The Blue Lion — Restaurant in Jackson

Food was uninspired, everything was just OK. The lamb was good, while the elk bolognese was not, bland sauce and pasta did not seem as though it was house made, which for the price, it absolutely should be. I could make a much better bolognese at home. My cocktail was delicious but overall the food left us feeling disappointed and did not meet expectations. Also no complementary bread to start? Bread as a paid appetizer for this level of restaurant is sort of a joke!

The service was attentive, however was not very personable. Something you expect at this price point. An extra special touch here or there was completely missing. My boyfriend is the General Manager of a successful Minnesota restaurant and he too felt as though the entire experience was sub par. No one greeting you with a smile at the door? No management on the floor making table touches for what seemed like the entire experience? No chef checking to make sure their work was satisfactory or beyond?

This restaurant works off of a small menu, that is ok! But with a menu as small as theirs it is expected that everything on the menu is available to order. Out of the Elk Chops is in my opinion unacceptable! Had it been a bigger menu I would understand but it shows how little care and attentiveness is being taken behind the scenes! The Elk was the entire reason we came, so disappointing!

The only saving grace was the atmosphere, cute, quaint, and charming. The live music was a very nice touch and really brought everything to life! Truly a lovely setting.

Overall a thumbs down in my eyes. This is not a casual eatery. Ownership, management, and those in charge need to start taking an extra step towards providing an exception experience. Not one that was just OK. I personally will never come back or recommend The Blue Lion to anyone. Their money and mine could be better...

This was a really nice dinner or with my wife. We have a 1 year old and it's a rare treat to have a meal with just the two of us. We ordered the baked brie to start and it was good, though the raspberry sauce was a little tart and I thought a missed opportunity to use huckleberry sauce. For our salads she got the sesame dressing, which had a nice flavor, but again was a bit tart for us. I ordered the basil peppercorn dressing, which was sort of like ranch, but a little bland. The greens were also a couple days past their prime. For our entrees, my wife ordered the lobster and shrimp scampi, which tasted good, but was a tad greasy. I think they probably made it and set it under the heat lamp while they finished my food and the sauce broke. I ordered the elk tenderloin, rare. It was cooked perfectly, could use a touch of salt, but that's easy to fix. The reduced port sauce under the elk was a touch over-reduced and heavy for my liking, but it was a typical demiglace. I also added on a piece of trout that tasted very fresh and nice. My complaint with the trout is that the skin was completely soft, I like a nice crispy skin on fish if you're going to serve it with skin on. The fish was also a little overcooked and under seasoned, but the sauce was nice. The scalloped potatoes were good, I happily ate the entire portion. The broccolini was a little undercooked, but I would rather it be undercooked than overcooked. It would have been nice if they charred it on the grill for a minute. Overall it was a nice meal. I know my review seems pretty critical, but I honestly...

I recently visited The Blue Lion and had a highly unpleasant dining experience. Shortly after our entrees were served, numerous wasps surrounded our table, landing on our food, and even consuming parts of it. We had to stop eating immediately as this made it impossible to enjoy our meal and raised serious concerns about hygiene.

Despite bringing this issue to the attention of the staff, the response was disappointing. We were informed that we could be moved indoors but were expected to accept and pay for the food that had been compromised by the wasps. The situation escalated unnecessarily when management called the police after I expressed my dissatisfaction with their handling of the matter.

Overall, this experience was frustrating and significantly spoiled from what should have been an enjoyable dining experience. I hope that The Blue Lion takes steps to address these issues in the future to ensure a more safe and pleasant environment for their guests.

Edit to add:

Elk meatballs were on the average side.

The rack of lamb, described as crispy on the outside, was disappointingly soggy. The lack of crispiness detracted from what should have been a highlight of the dish, leaving it underwhelming in texture and flavor.

Similarly, the beef tenderloin failed to impress. It lacked any discernible flavor, leaving me questioning the quality of the preparation and...