Nautilus Diner — Restaurant in Maryland

First, allow me to qualify this review and saying it is based solely on one particular item order from their specials of the day. The item order was there roast chicken and dressing. I was with a friend when we decided to go to this particular restaurant because he felt it was one he hasn't been to in quite some time. As a general descriptive, the inside, along with the silvered outside decor and design, reminds most in this area of the Double T Diner. Like the Double T Diner the menu is rather expensive, and the desserts, a highlight, are quite a treat ranging from a strawberry cheesecake to your chocolate peanut butter cake, and everything in between. Cookies, donuts... you will definitely find your suit to satisfy here. However, it wasn't the dessert that is in question. It is the main entree order as previously mentioned.

The order arrived where the roasted chicken sat on top of the dressing. This is more of a bread dressing as can usually be expected. Cornbread dressing, my preferred, tends to be the exception, but not the rule. Bread-based dressing can cover the gambit. This is where the problem lies. When I arranged my food on my plate to proceed, the first thing I noticed was the lack of seasoning. There is no salt here, and it may be in deference to the elderly. There was no descriptive on the menu saying the food would not be typically seasoned as one would find in most restaurants. The chicken as well as the vegetables were rather bland. Nothing noticeable excited My taste buds at all. The dressing was a disaster! Lacking flavor and seasoning, not even a hint of sage as is a major necessity in anyone's dressing. This bread dressing was soggy, sopping in moisture and oil that gave it a slick texture. I moved it off my plate to a side dish in order to continue my meal. This is nowhere near anyone's dressing should they be dining at home, and their meal includes a typical bread dressing. At least that's what this Tennessee boy has grown up to believe. This dressing was so subpar, I thought it would be a disservice to simply pay for my meal and say nothing. Silence may be why this particular dish finds it's presence on this menu.

I notified the waitress who then notified the manager on duty. I asked them to please try this dressing themselves. The first comment give was they do not season with salt, etc.. I gently informed them this was way beyond the issue of proper seasoning. I then stated the how the dressing was " simply horrible ". I asked that they please have the cook try his own ware, and the waitress and manager should both try this dish themselves so as to underline the fact of it being unworthy of serving aside from the blandness of the chicken and vegetables. I had already prodded my lunch companion to try this dish and he spoke to them reinforcing my findings. He shared his opinion, again in a very kind manner. Incidences like this are best dealt with where kindest is the rule. After all, you are telling a restaurant you dislike their food. There's no need to be nasty about it.

Many times I have found dishes served in restaurants where no one had tasted the results, not even the cook who should be the first one to know what they are serving their guests.

The waitress and manager canceled the check. I pleaded with them to not do this. Why? My intent was to alert them to a very bad this dish. I wanted to eliminate any idea that this was being acted up on to simply not pay for a half eaten meal. They insisted. In return, I ordered several of their desserts; various cheese cakes and slices of frosted cake. Let me add here these delectable pastries are not cheap! I felt it was the least I could do to balance things at the till. I would have preferred to pay my check in order to underscore the sincerity of this whole affair. Again, my intent was to make sure they knew the horror of this dish, in the hopes they correct this should they decide to keep it on their menu. The restaurant was very kind in spite of this. They should be commended for their...

We were seated quickly, But social distancing is not being enforced. I know they have installed glass dividers on the booths but the other tables are all still close, but we were hungry so we made the choice to stay. We were seated near the dessert case and the check out counter the manager was standing close to our table when he yelled loudly across the restaurant to a staff. This was so loud i was not only startled but my ears were ringing from this as i am very sensitive to noise. We waited about 5 minutes before the waitress came to table and simply stated " do you know what you want?" while in the middle of ordering she yelled over to another server. I asked for water. I didn't get it until my meal came. the food was not as hot as it should be . it tasted good but luke warm at best. The potatoes were cold but they are never good. I never eat them. Finally a man came in without a mask walked through the place without ever being redirected by staff. Hello there is a pandemic! Masks are required!!!!

Update: today! 10/8/2022

We decided we would give this place another chance. As it has been a while since we had been there. As we walk in two people in front of us are barely acknowledged by the person seating people, an older lady that is one of the managers I imagine, the people state they need a table for two, the manager says nothing, walks away and is taking to an older lady( customer) sitting down, chats with her and hugs her she then returns and says two? She takes the people to a table, a young waitress comes up, I said there will be four, but we are still waiting for the others, they should be here soon. The waitress seats us and turned out she was our server, she was lovely. Our friends took longer than anticipated, we ordered drinks but we decided to wait for our friends, about 15 minutes after us being there I apologized to the waitress, telling her i know we are holding up the table, she said it was fine.Shortly after that the manager woman comes over and asks if our friends are on the way because they don’t normally seat people until the entire party is there and the servers work for tables, she was rude and I felt like I was being interrogated. I explained it was a miscommunication, but yes they were on the way We ordered before our friends arrived, once our friends showed up they promptly ordered, but this manager was watching us, I also saw her go to a man sitting alone and ask if he would mind moving or paying his bill because they need the table. There were two women at the table next to us that were there when we arrived and for quite a while after, they left because they felt they too were being watched and rushed out.

Again our server was very nice, the food adequate. But we were a group of four that got food and alcohol, our check was substantial and would have been more if we had not felt rushed to get up. We drink!!!!! Side note there was never a line, only looked crowded when big parties came in but everyone was seated promptly, so they didn’t need to push people out!

So we gave it a second chance...

My fiance and I dined here on 2/16/20 @ 6:30pm. We were served promptly and our waitress was polite but my crock of onion soup wasn't hot. It just barely passed being warm enough to eat and I didn't want to complain. The cheese on top was melted but not browned which lead me to believe that it was microwaved. My fiance and I ordered gyro platters. The pita bread was slightly warmer than room temperature and the gyro meat, like the soup, barely passed being warm enough to eat. The manager was nearby, so I asked him why they don't serve hot food? He replied that he hears that complaint frequently. I said, "You hear it that much and you're not doing anything about it!?" He realized what he had just said and changed his story to: "We don't hear it a lot but when we hear complaints, it's that the food isn't hot." I then asked if the onion soup is microwaved and he said, "not when it's cooked - only when it's not hot enough". He then asked if I wanted my gyro to be heated up which was by his words, essentially asking if I wanted my plate microwaved and I said no. IT GETS WORSE!

While we were paying, he was at the counter and apologized for the food not being hot. I told him that we're paying $50 for our meal and McDonald's serves their food hotter than Nautilus. He replied confidently, "When you come back, the food will be hot!" What an assumption! I told him there's not going to be a next time. He then asked my fiance if her platter was the same as mine and she replied, yes. He then chuckled and said, "At least we're consistent!". To which I replied, "Yes, and your review will be too", and he walked away.

The manager could have cared less about the quality our meals and only offered to microwave my plate to resolve their error and my dissatisfaction. His arrogance made him make statements and were not mean but were certainly stupid and to the detriment of the establishment. I will not return there again and have serious doubts if I will ever go to the location in Crofton that is apparently under the...