Afton House Inn

06/21/09

An Unhappy Father's Day Dining Experience

by kdexheimer at Citysearch

I am just writing to say how incredibly disappointed my wife and I were with the Father's Day Sunday brunch this morning. We had heard good things from friends who have dined at the Afton House Inn previously, but they've obviously been lucky enough to have missed out on brunch.

This was our first time at this restaurant, and from the moment we set foot inside we were unimpressed. Three servers standing immediately in front of us did not acknowledge our presence, despite the fact that we stood there for 3-4 minutes. We finally wandered over to the hostess desk, where we stood for another 3-4 minutes waiting for someone to just say hello. When we finally were seated, it took another 10 minutes before anyone came by our table and offered us something to drink.

The first thing my wife noticed when we sat down was a half-empty wine bottle covered in cobwebs sitting in the window display next to our table. Now there were several bottles "artfully" arranged in the window, but this bottle in particular was obviously a leftover remnant of someone's previous dining experience - it still had the towel wrapped around it.

Our plates from the buffet were dirty - mine actually had a clump of skin-on mashed potatoes clinging to the bottom of it, which I had the misfortune of sticking my fingers into.

Keep in mind, we started dining at 10:15 AM. Now if I'm not mistaken, the buffet service doesn't begin until 10:00 AM. Could someone please explain to me why it was that the eggs Benedict were cold, the hollandaise congealed, and the yolks cooked so hard that the undersides were green? The sausages were terrible, the "apple stuffed pancakes" nothing more than commercial pancake batter wrapped around canned pie filling, and the champagne chicken was so dry and unrecognizable that in the first couple of bites I thought for sure I must have taken some sort of ham by mistake. Three pasta dishes, all with the same penne noodles, and not one of them was good. A cold pasta salad simply needs more than chicken, red onion, and a bottle of ranch dressing.

We thought for sure maybe there was a chance of redemption with the dessert table, but that was frankly pathetic. A chocolate fountain with overripe pineapple and melon, and some previously frozen dessert cakes? For the amount of money we paid, we truly expected more. At one point I actually vocalized that we would have been better off (with price and food quality) going to the Old Country Buffet. Sadly, the older couple seated behind us said the exact same thing not 5 minutes later.

We can only say that we are thankful we didn't actually take our own fathers to dine with us. They should be ashamed for giving people this sort of experience on such a special day.

• Pros: nice location?
• Cons: poor food, mediocre service, dusty and uninspired decor

06/08/09

everything was good EXCEPT THE FILET!

by nightlydiner at Citysearch

I took my wife to the Afton Inn for diner as it was our 5th anniversary and a new neighbor had recommended it for just such an occasion. The chocolate covered strawberry's waiting for us on the table (their suggestion) were outstanding. We started with an appetizer of crabcakes. Tasted very nice, however, not worth $16 for 2 small ones (Oceanaire's are 20 times better for less $). Next, we both got the table side Ceasar salad. Although it was very fresh and tasted good (as long as you like a lot of garlic), each serving was enough for 4 people. My wife had the salmon stuffed with crab, which we both enjoyed.

Had it not been for the "prime" Filet (3 -2 ounce pieces stuffed with mushrooms with sauce) I ordered, this restaurant would have gotten 4 stars instead of 2!!

First of all, I ordered it Med. and each one was rare on one side and med.on the other, but, not a big deal. Server took back to kitchen and re-fired it. MY PROBLEM WITH IT WAS IT WAS DEFINITELY NOT "PRIME" FILET. It was chewy, gritty, and defintely not "prime". If you're menu says "Angus prime beef only", you better have exactly that.

Overall, a little over priced and mis-represented beef (shame on you Afton Inn), but has potential (with some tweeking...)

• Pros: chocolate covered strawberry's
• Cons: a little over priced, false advertising on the beef!

10/30/07

Great Evening!

by mcart11 at Citysearch

Everyone made this a great evening at the Afton House. We enjoyed celebrating my friends birthday here. Very nice ambience and the Flaming Bananas Foster was unbelievable.........not to mention the Ceasar Salad prepared at our table. Very gracious staff and a must to recommend.

• Pros: Ambiance, Dessert, Tableside Cooking, Staff, Service

07/17/07

Best Dining Ever!

by stpaulguy at Citysearch

I rarely write reviews, but this was a must! What a fantastic place for dinner. I can't say enought about the food and delightful server we had. From the nice greeting when we arrived to the great service and the fantastic food we will definately be back. Be sure to try the Chicken Drops! Wow!

• Pros: Everything is excellant
• Cons: none

07/16/07

Fav Spot

by bobnsue at Citysearch

One of our favorite places to go. Service is top notch and always professional. Pace yourself because you want to leave room for dessert. The wine dinner events are not to be missed! A place where you can get to know the owners and chef.

• Pros: Creative Menu, Great Staff, Great Wine List