How this will work, we'll each gauge each restaurant on three key areas: Environment/Atmosphere, Food, and Service, on a 1-5 scale, one being the worst and five being the best, then average each number between our individual numbers. It's just easier that way. I should also mention that Dan and I have very different tastes. I'll likely be mostly steaks and burgers, Because he doesn't "do" vegetables. Neither does he eat chicken or fish; basically, he's a cave man...(Hey!) I, on the other hand, am more adventurous...but once I find something I love at a place, it will be a regular. Just wanted to warn you. :)
A week ago we visited the new Sea Dog restaurant with empty stomachs, but also with heavy hearts. Very heavy... *cries*See, the Sea Dog took up the building left from one of our absolute favorite locations, Eggspectations. It was so yummy!!! Best.Breakfast.EVER. Unfortunately, the evening really never got better from there. That's an understatement. It was shitty. REAL shitty. (By the way...this is an R-rated blog...we don't censor ourselves).Atmosphere: I personally thought the new decor wasn't terrible, considering it was largely painted black. I thought it was pretty interesting. The interior designer had a tight palette of colors; black, navy blue, and touch of white, and a lot of gray as well. However, missing all of the "unique" knick-knacks of the previous business also didn't make it seem all that different from other steakhouse/breweries, except with no random crap stapled to the walls like any Applebees/Ruby Tuesday/what have you. The lines were clean; very industrial and urban. Usually, I enjoy spaces like this. It was pleasant. We sat in the bar area, to watch the Pat's first game against the Buffalo Bills. Lots of TVs, alcohol, and loud Pats fans. The chairs were tall and pretty solid (which is good for fatties like us...) but not the most comfortable. I guess I would rate the atmosphere at a 4. 3 overall for me.
Food: My own plate was Italian sausage, provolone cheese, mustard of some sort, and a "warm" pretzel. If you can't tell from the quotation marks, not only was the pretzel not warm, it didn't taste entirely cooked. I'm not sure what kind of mustard they served me, but if it was intended to be honey mustard, they forgot the honey. Or anything sweet. You mean, sweet like me? Actually, I was thinking sweet like Sebago's IPA Honey Mustard, it's a whole different beast. But that's another entry soon to be written. I can't give credit either way on the provolone cheese because, well, it's cheese. It wasn't spoiled or anything. The sausage was actually quite good, cooked well, and went well with the cheese. I'd have to go with a 2 on my food. My meal consisted of a cup of their broccoli and cheddar soup, which was very tasty. I was savory, warm, well seasoned, and perfectly executed. I wish I had order a bowl. It came with some oyster crackers, (never enough to last through the entire serving). And since I'm a pepper fiend, I doused it with my favorite spice. My entree was the fish and chips, a pub classic. The presentation was decent. Simple and understated. No fancy garnish, nothing garish, just kind of thrown on the plate. My fries were crisp and thick, a good start. They tasted fresh and weren't too salty. But the fish...oh, the poor poor cod. It was a disaster! It was soggy, and basically the consistancy of chicken nuggets that weren't completely cooked. I couldn't eat it. And I LOVE fish! Such a disappointment. I mean, how can you fuck up fried fish? I have to give a 3 for my meal, since the soup was the saving grace.
Service: I can't say I was terribly impressed with my server. Me either! She was friendly, but she never refilled Jo's drink, Which is a huge pet peeve of mine. Even if I have a half-full glass, at least ask me when you ask another at the table. It's common decency. I only got one water after finding out another Sea Dog root beer would be another 2.00 since it's not fountain (and why it's not I'm not sure, the company makes the stuff.) I'd say 3 overall, nothing great, but nothing memorable either. She seemed to be too interested in hooking up with the bar tender. As the female who can't be swayed by her looks, and the person who paid for the meal, I was pretty much ignored the entire meal. Not Kosher. I give the service a 2. Not the worse service I've ever had, but definitely she needs improvement.
Overall: Between us, we'd give it a 3. Not something we'd repeat, but if you go and have a different experience, please tell us all about it in the comments. I really hope that you would have a better experience. Considering the prices (which we hadn't mentioned previously, but are on the menu, which is linked below.) it wasn't worth any of it. Well, maybe the soup and french fries. One last food for thought GROAN! I said to Dan as we were waiting for the bill "is it bad that I'm still hungry and want to go to Mickey Ds?" Now tell me if that's bad or not...
Thanks for reading, and we'll keep eating!
The Full-Fledged Fatties: Dan and Joelle
Menu: http://www.seadogbrewing.com/menu.pdf
Logo Picture from: http://www.mainebrew.com/img/logos/seadog.gif
Interior Picture from http://www.mainetoday.com/barguide/041106.html
