The Swan Terrace

Great ambience. Good selection. Nice place to go to Sunday brunch once in a while because it is a little pricey.

This is such a hard review to write because I so wanted to like this place. The venue is beautiful, the white lights are so cozy during the winter time, and the staff overall are nice. But the food… Chicken skewer sticks had a funny smell, the brisket was salty and dry, the potato salad tasted like it was from Food Lion, and the dessert bar was an ehhh. I just can’t understand why I just paid 15.95 for Golden Corral food.

This is the second time out of three times visiting the restaurant. I’ve had an awkward experience again.
On this occasion we show up for brunch but brunch doesn’t start until 11:30 AM. I find that awfully late for the intersection of breakfast and lunch.
On another occasion we had a very large party with us and we had to wait 10 minutes to get a table because it wouldn’t open the doors. In other words the restaurant was 10 minutes late opening.
Once you get in the food’s not that bad. Good luck getting in.

Founders Inn is always one of our favorites during the holidays. The decorations are beautiful and set the tone of Christmas. We had reservations for 6 o’clock at the Swan Terrace for dinner so we could make the 8 o’clock Messiah presentation. We were seated and ordered immediately, letting our waitress know we were going to the show. We waited over an hour to receive our food and when we did, it was cold. I still can’t figure out how a steak and crab cake meals could be served cold! The service was marginal even though there seemed to be a lot of staff around the dining room. We had to ask for tea refills and inquire about our meals. Instead of a relaxing time, we felt rushed to finish to make our show.

Disappointed. We have been here before and enjoyed it but tonight was not what we expected. Service was extremely slow, had to flag down a different waitress to even get a drink menu and then took another 20 mins before our waitress came back to take a drink order. The food took close to an hour to come out. I got the surf and turf which consisted of a single small crab claw, single large shrimp and poorly cooked filet, not what I expected for the price. My husband’s plate promised to come with risotto but instead had white rice. Overall we were disappointed and this was not the fine dining experience we were hoping for.

The service was horrific. I made a reservation for the outdoor terrace and we were seated inside — I should have known then. The hostess had an attitude that I requested what we reserved for. I guess she was giving us payback when she forgot us outside two hours after we were initially seated. I saw the the chief leave as we waited for our check. Never mind dessert we were never even asked because the kitchen staff had gone home when the hostess finally brought us our check. I saw the shocked look on her face as she closed out the register, all the other patrons were gone, and she finally noticed us still sitting outside, I wanted to see just how long it would take her to realize she’d forgotten something. She only came to the table twice in the two hours we were there.
The meat was overcooked and I was told how fortunate I was that they «could accommodate» my food allergy — I guess the medics are thankful too. The Waffle House across the street gave us much better, attentive service this morning for breakfast. Don’t waste your time or money the aggravation is not worth the meager portions and terrible, disrespectful service.

So disappointed. Ordered the stuffed chicken and the waitress said they were out, then came back and said they had one left, should have been an indication. The mashed potatoes were cold, chicken was dry and veggies were raw yet warm. Even the water tasted funky. Waitress was very sweet and accommodating but this place is definitely not worth the price.

What separates a decent restaurant from an exceptional restaurant can often be as little as how well they handle adversity. I was a guest at this hotel and ordered room service. The meal arrived very quickly which was awesome, however the main course of my meal was sub-​par. Now I understand that everyone can have an off moment so I called to advise the restaurant that I was not pleased with the meal and left it at the door for them to retrieve. The manager made every effort to get a hold of me to rectify the situation, but I had left to attend a conference that went late into the night. At the conference I ran into Executive Chef Darren Scott and told him about my experience. He immediately advised that he would discuss with the restaurant manager and make this right. About an hour later he came to the conference and FOUND ME to tell me that not only will they make this right, but that when I returned to my room there was something there for me. I arrived to my room after midnight to find a personally written note AND a delicious and totally unexpected these and fruit tray and chocolate covered strawberries with honey roasted pecans. The story does not end there. Along with complimentary lunch, I got a chance to speak with the restaurant manager Nicolai Lordanov. A very nice guy that was glad to hear details of my experience and he also apologized for the mishap and said he hoped that the rest of my experience would make up for the bad experience I had with room service. He spoke like a person that was truly interested in learning what went wrong so he could make sure it did not happen again. THIS along with Chef Scott’s attentiveness is what made my experience at the Founder’s In a memorable one and also an overwhelmingly positive experience.
I do want to add that the lunch buffet was exceptional. I typically don’t care for buffets but this buffet at the The Swann Terrace Grill was delicious and did not disappoint. Of not today was a dish I had never had before but was pleasantly surprised with. It was a Warm Slaw… yes you heard it right, a warm slaw. Y’all this dish was on point! Just enough sweet to balance the acidity and the cabbage had just the right bite! I gotta hand it to the member of Chef Scott’s staff that thought this one up and I also commend Chef Scott for having confidence in his talented staff to go with this dish which was new on the buffet today! Bravo and 5 stars for that wish. I also had the filet of sole which was delicious and substantial, not like those buffets or restaurants that give you flounder that you can see through and are flavorless. This flounder obviously had a sauce that had a white wine base which made it very flavorful and it was not weighed down with too much oil. Anyway I just wanted you to know, have no reservations about this establishment. It was top notch from the front desk to the awesome servers at the restaurant to the leadership of The Swann Terrace Grill.

