Lancaster Restaurant: Gibraltar with James

Was it too soon in the relationship to go away for the weekend?

I didn’t think so at the time, but part of our problem was we simply rushed too quickly into calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend, the immediate “relationship status” became too fraught with expectations.

Mount Hope Estate and Winery

Nonetheless, it was a lovely weekend in Lancaster PA, we did some shopping (not as much as I would have liked) we bought wine, drove around spotting Amish buggies and of course spent quality time at our B&B.

We also dined at a surprisingly upscale restaurant called Gibraltar (College Square 931 Harrisburg Ave
Lancaster, PA 17603) which specializes in Seafood.

It’s a little hard to find. The area looks like all businesses and apartment buildings, the street numbers don’t seem to follow suit.  You have to go way back into a business complex to find Gibraltar, but once there, the outside seating and lighting is very chic!

Gibraltar Outdoor Seating

We started with Crab Corn Chowder

Crab Chowder: creamy, hardy, filling comforting – 4 Tines

Lobster Fettuccine: James was very impressed with succulent, generous portions of lobster – 4Tines

I ordered a fish I’d never heard of before called Walu. It was served with a Thai Curry Sauce, sauteed Spinach w/ Shiitake mushrooms and a sticky rice cake – $19

It’s a very thick, meaty fish. More dense than swordfish. It doesn’t have much flavor, so I asked for extra sauce and smothered each bite, which eventually made me feel a bit nauseated.

Walu Fish too dense and chunky  – 2 Tines

• Bread on the table – Sourdough made on the premises , on weekends they vary the recipe with other herbs  –  4 Tines
• Wait Service – Lee was a charming waiter without being intrusive. Although he did step on James’ toe two perhaps three times, which was odd cause it didn’t appear his foot was sticking out, nor did it seem Lee was overly close to the table- 3 Tines
•  Service Misc I – When we were seated we were only handed one menu and told we had to wait for a second menu to come available. Yet the restaurant wasn’t overly crowded. – 1 Tine
• Service Misc II – Our main course was extremely delayed after our soup course had been cleared for more than 20 minutes.-1 Tine

Romantic dining room at Gibraltar

•  BYOB – No. Full Bar service
• Decor – Dark, cozy, romantic – 3 Tines
• Outdoor Seating – Nice space. – 3 Tines
• Bathroom Decor – 2 Tines (located in the office bld, not a far walk, but not actually part of the restaurant Bathroom Cleanliness – 3 Tines
• Additional Menu Notes –  I’d like to return for the Tapas menu. something you don’t see a lot of at seafood restaurants. It not just a small plate menu.
• Misc –  Unfortunately, not sure how long the restaurant will be open, as it’s owned by the Keares Restaurant Group which recently…

The Keares Restaurant Group, which owns Barny’s Grill in Manheim
Township and Gibraltar restaurant in Lancaster city, recently was hit by
two federal tax liens as well as a civil suit filed by one of its
suppliers for unpaid bills.
The Internal Revenue Service filed two liens, totaling almost
$266,000, in September and October against Keares Overlook for not not
paying federal taxes withheld from employees’ paychecks. Keares Overlook
runs Barny’s Grill on Granite Run Drive at the Overlook Community
Campus.
Employers are required to withhold the federal taxes from employees’
paychecks for income tax, Social Security tax and Medicare tax…

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/758918_IRS-says-Keares-Restaurant-Group-did-not-pay-taxes.html#ixzz2C3ZWa5pE

Dining “Tine” Rating System:
* Excellent – 4 Tines / * Great – 3 Tines / * Good – 2 Tines / * Fair – 1 Tine / * Poor – Tarnished

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