Verandah — Restaurant in Fernandina Beach

Wait...a rare 5 Star?? Indeed, took 11 guests out to try this place. Restaurant is very nice setting modern with some elegance. Once we were seated we were greeted by Philip, our waiter, and offered drinks. He suggested blue crab dip as appetizers and man was at a hit... We all cleaned out the bowls of that delicious concoction. As we all ordered our entrees we had our choice of soup or salads, I got their Caesar which was presented in a most unique way and was delicious. Some got the soup and it must have been very good because their bowls were licked clean: - ) as far as the entrees most of us got their Grouper, this is a delicious fish that I have only found available in Florida. The rest of the party had steak or scallops. I can tell you the grouper was without a doubt the absolute best I've ever eaten! One of my guests gets to eat grouper all the time he too made the same comment best ever... Turns out it's been on their menu for 30 years in a row now I know why. Those that had steak said they were fabulous with a delicious crusting and the others who had scallops said they were absolutely perfect. Naturally we all decided to have desserts and their selection was vast and again everybody cleaned their plate. Unfortunately, no one ordered a pasta dish something I believe they're known for as they make their pasta homemade fresh as needed daily right there. So that will have to be another trip and if it's anything like what we ate it will be fabulous. I should mention the level of service we had... Our water glasses were constantly topped off and the silverware and plates were constantly switched out between each course and any refresh on cocktails or wine or ass before a glass got empty. Everything came out and an excellent casual pace And I can assure you that in the kitchen they have a true chef... Not a cook! This was a true dining experience in the way they handled such a large crowd as ours was flawless. Well worth every single penny and more. Well I'm not a Forbes or Michelin rater, if I was, this place would certainly be extremely high on their recommendation chart and as far as me as I rarely issue a five-star across the board... This one has...

If I could give "zero" stars I would. My husband made a reservation a month in advance of Valentine's Day. We arrived ten minutes ahead of our reservation time only to find that there were no parking spots available. There was another lot, but it was blocked off by a gate. My husband waited while l went into the restaurant to see what was going on with parking. I was told by an employee that "the general manager has been called about the situation with parking" but for now "all you can do is park at the resort site and take the shuttle back to the restaurant". Wait, what??? The general manager is not on-site on one of the busiest restaurant nights of the year???? Okay, so, by the time we went to the resort, parked there, and waited for the next shuttle back to the Verandah, it would have been close to 7:00. Our reservation was for 6:30. By that time, they probably would have given our reservation away. And, I was pretty ticked off by this time, so really didn't feel like eating there, to be honest. So, needless to say, we left without any dinner at all. So much for the Omni's star studded reputation. I notified the Omni both by phone that night (left a voice mail with my phone information) and also by e-mail. The e-mail said a response would be received within 24-48 hours. Well, so far no response and it has been over 48 hours. I have lost all respect for the Omni Resorts.

UPDATED REVIEW: A huge thank you to Heather Stout, Assistant Director, Food & Beverage, Omni Amelia Island Resort, who reached out to me about the Valentine's Day debacle, for which I posted a previous review. She offered a complimentary dinner for two which we very much enjoyed this evening, Our server, Sandee, was awesome and the food was delicious!! The Omni Resort, specifically Verandah Restaurant, has redeemed themselves in our eyes. My previous one star review has just been updated to a five...

Stayed at the Omni where they spoke about this place like we absolutely needed to eat here so we went in with some fairly high expectations. We arrived at a restaurant with little charm or ambiance. Jungle views only which are fine but not entirely what we were expecting. Arrived shuttle at 735 for a 730pm reservation. Waited until 750pm for seating. Strike one. Then were seated. In an awkward location between two very loud groups, one highly intoxicated. Couldn't hear the server over the screaming and yelling at the table next to us. We asked to be moved. Took 10 minutes to decide if we could be moved to any one of the other 15 empty tables. Finally got the green light to move and the waitress actually asked us to help her carry plates, glasses, bread basket over to new table. Got to new table. Still don't have a menu or a drink yet and it's now 830. Overall, supremely disappointed by the service.

Had the recommended fried oysters. Awful. Breading was far too heavy and oysters were fried into oblivion. No taste whatsoever. Oyster chowder and white asparagus soups were both excellent. Had the carboara pasta which was fair. The marquee menu item, "been on the menu for 30 years", the blue crab crusted flounder was also fair. Not much by way of interesting flavors but not bad.

I'd give the service a 1star and the food a 2.5 star. Quite disappointed. However, if you're willing to travel outside the Omni plantation, that is where you'll find much...