Inn at Bay Fortune: A Fortune Lost for a Poor Experience
My girlfriend Laura and I visited this inn for dinner in August based on a recommendation in the book, among other recommendations we had come across. We were taking our first vacation together. We are both quite sophisticated diners who frequently sample some of the better restaurants in the Vancouver area.

Our reservation was for 8:00. Having made the hour-long trek from Charlottetown to experience this purportedly marvelous place, we arrived sharply at 8, and were seated in the waiting area with a wine list for 40 minutes without being offered wine, water, or any morsel of food. Then we were led to a table for two by a window with a lovely view over the grounds and out toward the water, where we waited for another 20 minutes before finally being approached by our waiter, a thin young man with scraggily unwashed hair, a day's growth, an earring, and a pack of smokes in his breast pocket.

"Do ya know whatcha want?", he inquired. I responded that I wanted to see the tasting menu, the contents of which had not been divulged on the main menu, and we'd appreciate some water.

The evening pretty much went downhill from there, with the incompetence and garrulous arrogance of the waiter providing a suitable medium for the presentation of an immensely disappointing meal.

We both ordered the tasting menu with the selection of wines intended to accompany the courses. The wines arrived at our table at random times, typically 10 or 15 minutes after the courses, entirely defeating the purpose. When the first course, a simple swordfish appetizer, arrived at our table nearly raw, Laura requested that hers be cooked a little more and asked that the chef be informed that she preferred all her courses to be fully cooked.

When the second course of "just poached halibut" arrived, a raw piece of halibut in a warm broth, Laura of course sent it back as well. Our sneering waiter informed us that it was supposed to be like that. I guess the famous chef was also not amused by his customer’s lack of appreciation for his art, as he obviously blasted the poor piece of fish on "High" until it emerged from the kitchen curdled and inedible.

The wontons stuffed with oysters would not have been out of place at an ordinary Chinese restaurant on the east side, the main course of beef tenderloin was completely boring, a little tough and poorly cooked with a bland, tasteless sauce (nowhere near a match to my own version), the dessert was unmemorable enough that we actually don't remember it, and the meal overall was nearly bereft of vegetable matter.

What's more, the chef, who is reputed to serve fresh seasonal ingredients, seemed to go out of his way to avoid everything that was so deliciously available everywhere on the island at that time of year, at the very height of the harvest: fresh fruit such as blueberries or raspberries, corn, tomatoes, peppers, the full bounty of Canada's fields.
The overall atmosphere of this place was cold and austere, with bright lights remaining on deep into the night, and not a candle or dimmer switch to be found, and the dismal service only magnified the meal’s numerous shortcomings. When, shortly after dessert was served, our waiter approached with the bill, Laura asked if she could please have a cup of coffee. "If you want... ," Beavis replied. To top things off, the waiter came by minutes after leaving the bill, pointed at it, and demanded, "Are you done with that?"

Put simply, the Inn at Bay Fortune was the most disappointing restaurant experience of our lives: terribly overpriced, with absolutely abysmal service, snobbish attitude, and mediocre food. The disappointment of a shockingly bad experience ruined what should have been a magical evening, for I had intended to ask Laura to marry me that night. For the only time in my life, I left not one cent of a tip (I normally tip in the 20% range). The only purpose the meal served was to provide us with plenty of material for discussion on the long drive back to Charlottetown, home of so many good, homey places to get a decent meal in unpretentious surroundings. More's the pity that to try this restaurant, we sacrificed a chance to sample the elegant dining room at the Inn at Dalvay by the Sea, or the renowned Culinary Institute of PEI.

This restaurant would be out of business in six months if it were located in any major Canadian centre. I sincerely doubt that it is the best restaurant in Bay Fortune, if there is anywhere else where one can obtain a plate of fish and chips in that lovely little spot.    [29 Dec 2002 13:14:17]

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     ­Anonymous   

A Wonderful Evening
My wife and I decided to visit the Inn during June, after being told that the best place to eat on PEI was at the Inn at Bay Fortune. I couldn’t agree more.

We made the one hour trek out from Charlottetown, where we were staying, to eat at the Inn during the beginning of August. My only complaint about the entire evening occurred just at the very beginning, when we were made to wait for about 20 minutes to be seated (after arriving on time). This however was made up for by the friendliness of the staff, and the excellent selection of wine which we sampled during our wait.

When we were eventually ushered out into the dining room, we found ourselves with an excellent view of bay fortune and the ocean beyond, and the time of night we were there (early evening) made for a spectacular view of the setting sun. Our waitress was very professional and seemed to know what she was talking about, though the other wait persons seemed to be a bit young and a little awkward.

After considering the menu, which seemed to have an excellent selection of dishes you would normally not see in many other restaurants, we both decided to order the tasting menu. It took a bit of time for our food to arrive, but when it finally did we were treated to course after course of most decidedly the best food we had during our two week long trip through Atlantic Canada. Dessert was delicious, as well.

I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who doesn't mind going a little bit out of their way for some extraordinary food.    [16 Jan 2004 13:34:08]

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Recommended Dishes: tasting menu

     ­Anonymous   

could not agree more!!
Upon reading "a fortune lost for a poor experience" it was as though my husband and I had written this review ourselves after an appauling meal at this restaurant in September 2006.
After the dreadful meal in this dining room the first evening we cancelled our reservation to eat at the so called Chef's table the next day. It is particularly sad that this dining room is still in existence because it continues to trade on a probably valid reputation from the 90's when Michael Smith was Chef there. Clearly the place bears no resemblance to it's earlier excellence and it is a mystery how it can still have any stars left in it's rating.

As a Chef I can categorically say that this was the worst meal and dining experience I have ever had anywhere in the world!!    [03 Mar 2007 11:07:15]

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Recommended Dishes: none

     ­susan bennett