Voyageur — Restaurant in Saint Clair

Don't get the "Zander Perch" here. It's not real perch. By law, they have to label it correctly which on the menu they do (sort of), to comply but there is no such thing as "Zander Perch". It's either Zander fish or Perch. Although in the same family "Percidae" it is a different species. Zander fish is more like Walleye, growing up to about 3 feet long. It comes from "Western Eurasia", not the USA. It is described as less tasteful and a bit coarser in texture than the sweet, delicate flesh of a Yellow or Lake Perch and it costs about half as much so restaurants typically substitute Lake Perch for Zander to save money and cheat the customer. This is actually unlawful in Michigan unless they properly label the fish. I suppose (don't know for sure, just guessing) they may have been engaging in the practice at Voyager and were forced to label their "Perch" as "Zander" to beat the rap. When we inquired, the waitress told us she didn't know what "Zander Perch" was but she knew that the restaurant had to change the menus to call it that.

Personally, I have no problem with Zander fish, it's considered a delicacy in Europe and it's not bad fish at all. If you want to save a buck and have some Zander, by all means have some Zander. The problem is when a restaurant exploits the customer's lack of awareness and sells the Zander for the the same price as Lake Perch. $18 for a "Zander Perch" sandwich is a ripoff in my mind.

In any case, this stale old place serves sub-standard food at high standard prices. The so-called "bowl" of clam chowder was more like a cup and it was basically slightly brown colored "goo" with a bit or two potato and a nibble of clam when I could find a piece. The wife and I split a Reuben and had to send a search party to find the corned beef. Very disappointing $17 Reuben with $2 of sliced corned-beef (if that). It was basically a grilled cheese sandwich with a slice of meat. I got a slice (they called it a slice, I called it a sliver) of $8 cheesecake and I had to ask where the other half of my slice went. I asked for strawberry topping and what I got was the frozen strawberry-like slurry they use make daiquiris. It was not good at all.

We paid for our deserts on a separate check having ordered those after our meal and initial check was already paid for. I paid for my $8 cheesecake with a $10 bill,. My friend paid for her cheesecake and her husband's $5 beer with a $20 bill. The new waitress came by to collect the payment (shift change staff) and asked if the tabs were "all set". I said yes, inferring of course, that at least mine was. My friend said nothing. She took the two books and never returned. Got a nice $9 tip total on a $21 tab total for food she didn't even serve us. That's 43%, nice. I thought that was wrong. She should have known a $20 payment on a $13 check should get change back to the table, especially if paid in cash but she just disappeared. Could have been a misunderstanding but, I don't think so.

Terrible dining experience, not going to return for another lashing. Food not worth the price, quality substandard, dated interior and less than...

I'm not sure what was happening with the hostess the night I dined here, but she somehow seemed to think it was my fault that she didn't have my reservation on her list.

I made a reservation about two months ahead, and received a confirmation call about two weeks out. The caller had asked if I wanted a window table and I said yes, although that wasn't truly a priority, but a nice bonus.

When I arrived, the hostess walked up and asked if she could help me, no hello, no greeting. I told her I had a reservation. She asked for how many and I said just one. She consulted her list and then told me she had a seat for me, but it wasn't a window. I said okay and followed her to the table. She hadn't asked for a name, so I was confused as to whether she didn't have the reservation or if there just weren't any window tables open, so when I sat down, I tried to clarify that fact. I asked if they had the reservation and she replied with a burst of an angry tone and raised her voice as well, telling me no, no one gave her any reservations for one person that night. I told her I had received a confirmation call about two weeks prior and only then did she offer a very rough apology, adding that someone hadn't put my name down for her. She slapped down my menu and walked away, leaving me feeling uncomfortable and a bit unsettled as well.

My waitress was very nice, but the food I ordered was pretty bad. The crab cakes were overcooked and crunchy, the clam chowder was over salted and the clams tasted gritty like they hadn't been cleaned properly. The shrimp and tortellini was pretty gross, the pasta was chewy and tasteless and there was a mix of vegetables in with it that I didn't remember seeing mentioned on the menu. The whole mixture was boiling hot in the center like it had been microwaved rather than actually cooked. The shrimp were overcooked, rubbery and stuck to the skewer. They were also served with the tails on, making it odd to eat them amidst the pasta once they were removed.

Even the lemonade cocktail I ordered was watered down, to the point that I could barely determine that there was any alcohol in it at all.

The atmosphere resembles more of a pool hall than the fine dining promoted on the site. The dining room smells musty and staff carry on conversations with guests they know from across the room, shouting over occupied tables to communicate.

Overall, I was very disappointed in this restaurant. I wanted a nice dinner for my long weekend trip in the area and this was not...

Apparently the Voyageur staff and mgt believe the pandemic is over or they are under a bubble or they just don't care. Absolutely disgusted by the operations tonight and how EXTREMELY RUDELY I was treated, mostly by the bartender, a woman around 60ish with blonde hair. Though the senior citizen manager dismissed my concerns as well. Such a 180 degree turn because I had an absolutely wonderful experience here about a month ago on the patio. Tonight, however, it was like an entirely different restaurant! After spending the day at the beach, I was really looking forward to stopping here for a nice dinner as last time. I arrived around 6:30pm and there was no outdoor seating left but the bar was pretty empty with only 4 people so I chose to sit there. Ordered my dinner and a drink, ate my salad, and people began piling in. They seated ALL tables!! Not just 50% like the current state order requires. And the bar was filling up EVERY SEAT as well!! 2 women wanted to sit right next to me and another on my other side. I told one politely that I did not want anyone next to me. THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE PROTOCOL, Social Distancing, empty seats in-between related parties! Not here, they were allowing the WHOLE BAR to fill up, along with the WHOLE restaurant. All tables full, people close together without masks. Bartender was wearing her mask below her chin the entire time, as was the MANAGER!! Only 3 other wait staff and the young host were wearing their masks properly. Therefore, I told the mgr I didn't feel safe and needed to leave, would take my food ToGo. The RUDE bartender came back with my ToGo box, yanked away my bread basket in a huff, and practically tossed my box at me (without plasticware), saying, "You're done. You can leave now. We're not charging you." NEVER, have I EVER been treated SO BADLY by a restaurant staff! I took the box and left, being made to feel I'D done something wrong instead of them not following the pandemic protocols. I opened my box by the way and my "shrimp scampi" were lukewarm on 2 sticks, unseasoned, with a plastic ramekin of butter over rice. Ended up tossing the dinner. What an unfortunate ending to such a lovely day....