Foodcraft — Restaurant in Gulf Shores

We made reservations dinner based on a delicious lunch that we had eaten at the restaurant. Our waiter was more than friendly and helpful as far as choosing a main dish for dinner. However I only gave this restaurant at three because I thought the service after we ordered was terrible and I’ll explain why. The bus boy brought us our hors d’oeuvres while we waited for dinner to arrive this was the same bus boy that was observed clearing dirty dishes away from a large table Behind us. It wasn’t until we are finished our dinner that those dirty dishes from the previous guests had been cleared . I found it absurd that the person bringing our side orders was a busboy basically handling other customers dirty dishes. Secondly most important the dinner that we ordered was nothing like the lunch we had had a few days before. The fish entree was dry and overcooked. The bread basket on the same menu was offered at a charge. There was no follow up from our waiter at our table during dinner, i.e. asking if we needed any further drinks, water, etc. I understand the restaurants are shortstaffed around the country now so I gave the restaurant a three star rating based on the dry fish and semi lack of service and possibly being understaffed. But the dirty dishes that I had to stare at During dinner was not the quality of service I would expect from a Hilton...

We stayed at The Lodge for a week, so we ate here several times. Every morning for breakfast and twice for dinner. You can’t beat the view here. Sitting outside is so pleasant. Breakfast was great, every time. The food was great, and the service was great as well. Perfect way to start the day. Dinner, however, not so great. The food was fantastic, but the service was terrible. The first time we ate dinner here, the kitchen “lost” our ticket, or our food was taken by another server to another table. We never really found out for sure. It took over 2 hours to get our food. The manager did come over to apologize and gave us a free round of drinks and a free dessert. I felt that it was excellent for them to acknowledge the mistake, and decided it was something that could happen anywhere. Then we went back on our last night. The drinks were extremely slow coming out. My dad was half way through his steak by the time he got his wine, and my mom was completely done with her meal and actually canceled her beer. Neither night was overly busy. The atmosphere is great, the food is great, and the view is fantastic. The service is my biggest complaint, especially since the service can make or break your experience. If you can come here and get a good and attentive server, I think you would enjoy the...

My friend Thor (his real name) used to say "Never eat where you sleep". While I have found exceptions to the rule, it does apply to Foodcraft at the Lodge (a Hilton property). My main complaint is the restaurant is VERY loud. It didn't help that we were seated next to the bar near the entrance. At first, it was acceptable, until a large group gathered at the bar. We asked our waitress if we could move to one of the empty tables further in the restaurant, and she said we couldn't and it wouldn't make a difference "since the whole restaurant is very noisy". So my wife and I had to shout at each other during dinner conversation. It's like being at the "Flora-Bama" but without its ambiance. That's a shame because the food is excellent. Though they have a limited menu, the food we sampled was nicely done. The conch chowder wasn't milky and had a good flavor. The snapper with cauliflower butter sauce had a little kick to it. We went elsewhere for dessert to try to reclaim part of the evening. We're local to the area and trying to explore new restaurants, so at least we know a place we won't return to unless they improve the...