I’ve only been here twice. It’s really expensive and the first time I had a groupon. I tried the she crab soup and it was delicious! It’s too bad it’s seasonal because the second time I came back for it from a
voucher they didn’t have it. The food is very gourmet and fine dining. It’s really expensive and I wouldn’t come here unless I had a promotion. It’s really expensive, small portions, but the food is good!

MUST LOVE BRUNCH. My friend and I received a gift card for this place a year ago and finally decided to try it out. I’ve lived in the area for over 20 years and I’ve never eaten here. When I learned they had a breakfast buffet I was sold.
Did you know that your brunch comes with a mimosa? My first impression of this place was already great. After ordering my mimosa I made my round. They had crab legs, an omelette bar, fresh oysters, salad bar, waffle and pancakes constantly being made, and every other breakfast item you can imagine PLUS a dessert area. Did I miss anything? I think they have breakfast buffet down here. The only reason they aren’t getting all my stars is because my table was so gross! I couldn’t believe how stick everything was. I struggled to pick up my glass of water and was terrified of letting my silverware touch anything on the table. I washed my hands after every time I went up to the buffet.
I went during the holiday season, so the place was also beautifully decorated which made the experience also pleasant. I am curious to see how the décor changes throughout the year.

Went for dinner to wind down after the holidays. The location was decorated so beautifully! We sat at a window seat overlooking the lights in the garden. The food was outstanding. We opted to try the menu on the 3 for $ 30. Everything was outstanding. One of the best duck my husband has ever had. We will defiantly eat here again.

This restaurant here… super yummy! A bit pricey, but when the food is great, you don’t mind paying for quality! Well at least I don’t.
The staff was super friendly as well. I met Chef Darren and he was such a pleasure. He even invited us back to try the Sunday brunch. How he described it, I wished Sunday was the next day. (We visited on a Tuesday :)
My family and I dined here for a little under $ 100 (only dinner ordered). This was not too bad for a family of four. Also the restaurant is located inside the Founders Inn Hotel. So paying for convenience, one must take this into consideration as well. Nevertheless, there is another restaurant next to this one. As a result, you can try here in case Swan Terrace is too much on the $$$ side.
Let’s get to the meal…
I had the Beer Brined Pork Chop with Edamame Succotash… very good. However, the pork chop was just ok. It could have been way tender. But I ate it… half then and the rest for later (later was better)! Now the succotash… yummmmmmmmmm!!! I want to make this at home it was so good!
My dad had the Slow Smoked 72 hour Virginia Hereford Beef Brisket. Now this was might tasty. I gave the «side eye» at first, because the portion was reallllly small. And I believe he only had 4 pieces of veggies (2 asparagus and 2 carrots) on his plate. I mean clearly it looked as if food was missing off his place. But he ate it slowly and enjoyed every bite.
My mom had the «catch of the day» and it happened to be my fav… SALMON!!! Because I don’t like to order the same meal as another at the table, I insisted she order it for herself. But mannnnnnnnnn… it was soooooooooooooooo delish!!! Pan seared salmon with just enough seasoning and swirls of goodness. It was pared with some rice. This would have been the night that I wished I had ordered the same thing. But she did share it with me. The salmon was super moist and mighty tasty. This meal reminded me why I love salmon oso much. I would definitely recommend the salmon whenever it is offered.
The waitstaff all worked together in fullfilling the patrons needs. Team work… I love it!
I will definitely return here and you should stop by, sit and enjoy a nice meal too. You will not regret it. Just make sure you are prepared to pay at least $ 25 per person.
Oh and the pumpernickel bread… OH MMMMM GEEEEEE!!! Please have them bring it to you warm. This way if you choose to use butter it will melt oso easily over it.
Oh I must mention, my daughter (7yrs old) wanted some bread that looked familiar to her. She did not want the ‘black’ bread, so she politely asked the waitress for some plain rolls. I failed to remember her name, but she had such a lovely accent. She said, «well I will see what the CHEF can do, but I do believe it is not a problem at all.» About 15 minutes later, my daughter had her own basket of rolls. OH MMMMM GEEE… these rolls were yummy as well.
Thank you so much Chef Darren and the waitstaff. On the night of October 28^th it was a pleasure to dine at Swan Terrace.
We shall return soon!
Have fun :)
Oh and the 5^th star is missing because of the dessert menu. This was «National Chocolate Day » :) and not one thing on the dessert menu interested me. Bummer… but overall, Swan Terrace is definitely worthy of a visit.

