Vessel NOLA — Restaurant in New Orleans

I came across a reel on Instagram and I have had a few friends eat here and say nothing but good things, however that was not my experience last night. My fiance is an internationally trained chef and has worked in a Michelin star restaurant in San Francisco, so he loves trying new places, as do I and we never like to eat at the same place twice, especially with all of the food options in New Orleans and every date night we choose a new place, most of the time based off reviews of others on our Instagram. If I were to rate this place based on looks alone, the setting is absolutely beautiful. Our hostess, she was amazing. We had set a reservation for 7:30pm, we managed to get there 30 minutes earlier than anticipated and she gladly welcomed us and sat us right away. Things were off to a good start. They even had water on the table before the hostess walked away after explaining the "Holy Bible" (drink menu) but that is where the great service ended. Now please keep in mind, the restaurant was not busy. At best, I counted 30 people upon first glance and it would remain at about those numbers. One bartender, two servers and one new server in training and what looked like two food runners and a manager, just to count the FOH. It took our server 10 minutes to come to our table and take our drink order. The "Mistakes Were Made" cocktail and one mocktail, we also placed our appetizers ( the calamari and smoked fish dip) at that time and let our server know that we would look over the limited menu and when our drinks would come that we would place our entree order. About 10 minutes later my drink had finally made it to the table, five minutes following, the appetizers then came. Our appetizers were gone and my fiance's mocktail had still never made it to the table and about that time the server finally came back to take our order. We went on and ordered the shrimp salad and planned on eating the scallop risotto and seafood pasta, I also ordered another drink and jokingly made the comment that maybe it wouldn't take another 20 minutes to get my drink. This is where things really started going bad. The table next to us, who came in only 10 minutes behind us, had their appetizers and both drinks within minutes (same server as us). They had also placed their entree order around the same time we did. Around the 40 minute mark, my fiance's mocktail made it to the table with the apology that the bartender got swamped and the server apologized for the delay. We sat there eating what should have been an amazing salad but I started losing interest. My second drink had still not made it to the table but I could see it just sitting on the bar side as food runners and servers kept walking past them. Right at the moment the table next to us who had ordered after we did, were receiving their food. At the 50 minute mark, I looked at my fiance and asked if we could just leave. He motioned for our server to come over, and at which point you could tell he was stressed and immediately said I am so sorry they served your food to another table, so the kitchen was trying to re-make it and it would be out soon. I looked at my fiance and said absolutely not. He asked that our server just cash out so we could leave. Not a single person, manager or other, came to our table to explain the situation. Needless to say the appetizers were decent, my salad left a lot to be desired and the drink was okay. As we were walking out, the manager was sitting at the hostess stand and knew what had taken place because she made sure to tell us, that how we were treated was unacceptable. I just smiled said It is what is it and left. Not even close to the reviews I have seen and we will not be returning. We will find another restaurant that lives up to it's reviews. Very disappointed to say the least. Thank you to the sweet hostess, your laugh and kindness were the best part of this...

My bf and I ate here about a week ago and we will absolutely be back. On the food: We started with the cheese board (I assume the cheeses will vary), but the jam and candied nuts on the plate, yumm! I'd buy a batch of each if they sold them. We then moved onto the crispy pork belly. I'm not usually a fan because of the obvious fattiness, but it wasn't like that at all. Perfectly crispy and sauced, I wish there was an entree sized option. The Korean bbq flavor was delicious, the puree or whatever the white foamy type substance was, along with the greens made for a scrumptious bite. We later found out the greens were kale, which left me in shock. (Who would have thought kale could be tasty?) I then had the risotto with a side of fries for my meal. Truthfully, I don't like mushrooms, but it was a new place to me and I like to be "adventurous." It was creamy, the rabbit was tender, and the pomegranate bits added a nice texture. The garlic brown butter fries are super crispy with a subtle garlic taste. I could probably the order the exact same items every time, but I want to try everything else on the menu. On the atmosphere/venue: If I didn't already know where this place was, I'd probably have walked right past it; the "VESSEL" letters on the building are almost the same color as the white church. We weren't sure if we were supposed to go in through the side (where there's a handicap entrance) or the front, but it's definitely the front. Once inside, I couldn't help but stare at the bar. It's huge and beautiful and definitely the focal point of the interior. There are tables along the wall, high top tables in the middle and then seats along the bar. It was a little squishy as it got busier and felt like our table neighbors were right on top of us. Perhaps there's a more efficient way to use the space? Also, it's too dark/dim inside. I like to see my food while I'm enjoying it. The music, while good, was too loud and seemed like it was someone's party mix. With that combination, I felt as if I was at a bar with food, as opposed to a restaurant with a bar. On the service: The host was pleasant and directed us to take a seat on some comfy couches while we waited for the table to be ready. We had reservations, and it was mostly empty, but it only took a minute or two. I've seen a few reviews mention bad servers, but ours was great. (I think her name was Bree?) Came back multiple times to refill water, check on how we liked the food, make sure we were settled nicely, and so on. The cocktails were strong, but not overwhelming. It looked like the bartenders were making good conversation with those seated at the bar, so I'd definitely consider coming for happy hour in the future. My overall two cents: Eat everything on the menu, but bring...

Not sure where to begin. Easter Brunch here at Vessel. Greeted upon arrival, we were a few minutes early and decided to get my kids something while we waited. Bartender took our order and told me he would bring it to us while we waited. Grateful so I could wait with my kids. Then we were seated and that is where it all went down hill. It was myself and my two children, 8 and 6. When seated we were approached by our server who had no interest in us. She threw our drink napkins on the table at us in her displeasure of having to serve us. As we already had drinks, she asked if we were ready to order. I told her we would like a moment to look at the menu. Upon return she impatiently waited while we stated what we would like. The menu was pre fixe brunch for Easter. I order the oysters and filet, my kids ordered hamburgers. It was my mistake on ordering and forgot to say cheese which was listed on the menu. Our meals were delivered cold and separately. I asked for milk for my kids which was met with we are out of milk. However we have milk for milk punch….. When the food arrived one burger had no cheese which was my fault for saying ketchup only and it was met with disdain from our rude server. I let another server know who was very kind and she sent our server who stood there and said I need the plate to add the cheese. Not willing to pick up my child’s plate, I offered to to her and said thank you. Got nothing but no response or acknowledgement. At this point, I was done with my horribly cold meal and poor service and told the server that she was rude to us and had given us the worst service in all of my dining experiences. Unfortunate when you are taking kids out for Easter. I was met by the hostess/or the person who greeted us after asking for the manager. I informed them I wanted to pay for everything I ordered even though I returned my meal. Wanted to give patrons a heads up, that this restaurant needs help. Maybe the owners in California don’t care, maybe it’s management, but as a local who has options and has worked in service industry before, I would avoid Vessel. Poor service, mediocre food, and quite frankly unwelcoming of kids. THERE ARE MUCH BETTER PLACES for food and service. My experience and only mine, but tourist and locals should consider other...