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| - NO EFFORTS TO ACCOMMODATE!! I was planning a special occasion birthday dinner and was looking for a "total package" restaurant... formal and classy, good food, great atmosphere and views. After much research, I specifically chose White Oaks due to the picturesque descriptions in the reviews...the Birthday Girl is 100% all about recording events through photos! I made a 7pm reservation for 5 guests on a Sunday (they close at 8pm), alerted them of the birthday occasion, and was informed that my request for a window seat would be on a first come basis. I was looking forward to the ambience, and was planning for some great photos to commemorate the night.
At our on-time arrival, the hostess indicated that a window table was not available; we hesitantly opted not to wait since it was so late in the evening. We were then greeted by our server who also seated us. I again relayed my disappointment re the non-window seat/ no scenery, and emphasized the importance and our desire for taking some photos. While heading to our seats, I noticed several unoccupied window tables in one of the back rooms and asked about them. The server made an evasive comment about the bar-side, and overtly pointed out that the only 2 window tables able to accommodate our group size were taken (...only 2 in the entire restaurant!!?!). I accepted the explanation and indicated our back-up plan -- place our order, and while waiting for our food, we would go outside for a photo op with the creek backdrop...reiterating it was a birthday celebration. The server interjected and referenced limited views on the exterior of the building, and cautioned us about private areas bordering the property of which to stay clear. She offered no suggestions, and seemingly discounted the importance to us. With no options, we headed outside anyway to investigate for ourselves. Well...there are, in fact, NO VIEWS!!! You would never know a creek existed in the rear of the building! A small backdrop of trees near a private driveway may have sufficed for photos were it not for a dirty bucket, an unraveled hose, half-empty bags of landscaping material, and some trash on White Oaks grounds. So, our special occasion photos were taken in the parking lot next to a bush, with the busy highway in the background! Frustrated, I decided to check out the unoccupied window tables while returning to our seats. To my dismay, I found approximately ten 2 & 4 person tables in one of the two back "window rooms".....and of those ten tables, only ONE was occupied by a couple..the room was virtually empty! Staff EASILY could have put any of the remaining tables together to accommodate us without crowding other guests or losing seating. It was the end of the night, only one small group of 5 was seated after us, and the restaurant was almost deserted! I hold the opinion that staff just didn't want to bother moving tables near to closing time. My complaint is not that we didn't have the view...I was willing to accept that when we chose not to wait for a table. My issue is that the view WAS available and the staff CHOSE not to accommodate us when they easily could have. Also, when staff took my reservation for five guests, it would have been nice to know that my chances of getting that desired window table were slim-to-none since there are only two large tables even available in that area!
Re other aspects of the restaurant...the menu was limited, timely service and server-attentiveness was average, the meal was average, prices were high ($240 for 5 main courses and a one-person birthday dessert), and as noted in another review, there was no background music playing, which made it seem even more like...."We are ready to close, hurry up and get out of here!" We could have gone to any restaurant if we were looking for "average", but we were willing to foot the higher bill for a memorable evening. We were sadly and completely disappointed! The beautiful scenery that makes "the average" tolerable is only available to a very few patrons, in groups of 4 guests or less. We will look elsewhere for future special occasion dinners, and will NOT return!!
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