Lakeside Grille — Restaurant in Missouri

We went here on two separate occasions. On a Friday night we stopped in for a dessert, had the raspberry cheesecake and were blown away at how delicious that cheesecake was. Five stars plus. Saturday night we had dinner. First up we had the Potato Skins, and let me tell you that they knocked it out of the park. They had Cholula AND Tabasco (our favorites, respectively) for the skins and that just put the appetizer over the top. We didn't order dinner until after the app, and the blackened catfish & "country" fried chicken were worth the wait. The catfish was perfectly blackened and cooked to perfection. She also had a baked potato which was awesome reheated the next day (it was too much for dinner). Now, I was worried about the fried chicken breast because everyone knows that there is a difference between "country" and "chicken" fried. IYKYK. Well, the menu was mislabeled, because that dish was country fried and tender. The white gravy was savory and perfectly peppered. The french fries were standard fare, but were properly fried which made the whole dish sing. This place should be packed all weekend and most weekdays, because they are definitely cooking some food that is worth every penny...

I waited til I’d visited twice before making up my mind, but unfortunately determined my first visit wasn’t a fluke. I don’t want 3 stars to be interpreted as bad by readers—it’s exactly what it is. I would rate the experience at this restaurant as “fair.” But it’s VERY close to being much more than that. The kitchen has flavor nailed down. Seasoning is done well, sauces are great. It came down to the little things and there were just too many. The butter came cold and hard with the bread, noodles and ravioli came quite undercooked, chicken came overcooked (wife offered it to me and I wouldn’t eat it—I will eat just about anything). Also my shrimp came with the shell in my pasta dish. Kitchens don’t have to peel shrimp, but it sure is a pain to handle shrimp with your fingers when it’s been served in a pool of creamy sauce. I think the prices on the menu warrant a bit more staff in the kitchen—all these issues just come down to timing and attention. If I had to guess, the kitchen needs more help. Because the skill is clearly there, and combined with the beauty of the venue and the great service here, it could be a top-tier establishment...

Updating my review because my 5 star review was affiliated with the restaurant when it was under different ownership… however, I recently went back it’s def not the same anymore. Hate to bash on a new place but there’s no reason at all to price gouge as much as they do on the simplest menu items which weren’t very well done… sad. We ordered cheese curds, fettuccini, a burger, and a side salad and it was almost $60 after tip (no drinks or anything else). Insanity. Not once did anyone ask how everything was for us. Wish the past owners would have kept this establishment going instead of opening another traditional steakhouse in town. The lake restaurant was one of a kind in this town so I don’t understand why sell it just to open another restaurant that is basically the same as many others in town and around the area (my review isn’t reflective of that choice though since it has nothing to do with the new ownership of the restaurant; my updated review is solely based on the new experience I had with the restaurant recently, not the decision of the past owners but just wanted to throw that all out there because it’s annoying and sad for...