Toledo Restaurant Reviews

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Mancy’s Bluewater Grille -- 8.56/10.0

Review by contributing critic Hooda Thunkit

”Tradition is our Inspiration!”
(Restaurant visited: Thursday, May 11, 2006)


Food: 8.5
For an appetizer, we (Mrs. Thunkit & I) ordered and shared the (four) Crabcakes ($ 9.00).
The crabcakes were, quite simply, “to die for.”
The menu also lists a large variety of “rawbar” choices and has an extensive spirits and wine list.

Mrs. T: ordered the Grilled Salmon ($ 16.00 w/small house salad ($ 2.50 up-charge), Iced Tea ($ 2.25), and the Key Lime Pie ($ 5.00). Mrs. Thunkit, as usual found all of her meal satisfying and tasty.

Although we were offered and specified raspberry vinaigrette dressing for our salads, a regular vinaigrette was presented instead, with no explanation…

I had the Black Grouper (grilled) ($ 21.00) w/small house salad ($ 2.50 up-charge), Coke ($ 1.95), and the Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler ($ 6.00).

I was a little startled/surprised by my entrée, the Black Grouper; the taste was much stronger than I had anticipated, and the fish announced its arrival before I ever saw it coming. I found the “scent” rather distracting. Not being that familiar with salt-water “finned” cuisine, this could be normal though.

We both found the sauces on both the appetizers and entrees to be far from mundane. In fact, they took a little getting used to (okay, a LOT of getting used to.).
We didn’t see the traditional tartar or cocktail sauces being served with anything, no matter how much we would have hoped otherwise. But then, maybe it was our unsophisticated palates craving for well-executed, familiar tartar or shrimp sauce alternative. A choice though, would have been welcome with open mouths.

The portions were typical/adequate and the presentation was very well done, which is to be expected, at a Mancy’s property. Our dinner (for two) before tax and tip, was $ 66.20.

A note about prices and pricing:
As the Menu varies daily, depending on the catch of the day, the menu is priced and printed daily. Based on that day’s menu, I would characterize the prices as upscale, but in line with the other Mancy’s restaurants that we’ve patronized.

Ambience: 9.0
The outside of the former Hopp’s had been reworked, moving the entrance to the West side (from the South) and looks more upscale, less folksy. The interior appears more spacious, and the nautical (“bluewater”) theme carries through in the bar area with faux ice blocks stacked as shelves for the various libations, while elsewhere in the bar area (casual dining???) ice hanging from the ceiling was dripping as if melting.
Most or all of the faux ice doubled as accent/mood lighting; it was backlit with, what else, cobalt blue lights. Our table was appropriately appointed; Mancy’s uses real cloth napkins, as one would expect. The glassware was strikingly cobalt blue, a very nice touch.

The décor consisted of nautical touches, a few tasteful paintings and that blue ice theme. The lighting, retro and art deco reminiscent, seemed an odd choice. A few of the “cylinder within a cylinder” hanging table lights seemed poorly placed and were poorly done, IMHO.

Cleanliness: 9.0
The dining areas were spotless and each dining area was completely stripped and thoroughly cleaned before being reset for the next guests.
The restrooms were clean and well maintained
The food prep area was not viewable.

Service: 7.8
The wait staff, actually our waitperson, was a tad inattentive, table bussing was tardier than normal, and our waitperson was seen kibitzing a lot, with fellow waitstaffers.

Prices: 8.5
Entrees vary and are priced daily. Consult the day’s menu for more specifics.

Information/Location:
Mancy’s Bluewater Grille
461 W. Dussel Dr. Maumee, OH 43537-4209
Between Ford and Osage (in the former Hopp’s location)
Phone: (419) 724-BLUE
www.mancys.com

Hours:
Lunch: MON-FRI 11:00am - 4:00pm
Brunch: SUN 12:00pm - 3:00pm
Dinner: SUN-THU 4:00pm - 10:00pm
Dinner: FRI-SAT 4:00pm - 11:00pm

Accessibility:
The dining area and restrooms are fully equipped for all accessibility needs.

Smoking Accommodation:
This is a non-smoking restaurant.

Credit/Debit Cards:
Any and all major credit/debit cards are accepted.

Posted by historymike :: 7:10 AM :: 8 Comments:

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