Top : Canada : PE : Bay_Fortune : Inn at Bay FortuneBay Fortune
Bay Fortune
PE
Canada
C0A 2B0
Telephone : 902.687.3745
Type of cuisine served :Payment MethodsAll restaurants accept cash.
ReviewsInn at Bay Fortune: A Fortune Lost for a Poor Experience My girlfriend Laura and I visited this inn for dinner in August based on a recommendation in the book, among other recommendations we had come across. We were taking our first vacation together. We are both quite sophisticated diners who frequently sample some of the better restaurants in the Vancouver area. My girlfriend Laura and I visited this inn for dinner in August based on a recommendation in the book, among other recommendations we had come across. We were taking our first vacation together. We are both quite sophisticated diners who frequently sample some of the better restaurants in the Vancouver area. Our reservation was for 8:00. Having made the hour-long trek from Charlottetown to experience this purportedly marvelous place, we arrived sharply at 8, and were seated in the waiting area with a wine list for 40 minutes without being offered wine, water, or any morsel of food. Then we were led to a table for two by a window with a lovely view over the grounds and out toward the water, where we waited for another 20 minutes before finally being approached by our waiter, a thin young man with scraggily unwashed hair, a day's growth, an earring, and a pack of smokes in his breast pocket. "Do ya know whatcha want?", he inquired. I responded that I wanted to see the tasting menu, the contents of which had not been divulged on the main menu, and we'd appreciate some water. The evening pretty much went down hill from there, with the incompetence and garrulous arrogance of the waiter providing a suitable medium for the presentation of an immensely disappointing meal. We both ordered the tasting menu with the selection of wines intended to accompany the courses. The wines arrived at our table at random times, typically 10 or 15 minutes after the courses, entirely defeating the purpose. When the first course, a simple swordfish appetizer, arrived at our table nearly raw, Laura requested that hers be cooked a little more and asked that the chef be informed that she preferred all her courses to be fully cooked. When the second course of “just poached halibut” arrived, a raw piece of halibut in a warm broth, Laura of course sent it back as well. Our snearing waiter informed us that it was supposed to be like that. I guess the famous chef was also not amused by his customer’s lack of appreciation for his art, as he obviously blasted the poor piece of fish on "High" until it emerged from the kitchen curdled and inedible. The wontons stuffed with oysters would not have been out of place at an ordinary Chinese restaurant on the east side, the main course of beef tenderloin was completely boring, a little tough and poorly cooked with a bland, tasteless sauce (nowhere near a match to my own version), the dessert was unmemorable enough that we actually don't remember it, and the meal overall was nearly bereft of vegetable matter. What's more, the chef, who is reputed to serve fresh seasonal ingredients, seemed to go out of his way to avoid everything that was so deliciously available everywhere on the island at that time of year, at the very height of the harvest: fresh fruit such as blueberries or raspberries, corn, tomatoes, peppers, the full bounty of Canada’s fields. The overall atmosphere of this place was cold and austere, with bright lights remaining on deep into the night, and not a candle or dimmer switch to be found, and the dismal service only magnified the meal’s numerous shortcomings. When, shortly after dessert was served, our waiter approached with the bill, Laura asked if she could please have a cup of coffee. "If you want...", Beavis replied. To top things off, the waiter came by minutes after leaving the bill, pointed at it, and demanded, “Are you done with that?” Put simply, the Inn at Bay Fortune was the most disappointing restaurant experience of our lives: terribly overpriced, with absolutely abysmal service, snobbish attitude, and mediocre food. The disappointment of a shockingly bad experience ruined what should have been a magical evening, for I had intended to ask Laura to marry me that night. For the only time in my life, I left not one cent of a tip (I normally tip in the 20% range). The only purpose the meal served was to provide us with plenty of material for discussion on the long drive back to Charlottetown, home of so many good, homey places to get a decent meal in unpretentious surroundings. More’s the pity that to try this restaurant, we sacrificed a chance to sample the elegant dining room at the Inn at Dalvay by the Sea, or the renowned Culinary Institute of PEI. This restaurant would be out of business in six months if it were located in any major Canadian centre. I sincerely doubt that it is the best restaurant in Bay Fortune, if there is anywhere else where one can obtain a plate of fish and chips in that lovely little spot. Food Rating [4/10] Service Rating [2/10] Ambiance Rating [6/10]
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