David's Restaurant — Restaurant in Portland

To start off let’s go with our order… for starters we got garlic knots, clam chowder, and calamari. Our entrees were the Portland sirloin along with the Moroccan salmon. Our bill came out to be 116$. Now I’m not going to complain to get free food as I paid for my meal, I also tipped my server, but this dining experience was extremely poor. From the start of our night we almost got in a car wreck and then watched as the same vehicle backed into another person causing a wreck. That should’ve been our sign to just go home and call date night over but we didn’t listen.

We called around 3pm asking about reservations for the same evening, they then gave some different options, 6:15 at the bar, 6:45 at some “high top” seating at which she explained was in the corner and hidden away by the bar, or a normal table at 8:45. My girlfriend was more inclined to sitting at a table so we decided to have a later reservation.

Now this is a rather special dining for me and my girlfriend. It’s our third year anniversary and she’s going back to finish college as of this date the following day. This is supposed to be our last little hurrah together before she heads home. I saw David’s restaurant was a romantic setting and a moderately upscale restaurant that has another location. After looking at the menus we had chosen to go to the monument square location in Portland.

Upon arrival we waited three minutes to be seated, the restaurant had about half of its capacity and we were the only ones in line. We also had a reservation set in advance as I’ve stated previously.

Now to the ordering, we sat down and she came over with a pitcher of water, now typically at most establishments if they provide a pitcher of some form they’ll also pour your water for you. This is the case at even Olive Garden if you get water. We then waited 9 minutes for our server to come back and ask if we wanted anything else to drink, which we declined as we generally just drink water. We then said hey we’ll be getting the garlic knots, clam chowder, and the calamari as starters but for our entrees we’re not quite too sure on yet.

Immediately after placing our starter courses our server came back with the garlic knots, now this was kind of suspicious as garlic knots are order specific for making in most establishments, granted we dined late I never expect a proper restaurant to have pre baked garlic knots. They take ten minutes to make if the dough is already made and in a fridge. I’ve done them myself previously and with making dough it takes 45 minutes with waiting for the dough to rise. For anyone wondering they were hard as I expected by the quick service on just the garlic knots. Now what does everyone expect with garlic knots that they order? Generally it’s marinara sauce or olive oil with parsley. Nope not at this place. You’ll just get some hard on the outside(not crispy but hard) and barely soft on the inside garlic knots. Also they have two selections for garlic knots, once being for twelve knots or for six knots. A I didn’t specify on a quantity when ordering nor was one asked when I said I’d like to order the garlic knots. I didn’t realize there were two quantities but upon arrival of our knots there were ten.

Now onto the clam chowder and calamari that she brought out next, keep in mind in between bringing our knots and starter course it was 12 minutes all of which our server never came in to check in on us and see if we needed anything with our knots or if we were ready to order.

The clam chowder was delicious I will say but I ordered a bowl, most places bring two oyster cracker packets with a bowl and one with a cup. I was only provided with a singular pack of oyster crackers with my order. The calamari was brought and again, no marinara with the calamari. We asked for marinara and then waited once more for our waitress to come back with the marinara and so we could order. This process took 6 minutes and we watched our dish of marinara sauce sit on the counter for 4 minutes of that time with the sous chef calling our servers name...

So I posted a review about this place a while back, but another review post is necessary. Going to walk back some good things I'd said previously. I won't walk back what I said about the tuna tartar, which was delicious a second time around. Entrees lacked taste, questionable service-quality duck breast and sirloin steak, with the former tasting 'old' and the latter needing dog canines to chew. Was going to take the sirloin home for our dogs, but I was afraid that their Chihuahua canines might not be sharp enough. Also, like, I mean, sometimes food may get that bad placebo effect when service is not quite 'good.' Nah. Both were bad. It started with a greeting gaffe by a foh service staff member, about wanting a table that was not yet cleaned (yeah, those people). No need for detail, something just wrapped with the whole. We were sat at an un-shimmied high-top, would've been a second choice. We were told [server name, perhaps bartender] would be right with us, which they were - along with a carafe of water. We politely declined the water. They paused, repeating "no water", then proceeding to pick the carafe back up, make that sort of brisk, robotic turn that bothered servers sometimes make, and said "ok". They left, taking a wide semi-circle turn to return to the hoststand, situated perhaps diagonally 4 feet behind us and already occupied by a couple other servers talking about, well, we guessed, everything. They leaned up to whisper (open side to us) their desire to have the other server wait on us. We're, well, semi-regulars there. Don't want to guess a reason why, and I can't read lips, but can read the tenor, and body language, of most any restaurant staff, however situational. And I'm not condescending here. I jokingly asked that approaching server why [original server name] didn't want to serve us. The replacement-servers' face was utterly impassive, as it would remain till, at the end of the meal, one of us left to wait for the other one who was waiting for the impassive- faced server return. In between those was a simply poorly read table, non-serviced by a server who, after a second drink was ordered prioritized like good servers do, their next steps. Those steps included: service to a couple of tables, including return trips, a food run for a table, some pause-just-a-moment teammate banter, put some clean glasses away, pausing, going to rear, unused restaurant space to eat their, idk, staff meal, for a bit, returning while still consuming their hastened meal, pausing, making the drink, bringing it over. We just looked at each other, myself feeling really, well, annoyed. Feeling guilty and needy, and really annoyed. Other than that, the service was just bad. And it didn't serve, the food very well. Ha. The staff was laughing and playing answering the restaurant phone game. BTW that bothered first-server picked up a clipboard and then presumed to use it for something, set it down, and proceeded boh. There seemed no...

We were looking for a worthy seafood restaurant to conclude our trip to Maine and we couldn't have chosen better! Walking into the dimly lit, atmospheric establishment, we were greeted warmly at the hostess stand and shown right to our table in the rear. As a group with a notoriously picky eater, a vegetarian and two more who were actively seeking out delicious seafood, we anticipated trouble. But we were assuaged almost immediately, in more ways than one!

Together we were able to share calamari and fresh, buttery garlic knots (which I think should be complimentary) as well as an order of the arancini which delighted us to no end. For our entrees, we had two bowls of decadent clam chowder, a lobster roll, and I ordered the mushroom cavatelli with much anticipation!

Our orders came and were we no less delighted than our first plates primed us for! The clam chowders were well portioned, the lobster roll too and the cavatelli was one of the most well crafted pasta dishes I've had in a long time! Each flavour was well suited and balanced perfectly with its peers along with the rich, sensuous goat cheese and dried tomatoes combining with the various mushrooms broth all topped with parmesan and truffle oil had my mouth savouring each bite and yearning for the next! I had each of my party try a bite which was met with equal fervor.

I applaud the flavours created and honed by the staff here but would hope for certain minor changes that could make all the difference such as a vegetarian/vegan protein option in the cavatelli pasta (possibly marinated and blackened tofu as another dish offers tofu stir fry style). And again, as I mentioned earlier, for the garlic knots being readily available under a heat lamp, I would prefer if they were offered for the table along with waters.

The bathroom closest to our table in the rear adjacent to David's Opus Ten was a single with a locking sliding door. There was a sign for another bathroom located down a flight of stairs. The front entrance, as far as I can remember, was a fully accessible walkway along with outdoor patio seating located in front...