Restaurant Gwendolyn

We have been to Gwendolyn a few times now and everything is incredible, every single time. My wife and I enjoy the five course with wine pairing and, for us, coming here is a visceral feeling that goes beyond just eating food. We enjoy making opposite courses from the five course so we can taste each other's food with the wine selection. I would encourage anyone to that comes here to try something you would not normally choose on a menu, I am always surprised by what I like when it is prepared by genius.

No words will do this place justice. I am not even quite sure how to describe our experience.. but in my best words, this place is for sure one of a kind in the MOST beautiful way. Came here on a whim for my birthday and was kindly greeted by Trina who took such great care of us. My husband and I loved the atmosphere and how they let us peek into the kitchen to see our food being prepared! We did the 5 course meal with the wine pairing and it was such an incredible experience that I have never had before.. The food was so flavorful and of course gorgeous! Portions can come off small, but don’t let that fool you.. I was so surprisingly satisfied and full by the end. You can really taste the pureness and freshness of every ingredient used. I just felt like I was in a dream the whole time. We will for sure be back. Restaurant Gwendolyn is a place to remember forever.

This wasn’t just a dinner. It was an experience! If you are a foodie and love great food and a relaxing, wonderful setting, Restaurant Gwendolyn is definitely for you! My wife and I did their 5 course tasting menu and every single crumb was delicious! The stuffed Quail was so good!! Even their table bread was from a 200 year old recipe and melted in your mouth! This is a great place!

Very good food. Third best tomato soup I ever had. Exceptional service. Everything is local and made in an old world style kitchen. Very cool atmosphere and experience. I thought it was a bit pricey, but I also assume we were paying for the experience as well. Some of the dishes were a bit too creative in my opinion (and I love to try new things), thus, didnt live up to the hype and expectations I had for each dish. That said, the wine pairings were spectacular and the food was delicious.

Holy moly. We did the 5 course meal and it was the perfect amount of food. Each portion was perfectly created and delivered with love. The server, Heath, was very attentive to our needs and knowledgeable about the menu and the restaurant. Get the 5 or 7 course set up. If you are going to go, do it right. The only picture of the 5 course set up i didn't include was the salad. While i got the blood sausage and the fish, i also tried the rabbit stew and steak from my party's plates. Each course comes out to about 1/5th of the meal.... so they are small, but with everything together it is just right!

So, as a (visual) artist I can totally appreciate the want - perhaps, the NEED - to experiment and push boundaries. I preface this review this way because I feel this sums up my overall experience at Gwendolyn. The food was more than mere sustenance... it was every bit a work of Art. And in this vein, some things succeeded, some not so much. We also opted for the wine pairing and this selection was spot on, complimented everything perfectly. The Pastrami on Rye with Pickle bite set the tone. This bite-size wonder packed a delightful punch that was countered well with the buttery tartness of the pickle. Next we were served a less than room temp soup - which would have been otherwise off-putting, were it not for it being a very welcome compliment to a (super!) hot Summer day. The Peach and Mango Summer Soup, Coconut Tuile was by far THE most amazing meal in in the 5 course. The 2nd course (for him) was a deconstructed salad - Charred Green Beans Cesar Salad, which was good and an interesting take on a salad. For her, it was a Spanish Melon Salad, Fried Almonds, Honey Tuile that was light, refreshing and well-balanced. The 3rd, Shrimp Tandoori was, sadly, where things began to slide away from the stellar meal we had been enjoying. But, let’s be frank here: When things are all this good, if something stands out as not being as EQUALLY good - even if on its own it may be fantastic - it is naturally going to be recognized as something of a shortcoming. We love tandoori, but here it just felt like all the spices were too one-sided. There just wasn’t a seasoning present to give good balance to the overwhelming Indian influence. The Entremezzo was, again, an interesting exploration. The Apricot-Jalapeño Sorbet was on the edge of being something awesome, but just seemed like it missed the subtle sweet notes it needed, and instead came at you with too much saltiness. The Entree was a Flank Steak “Vichyssoise“ and was a tad bit on the dry side. The real crime here was that the “stuffing” was, once again, so salty that no other flavors were able to be savored. The Dessert, (him) was Grapefruit Posset and after all the salt from before, was a welcome finish and very enjoyable. For her, Blueberry Clafoutis was good, but simple and just came across as something akin to a pancake and less the crepe she was expecting.

My wife and I spotted this cozy restaurant from the River Walk. It has a beautiful balcony looking over the river. Nearby downtown. The wait staff and servers were incredible, we each had the 7 courses along with wine pairing. Our napkins were refolded and replaced each time one of us left the table. The kitchen is pre-industrial which means no kitchen equipment uses any electricity. All ingredients are fresh and local within 100 miles. The menu is different daily consisting of what ingredients are available. The food seemed to favor the French flavor and had exquisite taste.

Exquisite food with creative display. Great combination of textures and flavors. Quaint place with comfortable atmosphere. I appreciate their food philosophy and it adds to the experience. Reasonable pricing for chef's tasting. Wine only. Would have liked some scotch. Will return and is highly recommended.