Sunset Grille — Restaurant in Sebring

Where do I begin? Years ago the Sunset Grill had great food and service. It's been terrible for quite awhile but now that it's is new ownership I tried again. #1 while at another local business I was looking in the local guide and came across a restaurant called Lakeview Indian Restaurant. I was so excited because we haven't had an Indian restaurant in town for years. I called the number first clue should have been. They just answered it. Hello. I asked if they were open. They said yes. I was so excited I said how long have you been open? I've been dying for an Indian restaurant. They said about 7 months. I was all confused because I looked up the address and I saw where it was and knew that the only restaurant there was the Sunset grill but then I thought well maybe there really is something right there that I didn't know about. Then I get in my car and I drive around and I hunt for this restaurant and I can't find it because I'm looking for lakeside India restaurant. Finally I pull in where my GPS keeps telling me to go at the Sunset grill which is still called the Sunset grill and lo and behold that is somehow also the same restaurant. Of course. The menu still say Sunset grill like the sign does, but there is a little section in the menu that is Indian food. I'm attaching the two pictures from the little magazine that clearly show ads for both restaurants which are indeed one in the same. They give different phone numbers and they give slightly different addresses even though it's the same place. Shady that's just plain shady. #2 two you walk in. There's no one paying any attention. You have to ring a doorbell that you have to search and find. It's over on the wall and then someone will eventually come and ask you where you want to sit. #3 we chose to sit outside because it is one of the very few restaurants in town that actually do have a beautiful water view. This was pretty much the only good thing about this whole visit. Sitting outside looking at the lights on the water. Of course, it was actually a little chilly last night and they could have turned on all those heat lamps they had over the tables but they didn't. #3 decided to go for it even though it just didn't appear like it was going to be good. We ordered samosas on the servers recommendation. We got four little greasy samosas. Didn't taste bad but they weren't great either and there were only four little tiny things. #4 ordered lamb curry and butter chicken. The lamb Curry was disgusting. Some of the pieces had no meat at all. They were just chunks of fat. They looked like bowls of beef stew. Both dishes looked the same pretty sure they were the same exact sauce on both. Most butter chicken I've gotten is usually a yellowish sauce. This was in a tomato based. I wouldn't even call it a sauce. It was a soup. I don't know what kind of rice they're claiming it was. It didn't taste like Jasmine or basmati. It looked like yellow rice. And then I was all excited when it first got set down in front of me because I thought it had naan bread. It was pita bread. Like pita bread out of package thrown on the grill the and wasn't even remotely fresh. I mean it was fresh off the grill but when you bit into it you could see the white. I don't know how to describe it that look that stale bread gets. The young lady serving us was very nice. She did try to make it right. She brought out a second bowl of the lamb Curry but honestly we should have just sent that dish back and said scratch it. And as nice as she was, it wasn't great service. We waited for someone to notice we arrived even after ringing the bell. We had to wait for our check. It wasn't attentive service. In case you're wondering though, I still gave her over a 20% tip so I didn't penalize her for the fact that this restaurant is incredibly...

I like the place and I will go back again. I rated it three stars and all that means is it was an okay place to go. The reason why I rated it that way was that the waitress was really slow bringing our drinks. I think it was 15 and maybe 20 minutes before she came back with them. She actually brought them when she brought the appetizer. Two emphasize apparently how slow the service is at the restaurant I asked a patron that was leaving the restaurant for any recommendations on what they enjoyed eating and they replied pulled pork(I think) is really good and you have to be patient waiting for it to get there. Two different patrons recommended the Drunken Sailor (which I had and recommend also). I think the menu referred to it as a creamy marinara over noodles. I was not fond of the rubbery scallops in the dish but there was a large amount of lobster and a fair amount of good size shrimp in the dish. The sauce itself wasn't as strong in flavor as I would have preferred but still was pretty tasty and I would get it again. I was just staring clear of the vidalia onion rings because they were overcooked and you couldn't tell there was onion except for a thin strip of something in the center. I apologize for being harsh but I've had meaty onion rings before and these were not them. I was especially disappointed because Vidalia onions are noted for their sweet oniony flavor. I do not know the name of the dish but there was a broiled or blackened fish that was amazingly tasty according to my dinner companion and they said they would go there and have that again. I thought everything on the menu was very reasonably priced considering what they had to offer is pricey elsewhere. One thing on the menu that really caught my eye was a rack of lamb. The menu says you need to call 24 hours in advance to order because it takes some time to prepare it. Good lamb is hard to find and not a common menu item so I inquired about it and the staff said the costs are going up so much that they don't offer it usually but call and it might be available if you ask for it. I'm thinking to call all week in advance to see if the chef will have time to source some reasonably priced lamb. I was concerned with the ramp coming up to the entrance of the restaurant as the decking boards were very weathered and moved with age a little bit. There were also was a section of the outside eating deck that was in a similar shape but other portions were replaced so I feel the management is replacing sections a little at a time. I also recommend The View from the air conditioned restaurant and out on the very spacious deck. For some of it matters the type of Lakeview and this lake has a grassy shallow whereas some Lakes are clean all the way to the shore. Regardless I found the view and breeze very pleasant despite the grassy shallows. I found all of the staff be very pleasant despite their apparent slowness. I did find the bartender to be exceptionally knowledgeable and timely with information and service. At a glance, I found the place neat and tidy. I did note however under our table there was a splash of dried sauce and I don't know if this is the norm or just an rare oversight. The bathroom gave me the impression of being slightly under lit but serviceable for the task. It is a small note that I believe it is not air conditioned (but Power vented) but not too bad considering it was a fairly warm day. It might lend some weight that I drove an hour and a half to eat here and for the view and I will come back again. I hope you...

Fourth of July! 14 of us had reservations, made on June 9, to have dinner and watch the fireworks. When we arrived, 7 of us had already been seated at a big table. When the rest of us arrived, we saw two tables for 4 near the big table. When we moved the tables together and closer to the big table, the manager, who was very edgy and rude, came out telling us to put them back...he had to keep a close watch on his chairs! Right, if you’re surprised, I felt the same way. So I said maybe we should go elsewhere, and he immediately raised his voice and said, “just go then.”!!

We all cooled down, put the tables back, and sat down for dinner. He came out, smirking, and said, "Oh, so you're staying now?" I admit, I answered with a clip in my voice, " yes, we decided to stay." At that point, he turned red-faced and yelled at us all to leave! And right NOW! He lost hundreds of dollars in business, present and future, and the poor servers didn't get the accompanying tip. We went to another restaurant, Cody's, who welcomed us, even with the short notice, where we had a wonderful dinner.

We are senior citizens, with all our kids and their spouses. We aren't in the habit of causing trouble. In fact, I just deleted the very good review I gave this restaurant a few months ago. We had a blast at Cody's and watched the fireworks from the beach on the lake. So all told, it was a good night despite the glitch at Sunset Grille.

Needless to say, we won't be back, and sadly, we cannot recommend the Sunset Grille to...