Daniel George — Restaurant in Mountain Brook

After several years of working in food service myself, I find myself to be considerate of what time a restaurant closes and try to act accordingly to be considerate to all parties involved. However, we noted that DG closed at 10, and we were able to get a reservation for 8:30 - great. We entered the restaurant and were seated in a corner of the restaurant lit by obnoxiously bright LED/fluorescent lights. Understanding that ambiance is a small thing to care that much about (meaning that had this been the only issue, it would not even be worth mentioning), we took the table with no issues. We were then promptly informed by our waiter, Chris G., that “you’re my last table of the night”. There was no greeting otherwise. We made a joke about how we weren’t a high maintenance table - Chris seemed to take this to heart by stopping by only to get our meal orders and never to check in further. I didn’t enjoy my first drink I ordered and ordered a secondary drink; Chris never asked if there was an issue with the beverage - even after it was left on the table to sit and not be consumed in any capacity. Around 8:50, they started putting the chairs on the tables in the portion of the restaurant we were sitting, signaling to us that we were not welcome at our table anymore. I want to make it clear that while this was never said to us, the action itself inspired an environment that led us to watch a group congregate and chat for 10 or so minutes. At 9:05, we asked for our check. We were out the door and on the way to the car by 9:15.

I understand trying to get out of the door by closing time - it’s a goal for all of us that work in life and keeping to a schedule makes things easier. However, when a meal costs as much as the meal at DG cost us, you would expect to not feel ran out of the restaurant by the employees. Furthermore, you would expect to be treated with some courtesy. Chris G. exhibited little to none until he saw the method in which we paid for the meal. When he saw that the card paying was a harder card to get, his entire demeanor shifted in what seemed to be a last ditch effort to get a tip. Because we understand the concept of tipping in restaurants, we are not the type that would not tip at the end of a meal - however, the way you treat people should not be hinged on your perceived ability of how much a customer is willing and able to pay. Please note that this is not something that will be recommended to friends, family members, or other associated parties...

The food was good here but unfortunately we had a problem with the service. The waiter kept disappearing and ultimately made us late for the concert we were attending after dinner. We had arrived in plenty of time and that shouldn't have happened. The other major issue we had was that we said upfront that it was to be individual bills bc everyone did not know everyone. The waiter brought 1 bill and said we would be doing him a huge favor if we just split it and it was only $5-10 difference in each bill. Because we were late and it was supposed to be close in price we agreed. We found out later after looking at the bills that he had incorrectly charged the wrong items to the wrong people so the bills were not close. I called management hoping to get a refund of the overpayment because there was a large discrepancy on my bill and they were very rude and did not care to help. In fact, said the other guests owed me the money. Needless to say (although the food was good) we will not be back. So...

(4.5 stars)

I really was thinking about a lower rating but this place really grew on us. The interior is not really inspiring and somewhat antiseptic. We were seated in a side room with several large parties and the noise level was high. As soon as Lacy, or server, greeted us the night really improved. Our cocktails were tasty and a good way to start a meal. The fried oysters were crunchy and delicious, albeit on the small side. We both had grouper (fish of the day) and it was delicious and perfectly prepared. The filet cut was smallish for a $42 price and the polenta and veggies were a great accompaniment. Our desserts were tasty but I’d really suggest a larger “scoop” of ice cream for the apple empanada and the lava cake. It was literally a melon ball scooper size. They are in no hurry to turn tables so feel free to relax and enjoy. Other severs pitch in as well as the hostess on water duty. The service made our evening as well as the other...