Dauphin’s Casual Fine-Dining — Restaurant in Mobile

I visited here with my partner a couple of weeks ago, and overall it was quite an underwhelming experience from what was anticipated.

It was confusing finding the parking, so if you’re not a local I’d recommend setting aside some time aside before your reservation to find the complex. Once we entered the establishment, we were greeted warmly by the staff, and our coats were taken for us (nice!) while we confirmed our reservation.

While going to our table, the ambience was unimpressive, aside from the scenic views and table set up. The floors look like outdated office carpet and there was a large wall that separated the cocktail lounge area from the main dining area, which seemed slightly tacky.

Our server was a kind and knowledgeable individual who did his job well. He had a sparkling personality, but I felt rushed to finish my plates after explaining that I’m a bit of a slower eater than my partner who inhales his food in less than five minutes.

In all, we each ordered two Thyme Out’s (a delicious thyme based cocktail that I could drink by the gallon,) 5 Rivers Gator as an appetizer, the Bon Secour (choice of swordfish) and the Dauphin’s Dolphin as entrees, and a creme brûlée for dessert. We also received complimentary bonbons since we came for a special occasion, and the creme brûlée was comped out due to an issue with the appetizer. Our bill was around $150 pre-tax and tip, so although it as up there it was reasonable for the kind of establishment that it is.

The 5 Rivers Gator was the most delicious fried alligator I’ve had in my life, and the house buttermilk ranch and glaze that’s served on the side really completed the dish. It was juicy and cooked to perfection. It was the highlight of our meal! However, I did make sure to mention both in my reservation AND while we were seated that I’m allergic to shrimp and crab, and there was a stray fried shrimp that managed to make its way onto our plates. I understand that accidents happen and it was likely due to something going on in the kitchen, but if I wasn’t paying attention it would’ve been a completely different story, and I was paranoid for the rest of our dinner for cross contamination risks which soiled the mood.

I chose the Bon Secour with swordfish, the fish was cooked perfectly but the rice and additions to the plate weren’t anything special. The entire dish lacked flavor and dimension, and I regretted not ordering something different.

My partner chose the Dauphin’s Dolphin and essentially encountered the same experience, and his plate looked nearly identical to mine- just a different kind of fish. For the price of the entrees and marketing of the menu, we were expecting a lot more out of what we got.

For dessert I asked for the server to surprise me, and he chose a creme brûlée (generally my favorite dessert.) He advocated heavily for the key lime pie, which I think I would try if I were to visit again. I had it packed to go, and ate it within an hour or two of ordering it and it honestly wasn’t palatable. It’s likely my fault since it wasn’t chilled in a fridge or freezer for those couple of hours, but the flavor simply wasn’t there.

In all, I’d recommend visiting for the lounge area for a drink and a bite. The dinner scene has some room for improvement from what I...

Entering the gorgeously adorned RSA Trustmark Bank building was the first sensory-appeasing site of this dining experience. We were greeted with a friendly and helpful security staff and enchanted by the beautiful artwork displayed on every wall. Zipping up the elevator to the 34th floor, the doors opened to an ease of elegance, beauty and style that instantly captivated. This was going to be a fine dining experience!

Although it looked the part, none of the pretense of luxury or stuffiness existed here. It was a relaxed and almost casual atmosphere but full of all the earmarks of fine dining. The wait staff showed they were trained to enhance the dining experience and we were won over instantly. I’ve never seen better! They were knowledgeable, efficient, attentive without being pushy or distracting and seemed to genuinely care that we were having a positive dining experience.

We started with the cheese plate featuring delicious local artisan cheeses and it blew us away! They ranged from creamy to hard with each tasting like the best in its class. The goat cheese was incredible and everything you’d want in a creamy, mild cheese. And the accompanying elements of sweet and spicy pecans (so good!), dried cranberries, fresh blueberries, hibiscus honey and assorted crackers elevated each bite to even better flavors, so go nuts and try them all!

Our entrees were the pecan encrusted trout, shrimp and grits and pasta Bayou LaBatre and each was truly a flavorful delight. They were incredibly well prepared, seasoned and made that it was hard to find the minuses in them. The textures, colors and everything down to how the food was beautifully and artistically presented appealed to every inch of our senses and easily catapulted this meal to one of the best we’d ever had. We felt pleasantly filled and satisfied and ordered dessert just to try them.

The choices included key lime pie, but we chose the creme brûlée and no flour chocolate cake. The creme brûlée with it’s crackle sugar topping and creamy deliciousness was the first to be demolished and by the time we worked on the smooth chocolate-y no flour cake, we had no room to go. But the meal wasn’t complete without their in-house chocolate mint after dinner candy presented in a silver foggy chariot. It had a lovely chocolate flavor with a strong mint presence and was the official stamp to an amazing dining experience!

Although we live in Hattiesburg MS, we will definitely make that a trip we’ll do...

I’ve been here twice now and refrained from leaving a review because I thought maybe it was just a bad night for Dauphins but after returning, it was even worse than I remembered. The plates we were served for our appetizers has dark marks on them from excessive wear and the ramekins holding the butter for our second serving of bread didn’t match the from out first serving. The sauce the sautéed crab claws were in was broken, as was the sauce that the Rasta Pasta had which my boyfriend ordered, there was a half inch of pure oil in the plate. The Steak Diane that I ordered was far too pepper-y and very chewy, the mashed potatoes were over salted, and the shrimp was over seasoned and one was missing its tail. My asparagus was served in a small separate dish for some reason that the asparagus didn’t fit in and it was extremely hard to cut because of the high sides of the dish, not to mention they were extremely under seasoned and the woody ends were not taken off prior to booking. Not to mention the presentation of the dish was terrible which was agreed by everyone at the table. It looked like it had been sitting under a heat lamp with a film on the potatoes and the juice from the steak running all over the plate. The fixtures in the bathroom are not what you would expect for such a “high end” restaurant with the dress code they require, the sinks were also both leaking. They also had a Mrs. Meyers soap placed haphazardly on the counter and drinking fountains outside which I found odd for a restaurant like Dauphins. The merch by the exit (dauphins sweatshirts and insulated travel mugs) felt very tacky to me and the decor in general, particularly the carpeting, is not that of a high establishment. From the prices they charge and dress code that is require I would expect much much more from this establishment. Dauphins seems like they want to be a fancy restaurant but don’t have the resources to back it up. I would definitely not recommend this place if you’re wanting a high class experience or good food, there so many better options downtown, like the Royal Scam, with nice atmosphere...