Over-hyped restaurant. Would not go back.

Where to start on this one... first impressions were great. Super cute space with lovely warm and inviting lighting. Unfortunately, it went downhill quickly from there.

Greeting: we were slightly early for our table so we were asked to wait outside. Totally fine about this request. The waiting area had two benches in a small space that was full of people. It was dark (I mean no lighting), cold and uninviting. Plus one of the guests was blaring TV on his phone so we wouldn't have been able to talk. We saw an empty table in the unused outdoor area which was lit and had heaters on. None of the tables were set so we were clearly not impeding on the restaurant operations. We sat there happily waiting until the hostess told us the area was closed (even though there was one table eating there) and we had to move.... to stand in the cold, dark waiting area. She was not even nice about it... she was super rude and acted offended. Strike one.

Our service: Phoenix, one of the rudest waiters I've ever had. He had a superficially pleasant tone but he was condescending, agressive and unpleasant. He challenged my husband about his question on the tuna risotto with a nasty tone (why does seared tuna on corn risotto seem unusual??). He walked away mid-conversation several times when we responded to one of his comments. He told my mother in law she wouldn't like a spicy dish (without discussing her taste preferences first). Thr entire meal was negatively impacted by his awful behaviour. It was so bad that we debated not leaving a tip - a cardinal sin the the US. Strike two.

Drinks: My drink was super interesting. We all agreed it smelled like an Indian dish. I enjoyed it. My daughter had a non-alcoholic drink that was strong but good. The wine was good too. Strong suit for the Lark.

Food: It was hit and miss. The popcorn starter was unusual but good. The Brussels sprouts were too sweet as was the cornbread (the rosemary seasoning was great). That could be more about my palate rather than the food. The fried chicken was slightly too salty but it was amazingly cooked. It went well with the bread and butter pickles. The grits were creamy, salty and sweet, and unusually large. I'm a southerner and I've never had grits cooked this way. They weren't bad, just not what I expected. The wedge salad was over salted for my teenager's taste. The Tuna Risotto was unusual but my husband thought it was fine. My mother in law was incredibly disappointed with her shrimp dish. So much so she said it shouldn't be on the menu. Strike three

I've given it 3 stars because of the ambience and some of the food / drinks were good. It doesn't make up for the rudeness of the staff (hostess, server, and busboy) which was horrendous, the food that wasn't good and the dark waiting area. Btw, that guy that was watching TV on his phone when we arrived, watched TV the entire time we were eating (the waiting area was right next to our table and we had to listen to it throughout dinner) and was still watching TV when we left.