Crane Brook Restaurant — Restaurant in Carver

I have no intent to project negativity or harm a business. I do feel my experience Sat night needs to be said. My husband & I went for a 1st time dinner. We had a gift card (seize the deal) but were hesitant because my MIL who gifted it just went & had a bad experience. Yet we always give something a chance. There was a pianist we sat by (so amazing) & overall atmosphere was cozy (though bright). Seemed typical busy for a night at a decent spot. We ordered coconut shrimp app. Disappointed. They were small size, frozen taste, wet inside; strange. We didn’t complain because we understand off days/meals. We were told to avoid all apps, at least the duck purses as those apparently tasted frozen too. We still wanted to try one as we had an appetite & love full dining experience. We order entrees- my husband filet mignon & I crispy duck. We wait over ONE HOUR for meal. Our waitress eventually noted our concerned faces & apologized for delay; we kindly understood & waited. We see a 2 person table who arrived well after us and served their entree now. At 45-60min mark our waitress said ‘I know the food is taking long & I saw that table that came after you got served first. I just spoke to the kitchen.” I told the waitress we felt something more than an apology should be considered, comp the app (sucked but still didn’t say) or another round of drinks. She agreed & got another round. Also we saw friends who were now leaving say ‘you guys still haven’t gotten your food?’ & made a puzzled face. Meals arrived, were fine. Not great (husband’s potatoes: cold for ‘just made;’ Sriracha duck: overly crispy, No Sriracha). It wasn’t bad, so again, fine. After meal our waitress says “so unfortunately I spoke to my manager & we can’t compensate you for the drinks or anything.” In shock I asked to speak w/ manager. Manager ill-toned says “Hi what’s the matter?” Though she was aware of ‘the matter’ we explained our concerns & hesitant to complain but were taken back by the response to poor execution. She showed no understanding & stated “We make everything from scratch, this isn’t like other restaurants. And other people got their food before you because you got filet it takes long.” My husband told her that table served first ALSO got steak. No response. She insisted how ‘fresh’ the food is & minimized our experience. We explained we eat at MANY restaurants locally, internationally (we are foodies- farm to table, high end, pub, we appreciate all). We quickly saw she was rude, arguing & this got no where. She said ‘I don’t know what you want me to do.’ We again said giving anything to feel the customer is heard & respected. She said No. WOW. I say ‘That’s super unfortunate you choose to handle a business in customer service like this.’ I ask her name, “Maria. And by the way, I’m the owner.” Husband & I STUNNED an owner would behave this way put some perspective: why there are SO many terrible reviews, why they’re only open 3 days/week (hence the frozen ‘fresh’ items), & why this will ultimately be a failing business (failing ownership). Shocked our concerns weren’t regarded, I simply stated “We unfortunately will never be back here again, thank you.” We carried on got dessert, enjoyed the piano, & left after our waitress apologized again. Comical side note: we go for brunch today, great spot. Waited OVER AN HOUR to sit. Place was so busy. Once seated we got a full order of donut holes to make up for delay (delish). WE DIDN’T EVEN HAVE TO COMPLAIN TO RECEIVE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, ACCOUNTABILITY, & GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE. All in all, owner is prideful with poor sense of serving in a business that involves guests of any kind. Save the headache & go to any other spot. You’ll be much more pleased (& at a lesser price for the quality). Gave 1 star mainly for the fab pianist who helped us forget our experience. Put him & the great wait staff elsewhere & they will surely have a thriving business. This one...

Got to say when I heard the Crane Brook had reopened I was pretty excited to go back, little did I know I was in for a disappointment. My fiance and I decided to take my parents out for birthday dinner, their birthdays are within a month of each other. Crane Brook was suggested so I checked out the menu online and found that it looked pretty good. We set a reservation for 6:30 and when we arrived at the friendly host gave us our choice of tables. We started with the cranberry meatballs which were surprisingly good and that is really where the good ended. My father ordered the steak au poivre cooked medium rare with the rainbow carrots and whipped potatoes. When it was brought out the dish was missing the carrots, which the waitress apologized for and asked if my father still wanted the carrots. She took his plate into the kitchen and it came back with the carrots. When he cut into the steak he noticed that it was cooked well done and not medium rare. He sent it back and was brought back a new meal. After cutting into his steak the only comparison he had for it was that it was like chewing on a thick piece of leather. My mother ordered the chicken statler which was supposed to come with whipped potatoes and grilled tomatoes. She asked for roasted potatoes and a side of asparagus. When the dish arrived it was missing the tomatoes and there were only four asparagus on the plate, a fifth asparagus was later discovered in my father's whipped potatoes. I ordered the short rib which was supposed to come with sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and swiss chard. The sweet potatoes were no where to be seen and there was about two handfuls of swiss chard on the plate. My fiance's steak Diane was supposed to be beef tenderloins, but it was anything but tenderloins. The waitress and the manager both apologized multiple times and told us the next round of drinks and dessert would be on the house. Looking into the bar area I could see the waitress, manager, and then eventually someone from the kitchen arguing in front of customers, I have been in management for over 10 years and one of the first things you are taught is to take manager employee discussions and arguments away from the view of customers. The manager kept apologizing while we were trying to eat and the waitress seemed like was very confused. For dessert my father and mother split the marscapone which they said was very good, my fiance got the creme brulee which was small and mediocre at best, I ordered the lime gelato and when it was brought to me was actually the mocha flavor. The waitress took it back and when she bought me the new gelato she asked me to taste it because she was unsure that it was the lime flavor and thought it looked lemon even though the person in the kitchen told her it was lime.....it was lemon. When we got the bill the second round of drinks were taken off and there was no charge for the dessert, but we were still paying $200 for a meal and service that was not ever worth $20. My mother sent an email to them yesterday citing the same story and the response was "we're working on it". Needless to say our experience at the new Crane Brook was less than desirable. Even though the second round of drinks and dessert were on the house, at least my father's meal which had to be sent back twice should have been comped as well. I don't know who the new management is, but they need a lot more "work" in this restaurant if they want to stay...

Atmosphere was pretty nice, had a 1950s speak easy vibe which we enjoyed. The menu had a wide variety so there is something for everyone on the menu. My partner order the 9oz filet, it is served with fingerling potatoes and asparagus. She doesn't like asparagus and requested the veg of the day which was green beans. The server returned and said that the chef doesn't like to do that and had refused her request to sub out the vegetable. For a $50 meal, this is unacceptable. How pretentious is the chef that he refused to allow her to pick a vegetable that she prefers. The best part is that the asparagus that she got was soft and overcooked. The filet was cooked perfectly but that was about it. I ordered the portuguese steak. I should have known better to order a portuguese dish at a non portuguese restaurant but I went against my gut. To start, the sirloin was very fatty compared to the same cut I have had elsewhere. The sauce was overly salty and the egg was cooked in such a hurry that it was very burnt on the bottom. The round fries were cut very thin then overcooked so they were too crunchy and unable to absorb the sauce. Round cut fries are not chips and should have some substance and texture. For the chef to be so pretentious, he and his team should be able to, at least, cook the vegetable that he forced on us properly. All in all, this was the most overrated food experience I have had in a while, especially for the price. My suggestion, go to Bocca, Davios, Captiva Grill, or 100 portuguese restaurants for a much better meal. And those places will let you sub out the vegetable. PS. They served us the wrong wine. I ordered the house Pino Grigio and they gave me a...