Sasha's On The Park — Restaurant in New Port Richey

Sometimes, your hopes and exceptions can just let you down. We were so excited to be able to dine a Sasha's located inside the historic Hacienda Hotel on Main Street, New Port Richey. 1st, we made reservations at 8:30 PM on Valentines Day for the outside patio because we were told that was the only open time for a table, and nothing else was available. My wife and I arrived 15 minutes early. We were greeted by a chipper hoast that explained that the restaurant had a turnover and asked us to wait in the lobby of the hotel or bar whale our table was made ready. The issue with this was that there were only 2 other dinners inside the main dining room and 4 out on the patio, and we did not see inside the side dining room. Where did all that packed house go to, that we were told about? On time, we were seated at 8:30, but not on the patio. We were seated in the main dining room along the wall. Our server, Heather, was quick on her feet to have waters ready for us and officer the wine special. While waiting in the lobby, we had a chance to look over the posted menus at the entrance of the hotel, so you could imagine our surprise when the menu that we were given was a limited one for Valentines Day. (Something that should have been gone over when making our reservation over the phone and poasted in the lobby. Note: nothing online either) The limited menu was a four course meal; hors d'oeuvres, soup or salad, entree, and dessert for $79.00. Not to no fault, but my own that was not a meal for two prices as we had experienced from other restaurants, but per person. I have to tell you now, that Sasha's is full of 5 star ideas, 2 and 1/2 star quality. Our mushroom tart hors d'oeuvres were great if you could get past them being pasted to the plate. They were packed and flakie. The crust was similar to a pot pie crust. ( Sisco may have had something to do with it) My wife had the Champagne and Cheese soup. The soup was gritty, not creamy, and the alcohol not cooked off, making an overpowering flavor. My kale and pomegranate salad was like chewing cud. The kale needed to be cut to bite-sized and not the large leaves I received on my plate, and a harty serving of pomegranate would have nice, not the sprinkle given. (I can't really remember a time I had to use a fork and knife to eat a salad. ) their croutons, although neat, were fried in old burnt oil or had simply gone ransit. For our main course, my wife had rainbow trout on a bed of parsnip puree, and I, the surf and turf with shrimp, crab, and lobster (I think) Ravioli's. The trout, although good tasting, was most definitely sogy as if it had been frozen in a deep freezer years. Would have been a very nice combination paired with the parsnips puree. My Filet Mignon was cooked to perfect temperature but was tough and chewy. (Usually, Filet Mignon is a tender cut.) The raviols were heart-shaped with a thick dough and packed full of flavorless stuffing of seafood medley. Some genius topped the raviols with brown gravy (Sisco again) and a sprinkle of mushrooms. The presentation of all the dishes was nice, but lacking. Throwing micro greens at your dishes does not make 5 stars. Our final dish was this chocolate covered chocolate ice cream. Simple and a nice round off to the evening. There's not much to say about the ice cream, it's ice cream, and you mess that up. You really need to throw the towel in. Overall, it was a big letdown on our meal and we would be willing to give them a second chance, but I am no millionaire, and their prices and mandatory 20% Gratuity (even with a party of 2) is not that value we seek. At this time, I do not recommend Sasha's to anyone. No matter how much you polish a turd, it's still a turn. Maybe if they ever make some big changes to the quality of their food and pricing, and consider they are in New Port Richey and not...

The Hacienda Hotel & Sasha’s Restaurant reopened recently to rave reviews, and I’m sure the rave reviews will continue, especially for the hotel itself. But our night here celebrating Husband’s birthday in Sasha’s restaurant, which IS part of the hotel, was underwhelming. The most disappointing part of our evening was the wait. It was a Saturday night (11/4/22), and we were in a separate dining room with another large party (8 of them and 6 of us). We WERE seated immediately, since we had a reservation. But It was also noisier in this area adjoining the main dining room, due to the ladies next to us having a good time, laughing and talking boisterously. The room’s acoustics, and the 60-70 minute wait for our food were what were the most disappointing.

The best part of the evening was the staff: the warm, welcoming greetings from the front desk staff - who saw us immediately upon entering - to the friendly, lovely hostess who greeted us and sat us in the separate dining area - to the efficient, charming wait staff, who attended our needs as best they could (Valerie was our main server and MARVELOUS bring refills for our drinks & sumptuous bread) while we waited for our entrees. All of them were a credit to this historical, cherished hotel & new restaurant. They were the highlights of our evening.

Three in our party had the Shrimp and Capellini. In their 90s, they are tough to please. Once the food arrived, they could not stop complimenting the chef for his work. I’m sorry that he couldn’t hear them personally. They finished everything! And they usually don’t eat all their meals or they bring half home. Husband had the Grilled Flank Steak and I had the Strawberry Salad with chicken. Considering the wait, he expected his meat to be hot & cooked correctly. It was room temperature & more raw than medium rare, but he left that part behind. If he’d sent it back, how much longer would he have waited while we ate our entrees? His slaw was extremely tangy & too tart for him. He ate all of his delicious, hot Pomme Frittes. My Strawberry Salad had lots of baby spinach with chicken on top, but I would have liked a bit more of the other parts of the salad, especially the strawberries since it was STRAWBERRY Salad - there were minimal pecans, feta pieces, cranberries. I enjoyed it. Our nephew had his mother’s Quinoa Bowl. She was “trying something new,” but when she saw it, she didn’t want it. So her son gave her his Shrimp & Capellini, and they both loved their meals!

We will be back & try it again, especially since our friends relished their meals and the staff was so memorable. Unfortunately for the two of us, this one time experience made a happy...

If you check my previous ratings or reviews, it's not really for a restaurants. This place however, makes me want to tell the world about it. For years this building was in construction and I would say maybe just the carpet feels hotel-ish, otherwise it is absolutely beautiful! Atmosphere is nice, restaurant area play appropriate volume jazz/oldies. My waitress Catalina was very polite, knowledgeable, and an absolute delight in all forms. I would say the reason for a restaurant visit, it at best, 20% of the reason to go; the food is definitely the main reason. Absolutely amazing, top notch, maybe even the best in New Port Richey area. My Lunch dish was the Chicken Quesadilla; without the avacado spread and the cilantro-jalapeño aioli on the side, as well as the lemon-jalapeño aioli on the side. Best fries in the area! Not too crispy(overcooked), flavor was good, and the unique shape gave it a really good mouthfeel and dip-ability, if that is even a word. Chicken quesadilla was fantastic. Cooked perfectly, wasn't over seasoned in any way, and you could really taste the fresh grilled chicken. Sauces were good. I'm not one for cilantro, but nothing too overwhelming. Not too much jalapeño to burn your mouth, not too much lemon to make you pucker, it was just right. Good sauces overall. My drinks were amazing. Raspberry lemoncello Martini and whisky sour is what I ordered. The Martini was the drink of the day, a bit expensive, but I will petition it to be on year round. Sweet, not too tart, and smooth. The Whiskey sour is my main drink order wherever I go, and here, it was perfect. Ordered well whisky, so nothing fancy, but was a great balance of all the flavors; even added the lemon garnish from the martini too it. Overall, Pasco counties first(for me) Five Star reaturant. An amazing experience and don't be suprised if I add a review for each dish I get here. Living here since 1999, Hacienda's restaurant was definitely worth the wait for this historic buildings construction. Only con I could think of is maybe more vegetarian options, or even adding the option of using...