Charlie Park — Restaurant in Tallahassee

We have been wanting to try Charlie Park for a while, so Mother’s Day brunch seems like the perfect opportunity to splurge and make the trip. Unfortunately, that was canceled due to bad weather, so we rescheduled for the following Sunday.

Upon arrival we were greeted by a very friendly hostess, and immediately seated despite the fact that we were early for our reservation. Our first impression was that the restaurant did not seem very clean, especially since we found strands of hair on our table.

Service was slow, but our waitress was friendly and attentive, so I think it was a kitchen issue. The restaurant was busy, but not at capacity… and there was no waiting line… so I’m not sure why the food was taking so long to come out.

We ordered the croignets and the butter board as our appetizers. The croignets were overly brown and soggy, as if they had been reheated. The butter board was a good idea in theory, but the butter was drenched in jam and honey, which made it cloyingly sweet. Some additional butter with herbs or something savory would have been a nice contrast. Our board had more crackers than bread on it. It was as if the kitchen had run out of ingredients and made do with what they had, which seemed to be the theme for our entire meal.

I ordered the steak tostadas, but what I received looked nothing like the picture or the description. There was no purple pommes purée or pico de gallo. The eggs were cold and flavorless. I had 2 pieces of steak on each tostada and I’ve thrown away avocados that looked better than the brown mushy lumps that were on my plate.

One of my companions ordered the lemon blueberry pancakes. Again, they were lukewarm upon arrival. The flavor was good, but the texture was chewy rather than light and fluffy, and there was only a small amount of blueberry compote on top.

My other companion ordered the tres leches French toast. It was soggy and overcooked and generally unappealing looking. She said it was merely okay, but she didn’t eat a quarter of it.

We also had the millionaires bacon, which was delicious.

We are foodies, so the fact that we each left over half of our food uneaten is telling. For the amount of money spent and the two hour drive to get there, to say we are disappointed with our experience is an understatement.

Based on the meal we had, I would not recommend this establishment to anyone, nor will I go back.

Photos are what we expected vs what we...

Terribly disappointed. A group of 4 couples celebrated NYE at Charlie Park tonight. The cost was $122 per person plus 22% gratuity. Drinks were, of course, separate (which I expected) and also included a 20% gratuity plus a 3% credit card fee. I'll start with the drinks. My husband and I each had an old fashioned. We could barely taste the bourbon. The drink was sugary sweet which is not typical for an old fashioned. We were able to choose from 3 apps, 3 entrees, and 2 desserts as a part of the dinner package. We both selected the "Berry/tomato/mozzarella cheese salad." I wish I had taken a picture. 3/4 of the plate was covered with bread cut into squares that were described as croutons. They were not even baked. The remainder of the salad was just ok. I chose the Wellington pork loin, sweet potatoes, and some sort of sauce. The pork was very dry and beyond well done. I was not provided with an actual knife that would cut the pork. I had to saw through with a table knife. I ate less than half. My husband selected the 12 oz ribeye with potatoes and greens. The steak was covered in gravy with whole peppercorns (almost broke a tooth biting into one). The was cooked to medium, as ordered, but was full of gristle. He ate about half of it. We chose the same dessert which was described as a limoncello raspberry cake. It was a cold rectangular Sara Lee (sorry Sara Lee for the comparison), very sweet lemon sauce, and raspberry puree on the side. If the "cake" had at least been microwaved, it could possibly have been better. We took only a few bites of the dessert. Overall, this was the worst "nicer" meals I've had in my life. When we pay that much, we expect a delicious meal. Oh yes, and the service was subpar as well. We had to ask and ask for refills on water. The wait staff would fill one glass (mind you there were 8 of us) and walk off. We would have to flag them down to fill the other glasses. There was little ambiance. The best part of the day evening was the 15 min of fireworks. This is the first and last time we will be going to Charlie Park. All of the couples in our party had the same sentiment. I'm sorely disappointed in tonight 2024...

The dining experience at this establishment left much to be desired. While the presentation of the dishes was visually stunning, the actual quality of the food fell short of expectations. The steak was passable, but unfortunately, the pork was disappointingly dry.

One particular letdown was the chicken kebab appetizer, which not only lacked flavor, was dry but also came with a hefty price tag. It is crucial for the management to prioritize the improvement of food quality to match the impressive presentation.

Although the waitress was polite, we encountered an issue when requesting additional napkins. Initially, we were informed that they had run out, but upon a second inquiry from my husband, the waitress miraculously produced more. This inconsistency in service left us feeling somewhat perplexed.

Regrettably, our hopes of making this establishment our go-to spot for celebrating our anniversary were dashed by the underwhelming taste of the food. The lackluster culinary experience failed to align with the ambiance and location of the restaurant. We urge the management to address this discrepancy promptly.

Furthermore, the outside seating area was inadequately lit, making it challenging to read the menu or even see our food. Throughout our entire visit, we had to rely on our flashlights to illuminate our surroundings. Investing in suitable lighting would greatly enhance the overall dining experience and be greatly appreciated.

One highlight, drinks are fantastic, I think this place is a go to to drink and relax but not for the dinning experience. Another highlight, the cheeseburger was incredible and lifted our spirits a bit but for the rest it was...