The Lido Deck

I guess I was a little late to the review party as the place has closed down. I wen’t here twice in October once for a meal and once for the bar menu and dessert.
Before I start everyone below is right the staff are all off putting and the owner/​chef seemed like a colossal a hole but I was spared any real issues so they don’t get docked heavily.
The place served great food and had good prices on beer and wine.
I love getting Downtown Browns and other micro brews for 3 dollars since I am not a big wine drinker.
The menu is creative and diverse both the prix fix choices and the standard choices are good.
Dessert is also good, they had an apple tart dish not on the menu that was very good. The mixed plate was hit and miss.
This place would have a 4 or 5 from me if it weren’t for the service. It is always awkward. The owner and head chef seems to always be unhappy and storming around. I was asked if I had a reservation after being seated by him. I told him I used Opentable and he walked away, even though the place had a few open tables.
I think the Chefs input on service and the strange location killed this place. It was hidden from view and any non local would have a hard time finding it.
Its a shame too I always wanted to go back as the bar menu was great although the service turned my wife off so we never did. I guess the writing was on the wall when the bar section didn’t have a bartender working and servers were forced to run around.
Oh and watching drunks roll off the wedding boats/​yachts in the harbor was a really good time!

Totally bad service and just okay food that wasn’t worth the price. It’s really too bad b/​c the location is great. Had breakfast here after shopping the farmer’s market on a sunday. The lox was very skimpy and my husband asked for bread three times and never got it. Will never go back.

This is closed… Had a gift certificate that went to waste…

Looks like the place is now closed! goodbye and good riddance, no place that treats their customers with such disdain should be open for business… restaurants are part of HOSPITALITY business. what part of that is difficult to understand as a business that needs to be hospitable to their customers! Hope you never re-​incarnate unless as a crab about to be boiled.

Ah, if it were possible to invoke negative stars I would. Not for the quality of the food, or the service, or the value… but for the mere but unfathomable fact that the restaurant appears to have CLOSED DOWN without any advance notice. We discovered this the hard way, when after making reservations for dinner just a week ago, our party’s advance scout member arrived to find the place dark. Not dark as in romantic mood lighting dark, but dark as in, «Dude, who forgot to pay the electricity bill?» A call to the listed phone number led to no helpful answering machine message (such as «Woohoo, won the lottery, be back in a month!») but the sad staticy pre-​recorded «This number is no longer in service» message. Oh, how painful that message is to hear, like realizing the number you were given by that hottie at the partay really belongs to a 7 – 11 down the street who wishes people would stop calling asking for so-​and-​so.
Luckily the night was salvaged by ErnieTStyle’s quick thinking and the bottles of red wine we were carrying. Is there such a thing as courtesy calls any more? I suppose I should be understanding and bemoan the restaurant business and the state of the economy, but when good wine is almost wasted, I am as unforgiving as that rash you picked up from God knows where. Bad on you, Lido. THPPPPT. If you are ever reincarnated as another dining venue, I hope you come back as that sad snack machine near the dump that keeps getting vandalized or peed on by dogs.

I am so pleasantly plump from all the delicious food I just thoroughly enjoyed AGAIN at Lido Deck. Every time we go we leave happy! It has become a regular date night stop for us. We don’t call for reservations as we go out on week nights and we always get a cozy booth to sit in, although I was tempted to try the tables on the Deck as the wind screens were up and the heaters were on.
We like the quiet atmosphere and always feel like we are well taken care of. We secretly like the fact that it is easy to grab a table, although I do hope more people find it because we want this place to be around for a long time! The gentleman waiter is very knowledgeable about wines! Just ask for his recommendations!
We talked to the Chef/​owners tonight and they are very excited for the holiday season menus they have planned and will have a great view of the Newport Harbor Boat Parade and a New Year’s Eve special event. The Hornblower/​party boats will be gone on those nights which leave a wide open view of the harbor.
We’ve tried so many items from the menu over the months and we both have many favorites. Tonight my husband had the Veal and I had a root vegetable pot pie — oh so yummy! We love the cheese platter! And you can’t go wrong with any of the desserts! They are all incredible!

We ate at Lido Deck this past Sunday. Yes, we used a Groupon, and yes they charged the 18% gratuity. Although we agree with everyone that the idea of adding gratuity to a two top is ridiculous, we didn’t care in the end. Why? I have Celiac disease, and the chef himself came out and talked to me about the menu and what I can have and should avoid. He was very helpful, and took his time. Our waiter was as sweet as can be. He might have been alittle more chatty than we would have wanted, but he was a very nice man who did a wonderful job with his service (we tipped more than the 18%). Most importantly, the food was superb, the ambience was excellenyt (over looking the marina). They even have blankets at the tables outside in case you get alittle chilly. I know my husband and I will be back, and I hope everyone else does too.

