3 /5 Tom K: Fabulous food let down by surly, unpleasant service.
My wife and I live nearby and were excited to try out Dove for a Friday night out. Our experience was that the food was absolutely outstanding (especially the grilled sea bream) but the service was remarkably terrible. We were seated and waited a long time for menus. Then, when I asked about wine recommendations, I was told "theyre on the paper." Service for the rest of the meal was similarly unfriendly. We also noticed similarly unpleasant interactions with staff at the tables to our left and right during the meal. At the end, we wanted to consider a pudding, but we couldnt get anyone to give us a menu, so I finally gave up and demanded to pay so we could leave. This wasnt just inattentive service, it was openly rude and unhelpful. I asked to remove the option service fee - the first time in my life Ive ever done so, and the manager did it. After overhearing me, the table to our side voiced similar complaints about the service ruining an otherwise lovely meal.
If this restaurant can find a way to ensure its staff is more consistently professional and helpful, it would be an amazing place to dine, but honestly Im not inclined to go back and risk my limited nights away from our child (and money) on a restaurant where my wife and I might again encounter that kind of service.