Montauk Seafood Grill — Restaurant in Vail

Where to begin.... We went there as a group of four for restaurant week 2019. The atmosphere was nice and cozy but loud, they could do with some structural improvements to reduce the noise levels. Our elderly friend with a hearing aid was in absolute pain and on minimal volume to no avail. More importantly, after our appetizers we had to ration our bottle of wine because the entrees took so long. Surprisingly, the restaurant was never more then 50% full. When our friend humbly informed the waiter that it had been an hour since we placed our order, the waiter callously rebuked it had been 45 minutes and that he timed it. I highly doubt that he times every table, also, is the 15 minute difference he claims much better? What’s worse, is NEVER complain to the establishments owner. He is clearly an arrogant, self impressed creature who thinks he walks on air. When our other friend told him about the waiters condescending tone and the risotto being the consistency of glue and lacking any flavor of saffron at all, he got the most superior and sarcastic demeanor and said all he could offer is an apology. Not accurate. When your spending close to $400 on an evening I think the owner could get down off his horse and offer a $9 dessert to split. He clearly lacks any knowledge whatsoever in regards of customer service.

What’s worse is, my family who had an upcoming reservation called in to find out details about our horrid experience and was told by the same owner that he would do anything he could to rectify the situation. He then offered our group a gift card to our family on the phone. However, when I showed up to collect such gift card, he again put on his superior hat and said “Absolutely they would be doing nothing for us, and it was clear that no one at our table enjoyed ourselves.” Well, perhaps we didn’t enjoy ourselves because we had to ration our wine because your establishment took so long with the entrees at 50% capacity, using the old “we have the best special in the valley” for restaurant week excuse. Well maybe you have the best special because you have the most inflated prices OF the valley! Then we were condescended upon by your waiter when we mentioned the times and finally the owner was the most repugnant creature ever to crawl out from his rock reeking of superiority with absolutely no compassion. Then I drove there and he called my family he never met liars who told me he had a gift card waiting for us to show remorse. Ask yourselves, why would my own family lie about the phone conversation to me about him offering a gift card If they knew when I showed up he would not honor it. The OWNER...

Once upon a time, Montauk was our shining beacon of culinary delight, a gastronomic sanctuary where date nights were sprinkled with magic and memories. But alas, our recent visit was more akin to a tragic comedy, a Shakespearean play where the actors forgot their lines and the stage was set on fire.

We had booked a reservation to celebrate my Father-In-Law's 60th birthday, expecting the usual symphony of flavors and impeccable service. Instead, we were treated to a masterclass in the art of being forgotten. We were seated, and then it seemed we were erased from existence, like a bad first draft on an Etch A Sketch.

As the minutes turned into hours, we watched with a mix of disbelief and hunger as tables seated after us were served, ate, paid, and left. We sat there, like forgotten relics in a museum, while our stomachs played a symphony of their own.

When our food finally arrived, after a wait that felt longer than the last season of Game of Thrones, it was delicious. But alas, some of the orders were as mixed up as a Rubik's cube in the hands of a toddler.

To their credit, they did comp a glass of scotch and a bottle of wine, a gesture as comforting as a band-aid on a broken leg. But the food? Not a penny was comped. Actually, I take that back. The only thing comped was my wife's medium steak which was served black and blue, sent back for more cooking, and then served rare.

We tried to maintain a positive attitude, as three children under 5 morphed into hangry little monsters. But overall, it was a disaster that would make the Titanic look like a minor boating mishap.

In light of our past and quite positive experiences, we give it a 2-star review. But Montauk, please, for the love of all that is holy, don't forget about birthday reservations. We're not asking for a red carpet, just a meal in a reasonable amount of time.

So, here's to hoping our next visit doesn't feel like an episode of Survivor: Montauk Edition. Until then, we have chosen to look back on this 60th birthday debacle with a smile and a laugh. In retrospect, it was such a disaster it's actually...

The food was great, and our waitress was exceptional. My partner has allergies and he called beforehand to see if they would be able to accommodate, and they said they could.

At the end of our delicious meal, our waitress offered us dessert. We declined as it is normally something we avoid at restaurants due to my partner’s allergies. The waitress insisted on their chocolate and raspberry sorbet, which she claimed was gluten and dairy free.

We decided to try the sorbet per our waitress’ suggestion. My partner almost immediately started to have a reaction, so he stopped eating the sorbet. We told the waitress, and she said that the kitchen told her it was gluten/dairy free. She brought us the label and we then discovered an ingredient that often has powdered milk in it.

The manager came over and offered my partner a Benadryl, and comped the dessert.

We spent $200+ on a meal at a nice restaurant while on vacation. Due to a mistake and faulty recommendation, we had to leave and go home early due to my partner’s medical condition. The general manager never called, as we were promised by the manager on duty that night.

The ripple effect of this night was a 3am drive to the airport, a 7 hours wait to get on a plane, American Airlines not cooperating after we paid for ticket changes, and a 24 hour reaction to a dessert we were assured was gluten/dairy free.

My partner doesn’t complain, and certainly doesn’t ask for free food or demand a meal comp when it isn’t warranted, but this “small” mistake was worth more than a $10 sorbet. It ended up costing hundreds of dollars to get home and tend to his condition he developed after the recommendation was made and we were assured it met his needs.

The restaurant still hasn’t reached out and, while the food tasted great, the restaurant can’t be trusted to meet the needs of those with allergies and medical conditions that...