LIMEWOOD BAR & RESTAURANT — Restaurant in Oakland

My daughter, my girlfriend, and I went here for brunch. We sat on the patio. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed a view of the Bay Bridge. The food was very good, though the portion sizes varied considerably by the dish. The service was a little slow, but they were busy, and they were polite despite the rush. We enjoyed our experience so well that we decided to return for dinner (we were staying in the hotel). It turned out to be one of the more unpleasant dining experiences I've had. We were seated near an open window, which I requested be closed as my daughter was cold. To the staff's credit, two separate attempts were made to shut the window, though both were unsuccessful. Without asking, my daughter's water was served in a plastic cup with a straw and a lid (she's 8). After waters were dropped, we waited 10-15 minutes for our server to arrive to take our drink order. Admittedly, the restaurant was busy. Our server returned a while later to inform us that one of the entrees had sold out without waiting to take our appetizer order. By the time he returned to allow us to order food, the kitchen had run out of another entree (there were about a half dozen entrees on the menu). Throughout the night our server appeared bored, patient, cheeky, condescending, and, at times, polite. He forgot our order and returned several minutes later to confirm he had it correctly. Despite the delay with ordering, the food came out faster than expected. My daughter enjoyed her steak frites. My girlfriend was disappointed to discover that her fried chicken was spicy and the kitchen appeared to have forgotten the rosemary honey butter. We flagged our server who, after insisting it was drizzled over the chicken, offered to bring a side of it to the table. What he brought was a brown paste that tasted of garlic. Confused, we flagged our server again. He informed us that, despite not being mentioned on the menu, it was black truffle aioli and chili mixed with the rosemary honey butter. My girlfriend asked if she could have a side of the rosemary honey butter without chili and aioli. Our server returned with a small dish of something that was quite clearly not butter. On tasting, it became evident that it was chili oil. It was baffling. Ultimately, my girlfriend didn't eat any more of her chicken and our server took the initiative to remove it from the bill. My pasta was...

I have never been so disappointed with a dining experience. We made a reservation well in advance for a special occasion, drove 45 minutes, and were excited to sit outside with the view, amazing menu, and our own little firepit. Instead, upon arrival, we were told that yes, we had outdoor seating, but it was under a tent in the parking lot. We had a view of cars driving by, and a giant pumpkin was placed in the middle of the laminate table for a festive touch. The most inexpensive wine on the menu was about $70 dollars, and it was just about the caliber that one enjoys in the screwtop bottle on United Airlines. Our server kindly recorked it for us, apparently the notion of letting a wine breathe wasn't something she learned in the sommelier class I'm sure she attended. And now the food. As I said, it was a special occasion, a big birthday for my husband so we wanted to treat ourselves. We got oysters, which were tiny and chewy and arrived with some strange chipotle dipping sauce. Then, the "ribeye" we ordered for $125 came out completely raw (we asked for med. rare). After they cooked it a little more, we got to enjoy a "ribeye" that was pot roast, served in a tureen surrounded by fried potatoes. Since we wanted a vegetable, we had to order and pay for that separately. The brocollini was the best thing we ate, $12 for about 3 pieces. All in all, the worst dining experience I've had in 20 years of dining out in the Bay Area. This place is a joke. We did not complain to the staff there, as we were sure that they had to deal with obnoxious customers all the time, and the policies and poor food was not the fault of our server who was clearly inexperienced and likely paid very poorly. But, if you are the owner or administration of this establishment, know that your...

The Westin took over the Claremont and made some bad decisions. They closed the big fancy restaurant with the real view of the bay so now there is only this one. I was so looking forward to dining at the Claremont...and then Limewood. First of all they crammed six of us into a table for four even though we had reservations. They added chairs to a booth so now two people are towering over the others because of height difference so I am feeling like I am sitting in a hole. No leg room. Not enough table space. Hello! Restaurant 101 - failed. So noisy - maybe add some fabric or sound proofing so I can hear the people at my own table. Food was meh and overpriced. Tried way too hard on the fried chicken - you would think how could they screw that up (better off at KFC). Also it was on a giant pile of potatoes and meanwhile my wife had fish and no sides - can you spare a potato and a sprig of greens? Chicken was too hot (temperature) to eat and my friend's pork chop was luke warm. Back to restaurant 101 - all food hot and served at the same time. And the server is wearing a baseball cap - are you kidding me - so low class, but high class prices. Glad my friends paid as I wouldn't spare a dime to eat there again. They get you to go since it is the only place to eat in the hotel. A shameful mess that should be overhauled. I give it one star for food to eat so I wont starve. Do not go here unless you want to spend a lot of money for mediocre food in a crowed and noisy...