Rockefellers — Restaurant in Williamsburg

The atmosphere is very elegant and in good taste. Service was satisfactory for this level of dining room, but not exceptional. Our server Sharon could have been more visible, more inquisitive about our reactions to the courses and given more information about the wines' flavors and why they were paired. The big disappointment was the food. We each chose the 5 course, I also had the wine pairing. First, the wines were all truly lovely, however, the whites chosen were all so similar that none were memorable. The red chosen to pair with the lamb was my favorite. With the bread plate and amuse, we each had 7 courses. The bread plate was fun and special with multiple types of breads and 3 butters. The amuse vichyssoise was so salty it had to be consumed as a "shot" to be edible at all. I nearly returned this "gift from the chef." Disgusting. The Abby Oysters were a delight to look at with its own plate shaped as an oyster. However, they were too long in the Broiler. The oysters were dry, the sabayon cooked to a curdle and the edible flowers wilted. It was oyster in scrambled egg. Bland. Dry. The octopus was over charred in the small tentacles giving that dish a bitter after taste, but was nice. The next course of the deviled duck egg was a fail. The white was rubbery with the breading not sticking to the outside, the yolk very runny and the pimento cheese was bland and too soft. The garnish was not memorable. The next course, the bison bacon, was the best of all we had that night. Each bite was rich bacon grease coating the mouth highlighted by the garnish. The scallop course was marred not by the scallop, but by the bean garnish, which was mealy in texture and obliterated the sweetness of the scallop. The Premium plates were next. The short ribs were too long in the pressure cooker and overly broken down. The red wine reduction was ordinary and the beef lacked some salt. The lamb was much more successful, but the cocoa dusting added no flavor, the new potatoes were over cooked and other than the meat, the plate was forgettable. Desserts were next brought out. Our server did not offer coffees or beverages or after dinner drinks as an option to purchase. I did request an espresso which was brought out. However, it would have been nice to consider a port or similar for after dessert. The lemon cake dessert was truly disappointing. The cake was actually in crumbs, the creme brulee was a too soft disc that had to be scraped off the plate and the whole dessert lacked flavor. The cheese plate was an ordinary assortment one could put together after visiting the cheese shop in town and was not special. Overall, the atmosphere of the dining room was the best feature, the wine was excellent, the service was very average and the food was disappointing. A better option for the Inn is the regular...

My wife and I made reservations to eat at this restaurant for our tenth wedding anniversary. For awareness, my wife has a disability which requires her to have a service dog. We checked in at the host counter when we arrived, and were asked to wait while the hostess confirmed our seating. When she returned, it was with two managers. The first manager asked if the dog was a service dog, to which we replied yes. He immediately seemed dejected and said, "Well, there's nothing we can do about that then." The second manager chimed in immediately afterwards, citing some unknown Virginia state law that prohibits service animals from entering "fine dining establishments." As we are not from Virginia, we did not feel like we knew enough to argue the point. Manager number two offered us the option to eat at their other restaurant, which is quite literally across the hallway. We declined and left the restaurant. If I could give zero stars, I would. I find it incredibly disrespectful and ignorant that this restaurant's management will not allow someone with a disability requiring a service dog to eat at their establishment, despite the Federal guidelines posted by the ADA. On that note as well, the website for the hotel/restaurant quotes the ADA saying that service dogs are allowed and reasonably...

We were given the best table in this beautifully appointed room. Our server, Derrick, was wonderful, and took great care of us. My meal was disappointing. The "crab cake" ($16 appetizer)was topped with tartar sauce which is a no no for the crab cake purist. No backfin there! It was the size of a meatball. Moving on to the entree which was a small filet, ordered cooked medium. Turned out over done and dry. Gristle was my last bite. Not good. If only they offered a hollindaise to put on that dry filet. Why didn’t I ask for a do over? I didn’t want my husband to wait until another was cooked. I passed on the potatoes and asked for double veggies. I got three very small asparagus spears, and a few cherry tomatoes mixed with cauliflower that were delicious, but the serving was a few tablespoons. I think this was $35. So, we loved the ambiance, service, and the friendly atomosphere. Would...