fourteensixteen

At first I got a weird vibe when asked if the rooftop was available when greeted by what I think was a manager and hostess. They looked at us and each other, which was awkward and uncomfortable and made us feel unwelcome. The server was the one who made us feel welcome and comfortable. He recalled my in-laws dining in from the previous week and their order. He was knowledgeable of the menu and suggested a great substitute for the wine I wanted. Suggested awesome foods to try that he also liked and recommended the best desserts!

The staff here is amazing. Everyone is incredibly welcoming and professional. The restaurant looks great (incredibly clean, great ambiance) and so does the food. But, most of the food we ate was kind of tasteless. The chopped salad was perfection. The kids' chicken tenders were fine. But, that was it. We had the fried chicken, walleye, and burger and they all were either not seasoned AT ALL or dramatically under-seasoned. The accompanying "veggies" tasted a bit soggy (mushrooms/ramp and onions), like they may have been defrosted? The fries were insanely oversalted. But, were probably pretty good (crisp/tasty) otherwise. Really random, the water was ridiculously good. So, crisp and the temperature, just great. It wasn't a very busy night, so I'm not sure what the issue with the food was. But, dish after dish, after the salad, we were pretty disappointed. Tempted to go on a random weekday to see if it was just a blip.

Rooftop views, fine dining, and colorful cocktails were the highlights of our meal at Fourteensixteen last night. I ordered two appetizers, the smoked trout and scallops. Their menu isn't that explanatory about how dishes are specifically prepared, but our waiter Tim made up for that. He made sure to tell me what the smoked trout was, mixed in mayonnaise and served with toast, saying how the menu doesn't describe it that way. I appreciated him clarifying that, but it still sounded delish, so I did still order it. The scallops (served with Lobster Polenta, Ham Hock, and Pork Belly) were tasty as well. My mother had the Green Circle Chicken main course and loved the flavorful lemon rosemary sauce so much. The half chicken is oven-roasted and pan-seared, served with asparagus. We shared a lemon bar with blueberries and pistachios for dessert. I love the lemon blueberry combination, and the pistachios gave it just an appealing amount of light crunch. I wasn't sure what the nut was and ask