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Review content:
My wife and I visited The Veranda for their $75 per person Valentine's 6-course meal. This was was without a doubt one of the worst price to value offerings I've been subjected to over the years,and we always splurge on special occasions for something that comes highly recommended. Unfortunately, I can not say that the Veranda deserves its reputation. At $20 a plate I might consider it average. And it wasn't just the food. For Valentine's you expect their to be a few little extras, but their were none. No special music, minimal decor, no rose for my Valentine...nothing.
The Food: This was a fixed menu since it was a holiday, but even on a fixed menu you expect to have one or two options for each course. The only course that had options was the entree. The appetizer was curried chicken with stale crackers which tasted oddly like tuna fish out of a can. The salad was roasted duck on spring greens, which was average but nothing to write home about. The Intermezzo was a berry sorbet which tasted quite a bit like something from Sam's Club's frozen food aisle. The Entrees: The salmon was pretty fresh but flavorless, and the steak was cooked well but didn't seem to have been marinated in anything, palatially boring. The Dessert, which we were looking forward to the most, was also the most disappointing. The raspberry cheesecake was DEFINITELY store bought and just thawed out, while the chocolate eruption cake was fresher but nothing more substantial that something you might find at Chili's.
Adding to our disappointment was the bill. When we initially asked about the Valentine's package, we were quoted $75 per person, but were not told about the mandatory 20% gratuity on holidays, which doesn't make sense since, if anything, the waitress is not having to work as hard with a fixed menu (no special requests or recommendations needed). Also, they refused to accept our restaurant . com gift certificate because it was a ""holiday offering."" I've come across this before, but since the Valentine's package is MORE expensive than every other night, one might assume that they would be more inclined to accept it (by the way this was not listed in the terms and conditions of the certificate).
All in all, very disappointing. The food we had on a recent Royal Caribbean cruise ship was actually better, and we only paid about $75 per person, per DAY for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and all entertainment on board. Needless to say we will not be returning to the Veranda.
Pros: Music
Cons: Everything else
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