uncomfortable and annoyed already within 15 minutes of sitting.

Noise....There were three guests that came in and sat the bar (they appeared to me as regulars) and they were EXCESSIVELY obnoxious. This is not the restaurants fault but I do want to add that the acoustics within the restaurant are very hollow and distinct. I could hear exactly what people were talking about all the way by the street window across the restaurant floor. I don't have perfect hearing either, it was just easy to make out what people were saying. So if you have something private to talk about during dinner then I don't advise eating there and discussing your life.

Cost: I ordered the Rib-Eye and that was $48 I'm pretty sure and my wife ordered the scallops. The rib-eye was very dry and small portioned. I'm not sure what the quality of this rib-eye was that warranted the highest price on their entree menu but it was not worth what I spent, sadly, I have had better rib-eye from cheaper places.

The wife's scallops, she claimed was decent. Nothing to brag about but nothing to really complain about. Her sides were the same as mine, sliced sweet potato.

The entree salad was really small and you can have it devoured in about 3 minutes.

The bread and dipping condiment is REALLY good (perhaps the only thing I have to boast about this place). They did a fantastic job, I think, with the dipping condiment.

*NOTE we had waited about an HOUR for these two dishes. The quality and portion of serving does not justify the 60 minute wait. It really doesn't.

Variety: Pretty fair with variety, I'd say. The menu can be somewhat hard to follow from time to time but they do have a great selection of wines. Their selection of beer is pretty small and it's all IPA's from what I remember, actually, no, they do have Pilsner(s). The pilsner I ordered was alright, I would drink it again for sure but wouldn't be my first choice.

OVERALL:

I just couldn't find much to like about this place; however, the service was excellent, and the staff is very cordial. I would return if they would fix their lighting and comfort issue. I would also return if they addressed their pricing issue for such small portioned food. Wait times need be addressed as we went on a Saturday mid afternoon, the place was NOT very busy. One hour for such small portions is unsatisfactory. I have worked in a formal restaurant where larger more expensive meals were cooked and it didn't take half the time it took for them to do it.

As always, don't take my word for it, try the place for yourself and see what you think. They already have high reviews and perhaps my standards are set too high but I don't seek perfection, I just wasn't satisfied with my visit. Hopefully, you will be satisfied.

**Total spent for two entrees and appetizers (salads) 1 pilsner beer and 2 glasses of wine: $125 somewhere about. Total time spent inside:...

Let me preface this by saying that I have only been in this area for 8 months, and have pretty much hated every restaurant we've been to. If you look through my other reviews, you can see that I have not been happy. That said, I looked into the eyes of our waiter last night and thanked him profusely because not only is La Fermata a good restaurant for this area it's actually a good restaurant compared to any others in any of the places I've lived. I'm from New York city. I'm used to having a wide variety of options available to me when it comes to dining, and there simply is not a lot of variety in Kitsap county, nor are there many options.

When we walked in, I wasn't impressed. There are curtains blocking off the doorway, making the room feel small - well, smaller than it already is, which is pretty small. It's dim, too dim for my husband to read the menu. We needed more light.

Our meal started off with bread and dipping oil. Since we've lived here, I have not had good bread. Some restaurants serve us hot bread, but it's soft like white bread and tasteless. La Fermata served crusty bread with a rather large crumb. It was so good that I asked the waiter what bakery they use because I intended to buy some for myself. Sadly, they bake it themselves. Actually, that's pretty great. For them. But it does mean I can't just bring home a nice baguette. Still, the fact that our meal started with delicious freshly baked bread was a good sign. The oil was extra virgin with basil, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, and balsamic vinegar. Delicious.

Salad: very nice options on the menu. I chose the cucumber salad which didn't disappoint. Nicely presented with a large variety of lettuce leaves. Maybe it could have used a few more cucumber slices. There was a little too much dressing on the salad. But it was a delicious balsamic vinaigrette, so I'll forgive.

Main course was Pollo Arrosto, lemon rosemary roasted organic chicken breast. It came with curry brushed roasted carrots, asparagus, and baby Yukon gold potatoes. The chicken was off the bone, but still had skin. To call it tender would be an understatement. It was so soft, no knife was needed to cut it. The sauce was flavorful, not drowning in salt (which so many restaurants use and call it flavor) and there's no other word to describe it than delicious. The potatoes, sadly, were undercooked. They tasted fine, but the texture wasn't that great. Not being a curry fan or an asparagus fan, I left the other vegetables alone.

We never order dessert with our dinner, but this was a special night, so we made the plunge and shared some sort of flour-free chocolate cake with cherries and cherry syrup. Heaven.

Our check came. It was hefty. My husband's wine was $9.00 per glass. However, I've eaten at some really rotten restaurants lately, and am happy to pay more to get better food.

To summarize: don't skip La Fermata in Bremerton. There is no other restaurant that compares....

I give La Fermata 3 stars because most of the experience was average for me. The Price/Portion size ratio was high/small, the service was average, the atmosphere was oriented toward upper middle class and an older crowd, the food was good but not excellent. I might have loved this place had I been older or had enough wine to not notice the flavor or prices.

Price/Portion size ratio: High/Small All the dishes are priced high and for that price you get a small portion size. For example, our appetizer of fried eggplant was $12 for four small pieces of fried eggplant w/ mozzarella. It was good, but again the price was high for a small portion size.

Service: The service was average in my opinion. Here's a little illustration of what I experienced; the waitresses dressed in all black and were focused on their tasks at hand. The complimentary bread did take some time to be brought out which I thought was a little slow. However I give the waitress the benefit of the doubt that they may not have had control over that. However, the experience was average and similar to any other waitress I have had.

The atmosphere: This place had a targeted audience, and I was not one of them. There were lights and the interior was dimly lit. It was quite busy, and you saw groups of older people chattering away and sucking up wine like mosquitos. I might have enjoyed the experience more had drank more wine, but it was not my scene personally.

The food: My dish, the lamb was good, but I heard from others that their dishes were average at best. So that's why I give it a good, but not excellent rating. I think I drew the lucky straw when I picked my entree.

Overall: My experience at La Fermata was equivalent to a 3 star experience. It does try to be 5 stars, but for me it...