Amélies - Restaurant and Event Center — Restaurant in Idaho

One star- and that’s only because the food itself was beyond delicious.

ZERO STARS for service.

If I could go negative I would. Our reservation was for 6pm. Two out of the 8 of us were there at 5:50pm, two more at 6pm, the rest of arrived by 6:15pm. No one came to even take a drink order until close to 7pm. This was after one of the people in our party went to ask for service. Then two servers argued over whose table it was. Still had no service until after 7pm. At that time the server, who declared herself the manager, and that dessert would be on the house tonight, said she’d be back to get our orders as soon as she helped another table. About five minutes later another server came by and started to take our drink orders, at that time the manager, Celyna, came by and told her she was handling our table and told her to clear the orders from her pad. She said drinks are also on the house. She then asked how many checks, we told her 4 and who was with whom. She then took or drink orders and we also asked for waters that never came. She proceeded to ask what we wanted to eat and said she was also going to comp the side salads. Our drinks came out about 8 minutes later. After our food arrived we were in the process of eating and she came back and said, yeah I can’t comp everything what do you want comped? At first we said drinks, but then realized not everyone had gotten drinks, so we asked for the desserts. When it came time to pay our bills, she had the checks wrong and one of our party had given his card because he needed to leave. She fixed our checks, but still has not brought his card back to the table, saying she couldn’t charge him until she had everyone’s cards. Never heard off that before. One in our party then asked if she could pay using Apple Pay, Celyna said yes, you just have to come up front with me. Once up front to pay there were issues with the Apple pay not being accepted and a physical card actually being needed, at some point it was brought up that it wasn’t right that both drinks and dessert had been offered as on the house and then that offer being retracted. . Comments were made about people not being able to afford what they ordered, a comment about people in our party wouldn’t have ordered what they did if it hadn’t been offered in the first place. Celyna then took the drinks off of that persons bill, since she had agreed to pay for everyone drinks, when the offer was retracted. After that person in our party left, she then put the drinks back onto two of the other bills and told them it wasn’t coming out of her pocket. When the original party called to ask for a manager after being aware of this, the young lady who answered the phone left the phone line open and could be heard saying, Celyna, you have a call. The line was left open for around 20 seconds before it was muted. When the line was picked up, she was asked for her name and said, uh this is Susan. When questioned about why others in the party were charged, she said, well the bill has to be paid by someone. She was reminded, You even said you were removing that charge. She said I had to make up the money somehow and recoup the losses. She then said have a good day and hung up.

This is the type of service that makes you not want to return to these establishments.

The main point is, things were offered, retracted, comments made that shouldn’t have been, like being told we need different friends, yeah not professional at all on the servers part. Especially if...

"O'Boy, was O'crab a mistake? Last week, I received a mailer stating that O'crab now offered ramen and sushi. As a big ramen lover, I was excited to try it out, especially since we had a 50% off coupon. I told my husband about it, and despite my "never use a coupon" policy, we decided to give it a shot. In hindsight, that was mistake number one.

We arrived at 8 PM on a Saturday night, and the waiters seemed busy. There was a party of six people waiting to be seated, but they were kind enough to take us first since we were a small group. O'crab was clean and bright, and the atmosphere was reminiscent of a cross between Bubba Gumps and Red Lobster, but with a really nice ambiance. We were taken to a section with only three other occupied tables, so it was slower than we expected, but we assumed we had missed the dinner hour. There were some other tables on the opposite side of the restaurant.

After I used the restroom, I asked my husband what he was having. He replied, "Cajun shrimp pasta." I thought we had agreed on trying the ramen, but he pointed out that it wasn't on the menu. When our server came, I asked about the ramen, and she said they weren't serving it that night. I asked if it was only available on certain days or times since it wasn't mentioned in the mailer, but she shrugged and said the guy who makes it wasn't there and they might stop serving it altogether. That was a big wrench in our plan, but we were determined to make the best of it. I asked about the sushi, which we had seen advertised on two A-frame signs, but she said it wasn't available either. She explained that it might be available on Monday, but she wasn't sure. That was strike two.

My husband decided to order the Cajun pasta with a bowl of clam chowder, and I ordered 1lb of shrimp boil. The soup was bland and watery, and the parsley topping wasn't a good sign. When our server asked how it was, my husband explained that it was watery, and she took it away and offered to remove it from the bill. Next came the pasta, which was overcooked and mushy, and the sauce was bland, especially for being "Cajun-inspired." My husband added some salt, pepper, and hot sauce, but it didn't help. He apologized and sent the dish back when our server came by. We shared the shrimp, which came with an overcooked ear of corn and two small, overcooked potatoes. The saving grace of the dish was the heavy butter-garlic sauce that it was coated in, but it cost $22.00. We made the best of it and laughed about it being a costly appetizer. When we were finished, our server asked if we wanted anything else, and we politely declined. She handed us the bill, which included a lemonade, a club soda (because they didn't have soda water), and the shrimp dish, plus tip, which came out to $40. She then says "I'll just wait right here as you dig out our card". We assumed she was trying to clock out or thought we might run out, but it was still...

Our lunch experience at Country Bay Bistro left us with mixed feelings, reflecting a potential recent change in management/ownership and ongoing rebranding efforts. Upon arrival, the bistro appeared relatively empty despite our reservation, but we were promptly greeted and seated, which we appreciated.

The ambiance was a delightful mix of seaside charm and rustic country, creating a pleasant dining environment. Music matched the mood and left us curious if they ever had live music in house. However, the menu discrepancies between online offerings and what was available in-house were noticeable. Many dishes listed online were missing, including some we had our eyes on, which was a bit disappointing. Additionally, the in-house menu was a bit difficult to read due to mixed fonts and out of place branding which were slightly distracting.

Service was attentive, although our server seemed a touch formal for the casual setting, giving us a "ready button" making it feel more of a steakhouse restaurant vs a bistro. Nonetheless, the staff were accommodating & attentive and we felt well looked after throughout our meal.

For starters, we opted for the crab fries, despite a discrepancy in price—$17.99 versus the listed $10.50 online. While the fries themselves were perfectly cooked with a satisfying texture, the crab meat was a letdown. It lacked seasoning and was slightly rubbery, suggesting overcooking. Given the portion size, which was ample for two and possibly three, and the quality of the crab, we felt the dish fell short of its price tag and would rate it 3 stars.

Moving on to the main course, I chose the cod platter, a variation of fish and chips. The cod was excellently fried with a light, crispy batter that wasn’t greasy—a definite plus. The Cajun fries accompanying the dish, though tasty, could have benefited from a consistent seasoning throughout, perhaps a toss in seasoning vs sprinkle would have hit the mark. The tartar sauce was a standout, with a pleasant, mild flavor that complemented the fish well—a surprising hit even for someone typically indifferent to tartar sauce. My husband ordered a shrimp po boy. He loved the shrimp, perfectly cooked and delicate with another great example of being fried just light. He mentioned his Cajun fries were also slightly underwhelming in seasoning.

Overall, while some aspects of our experience at Country Bay Bistro were enjoyable—the inviting atmosphere and well-prepared cod—the inconsistencies in menu pricing and seasoning detracted from our overall satisfaction. With some adjustments, particularly in menu transparency and seasoning technique, this bistro could easily elevate its appeal for us to give 5 stars. For now, it remains a decent choice for those seeking a cozy bistro experience with potential for improvement. We imagine we would go back again when searching for best seafood options and order something...