The Alcove Restaurant & Lounge — Restaurant in Mount Vernon

Phenomenal experience and likely the best steak I've had in years!

My wife and I were celebrating our anniversary. We were in the area staying at a true Bed and Breakfast (Luftberg Farm - highly recommend) and wanted to have a really nice dinner. The Alcove was very well spoken of so we made our reservation for an evening dinner.

We had an amazing experience that will be difficult to be topped by others. It is too bad The Alcove is hours away from home, but we will be back.

The restaurant itself has great ambiance. The decor is great, the lighting perfect, and the wallpaper and paintings interesting and provoke conversation. I liked that the tables are appropriately distanced from each other so I don't have to be involved in everyone's conversations whether I wish to be or not. We noticed when we were leaving that there are two private rooms at the back that would fit 6 or 8.

CLEAN. There's a theme to most all my reviews. Cleanliness is important to me. The dining area was immaculate. The booth we sat in had clean seats. How often do we find food and grease on the seat? Too often. The floors were free of food and stains and there were no unpleasant odours. And the bathrooms were very clean. We stayed until close, the bathrooms were still clean after a full day. That says a lot.

The service was great. From the greeting at the door to the final good bye we were made to feel extremely welcome by every staff member we interacted with. Our server was very attentive. He happily provided suggestions and answered our questions without rushing. He checked on us regularly between courses and topped up beverages before they were empty. The manager or owner (not sure if he was either) also came to speak with us. Seemed genuinely interested in why we were in Mt Vernon and chatted with us for a while as we waited on dessert.

And finally, the food. It was all so good. We started with an appetizer, the crab dip. Wow. It is delicious.

For the main course my wife chose the Beef Wellington. She had never had it and wanted to experience it. It was very good. Would gladly choose it again.

I had the bone out ribeye. I like my steaks medium rare with salt. No sauces or add-ons. To me a good steak does not need to have it's flavours enhanced, or hidden, by BBQ sauces or fancy crusts. This was not just a good steak. It is the best steak I have had in Ohio and the best steak in quite a while. We've been to some of "the best" steakhouses in Cincinnati and Dayton and none of those steaks compare. The ribeye was tender, full of flavour, and juicy. I'm salivating now at the memory of it.

Our evening at The Alcove was memorable and has made an annual visit to Mount...

This will be a critical review meant to encourage this venue toward improvement and not an attempt to nitpick or punch down. I love the general aesthetic of The Alcove, it is clean and it has a formal feel to it without the need for a suit jacket. I attended from out of town in order to see a show in their Dinner Theatre. The show was Steel Magnolias. Firstly, when you arrive you will be directed to an upstairs dining area for the dinner theater attraction. Unfortunately there is no elevator, so if you are disabled or unable to navigate two flights of stairs, do not buy tickets. This information is NOT available on their site and I believe that it should be. Had this been a year ago, I would have needed a refund and would have driven an hour for no reason (due to previous mobility issues). I ordered the prime rib... This comes out standard and is not made to order for you. If you want anything other than unsweetened tea, coffee or water you will have to get it from the bar. The prime rib was alright, it was too pink for me and the whole plate was drowning in meat blood/juice which does not sit with for me. The green beans just didn't taste very good...too earthy. The bread was undercooked but I loved that it came out warm. The seating is abysmal. I'm sorry but the chairs are small and cheap and have very little padding. They're cute but not something you want to sit in for an hour for dinner and then 2hrs for a show. Also you will be expected to eat your entire meal BEFORE the store starts. I don't like this formula because it extends the amount of time it takes to get through the evening. I would recommend the Alcove use quiet dinnerware and serve in the beginning, start the show, clear at intermission and serve dessert. The set was beautifully done. Costumes were great The lighting was great. Sounds effects were great. I loved the actress who played Wheezer. I was a little disappointed in the quality of the performance of the cast in general though and as a result I chose to leave at intermission. When I mention quality I'm referring to line recall, delivery and the casts ability to draw you into the story by their commitment to being in the moment.... It just wasn't there for me. Honestly I'm not sure I would return here because of the accessibility issues and the lack of being able to customize my meal for the dinner theater (outside of choosing steak or chicken when purchasing the tickets). Please include more information regarding what to expect when visiting your venue on the website! Quite a few people came from out of town. Lastly,...

The Alcove restaurant offers a five star restaurant experience right in downtown Mount Vernon.

Tucked away slightly off of the square it sits in a great location, adding to the growing elegance of Mount Vernon's downtown area. It's easy to locate, with plentiful parking out front or in one of the nearby public parking lots which is just a short block or two from the entrance.

You're greeted with a full bar right up front, a social, to grab pre-dinner drinks while waiting to be taken to your actual seat. The decor reflects historic Mount Vernon's orgins, with George Washington's Mount Vernon a central theme on the surrounding wall papers. It's by far, the nicest place to eat in the entire city, and the service/decor reflects that in which a place of such stature demands.

Service was efficient, polite, and very accommodating from start to finish ensuring that you are offered and catered to in any which event you desire.

Prices, reflect a high class five star dining experience, for most meals and presentation matches such.

We had different meals ranging from steak, pork chops, and chicken. We had the cheese cake for dessert, provided by the restaurant as we were celebrating my mother in laws 60th birthday. No major complaints, but my wife and I did end up not finishing about half of our steak due to the cuts being chewy with more fat than was probably necessary on a steak with that price tag. In terms of taste, the food was absolutely incredible and everything we expected.

All in all, it was a great visit and I highly recommend The Alcove restaurant for special occasions, or just when you're feeling like having a great high quality...