Jazz on the Rocks

We were excited about having an evening here - it was one of the few things on the short-list of "must do's" on our vacation. Jazz on the rocks is a wonderful concept, promises a great atmosphere and a premium food and service, however our experience was definitely "rocky" at best. We scheduled a reservation for the outdoor seating, which does ask for an extra fee, I'm sure it is to reduce no-shows which is totally understandable. The table we had at arrival had a fine view, however had an equal amount of sound from both bands, one inside and the other outside due to the fact that the door between was propped open. When I asked the server if it was okay to shut the door or if we could move, he initially told us no to both. I understood (they were busy) but was a little annoyed that there was an extra fee to reserve a table with maybe the worst atmosphere of the restaurant. But then, our server redeemed the experience and moved us forward to a better table when another couple left! Unfortunately, that's was maybe the highlight of of our experience. After 30 minutes our cold and overcooked truffle fries arrived, and then after finishing our appetizer our server asked if we wanted to order anything else. When we asked about our meals we had ordered he became flustered and said he would check on them. If I'm assuming the best, our server just never checked in on the kitchen and they lost our order, at worst our server never placed the order for us. The server made some excuses about the busy evening for the restaurant (in a tourist town) and the gluten free preparation, but didn't really own the fact that it took 90 minutes from our order to receiving our food. We were given a small free glass of wine, and then were not comped for anything on our bill. I shrugged, figured at least the view and jazz were good. Upon exiting at the same time as another group we heard them also complaining of the evening and said the server told them not to tip, and they were even comped an additional 15%. Hard to say our experience was a one-off this evening. Needless to say, we were disappointed with the experience and the way it was handled, or not, by the staff. Would I recommend? Hard to say, the atmosphere and music were as good as should be expected, but everything in between makes it hard for us to consider coming back.

The beautiful view speaks for itself however the service far outshone the view. Our server Adrian was fabulous. Great suggestion for drinks and meals. Knowledgeable and helpful in finding the right food for a gluten allergy. Santiago was also attending to some of our needs and was very professional and attentive. They have a restaurant manager that is frequently checking on anything you need, if you have issues or questions. Even as the restaurant filled up it was easy to catch their eye for something. The food was amazing. Wonderful rich flavours. Beautiful presentation. And a wonderful house band playing excellent jazz. We went early enough to see the view, the whales, the sunset and enjoy the music. Was an evening to remember.