The Restaurant at Albert — Restaurant in Fredericksburg

This is my 4th visit to the Albert, 1st for lunch. I was looking forward to seeing if things (attitude of servers, service, timeliness, quality, etc.) had improved since my last visit. When we were seated at about 12:00, there was no one at the bar and one other table at the outdoor area. I loved the fact they had a limited lunch menu. My thought with a limited menu is that what they offer will be well executed. Everything offered sounded promising, but the 4 of us all decided to go with the Puffed Quinoa Salad with Chicken. When we ordered, our waitress asked if we wanted to add any protein, like chicken to the salad. My friend replied that the menu stated that chicken was a part of the salad. The waitress responded, “Oh, I have never had it so I didn’t know”. When the salads did arrive, they looked lovely, but we moved the greens around looking for the much anticipated Puffed Quinoa…not to be found. The waitress did not return to the table for a bit, so I went in to the restaurant/bar to inquire. The “assistance” I received from the bartender is for another review, another day. A bit later, a manager came out and told us that, although they were working to update the menu, there was no Puffed Quinoa in the Puffed Quinoa Salad, but was there something else he could do to “elevate” our salad experience. We just all simply looked at him. He did tell us he was going to give us a 10% discount (seriously) on our Puffed Quinoa Salads and we were to rest assured, they were working on updating the menu. I could go on, but suffice it to say, The Albert has yet to hit their stride. As a local, who often gets asked where to go in town, I continue to not be able to recommend anything...

We visited on Valentine's Day, which I believe was one of their busiest days since opening. Overall, the service was excellent. The valet service was seamless from start to finish, and the waitstaff was attentive and knowledgeable. We were seated immediately for our 7:00 PM reservation. The atmosphere was very pleasant, and our waiter answered all our questions with a good understanding of the menu. While the food was good, nothing particularly stood out as five-star quality. However, I plan to try different dishes next time. I can see this restaurant growing into an excellent establishment for Fredericksburg, and we will definitely return. My favorite orders of the night were the broccoli soup and quail.

One suggestion is to stick with your usual drink choices, as their fixed drink menu is limited and somewhat pricey; I wasn't particularly impressed. Nonetheless, the bar staff was very attentive. Overall, I would give this place an A, and I will recommend it to my friends as a lovely evening out...

This restaurant gave me possibly one of the worst experiences I've ever had dining out. Once we were seated it took almost 15-20 minutes to get water. Not sparkling or bottled it was a wait for tap water. The cocktails that were ordered oddly came out within 5. It took an hour and a half to get our appetizers one of which was tartare, a raw meat dish. It took about another 15min after to get our entrees. The manager did come by and say that they would take care of our appetizers for the wait, but when the check came not only were the appetizers still on the tab it took another 20 minutes to get the error fixed. This dinner was a nightmare. I would have been upset with any establishment having these issues. The fact that there were only 7 tables and prices on par with a fine dining restaurant is even more infuriating. The bill for 4 people was over $400. Couldn't imagine being back or recommending eating here to any person even my...