63 Corks — Restaurant in Dover

TLDR Version: Probably the worst restaurant experience I’ve ever had. They messed up on nearly every aspect of our visit.

Full Version:

I really hate to leave a review like this because I don’t want to do any damage to a small business’s reputation, but I also don’t want anybody else to go in with high hopes, and have the kind of experience that I had.

My wife and I are here for our 5th wedding anniversary. I was excited because I had seen some glowing reviews on TikTok, Google Reviews, Yelp, etc. The drive for us was about an hour, but I figured it’d be worth it to try something new and unique.

I called ahead of time and arranged for a bouquet of flowers to be on the table when we arrived. Not only was there no bouquet, but our table was extremely uneven, and we were seated in the “wine room.” This is where all the employees hang out, eat snacks, make drinks, ring in orders, print tickets, etc. We were seated directly next to where all of this was going on, and I felt like I was in their way the whole evening. The bouquet situation was never addressed.

My wife ordered a wine flight, but instead of getting a nice labeled flight tray like everybody else, the server left each time she ordered a glass, and brought them individually to the table. My margarita was decent, but it was served in an oddly textured martini glass with a bunch of ice, making it difficult to drink.

The “bread service” isn’t bread service, but rather four slices of bread that you get one time. The tomato, oil, and cream cheese dip that looked so fresh and delicious online only had about four tomatoes in it, and the rest was just oil and cream.

My wife’s $43 filet mignon was burnt on the outside and severely undercooked on the inside (she ordered it medium rare, but it was almost inedibly raw). It wasn’t tender like a filet should be, but tasted like a poorly cooked sirloin. The gnocchi that came on the side was a bowl of undercooked dough balls.

The server was weird and unprofessional. Never gave us any kind of proper greeting, didn’t seem to know anything about the menu, was constantly shouting to other people for help with every question, and on multiple occasions, tried to make ordering decisions on my wife’s behalf.

Two drinks, bread service, two meals, and one dessert was in the ballpark of $150. I would highly recommend spending your money elsewhere.

In all fairness, the scallops were very good, and so were the doughnuts. Every other aspect of our visit was comically bad. We were genuinely laughing about how awful it was, especially for the price.

In lieu of leaving a review like this, I reached out via the email address listed on their website under “contact us” over a week ago, and followed up a few days later, but I haven’t heard...

Tried this place after seeing it on Tik Tok. Love the concept of Farm to Fork and a rotating menu. After visiting though it was good but does not live up to the price point.

The exterior is quite interesting as it is tucked away in a nondescript house like building on a county road. The interior is the strongest part of the experience. Very chic and intimate. Highly recommend getting a reservation as this place will only hold a handful of tables.

For appetizer we ordered the calamari which came over an aioli, goat cheese crumble, and hot honey and hot pepper with charmed lemon on side. For entrees Appalachian Al Burro and Mountain Trout Saltimbocca were selected.

The calamari was a bit over done and chewy and lacked seasoning. Charring of the lemon unfortunately sweetens it and diminishes acidity. I saw not goat cheese or tasted any, similar for hot honey. The fried green tomatoes were sparse but tasted good.

The Al Burro is a pasta with pesto cream shrimp, guanicale, asparagus, preserved lemon, peas, and parmesean reggiano. While interesting it was so one note. The peas, cream, asparagus, and parm create a very heavy earthy flavor. This dish was begging for seasoning (salt/pepper) and really need acid to cut the unbridled richness of the sauce. Preserved lemon could not be tasted.

The Mountain Trout was wrapped in ham, stuffed with crawfish, had an andouille sausage/vegetable succotash, parsnip puree, with green tomato jam. This was an exceedingly disappointing dish. The trend of seasoning continues as this dish was lacking. The Trout and ham were unremarkable with a sweet tomato jam that was a complete mismatch and the stuffing was lost did not nake sense. The succotash was good but honestly I tasted zero sausage. The parsnip puree and sauces were completely bland. A charred lemon again showed a balance issue. This dish needs acid and salt as it is far too dense, heavy, and the flavors are lost in each other.

For dessert the smoked s'more was ordered. This dish was excellent and the presentation was so fun as they lift the infuser dome to spread the smoke. Very creative and great flavors!

My review may seem a bit critical but when dinner for two with alcholic drinks is $148.00 before tax/tip I expect perfection. I saw issues with balance, flavor profiles, and use of ingredients that a high end dining establishment should have ironed out

Overall this is still a great restaurant and I do want to give them another try. The commitment to farm to table and unique offerings are commendable and worth a try. Plus the rotating seasonal menu changes things up every 8-10 weeks to keep it fresh...

Amazing 🤩. The positive reviews are no lie. My wife and I had dinner there on 5/14/24. It had to be one of the best meals that we have had in memory. We began with two cocktails off of the list provided, prepared by our server Tiffany and they were mixed to perfection. Our first course was the pork belly appetizer which we shared. It’s served with a ramp forward slaw that we asked for on the side. The pork belly comes atop a Johnny cake that is light and fluffy and pairs well with the pork. It’s crispy and melty and delicious. For our entrees I had the duck and my wife had the pork chops and apples. My duck was perfectly medium, sliced thin and the skin was crispy. The roasted ramp polenta was creamy and the Brussels are candied and well done. My wife’s pork was like butter. I think it may have been the best pork chop I’ve ever had. No lie. The sweet potato mash was great. All of the plates are presented beautifully and the sauces and sides that accompany them are perfect pairings for each dish. We ended the meal with crème brûlée that we also shared and it was excellent. A perfect ending to an excellent meal. The chef really knows what they are doing. It’s obvious that much thought goes into preparing a menu that pleases different palates. We can’t wait to go back and try some different dishes before the menu changes. Thank you Tiffany and thank you 63 Corks for an excellent experience. Your hard work did not go unnoticed.

Second visit on 8/1/24. Even more outstanding than the first. I was having trouble making a reservation and messaged them on Facebook and they replied in less than an hour and accommodated us that way which was amazing. I’m not going to drone on any further but let me just say that if I could dine everyday at this restaurant I would. The quality and presentation of their dishes are on par with any Michelin 5 star restaurants there are. And it’s done without being pretentious and they don’t make you feel as if any other person isn’t good enough or doesn’t fit in. Come as you are and enjoy the experience. I can’t say enough positive things. Thank you Ashley for...