04/16/09

Very slow service

by MpossibleBlueEyes

About 20 of us went to Anthony’s for a work party. The majority of the group got there at 5:15pm and seated immediately at the 3 tables reserved for us. At 5:30 we were only missing 4. By 5:40 we were all there. I was one of the ones that got there at 5:30. It took 25 minutes for the waitress (Jill, who was very nice,) to bring my drink. Somebody said there was a special menu for orders before 6pm.

About 5:45 we asked for the menus or to be told what the specials are. We probably got those menus around 6:30.

I will say here that we had some appetizers. Maybe 5 between 20 people? We weren’t exactly running them to death. The following is from my cell texts-

7:02pm eating salad

I was in the middle round of food served for dinner. 3 people got theirs & ate it before mine & 3 others came. We were half way done with our dinners when the last wave of entrees came out

7:45pm dinner just came

8:17pm bored texting

Dessert came

8:28 the bill came

I will be one of the first to agree that 3hrs is not unusual for dinners on special occasions. I grew-up in a family restaurant and worked at the Keg for 3yrs when I moved here. I get it. That said, service sucked last night. They were very pleasant when they were around but they were never around unless they were carrying something out from the kitchen/bar.

It’s inexcusable that 3 people were done with their food, completely done, plates shoved away before the next portion of the groups food came out and then we were half done before the last round. Seriously! 4 people of 8 at our table were half done before the other 4 got their food. The table that ate first were basically asleep waiting for the other 2 tables to get theirs & eat.

I had the salmon beurre blanc with mashed potatoes. The salmon was medium well. The sauce too mild. The mashed potatoes were shiny. They were good but shiny. I ate the salmon because I’d been craving salmon, not because it was good. I kept telling my friend I shouldn’t even eat the salmon but I felt obligated. But the mashed potatoes were good.

For dessert I had crème brulee. It was cold. The sugar glaze was cold and too thick and it was starting to get a little soggy. When I cracked it, as think as it was, it didn’t make any noise.

I heard one person laughing “Too funny, it’s all cold but the saucer is hot.”

I gave Anthony’s 2 stars out of hope that they will do better in the future. As for me, even at happy hour prices, I’m not interested in going back.

• Pros: Good happy hour
• Cons: Service was very slow

02/23/09

Horrible service, soggy salad, and a limited menu = Disaster!

by WAgirl1974

This last Sunday was my mother's 59th birthday, and we decided, despite the economy, to make it a nice evening out for her. You see, my father is currently being treated for cancer, with my mother acting as his faithful nurse, so we all felt she deserved a special night out. Our family has dined at Anthony's many times over the past 25 or so years, so the restaurant was not "new" to us. We had made a reservation for 6pm and, despite a virtually empty restaurant, we were asked to wait in the lobby for almost 10 minutes before we were seated. Our party consisted of 6 adults, 2 children, and a toddler. Once we were seated at our table, it was 10-15 minutes before our waitress came to ask what we would like to drink. She was unfriendly and disinterested... it took everything she had to squeak out a "your welcome" in response to the "thank you"s we readily said. Our food was OK, although the salads were very soggy, but our greatest disappointment came from Anthony's discontinuation of their sourdough bread bowls, which have been replaced with a cheaper loaf. The wine glasses were filled less than halfway full (at over $6 per glass!), and we were never once offered a refill of our drinks by our waitress. Anthony's has apparently also discontinued it's policy of offering free desserts to customers having birthdays, anniversaries, etc... which our waitress gave the "shocked" answer about when we asked her, saying she had NEVER seen that "once in the years she'd been working there!" I informed her I was a former employee, and that I knew otherwise... The waitress then, because the bill was coming out and she knew she had offended, brought my 59 year old mother out a child's sundae (with a forced smile), in an attempt to gain our favor. But we all saw what her actions were... a desperate attempt to squeeze a decent tip out of a large party she had greatly disappointed. Our family has decided to skip Anthony's from now on... Don't bother!!!

• Pros: Beautiful view
• Cons: Poor service, average food, poor cleanliness

02/05/09

Seafood Kirkland Antohny's Seattle Bellevue

by Princehapnik

Although I am new the area of Kirkland, I am amazed at the astonishing view of Lake Washington with a beautiful marina below. When I recently visited Anthony?s Home Port of Kirkland, I did have some expectations but I had no idea just how pleasant my dinning experience would be. I now know that you don?t have to have a love of water or seafood to enjoy yourself at Anthony?s

• Pros: Service was excxellent
• Cons: There are none

06/24/08

Better bet elsewhere

by jtbuckley

If starting your evening with a snotty hostess is what you desire - then you have found it here. Okay food, service was fair enough, but for a better experience, food and atmosphere there are better times to be had elsewhere in Kirkland. As a frequent business diner out of town, I have seen worse. But as a place to take family or friends, I will chose better next time.

04/09/07

Terrible customer service and over-priced brunch = a losing experience

by kimberly530

My family and I had Easter brunch at Anthony's Homeport in Kirkland, WA, yesterday and left thoroughly disappointed. We will not be returning to an Anthony's again!

Our disappointment began a few weeks prior when we first tried to make reservations. We were told they could only accomodate our group of 11 at 9:30 AM, which was earlier then we had hoped. When making the reservations, we asked if they might notify us if something became available at a later date; the receptionist snottily told us that she was "too busy" to do that and we would need to "check back to see if anything opened up." When we did check back, we were put on hold for a long while before being disconnected.

Then our brunch experience yesterday was thoroughly disappointing. When I was at brunch, I had asked if the kitchen might be able to make a side of crab cakes for me - since crab cakes are cooked as part of an Eggs Benedict order, I didn't imagine it would be a problem. I was wrong! The waitress informed me that the kitchen does not do special orders and she refused to check to see if they might make an accomodation. I was shocked - what happened to customer service?

When the food did arrive, our party was overall unexcited about it. The crepes were burned, and the crab cakes (which I did not get, but which someone else in my party did) had a strong fishy taste. And the meals were expensive - $20 for a breakfast entree that isn't any good is hardly a deal!

We hadn't been to Anthony's in a while and left sorely disappointed. We won't be returning at all.

• Cons: Terrible waitress

The fish and the view are the draw at this local chain.

by Contributor

In Short
Every HomePort is located near marinas on the water and supply gorgeous sunset views through the oversized windows. Check out the fresh oysters from many locales or salmon cooked in the ageless method passed on by coastal Indians: on alder planks, imparting wood flavor and aroma. Sunday-brunch fare is served a la carte and accompanied by a platter of fruit and blueberry coffee cake.

09/20/06

The best clam chowder on the Eastside

by mrumans

The seafood, salad, and deserts are always great! If you don't have a reservation, you can usually find a table in the bar. Great views of Lake Washington.