Dinner started off poorly. We had 7pm reservations, our table was unavailable, and we were asked to wait at the bar as the previous guest were still paying for the check, which happens. We waited patiently for another 20 minutes, and as we waited another couple walked in and started chatting with the staff; they seemed to know the people there. I overheard the guy ask the bartender if they had any availability that night, who deferred to the owner who was also playing host.
When the owner returned, he quietly snuck the couple out back and gave them our table. No apologies to us, no complimentary drinks, nothing. Its a small restaurant with only one entrance, the slight could not be more glaring, and from the owner no less.
We asked after our table that was paying the check 20 minutes ago and the owner played dumb. We had to wait another 25 minutes for the next table to open up, which was a 45 minute delay from our reservation time.
The restaurant seemed understaffed. I would guess there was 50 diners at the restaurant. There was the owner who was hosting, busing and taking orders, a very flustered waitress, a bartender and a single busboy. The kitchen seemed to work quickly though.
We ordered 3 apps and 2 mains- the focaccia, crab cakes and mushroom toast as apps and shrimp scampi and mushroom risotto as mains.
The focaccia was shaped properly, but lacked the contrast between chewy center and crusty, oily, salty crust that makes the bread so delicious. The bread was a uniform hard consistency that wasn't appealing. It was also unsalted and unflavored. The spread for it was whipped ricotta and was more flavorful, though the dish overall was disappointing.
There were 3 crab cakes, each about the size of a slider. They were made with non lump crabmeat, formed into patties, and deep fried. The lack of lump crabmeat meant there wasn't much structure to the crab cake, and the breading was minimal. Overall the texture was poor and the dish was again disappointing.
The mushroom toast had a lemon whipped ricotta topped with lightly cooked mushrooms. The dish relied on chopped olives for saltiness, which under delivered. The dish was very under seasoned, and i thought the mushrooms should of been browned for contrasting texture and better flavor, but alas. It was the best of the appetizers but i would not order it again.
My wife's shrimp scampi had very well cooked bucatini and shrimp that was both well cooked and well flavored. Sadly, the sauce was under seasoned and lacked acidity- my wife made due by using the lime from her drink to add some needed acidity. She didn't finish the dish.
My risotto was an unappealing uniform white in color, with minimal green from some sprinkled herbs. For whatever reason, the wild mushrooms weren't browned for flavor, and had the color and texture of boiled chicken breast. The risotto itself was overcooked, there was no al dente bite to the rice grains. It was just unappealingly soft and mushy. This dish relied on shaved Parmesan for seasoning, which also underdelivered. My wife acknowledged that we cook better risotto at home.
We chose to skip dessert.
I gave 2 stars instead of 1 as the place itself is quite stylish and the view of the river from the deck is unique in the area.
I would recommend this place to anyone who knows the owner or has no issue with having their reservation given away in front of them. If you are concerned that well seasoned food is too spicy, you may also want to consider this place.
I cannot imagine any reason I would chose this restaurant over Bia or any number of other restaurants with courteous service and better food in the area.
ADDENDUM:
The owner of Kips Tavern reached out promptly after this review and explained how understaffed they were that night and that we were unfortunately lost in the shuffle. They have offered a gift card to make up for our experience. I will post a new review after our next visit. I appreciated the sincere apology and the attempt...
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