I really wanted to like this place. I love southern/creole food.
We were here for a party with 12-14 people. Everyone arrived at 8:30, with the birthday boy coming in at 9.
Only drinks were offered until he had arrived and said all his hellos (which took time.) It would have been a great opportunity for them to up-sell some apps while we were waiting, but no one offered (or was available) to take a food order until nearly 9:30 PM. Everyone noticed this.
Drinks are very expensive - cocktails especially.
I paid nearly $20 for my jambalya which was quite tasty - I like a lot of spice - and the sausage and meats were cooked really nicely. It was piping hot (I always notice this.) But to be fair - this is essentially a casserole dish - and $20 felt pretty steep. The portions were massive and most people at our long table didn't come close to finishing their food. Reduce the price, reduce the portion, reduce the pure waste. Half my bowl was empty - and I am a GOOD eater.
There was a man playing an out-of-tune upright piano and playing covers. He was working hard to be accommodating (asking people what they'd like to hear before he started playing) but he was too loud, and to be frank, not very good - so we were all yelling at each other across the table.
We had to leave slightly earlier than others, and so asked the server to split out our two entrees and four drinks. This took 10-15 minutes and she was clearly upset about being asked to do this. Both my partner and I have been servers in fine dining restaurants. This. Is. Not. Hard. Or time consuming. I have absolutely no patience for servers who act like the sky is falling every time you ask them to split a cheque. Especially when all the meals have been auto-grat'd 20%!!
This reaction in combination with the lacklustre service to that point was sort of the last straw and we likely won't return - and keep going to Southern Accent instead. Most of the people we were with were not impressed by the service.
I understand it can be challenging to wait on large parties, but an experienced staff will recognize this ahead of time when the reservation is made, and have sufficient support in place.