Half Moon Bay Inn -- Kitchen & Cocktails

11/22/07

False advertising; bad service

by hope444 at Citysearch

The menu for Thanksgiving looked promising, but it was false advertising. There was a $42 prix fixe (fixed price per person), and we were a party of three. Instead of three servings of the first course, they gave us one serving to share: three TINY pieces of melba toast, four half-slices of a VERY thin baguette, and a very shallow, small saucer-sized portion of warm dip. The soup was cold. The dinner rolls were cold. The "fresh creamery butter" turned out to be three cubes of cold, hard, foiled-wrapped Darigold butter. The entree did NOT have the "sweet potato puree with buttered pecans" advertised, so I very gently asked about it, and the young waitress pointed to the small piece of stuffing on my plate. Later, someone else came back with three scoops of mashed sweet potato that were cold and tasteless (no "buttered pecans', no flavor, just thrown together).

When my mother sweetly asked if she could have a side of extra gravy, a shaggy man came out with a giant gravy boat to lean over our plates and serve it himself. It was strangely personal and invasive. It was something in his demeanor. Now I realize he was trying to bully us. I asked kindly if he was the manager, and he side-stepped by saying, "Oh, I am doing everything today." So I thought I'd ask about the discrepancies between the menu and the food actually served. He was very rude and abrupt and dismissive. I wonder if I should have defended myself a bit more, but I was tired of the place by this time. I eat out quite a bit, and I never have problems, so this was disturbing.

And frankly, I shouldn't have to defend myself as a customer!

Oh! And the best part? The tacked-on a gratuity of $32! It was not written anywhere on the menu. Avoid this place everybody....

• Pros: architecture
• Cons: bad service; unprofessional attitude; food on menu is not what you get

08/29/07

Excellent food right on Main St!

by cenar23 at Citysearch

The food at the Half Moon Bay Inn is excellent, I recomend the halibut tacos or the cheeseburger with onion rings, but there are plenty of tasty items on the menu. It's an excellent place to sit at one of the window tables and watch people walking around downtown Half Moon Bay. In addition to wonderful food they have an extensive bar with pretty imaginative cocktails, (think vanilla pomagrante margaritas and a cappuchino martinis), but they also have the classics. The staff is very friendly and helpful. I haven't had a poor experience yet! Check it out on a weekday evening when it's a little less crowded and you can get more one on one time with the bartenders, they are always willing to come up with a specialty drink for your taste buds. Hopefully you enjoy the drinks and food as much as my family and I did!

• Pros: excellent food and drinks
• Cons: can be crowded on weekends

12/30/06

Upscale Comfort Food

by wisholek at Citysearch

My wife and I always come here when we desire a place where we need a little service, but not the frou frou menu that is so common for the area. We've been here a number of times and haven't really expanded our choices on the menu. We generally settle on the grilled cheese with tomato, which hits the spot when we need something comforting and not too complex for the palet. We've also tried the crab sandwich which is a cold crab salad(with celery) on brioche bread. It all depends if that is the type of crab sandwich you like. Atmosphere is casual, but upscale.

• Pros: Comfort Food
• Cons: Small Menu