Vernon's First Coast Kitchen & Bar

While staying at this Marriott a coworker and I grabbed drinks here one evening. The bartender was friendly and helpful. They have a nice selection of wines and make all the typical cocktails. This was an enjoyable visit.

Chef Riley is amazing and I'm glad I got to enjoy his inspired Feast for Rabbits. Not only was everything delicious, but it was an entirely vegan menu! A one of a kind experience that I would recommend to anyone.

Booked Valentine’s Day dinner which had a set menu at $90 a person and it definitely was not worth it. Server was kind. Atmosphere was nonexistent. Food was disappointing. Absolutely no Valentine’s Day decor. Not even a flower on the table or anything. If a restaurant has a Valentine’s Day menu, I expect at least a candle or something. Lighting was harsh and the opposite of romantic. Music was general pop radio. The restaurant was pretty empty as well, but our table wasn’t ready for us. We felt like we were an inconvenience to staff even though we had a reservation. Our server was kind though. No bread service or anything like that. First course was a salad and it was pretty good. Main course was the most disappointing. My boyfriend and I both ordered the surf and turf. Steak was okay, but not much flavor. Lobster tasted like it was from frozen. It was rubbery and chewy with very little flavor. Best part of the entree was the mashed potatoes and even those tasted like they had been sitting out all night. Dessert was good. I had a chocolate mousse and it was exactly what someone would expect from a chocolate mousse. Overall, wish my boyfriend hadn’t dropped over $200 for such a subpar experience. I’ve worked in several restaurants and understand that nothing will be perfect, but this experience was underwhelming at best. It felt like the restaurant/hotel forgot that it was Valentine’s Day weekend and just printed an old menu from years past then called it a day. My boyfriend was in town working and I drove down just so we could have a romantic dinner together. Unfortunately, we did not get that while dining here.

The four of us went for Valentine's dinner. We sat for a while until we had to let our server know we were ready to place our order. Three of us had to return our soup because it was cold. I asked for a 2nd cup of coffee and it came out cold, so I didn't drink it. Once the food came out it was cold. I then asked for a to go box, I will heat it up tomorrow for lunch. Just didn't wish to keep complaining. Maybe it was just tonight because I've been here times before without any complaints. I will come again.