Watermill Kitchen + Bar — Restaurant in Coralville

My wife and I ate at Watermill Kitchen + Bar recently and the experience was fairly lackluster. I'll take a little bit of the blame for this, but only some.

Going in, I knew next to nothing about this restaurant, just that a restaurant existed at the hotel. We had not been to the Iowa River Landing for a meal in a while and landed on this as our top choice.

I like to check out menus before I go out to eat and, at first glance, the website gave the impression of a sort of upscale, trendy restaurant. The menu looked appealing and had some interesting options.

In all fairness, this colored my expectations a bit.

Upon arrival, it was pretty clear this was a fairly standard hotel restaurant. It was clean, bright, and the decor was nice, if a bit just standard. But, it wasn't very big, the tables are pretty close together and I got the vibe that at any given time you could be seated next to some kids still dripping in their swimsuits (again, normal for this setting, just not what I was expecting).

We sat down and pretty quickly ordered appetizers and drinks. Our appetizers were the Iowa corn cakes and burrata. The corn cakes were a fun and unique appetizer - not something you see on menus often and the remoulade was great. Nice, refreshing dish.

The burrata was a disappointment. The cheese, tomato, and arugula were on point, but the bread tasted old and stale. In defense of the restaurant, I did not bring this to the server's attention and give them the opportunity to remedy it.

Our drinks were tasty and strong. We tried the blackberry smash, patio cooler, sugar bottom sipper, and berry bliss, I believe. The presentation on the berry bliss was a lot of fun. Overall, the drinks were tasty and fun.

For entrees, I'd been looking forward to ordering the BBQ ribs, but was told they were out. I ordered the mojo pork bowl. It was fine, but nothing special for $18 and tasted like something you could get at Chipotle for less money. My wife ordered the salmon with a side of risotto. Having the risotto as a side and not just part of the dish was an interesting choice and the risotto (which also came with my pork bowl) was average.

Overall, our experience was pedestrian at best. Our server did a great job - friendly and attentive - and the drinks were the highlight of our meal, but not enough to justify a...

Stepping into Edgewater Grille was a delightful culinary experience that promised—and delivered—comfort, flavor, and a touch of elegance.

From the get-go, the Bacon Corn Chowder was a bowl of warmth and homey goodness. The smokiness of the bacon melded seamlessly with the creaminess of the chowder, making every spoonful a delightful taste adventure.

However, it was the Jambalaya Bucatini that truly stole the show. The bucatini noodles, often an underrated pasta choice, were the perfect vessel for the vibrant flavors of the spicy creole cream sauce. The Bell and Evans chicken breast was tender and perfectly cooked, the andouille sausage brought a necessary smoky kick, and the sautéed shrimp was a succulent addition that rounded out the dish. The crostini on the side? A crispy, golden touch to scoop up every last bit of that amazing sauce.

The ambiance of the place and the staff were delightful, making our dining experience nearly impeccable. The only hiccup in our evening was when our meal concluded; we weren't given the chance to explore their dessert menu as the bill arrived without an offer. Considering everything else was delightful, it was a small oversight but something to take note of for next time.

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I would be very pleased if this were the restraunt at a hotel stay. We live local and we were intrigued by the pictures of food online and thankfully were not dissapointed. The food was very good. The Iowa Corn Cakes with Shrimp was our favorite as an appetizer for two. My wife ordered the Wedge Salad. I had the Watermill Smash Burger which was a tad on the greasy side(not necessarily bad but more than I prefer) but better than most burgers I have had locally. It was a tad on the sweet side but if you like bacon jam you should enjoy it. The fries were good as well. All in all I would recommend and we do plan on returning to try brunch and possibly a dinner date. Other dishes on the menu look amazing. The waitress highly recommended the...