Donnelly's Dockside

We went for Saturday lunch. It wasn't busy at all. They have two outdoor areas - the deck and the dock. We sat on the dock and it was so nice to be out on the water. Our server was very nice! We ordered the crab deviled eggs and crab dip appetizers. Both had lump of crab meat. I got the fish and chips. The tartar sauce had a little old bay in it. The best thing I ordered was their bloody mary - it was outstanding. Whatever seasoning they put in there is delicious. Didn't taste like old bay, so maybe it was a house seasoning. I appreciated that it was spicy without horseradish, so it didn't taste like watered down cocktail sauce (a problem I find at a lot of places).

We went for lunch. The crab dip, shrimp and steamed crabs were very good. We were seated off the deck at a picnic table and had a nice view of the water. Our server was Julia . She was also responsible for the tables that were actually on the end of the dock. We were already impressed with her quick service and how even on a busy afternoon she was still smiling. We were waiting on our food and gust of wind picked up one of the tables on the dock and blew it in the water along with a women's purse. We watched as Julia took off her shoes and went in the water swimming after the purse and table and umbrella. What an incredible young woman. She then went inside and put on a dry shirt and continued to wait tables. Five stars to Julia!! Needless to say the service here is amazing! We did have a few other staff members check on us and bring some of the food out and they were also very friendly and attentive. Thank you Donnelly's staff for a very nice afternoon.

It was my first time trying Donnelly's Dockside tonight and I wish I could say I had a good experience, but honestly not sure I'll be back. The food was great, but I was pretty disappointed at the service by the evening bartenders upstairs. I work in the service industry and I understand Friday nights are busy, but we were blatantly ignored throughout the night and had to take steps to ask for items when others around us were receiving service at every step of the way. We would have ordered a lot more if we could even get the attention of the bartenders without basically jumping up and down waving our arms. If a bartender has time to sit down and chat with his buds, he has time to check in with the tables in his section and make sure they are receiving adequate service.

I hate to say it, but I can't help but feel disappointed every time I come here. Tonight's effort was a filet that was more akin to a diner steak & eggs offering (see pic). This "filet" was less than an inch thick, and overcooked - we ordered medium rare but this was solidly well done. Alas, this has been consistently the case - we keep hoping for a better experience but every time it's the same story.