Savory, a restaurant — Restaurant in Langley

We chose this restaurant based on all the great reviews, and we wanted a small, intimate restaurant for the final night of our vacation. We arrived very early to be sure he could get a table because they didn't take reservations and there weren't very many tables. We arrived well before 6 pm and were able to get a table, in fact many tables were empty. We were seated and the water was poured. Then the waitress informed us that they were out of many of the menu items, including all the entrees we were interested in ordering. We were set on the cod, but that had been long gone. How could that be since the restaurant had only been opened a short time? This was a Saturday night. How could they run out? There were no entrees left that had any protein. We asked the waitress how they could run out so early and were were rudely told in a gloating tone that they only had available a small number of each entree. I guess the early bird special at this restaurant is if you get there early enough you might be able to order something before it is gone. We first order an appetizer which was a mushroom pate. I asked if it came with something to spread it on and was told that would be extra. The pate was $17 and was about two tablespoons worth. We order a puff bread and that was good, but $13 for four tiny squares, but was just large enough to spread the two tablespoons of pate. So $30 for that. Not goose liver, but mushroom pate. I'm well aware of entree sizes in good restaurants. I've eaten in many, including some of the better restaurants in NYC, and some with Micheline stars, so I wasn't expecting Olive Garden endless breadsticks, but $30 for that was a ripoff. The entree we first ordered was an unremarkable pasta dish that was just a few bites for $35, and we ordered the only vegetable side dish that was available. We were still very hungry so we ordered the other pasta dish that was supposed to be a Bolognese with grass fed beef. What we got were six little strips of wide pasta with a watery tomato sauce. I couldn't find any beef bits or beef taste. Maybe they used a Vitamix to blend it, but there were no little bits of beef to be seen or tasted. It would have been nice to be offered a little Parmesan cheese, but none was offered. They were probably out, and I'm sure there would have been an additional charge. I really don't know how this restaurant can stay in business. I looked around when new people were seated and could see the disappointment on their faces when they were told of the few menu choices they had. Everything about our experience was a disappointment. I read that the management had changed, so perhaps the good reviews were when the previous owners were in charge. We spent a sizeable amount of money and still left the restaurant very hungry. I would have welcomed an Olive Garden on the walk back to the hotel. Or even...

The staff at Savory were genuinely kind and attentive, which was the only highlight of our visit. Unfortunately, the food was both overpriced and pretentious, failing to deliver the quality or creativity expected from a fine dining experience.

We started with an appetizer that cost $38 for just four small pieces of bread and three tiny portions of spread—a shockingly poor value. For my main dish, I ordered the couscous, which turned out to be incredibly simple, consisting of just tomato and onions—something I could easily make at home for $2. The portion was disappointingly small, though I will admit the smoked mushrooms were a nice touch.

My wife ordered the mushroom pasta. Again, the serving was minimal, and for a main dish with no protein, the price felt completely unjustified. Flavor-wise, it was uninspired and forgettable.

I’ve dined at many Michelin-starred restaurants around the world, and while fine dining is often expensive, I have never left feeling both hungry and disappointed. It seems Savory doesn’t understand that fine dining is not about tiny portions and inflated prices—it’s about quality, creativity, and an experience that...

We were regulars at Savory, when they had heaping bowls of pasta and the best Caesar salad around. We were looking forward to trying the restaurant again, after friends had recommended we give this new version a chance. The homemade bread and spreads were delicious but they were already out of 3 of the menu items, when we arrived at 6pm. We tried the bolognese pasta, the crab noodle bowl and the cod. The servings were small and the pasta had very little meat and was oily. There were barely any pieces of crab visible in the “crab” noodle bowl. The flavor wasn’t bad but, for the price, they should include large chunks of crab. The cod was well cooked but, again, a small portion for the price. We would go back for the bread and spread appetizer and wine but we recommend they work to bring their portions in line with their prices. If the portions were large and they were generous with the meat and fish, we wouldn’t have such a difficult time with the cost. We love that space and had one of our first Whidbey Island meals there, back in 2016, so we will give the new owners a little more time to improve the offerings and...