Miss River — Restaurant in New Orleans

We were a party of 4 who had dinner on February 9th. My parents were in town and we decided to do something new & fancy for their last night.The food was 5 stars; decor is 5 stars; service is maybe barely 2 stars. The service made the price point of the experience almost not worth it. If I go back it would be hesitantly, and I would not recommend any out-of-towners I meet through work to go.

Upon our arrival the host was not particularly warm or friendly, but he did kindly show us to our table and give us directions to the restroom which is tucked behind an art deco mirrored door.

The first person to introduce himself to us was our waiters assistant (I cannot remember his name). He kindly asked if we would prefer sparkling or still water. We opted for sparkling. Throughout the night we were served both depending on his mood. At one point, one person in our party had a mixture of both. Halfway through our main course water was no longer served at all.

It took about 7 minutes for our waiter to come introduce himself. A very soft spoken, and nice person - Sheldon. I will say right off the bat it was obvious that this is his first fine dining serving gig. He has the potential to be an incredible head waiter, however he is completely out of his depth and needs some mentoring by other staff.

Our drink orders were taken and glasses filled. 3 out of the 4 started with wine while I had the Rose Colored Glasses Mocktail. Wine & drinks were delicious. This was the last time anyone at the table was asked if they would like a beverage. After wine glasses were empty for a few minutes and appetizers were being brought out we asked the waiter assistant if he would either send Sheldon over so we could order wine or if we could order from him. He accepted our order, but clearly didn't know what he was doing because Sheldon came over to clarify. That round of drinks was absent from our final bill because they both clearly forgot to enter it into the POS.

As appetizers started to finish plates were being taken before the entire table was finished. Food wise: The BBQ shrimp is enough to split with 6/7 large shrimp. And the seafood service for two was delightful.

As soon as the appetizers were off the table the mains were being brought out. They cleared several pieces of cutlery, but didn't bring replacements. I had to wave down waiters for two knives. In addition, I had to asked that the hot towels that were brought out also be cleared. During the dinner - another waiter who was dealing with his own table came and filled wine glasses and water because our duo were ignoring us.

I don't recall if anyone ever really checked on us during dinner. As the one person not drinking an alcoholic beverage I started stealing water glasses from the other folks at the table. The food was OUTSTANDING. We had the Blue Crab Gratin, Red Beans, Blackened Snapper, Ribeye Steak, and Redfish Courtboullion. All was wildly delicious, and those red beans were to die for. The portion size was huge. Everything was wonderfully spiced and fresh.

Throughout dinner we had to tell our waiter assistant that we were not ready to have our plates cleared since we were taking a moment to eat. During dinner we never saw Sheldon. He was noticeably absent. Finally, we said we were done and told our waiter assistant that we were in need of some boxes. He cleared the empty dishes and then never brought the boxes. He was back out doing a table setting at another table. Sheldon then came by and asked if we wanted dessert. We declined but asked for the boxes again. He cleared 3 of the 4 plates and came back with it all nicely boxed up.

The bill total was wrong because no one rang in our bottle of wine. We gestured at a floor manager who thanked us for our honesty. He returned the corrected bill but neglected to ask us how everything was or if we enjoyed our dinner. After that it took nearly 15 minutes for someone to take our card. We finally had to wave down Sheldon to focus and let us pay. Lots of missed opportunities from a service perspective for...

Christmas in New Orleans had been a dream of mine for a very long time, and the Four Seasons delivered in a big way. We secured reservations at Miss River for Christmas dinner as well as to celebrate my husbands birthday. The hostess was very nice, we were seated promptly and greeted by the assistant manager. It's a very loud and crowded space, not the greatest ambience but we were just so thrilled to be there it hardly mattered. We ordered cocktails, bread service, and two Reveillon dinners. The Tuna Crudo and Oysters were delicious. The Turtle Soup was good, if a little boring. The Duck was outstanding, and the snapper very nice. As the meal progressed we began to feel as if we were a burden on the staff. Even though we were seated touching one of the point of sale computers, we were pointedly ignored. Our cocktail glasses were cleared with no opportunity to order a second round. The couple seated 12 inches to my left, who ordered the exact same thing, was fawned over and offered replacement dishes that were not included on the Reveillon menu so they didn't double up on menu items. When it came time for dessert we only received one bread pudding. Which in itself is fine, we didn't need more than that, but the Reveillon menu included four courses at a per person rate. That being the fourth course, we paid for and should have received a second dessert. Of course the couple next to us did, and got to try something off the regular menu instead of the Reveillon option. When asked if we were ready to check out, I asked the waitress to wait a moment and asked my husband if he'd like to try a scotch that we had been eyeing. She could have upsold us big time, but when he gave a non-committal 'eh' because he was already irritated at the experience, she printed the check and dropped it without a word. We are always incredibly grateful to staff that work the holidays and tip exorbitantly to compensate. I couldn't justify that here. All in all, it was a NICE experience. But given what we paid I expected better. Given it was Christmas Dinner I expected better. We were dressed to the nines, ready to be shown a good time, but instead we were hustled in and out like the drive-thru at a McDonald's. This reservation was made by the concierge at Four Seasons - the same concierge who had a birthday cake waiting in our room for my husband. I find it hard to believe there was not a note with that reservation that this was a birthday dinner. I didn't expect something for free, but some acknowledgement of the occasion was absolutely expected. Instead we were made to...

Disappointing Brunch Experience

My friends and I came to Miss River for brunch expecting a high-end experience, but unfortunately, the visit left a lot to be desired.

I opted to order a la carte from the $95 brunch special instead of going with the full set menu. I chose the shrimp and grits—no price was listed, and no one informed me of the cost ahead of time. When the bill arrived, I was shocked to see I had been charged $80 just for that one dish. If I had known it would cost nearly the same as the full brunch, I would’ve just gone with the full course menu.

To make matters worse, I initially ordered the filet mignon tournedos (also a la carte) but received an entirely different dish. While the server was polite, the mistake wasn’t handled well. No one asked what I had actually ordered after the incorrect dish was brought out, so I sat there waiting for a replacement that never came. In the end, I asked for the item to be removed from the bill and left without ever receiving an entrée.

My friend also ordered the filet tournedos, and her potatoes came out cold. At least that was acknowledged and taken off the bill, but it makes me wonder—if we hadn’t spoken up, would we have both been charged $80 for these a la carte items?

Tip for future diners: Be sure to ask for the full prices of any individual items off the brunch special. None of them are listed, and you may be surprised when the bill comes.

I want to emphasize that I wasn’t trying to be a burden to the staff. I stayed calm and kind throughout the meal because we were there to celebrate a friend and I didn’t want to make the experience uncomfortable. But I do wish the communication and service had been better.

The ambiance was lovely, and the decor is beautiful, but the food didn’t live up to its price point. While staff were friendly, the service felt scattered—likely due to how busy it was.

Lastly, I was disappointed to see a valet tip charge added to my card without authorization. Which I do not think is acceptable, and it added to an already frustrating experience.

All in all, for a restaurant with such a luxurious image, the execution fell flat. Sadly, I won’t...