Obstacle No. 1 — Restaurant in Holland

Obstacle was our destination of choice to celebrate a special birthday. We called for reservations over a week ahead, but still had to settle for a 4:30 opening for our party of four. As it was our first visit, we previewed the menus online and read Yelp reviews, and decided ahead of time which plates to share. Obstacle is small and windowless, giving it a sultry speakeasy vibe. The low lighting could be a challenge for some, but we thought it added to the cozy atmosphere. We sat in a curved banquette, and its lush velvet upholstery felt like a warm embrace; I have never enjoyed restaurant seating more. The bartenders were attentive and informative, and assisted the waitstaff in all aspects, and that made for seamless service. The craft cocktails were pricy but exceptional, and befitting a special occasion. Unfortunately, out of the eight dishes we wanted to order, four were “out.” How can a restaurant with such a small menu be out of four items at 4:30pm on a Saturday? (Unavailable were the dates, crab and scallop dishes as well as the bread pudding, which btw, is one of only two desserts they offer! And, when we made substitutions, we were told that only ONE ceviche was still available!) The hits were the warm goat cheese dip, the Brussels sprouts and the braised short rib. The misses, other than not being able to order what we wanted, were two of our three substitutions: the chicken taquitos and chicken empanadas, as both were nothing special and tasted like doctored Costco frozen appetizers. I might expect to make substitutions at 9:pm, but I feel that they really dropped the ball, and not being able to fulfill our orders detracted from what could have otherwise been an A+ experience. We were dressed in finery befitting our celebration and Obstacle’s vibe, but some patrons sitting at the bar were wearing resort wear, so anything goes here. A host/hostess sets the tone when you enter an establishment, and unfortunately our hostess was neither warm nor welcoming. As it was so early and there were no crowds or anyone waiting to be seated, her lack of attention was particularly egregious. As the front of the house, we felt she was underdressed, as it was difficult to tell her apart from the casual diners in tees and shorts. A basic button-down black shirt would present the restaurant in a better light as her appearance was incongruent to the posh atmosphere. The bartenders looked cool-chic and and matched the esthetic perfectly. Will we be back? I’m not certain. The comfy banquette, unique cocktails and scrumptious warm goat cheese dip beckon to me, but what I really want is the scallops, crab cakes and bread pudding, and I don’t know if I want to risk being disappointed again. What could have been A+ turned into a C+ experience. We walked down the street to the yogurt joint for dessert, but wished we could have ended the night at Osbtacle. Hmmm… the real obstacle seems to be the menu and dish availability, but with a little tweaking that obstacle could...

Cool, intimate, relaxing - well done! First time at Obstacle No. 1 - must say we like this addition to the growing area of West 8th Street. I’m giving it 4 stars only because the girl who made my drink that night was following a recipe in a book (which I get, we all need to start somewhere). It was clear she was likely new or new to this bar.

I ordered a mojito which I’ve been lucky enough to have in the Mercado’s of Puerto Rico - a bit old school maybe - but more mint! Brown sugar, limes, muddle, muddle, muddle. It’s truthfully not a difficult drink, but getting the proportions right is key. By the time I was at the bottom of my glass it resembled a mojito, but the top 2/3 was a little light on flavors of the drink. Maybe it was a Cuban mojito, but even so, it lacked enough mint to give it that classic herbaceous flavor the drink is known for.

I really can’t fault them for that because the rest of the speakeasy is lovely with a large selection of cocktails and other beverages. It’s so nice to see bigger city craft cocktail bars popping up in towns like Holland. I hope that they come up with some nice drinks as the seasons go by because this is a lovely spot. The interior is beautifully done with warm inviting tones and...

I was in town to take my family out, I am from Texas, my family are Michiganders. We went to Seventy-Six and service was fine, I tipped well. We we to Obstacle and they left us waiting for a long time. The bartender came over to chastise my mother like a small child over using her cell phone for the light (the place is very dark, even for my younger eyes). They took forever to come back over to get our drink orders. I asked the bartender to apologize to my mother for chastising her and all he would respond with was whether we wanted a manager. The manager wouldn’t apologize either. I pointed out that he was taking polaroids with a flash, he said that was for the ambiance. All I wanted to do was spend money on my family and show them a good time, I was ready to tip tourist style like I did at Seventy-Six. Instead I left embarrassed in tears. This place lost out on a lot of money and I will make sure my local girlfriends know that this is not a...