Chart Room Restaurant — Restaurant in Crescent City

If you are a 'big eater' - this is the place for you in Crescent City! There is a bit of a trick to getting a table here, however... Be an early bird! Based on the ratings, my wife and I ventured into their parking lot, when there were open spots to be had. We went in and signed the register, asked the hostess how long for a table and she said - with a bright smile, "Fifteen minutes!" We waited while taking in the atmosphere and wafting scents of freshly prepared dining options. I snagged a menu as I heard the hostess tell the next group to file in behind us, "It'll be about a half hour!" My wife and I wisely selected our #1 and #2 menu options (in case our first option wasn't available) and drinks. More people began to flood the entrance as dinner quickly approached. "You are probably looking at an hour..." She told the next couple who asked about the wait. We were called for our table, just under fifteen minutes after I asked about our wait. Our waitress was an absolutely lovely young lady who worked our section with a bubbly personality and quick attention to the wants and needs of everyone she served. BAM!!! We had our drinks! We placed our orders and sipped on our libations with eager anticipation for what was to come - given the plates we watched floating past our table. We observed people playing in the lazy surf on the beach just outside and overheard the hostess placing the wait time at an hour and forty minutes! BAM!!! We had our food and our drinks promptly refilled - with a smile and quick attention from our server. BAM!!! OMG!!! The food?!?! AMAZING!!! Everything was fresh, not greasy, and piping hot! I am a BIG EATER and was starving when we were seated. My wife could not finish her perfectly prepared salmon and sides. It was all I could do to finish my meal, but finish it - I did! I was completely stuffed to the gills (pun intended) for the rest of the evening... I slept like a baby that night and had nary a pang of hunger to suffer. When in Crescent City, do yourself a HUGE favor and stop at the Chart Room! Arrive early and hungry... you won't be...

Tasteless Seafood Dinner at Chart Room in Crescent City, Calif.

I ordered one of the "Seafood Entrée" selections: the grilled seafood combo: clam chowder, cod, 3 scallops, 3-4 shrimp, numerous fried clam strips, rice pilaf, 3 (!!!) braised asparagus stalks, a wilted piece of lettuce, coming in at over $38.

The whole meal (except pilaf) was tepid and tasteless. Lukewarm food is always a sign of inattention by the kitchen to the final food experience. Note to chef: using heat lamps to keep food hot from the stove to the table is a very common and good restaurant practice; Clam chowder was so thick, a spoon would stand up in it. More importantly, finding clams within the chowder was challenging; Cod was overcooked and tasteless; Scallops were undercooked (I know it is hard to get scallops right); Shrimp was overcooked. Not way-overcooked, but they lost that "pop" that freshly grilled shrimp should have; Fried clam strips: Again, finding clams within the fried breading was difficult. Also, I was suprised that a "grilled seafood combo", came with fried clams strips. Those of us trying to cut out fat our diets choose grilled options for a reason. Note to chef: yes, it's possible to grill clams. The rice pilaf was the most creative part of the meal - hot, properly cooked with (rather large) hunks of peppers and other veggies. Braised asparagus was not overcooked but again served tepid. It was advertised as "sautéed vegetables", bur really - three skinny asparagus stalks in a $38 entrée?

Service was good, except their payment system would not accept a debit card. This forced a 3% credit card charge for an already overpriced meal.

I would not recommend this restaurant and would not eat...

We stopped in today while exploring the coast this afternoon. We only had to wait about 10 minutes or so, so that was a nice surprise, but we were really disappointed overall for a few reasons.

The prices are outrageous. A grilled cheese meal was $15! I ended up ordering half a grilled cheese with the tomato basil soup of the day. $18. For half a sandwich and a cup of soup.

I was really unimpressed with the quality of the food. For the price point I was expecting something better than just bland white bread and cheese and tomato soup that might as well have been Campbell's from a can. It was just incredibly basic.

My partner ordered the New England chowder and a crab sandwich with coleslaw. He's from Maryland, so he knows his way around some crab! He wasn't happy with his meal at all. Again, just...basic. Bland and basic.

For two people, we paid $53. You'd think we'd gone to a steakhouse for that price! But nope, just an overpriced and underwhelming diner. This whole lunch should've cost no more than ~$30 for what we received.

I very rarely write negative reviews, but we were really unhappy with our experience here. Save your money and check out some of the other restaurants in the area (there are plenty). Will...