The food was decent here, but the service was not. We sat ourselves. The chef came off rude. No need to revisit.

We came here for brunch/​lunch on a Saturday afternoon and really enjoyed our meal. The reason for a ⁴⁄₅ review is the chef/manager’s pretentiousness, but the food and wait service was exceptional.
We came because we had purchased a Groupon and yes we’re poor/​cheap so we went for lunch. Prices are completely reasonable, and alcohol is really well priced. I had the tuna tartine and my husband had the elk burger. The food was really wonderful, fresh and well prepared. We split the stuffed banana French toast for dessert and that was by far my favorite! Gooey and delicious! Really an exceptional meal and very affordable even without the Groupon.
The waiter was really great, and exceptionally attentive, but not over bearing. He had a honestly interesting anecdote for everything and made us feel very welcomed and relaxed.
The manager on the other hand is exactly as other Unilocalers describe. We could tell he was doing his best to be polite, but he is really pretentious. We told the waiter when we got there that we were using the Groupon, but we some how got personally scolded by the manager for failing to tell the waiter. Mostly his comments were completely unnecessary and condescending.
I heard the manager talking to a regular about having had trouble with Groupon customers not tipping, and I realize their remedy was just as other Unilocalers said, 18% gratuity automatically added. I was planning on a 20−25% tip, but that was just insulting and really turned me off.
All that said, the food was really really good, the price was fair, and the setting is lovely. I will be returning, but I hope not to encounter the manager! He is much better at preparing delicious food than interacting with guests.

Meh– decent food, nothing spectacular. Poor service. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 just because i think we made got unlucky with what we ordered.
To start, we were running late for our reservation. I called about 5 minutes before our reservation time and let them know we would be about 15 minutes late. They said it was no problem and «they weren’t even that busy» so they could hold our table. It was a chick I talked to. When we arrived, there was a guy at the host station and he informed me they had cancelled our reservation. I told them I had called and he got all defensive with me, i didnt even get to say that I had spoken to the girl. either way, it worked out because he just railroaded over me and told me it would be okay because they still had a table we could sit at. mmmk. we sat, me just a little steaming.
Our table was a little 2-​seater outside, in what amounts to an alley between buildings. and let me tell you, it gets *cold* outside. they didnt even have any outdoor heater things.
We both wound up ordering from the prix fixe menu with wine pairings. I had the wahoo and the salad, my cohort had the pork porterhouse and the soup. I really really wish we hadn’t ordered from the prix fixe menu, it was pretty disappointing. I find myself wishing I’d gone for the rabbit.
The salad was good! it had dates in it and it was light and fresh and yummy. but it’s a salad… My fish came out crusted in pecans and really sweet, and it was over-​cooked and pretty dry. It was not enjoyable. My friend’s porterhouse was better, but it too was overcooked and disappointing, it was also very fatty. we had the date cake for dessert, it was yummy! the waiter told us it was the chefs specialty and i would readily believe it — if you come here I highly recommend it for dessert.
Our waiter was fairly absent and when he was there, he was distant. He didn’t tell us what the wines were as they served us the wine pairings. I had to ask, and when I did he would reply something as unhelpful as «sauvignon» well duh, and at least i know the second half of that is «blanc». But what vineyard? what are the notes? why are you serving me this wine with this food? That’s just crap that he was so uninterested, and I was really unimpressed.
the only reason I came here was because i had a Groupon coupon thing for it. I spent $ 25 for a $ 50 coupon here. oOoo I saved $ 25 dollars off my meal — oh yeah, and they included gratuity in our bill. I think they were afraid i would tip on the after coupon price. No– i’m not that retarded. Unless they just include gratuity on everyones tab because the waiter gets stiffed a lot (which i wouldn’t doubt with how awful he was). Either way, it was a bit presumptuous of them and it left a bad taste in my mouth.
overall it was a lackluster evening. I don’t plan on returning again and would certainly not recommend this restaurant to anyone, i could just imagine them really spoiling a romantic evening out. The service alone killed it for me and the food wasn’t nearly good enough to make up for it.

My husband and I were taken here by friends that raved about it. We will not be going back. We sat down at 8pm and waited an hour to get bread and wine and actually had to ask someone to get these items for us.
We were not done with our meal till 11:45 and were asked to leave the restaurant by the chef, in a nice way, but still, the only reason we were still there was because of our terrible and slow waiter.
The food is, I’ll admit wonderful, but the service was some of the worst I’ve ever experienced, and I’ve been a waitress. I also think when they bring out each wine that was specifically pared with that food, they should tell you what your drinking and offer some wine information. It’s a good idea, but the presentation was very amateur, or maybe it was just our waiter.

