Waterfront Grill

[MrsConan]

Location(s) Being Reviewed: Waterfront Grill, Jenks
Date/Time of Visit: June 23, 2012
Quality of Food (1-5): 5
Menu/Food Options (1-5): 5  something for every taste
Quality of Service (1-5): 5  attentive but not suffocating, very detail oriented
Atmosphere (1-5): 4.5
Overall Rating (1-5): 5
Price ($-$$$$$):  $$$ average $35 per person, with drinks
What makes this restaurant unique:

It is well decorated with indoor and outdoor seating overlooking the river.  But the main experience is the food and service.

Tell us about your experience:

We started with cucumber martinis, a must-try!  Lightly sweet, smooth and refreshing with a zap of chili lime salt on the rim.  Yum!  We followed that with the crab, avocado, and mango stack.  This was so packed full of fresh flavor with surprises of basil and mint, and plenty for sharing.  Entrees included fish and chips, perfectly cooked and not greasy at all,  grilled swordfish that was crispy and hot on the outside, juicy and butter-soft tender on the inside, and grilled chicken flatbread with sun-dried tomatoes, red onion, bacon, and feta cheese crumbles on a super-thin crispy crust.  Without a doubt, the chef knows what he's doing! 

If you haven't tried it yet, this place is definitely worth it!

[DTowner]

Location(s) Being Reviewed: Waterfront Grill, Jenks
Date/Time of Visit: June 17, 2012
Quality of Food (1-5): 3.5
Menu/Food Options (1-5): 4
Quality of Service (1-5): 3.5 
Atmosphere (1-5): 4.5
Overall Rating (1-5): 4
Price ($-$$$$$):  $$$$ average $40 per person, with drinks

I dined at the Waterfront Grill for the first time a few weeks ago.  Perhaps I had high expectations because of what I had been hearing, but I came away a little disappointed and confused as to the target market for this restaurant.

Good:  The restaurant is very nice and the bar area huge.  In fact, I was surprised by the size of the bar area in relation to the dinning room.  If the bar is full, I can see how the dinning area could be very noisy.  The menu did offer a wide array of selections and most sounded good.  The wine list (by the glass), had better and more interesting offerings than many south Tulsa restaurants I've experienced.  Generally, everyone thought the food was good, some thought it great (I was with group of 6).  Our server was very professional and attentive, although he seemed to explain things in a little too much detail; (maybe that is necessary for some, but it was a little off putting to me).  The assistants who helped bring out food and drinks were a significant drop off in both age and skill – one kept trying to hand my 17 year old niece a cocktail even after the server indicated three times it was intended for someone else.

Not so good:  I agree that the crab/avocado/mango appetizer is beautiful looking.  However, the portion size seemed off for what should be a rather delicate item – the portion is huge.  Also, the mint in the mango was not only a surprise, but unfortunately dominated the whole dish.  As a result, I could hardly taste the crab (which should be the star) even though it had a lot of crab.

I ordered the fish special, which was one of the highest priced items.  Unfortunately, the portion seemed smaller than advertised and was either a combination of not very fresh or overcooked.  It wasn't bad, it just wasn't $34 good.

Overall, I thought Waterfront Grill is good, but not as good as the prices or expectations warranted.  I got the impression the restaurant is unsure if it wants to be fine dinning or a comfort casual place with a large bar crowd.  While not necessarily mutually exclusive, I thought the overall experience could be improved if it focused on one or the other.  For me, it's a long drive to get there and I doubt I go back unless it is the strong choice of someone I'm meeting who lives out that way.