The Blue Heron Kitchen & Pub — Restaurant in Union Township

Ate here for the first time with the family. We (family) had mixed feelings about the atmosphere. I liked it, the wife disliked the lights temperature (very white light), said it gave her a headache. The daughter said it felt like a country bathroom, lighting, mirrors and whitewash. Everything was clean, the bathrooms were clean, good smelling soap was a bonus the ladies enjoyed. Our server, Nicole, was delightful and attentive. Hostess commented on how nice the girls looked, the girls loved this. The food was a mixed bag. The daughter and I had the fish and chips, the wife had salmon and cheese potatoes. Both girls had the house, Shipwreck, mix drink. The appetizers were drunken clams and bisque. The good; the fried fish was an impressive portion, flaky and served with, a delicious house made ? tartar sauce. The fries were crisp and tasty, albeit previously frozen, so minor ding. The wife enjoyed the salmon said the cheese potatoes were above average, needing a touch of red pepper for as good as Grandma's. The wife and daughter both enjoyed the bisque. The bad, Both the daughter and I were off put by being served room temperature coleslaw. I ate mine the daughter picked at hers. I would rate it just average, lacking some needed zing. The drunken clams were fresh, I could detect no fishiness (big thumbs up). The sauce was good but lack some seasoning and brightness. Adding a little salt helped, for my palate. The meal for everyone was good, but didn't rise to OMG. Everyone said seasoning was on the conservative side and sauces lack some complexity. I feel like this place is very close to being really amazing on the food side with some recipe tweaks. I feel the prices were inline with today's market. We paid $150 with two mixed drinks, two soups and an appetizer and 3 entrées.

I did have one thing I hated... the service fee. I really dislike this big city trend. I know the reasoning behind it and I don't agree. Raise your price if needed. I want to see what I'm paying for my food and not do math beyond tip.

Summary. Fantastic staff, clean welcoming location. Sampled food was mostly average with a couple bright spots, and a possibility to be truly awesome. I was interested enough to return and try...

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Good: The service and the atmosphere were wonderful. Kind of a rustic wharf vibe inside. The bathrooms were clean and tidy. Our server, Georgia was lovely. She was very attentive to our needs. The Bad...and The Ugly: I was excited to try this place. They had some unique menu choices. My husband and I came here for date night. To say we were underwhelmed was an overstatement. I ordered the seafood pasta and he ordered the sea scallops and we both ordered a half-chop salad. Let me be clear, we don't mind paying for excellent food In our opinion, this wasn't it. They are a bit on the pricey side. If you are big on flavor and seasoning, they don't use much. The salad was lovely but we were not huge fans of the dressing it was served with. The flavor kind of disappeared into the salad. The sauce on our dishes was watery. We were expecting a rich creamy sauce. The egg pasta was very good. The sauce didn't do it justice. My husband said the risotto was just okay. We were disappointed. However, our server noticed. One of the owners came to our table before we left. She asked about our experience and we gave her an honest opinion. She picked up our tab and said our meal would be free. Because she demonstrated that she cares about her customers, we will come back and try something different. Our original review would have been a bit lower but because of this, we will come back again and give them another chance. Sometimes places can have an off night. Thank you Blue Heron for hearing us out and...

I was very excited that this restaurant offers food options beyond the standard fare in the surrounding area! Big win for Buckeye Lake and Millersport! This was my first time dining since they opened, and it was a mixed experience. The cocktails were well crafted, and the service was very attentive, helpful, and friendly. I was eager to try the chicken dinner, but they were out that night. Went with the fish and chips entree and loved it. Others at the table enjoyed the pork cutlet entree and a mixed green salad with grilled chicken.

The atmosphere, specifically the lighting, washed away whatever ambiance they created. The option to go with a 5k color temperature LED lighting completely takes away from all of the other thoughtful interior elements. Everyone at our party commented on it, and in the end, the lighting made you feel like you just wanted to leave, which is a shame because I could have been talked into dessert. I enjoyed the Blue Heron Kitchen and Pub, but it will probably be...