Freemason Abbey Restaurant

07/29/09

Excellent in every way

by dragondragon at Citysearch

One of our many visits to Freemason Abbey, and the expereince just keeps getting better. My husband and I have been going to Freemason for about 6 years now, and it's consistently a favorite. My favorite entree is the Seafood Fantasia, my husband's is the Fried Shrimp Platter. Both were awesome as always. We go for lunch a lot also on the weekends, and their sandwiches are unique and filling, especially when you get them with their seasoned french fries... so good! Anyway, at dinner we had the she crab soup, the two main meals, and then dessert. Which was cheesecake covered with strawberries, also to die for. Our server, Krista, was more than pleasant and accomodating. She was attentive without being overbearing or hovering. At the end of our meal, my husband loved everyhting so much, that we asked if we could say thank you to the chef. He came out, introduced himself as Scott, and was so nice! He even said that he wasn't the executive chef, but one of the supervisors when the chef isn't there. Which is amazing to me that the executive chef can train his staff so well to produce quality as good as his own. We will always return to Freemason Abbey for all special occasions, or just a night out!

07/16/09

A Huge Overpriced Disappointment

by TheRealGarcia at Citysearch

We dined at Freemason Abbey for the first time on Friday July 10, 2009. Our experience at this establishment was extremely disappointing. My husband and I both ordered the whole lobster. Both of our orders were apparently overcooked leaving the lobsters very tough and chewy. Our server left a lot to be desired. She was not very attentive, her serving skills were about on par for what one would expect in a diner and she lacked the personality to be in a service industry. Our party of four was seated in a booth upstairs which was quite cramped for 4 people. The restaurant had plenty of empty tables (which, by the way, is not a good sign for any restaurant on a Friday night). The temperature of the restaurant was uncomfortably chilly. My jaw almost dropped to the floor when I was told that they actually charge $1 to substitute the broccoli for the green beans - green beans is a very strange vegetable pairing to begin with for a lobster dinner. The overall quality of the food was very poor and indicative of less than fresh ingredients. We were disappointed that none of the deserts offered were made in house. Even the coffee was bad. Freemason Abbey's prices are on par with a fine dining establishment where one would expect outstanding, attentive service and properly cooked food made with fresh ingredients - we found it to be just the opposite. I had heard many good things about Freemason Abbey, but apparently from folks who haven't been there in awhile. After checking online yesterday, I see that recent reviews of dining experiences there have been very poor overall. What a shame, it's a good location and apparently at one point in time was a very good restaurant. What happened?

• Pros: Location
• Cons: Just about everything else

03/08/08

NOT TOO GOOD

by retiredandhappy at Citysearch

Several years ago, I would have given this place 6 stars, that was then but not now. We had not been there for several years. At that time the food had gone down hill. We decided to give it another try. IT WAS WORSE. The service was slow. My wife had the prime rib, nothing but fat. Another person had a stake. It took them 3 tries to get it cooked correctly and when we finally got it, there still problems with the meat. The meal was slow comming out. The manager came by the table and told us the that meal would be taken off of the bill. We had to wave down the waitress several time to get service. When the bill came the waitress mixed up the credit cards and put the wrong bill on the wrong card. The stake was not taken off of the bill, she did not know how to do that but gave us a ten dollar gift coupon for our next visit. I do not think that there will be a next visit. It took over ninety minutes for us to eat.

• Pros: nice location, good atmosphere
• Cons: slow service, food not cooked properly,