We came here for dinner on a Groupon after I spent the entire day fasting for an afternoon endoscopy. Needless to say I was hungry. The ambience is a bit off– the bar and dining room are a bit cave-​like, and the deck overlooks several large party yachts. The service was good, and the Elk Burger was excellent. The fries were outstanding. Freshly cut, perfectly seasoned, they were easily the best fries we’ve encountered in The OC. The beer and wine selection is good (note to self: Green Flash IPA and Versed do not mix).
Now for the bad part– The Lido Deck isn’t cheap, and there was a MANDATORY 18% tip on the tab (totally undisclosed and apparently included in all LD Groupon checks). And, there was even a convenient line on the credit card receipt where we could ADD MORE if merited by the service.
I would have tipped 20% had there not been a mandatory amount, but I was so put off by the lack of disclosure that we simply registered a verbal complaint, signed the receipt and decamped.
The net: The food is outstanding. The service is good. I assume that the owner needs customers and is trying to both entice diners with aggressive offers and manage waitstaff through the process with guaranteed gratuities, but the end result is annoying. A more tasteful approach would have been to disclose the gratuity in the Groupon itself, or to have someone communicate it when receiving the Groupon from the dining party. That said, we’ll be back without a Groupon. The food is that good.

I was worried about having chosen this place for our special anniversary dinner based on the mixed revews floating around the web. In particular because we were using a groupon, I was worried about 2^nd class treatment. Here are my impressions:
The good: The food was excellent. I enjoyed the price fixed menu with wine pairings. The pours of wine were very generous, and starting with the house salad and the crab cakes we were off to a great start. The duck entrée was outstanding, and the tortellini were great as well (although very rich). The desserts were out of this world. We had a date cake and a funnel cake. The iced cream was amazing as were the cakes. There were only 2 servers working, but I found them both to be very professional and attentive.
The bad: The place has an almost dead-​vibe to it. It is very intimate, but deathly quiet in the dining area. They are so understaffed that the executive chef was serving as the host, and the waiters were serving as bus boys as well. We ate quite early but they were already out of the wahoo, which was the only seafood option on the price fixed menu. They did offer to subsitute seabass or another fish, but it was a little awkward.
Regarding the whole groupon issue, the owner obviously is not comfortable with the whole arrangement. He was very nice, and not rude at all to us, but he went as far as to include the tip in the tab rather than trust that his customer would not screw the waiter. He informed us that indeed the waiters had been screwed by other patrons. But when we dine using an entertainment card at various restaurants I never experience his level of distrust in his customers. I would prefer someone to give me the benefit of the doubt, if he truly wants to woo me as his regular customer (which I may very well become, since I loved the food).
In conclusion, I had a much better experience than expected and would definitely go back for the outstanding food (I forgot to mention the awesome variety of breads), but I want the owner to add a host/​hostess, a bus boy, and buy enough Wahoo for the next time around. Unfortunately I got the feeling that they may not be around for very long.

My last review seems to have disappeared.
The owner is really rude and the service is really bad. The owner refused to honor the Groupon coupons and yelled at me and my family. He said some pretty rude things. I was there on a weekend night and it was empty. I doubt the food is that good if there’s no one there. I hear they’re no longer serving lunch during the weekdays. I hope they close down soon so someone nicer can take over.
–10 stars for The Lido Deck and owner.

Nice view of the Newport bay. Very unique menu. The ELK burger is delicious!!!

Went to the Lido Deck on a Friday evening, after purchasing a discount coupon from ‘Groupon’. The setting is fabulous and the food was great. We opted for the prix fixe menu, reasonably priced at $ 55 with the food selections and wine pairings.
Hubby had the Grilled PORK porterhouse, sautéed Brussels sprouts, caramelized onion, wild boar bacon, grilled white truffle scented Granny Smith apple, spicy apricot glaze — he LOVED it!
I chose the Oven roasted wahoo filet, haricot vert, corn, red onion, green peppers, tomato, coconut milk, sweet corn cake — good portion of fish and very tasty treatment, although the fish was a little overdone, could have been slightly flakier.
Wine pairings were lovely as well.
The service was pleasant and very attentive when we got to our table. It is apparent that the restaurant is understaffed and struggling to make a go of it. (I was recently notified that they will no longer be serving lunch.)
Perhaps focusing on just dinner will help them with their budget constraints, hoping so because the chef and his preparations were fabulous and you can’t beat the setting.
Will definately go back and try it out again, with or without the coupon:)

Service was poor, I watched others in the restaurant and saw similar issues. A table in a dead restaurant should never have to chase the waiter for the tab, and the waiter did not as much as apologize.
Food was good, but my Elk Burger was overcooked, waitress never asked what temperature I would like it, and it tasted like a well done prepressed patty from costco. Hard to enjoy the other flavors when the meat is off.
The best thing about this place is the beer. I would come here for beer and appetizers/​desserts while siting on the harbour, but IMHO there are 15 – 20 better restaurants if you are going to go somewhere for fine dining.

