Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this toasty Wednesday? Last Thursday, Dad had a doctor’s appointment over in Rockwall, so we decided to go to the Harbor (a fancy shopping place on the lake with a bunch of restaurants and stuff) and grab a bite to eat. There were only a couple of people inside and it was 109 degrees, so we sat inside. It’s the third time we’ve eaten at a restaurant since Covid started. The other two times (once in May and once in July), we ate outside. Anyway, I haven’t reviewed a restaurant since 2020, so why not do a food review now? The place is called Giovanni and it’s in the Harbor Rockwall. You can find the address and contact info at the websites above.

First, a reminder of my rating system:

MMMMM = Everything is magnificent!
MMMM = Great, but something is off.
MMM = Pretty good, but a couple of things could be better.
MM = The bad’s starting to outweigh the good.
M = Definitely more cons than pros.
… = I couldn’t find anything nice to say.

Accessibility: Getting from the parking lot to the restaurant is annoying, but in no means the restaurant’s fault. Whoever designed the Harbor really liked steps and put the curb cuts and ramps in stupid, unintuitive places. The steps are completely unnecessary (a nice gradual slope, not even a ramp, would be fine where most of the steps are) and they’re not aesthetically pleasing, but I’m not an architect, so what do I know. Also, the ramps are pushed off to one side of the steps instead of one on each end. A poor design all around, but I’m not taking points away from the restaurant for that. The accessibility of the restaurant itself is pretty standard. Easy to get through the door and the aisles to the tables were navigable, but I could see it being difficult if it were crowded. The tables themselves were good. A little high, which is fine with me. I just had to tilt my seat a little to sit comfortably.

Service: Wonderful. Dad did have to tell the waiter I could talk for myself, but only once. After that, he treated me like a normal person. He was attentive and made sure things didn’t come out too fast. Never rushed us. It was a good experience overall.

Bread and Appetizers: The only thing were actually disappointed with was the bread basket with oil and vinegar. The bread was basically just undercooked dinner rolls. The appetizer was yummy. We had the crab cakes. They were soft and fluffy and came with a small salad of tomatoes, pickled onions, and arugula I believe. Plus a dijon cream. There were two, so we each got one.

Entrees: Really good. The portion sizes were actually normal instead of huge, so there weren’t any leftovers. It was odd, but nice. I would say it’s it’s because we ordered from the lunch menu, but the prices are the same on the dinner menu, so I’m guessing the portions are the same too. Anyway, I had the lobster ravioli and Dad had the fra diavolo. Mine was delicious. I got three ravioli, one topped with a shrimp, another with a scallop, and the last with crab. Some wilted spinach was there to sop up the sauce. Everything was tender and lovely. Dad’s fra diavolo had a nice heat level, but the bell peppers slightly overpowered the seafood. It was good though.

Dessert and Drinks: Yum. I had the creme brulee. It was nice and creamy and came with a couple of raspberries on top. It was wonderful. I also had the espresso martini. It was chilled and yummy. If you like Bailey’s, you’ll probably like it.

Price: A little expensive, but nothing out of the ordinary. Especially for seafood. And Covid prices.

My rating:
MMMM

While it was enjoyable and the food was good, I took away an M because there wasn’t really anything drawing us back. I’m sure if it was closer and we were in the mood, we’d go again. But when we left, there was no discussion of what to try next or excitement to go again. There wasn’t anything worth driving across the lake for, really. It was good. That’s about it.