Stone Water at 3 Peaks Marina — Restaurant in Jefferson Township

On behalf of my husband, our family and all friends, I would like to THANK Stone Water from the bottom of my heart for the most AMAZING and EASY wedding day! On 11/14/20 chef Domenick and wedding coordinator Karissa coordinated the MANY details of the event on a strict timeline with impeccable taste and unending grace. They blessed us all with a beautiful day that we will never forget

Let me start by saying this place is really good. The location is great, the waiters and waitresses are great, drinks are good, and the food is usually good. I say "usually" because we are regulars so we can compare from week to week.

What does bother me is the fact that this is a more high-end place but this place does not value regulars - at all. We dine here rain or shine about once a week, sometimes twice a week. Each time we spend on an average of $150-$200 per person.

Other regular favorites are Roots Steakhouse and The Grand Cafe in Morristown, Mohawk House in Sparta, Crystal Tavern in Vernon, Casa Bellisima in Newton and Capital Grille in Parsippany - so yes, we do like nice places. Anyone who patronizes nice restaurants is ready to spend a nice penny, but that also comes with an expectation of an above average everything: food, drinks, service, but most importantly the overall experience. This is where Stone Water falls on its face - as a "nice" restaurant.

This is what bothered me, and why I changed my rating from a 5 star to a 1 star: Poor experience. I did not feel I got my money's worth - at all, only because of the hostesses not doing a good job of being accommodating. They single handedly make this place feel like a faceless corporate operation where everything is about making -their- job easier, not about the customer.

We made a reservation. We get there, they want to seat us at the worst possible table by a noisy bar, in a tight spot with a lot of through traffic, by an open door with a heavy draft. We ask to be reseated to another table that we point out, so the hostess leaves, makes us wait for a solid five minutes, by the time she comes back the more desirable table had been seated by someone who arrived after us, and when she comes back she begins a long explanation about how they pre-assign reservations to certain tables, bla bla bla.

I don't care. I really don't care.

As a good regular customer what she should have done is what any other "nice" place does, and accommodates a re-seating request on the spot. "Yes of course, follow me please" is what I expected. Not a whole story of their operational logistics. I am there to relax and spend my money, and enjoy my off time from my busy schedule. As I tell people: "Don't make your problems mine".

She said the table was reserved so I asked her "oh, so can I reserve a specific table then so I know for the future?" - she said no, so I said well then how can that specific table be reserved? Needless to say, a bunch of senseless rambling instead of just making the customer happy.

I would have expected the place to keep track of its customer base and recognize regulars and show at least some level of appreciation for repeat business - but there is none whatsoever. I do recognize that the hostesses are taking their job seriously, but in a place like this I would advise to put the human first - the customer. At the end of the day: it is the customer who pays the bills.

We were going to collectively affect the whole staff for our poor experience by not tipping the waiter so he could share our discontent with his team to show that the actions of some affect everyone. HOWEVER, he was such a nice guy, pleasant, sporting a smile, did his job incredibly well, so we scratched that idea and gave him his deserved tip.

Will we come back? Yes. Will we come with lower expectations? Yes. Will we recommend this place? Yes, but with a "but".

Oh, one more thing - the "complementary" valet service reserve about 90% of the parking and run up to you when you self-park to tell you they have to park it. Super annoying. It should be voluntary, not coerced "complementary" valet parking.

All in all, if you are used to high end places, don't expect to get that level of service or experience here. It is simply a restaurant with high prices and a nice view. For a good experience, go to any of the aforementioned places. They will recognize you, and even if they don't, they still give you incredible service. Shout out to...

We stopped in last night a little before 8pm on the way home from a family party, were instantly told by the hostess the kitchen is closing and asked if we had a reservation. We did not. We told the hostess we were stopping in for a drink and maybe an app before heading home with our son, a 2-year-old. We were told they cannot sit us at a table if we weren't having a meal and we had to sit at the bar or a high top. The bar is not an acceptable option with a 2-year-old and a high top was ok, minus the fact they do not have any highchairs for high top tables. When the hostess thought about it, she changed her mind and reluctantly sat us at a table. It was our first time there since recently moving here and were sat behind a rock wall, we asked if we could change our table to enjoy the patio being there was an abundance of tables and were denied. We were told they are for reservations only. Our server Lauren E was very apologetic and informed us the kitchen was closing and took order. We didn't want food but felt somewhat pressured to order something, we decided on lobster rolls and were informed they were sold out and had to change our order. Lauren was very attentive and made sure she apologized for everything and tried to make sure we were comfortable. Ultimately, I believe it comes down to the policies of the restaurant. Upon leaving I asked when the last reservation is taken for Sundays and was told 8:00pm. We could have been sat at any table in the place they were not busy and had a wide-open patio of tables. They also had no other reservations coming in upon our arrival. So, without my questioning of our hostess's choice of seating we would have been sitting at the bar with a 2-year-old or at a high-top table with a very short highchair. We could have had a nice view while practically being forced to dine but were told those seats were for "Reservations" that they did NOT have at all. Our lobster roll app was unavailable and even after hearing it was a first time in the place, we were placed behind a rock wall. It is doubtful if we would ever return, we felt as if we were lied to, and the initial reception was awful. Our server although kind and mindful to us looked uncomfortable telling us she can't move our table. It's as if they want to have an almost sense of exclusivity as to where you sit. Not very family...