It saddens me to write this review, because I read the article on this place in the OC Register and had been wanting to come here for weeks to try out the food. Finally I convinced my girlfriend and another buddy to join me.
And I get there, and initially service was OK. Nothing to write home about, but not too friendly either. Anyway I order a beer (which was a delicious microbrew) and my girlfriend orders a wine.
She gets her wine, and simply put, it was undrinkable. She took one sip and thought it may be a bad bottle, I took a sip and agreed with her. So we waited literally about 10 minutes for the waitress to come back (despite there being 3 tables seated, they took forever to come by), and when she did and we nicely explained to her that the wine may be from a bad bottle, she was very rude and hesitantly took the glass away.
5 minutes later, a gentlemen came by (not sure if it was the bartender or manager), and proceeded to go off on my girlfriend for literally 3 full minutes about how the wine was not from a bad bottle. He continued his diatribe by stating that 4 different servers tried it and confirmed it was not bad, how the wine was supposed to taste like this, how this was a french pinot and that she was probably used to California pinots that could only dream of tasting like a french wine, how he would normally charge her for returning the wine but would let her go this time, that if she let the wine sit longer it would taste better, etc., etc. He even went so far as to repeat the fact that it was her taste that was supposedly wrong, and not anything to do with the bottle.
Mind you, this was in front of the other tables and he was very openly berating my girlfriend for her taste in wine. Needless to say, my girlfriend was very upset and felt like she was unnecessarily spoken down to for simply telling the waitress that the wine was probably from a bad bottle (mind you, I tasted it and it was literally undrinkable). We got up and left and upon telling him our reasons, he started to apologize profusely claiming that he was just trying to explain that it was not a bad bottle, but really what could he say after his long condescending speech. There was no reason for him to treat a customer the way he did.
Sad, because I thought this place would be a great new restaurant to try yet we were given such atrocious service that is unimaginable in a service industry…
In all seriousness, you should never go here. No customer deserves to be treated like that.

I am not sure if it is because of the location or not enough advisement but for a Friday night it was empty. The restaurant pretty much looks the same as it did when it was Blanca. Not really any changes has been done to the interior of the restaurant.
The service is was not that great this was probably my biggest problem about the restaurant. The hostess went home early and waiter pretty much forgot about our dinner. And even when we left there was 2 servers at the door were so busy talking to each other did not say goodbye to us. (Kind of rude!)
Okay, so about the actual food.
Appertzier we started off with Duck Confit Crêpe
Duck confit, green onions, garlic, chili flakes, cream, sweet soy
North Coast Pranqster– it was good i enjoyed this dish a lot. It had a little bit of a pecking duck taste.
As for our entrees I REALLY wanted to try the braised rabbit however, they ran out. :(boo!
So instead we ordered ½ lb Elk Burger — Ground Elk, caramelized red onions, remoulade sauce, braised lamb belly, wild boar bacon, tres leche cheese, duck egg, sesame seed — which was recommended by LA Times. This dish was good however, the braised lamb belly was a little chewy so biting into the it would fall out of the burger and I am sitting looking like I am chewing like a cow.
There is a slaw that is on the side of the burger, which was a like a picked cabbage. So good it made the burger.
10oz PORK Porterhouse –Grilled PORK porterhouse, sautéed Brussels sprouts, caramelized onion, wild boar bacon, grilled white truffle scented Granny Smith apple, spicy apricot glaze Sea Dog Apricot Wheat. Decent wasn’t bad but I have had better pork porterhouses from the other restaurants.
They have $ 10 corkage which is pretty damn nice. Since most restaurants in OC charge $ 15 – 20.

Here’s a real review of the place. As I’m review this restaurant there are only 3 reviews. 2 of the 3 look like the restaurant paid someone to write the review. Since they’ve only written 1 review. Also both dates appear to be the same…
So the review on our meal.
Restaurant looks new/​nice. It’s very cozy. We sat in the booth and it seemed a little cramped.
I had the ½ lb Elk Burger. Ground Elk, caramelized red onions, remoulade sauce, braised lamb belly, wild boar bacon, tres leche cheese, topped with duck egg on a Kaiser roll. It was as good as it sounds or better.
Wife had the duck ravioli. We both loved the burger more although the ravioli was good.
We had the Foie for appetizer. It was good, of course, but not much better than any other place that knows how to prepare it correctly.
Dessert was the Smore Cake. Pecan crust, flourless chocolate cake topped with a carmelized marshmallow. I thought it was «ok». The cake was hard and a little dry. Crust was bleh. Toasted marshmallow was alright.
I started the review with 4 stars but at this time I’m only giving it 3. Good Elk burger, everything else was A-​OK.