Pretty good brunch. The crab cake/​oyster/​shrimp station alone makes it worth it. There is a huge seating area. There is also an ok assortment of breakfast and lunch to pick from. I’m a fan of breakfast food. The more the merrier. Great place to walk after you’ve eaten as well.

Sunday brunch with my mom!
A really good spread with lots of different stuff. Of course, there’s an omelet station with the usual fixings (mushrooms already sauteed) and a roast beef carving station. There is also a decent little salad spot (candied pecans!), biscuits, gravy, smoked pork loin, bacon and eggs and sausages, rice, cheesy potatoes and such. The crabcake station was a nice little bonus — there’s a guy there solely to warm them up on the griddle. Neat. Oysters ready for taking and the shrimps were huge though the cocktail sauce needed more horseradish.
And then the desserts, where I’ll tell you that you simply MUST have the bread pudding. Delish!
A little confusing to find the actual restaurant from the entrance but just keep heading towards the spa and you’ll get there in the end.
$ 30 a plate is a bit much, but if you show up hungry then you’ll more than get your money’s worth!

Went for dinner with friends for a birthday celebration, there were 9 of us.
Pros– Service was great and professional, the chef came out to see how we enjoyed dinner. They also brought out a beautiful mini coconut cake with «Happy Birthday» and a little drawing of balloons in beautiful writing in chocolate. The oysters Rockefeller were delicious.
Cons– Although we were expecting dinner to be pricey, the quantity of the food was kind of a joke. The appetizer Beet & Goat Cheese Salad included 6 spinach leaves, two little pieces of ghost cheese and one tiny baby beet. It literally fit on one fork. This was quickly replaced with a house side salad at my friend’s request at no charge. The quantity of the entrees were also lacking, and even the quality didn’t seem worth the money we paid. We weren’t expecting to be busting at the waist line, but we also weren’t expecting to want to go to a drive thru after dinner.

I’m only rating the Sunday Brunch Buffet. The Swan Terrace has now replaced The Tradewinds as my selection of Best Buffet (Non-​Asian Division) in the area. I ate there this past Easter and another time. All selections — Apps, salads, entrees, and desserts — are all quite good. I got to experience Beef Wellington, the dish that is featured in all of the Chef Ramsay shows. It was a treat. A real spectrum of flavors.
I guess the one drawback is the sticker shock. But it’s worth it.

Great American food. If you’re a carnivore, you’ll love this place. Steaks, lamb and pork chops grilled to perfection.
On the downside, the service is spotty and the dress code poor for such a nice restaurant at a resort
Food cost was upper moderate. My Pork chop was $ 23 and lamb $ 35. You can even have a sulking pig for 8, $ 250

It was a so so experience. Wasn’t a lot of people on a Friday night. Slow service. Our waitress had a lot of table’s and apologized for the wait.
The staff is friendly. When we were waiting to be seated even the cook asked if we have been helped.
The food was good, but not great. A little too pricey for the quality.
Very old style atmosphere. If you dine at night there is very pretty lights outside in the gardens.
Parking was no problem.

Went there thanksgiving eve for birthday dinner. They had great decorations but the place is start to feel a little run down. Where you don’t see decorations the carpet and wallpaper looks old. Maybe it cost too much for them to replace them since they have to find the same style and color? Looking at the reviews of founders inn and spa, they do have a problem keeping up the place updated. It is a nice setting and supposed to be upscale, hope they can do something better.
The food and menu was ok, we had chicken and rock fish. Rock fish was really good and it is Rock fish I expected that, chicken was good also but a little too salty, but it was still good. The bread came late, but it was good. All in all, it is the keeping up the place and training the personnel well which is in need of improvement.

The beautiful Swan Terrace is my first choice when I have enough money to really go out. The service is amazingly friendly from start to end. I’ve ordered off the menu, have had the lunch buffet, and have yet to have a meal that was not a standard of excellence. Aside from the great food and service the inside of the restaurant is cozy and charming with a hint of grandeur.
Final advice: If you do happen to head over to Swan Terrace for lunch make sure to get the buffet because at the very end there is a delicious spread of desserts. The bread pudding is the best.