I have mixed feelings about The Optimist. Frankly,...

I have mixed feelings about The Optimist. Frankly, I want to give them 3 stars, but I don't think it is deserved, and I'd like to give it another try someday. I went with a friend that has very different tastes than me but we ended up having the same experience.

First the good:
Service was great!
Drinks were pretty good, I ordered a margarita which was awesome. Friend didn't enjoy her drink much but it was mostly due to poor choice.
Oysters were amazing! I loved the selection.
I was a big fan of the calamari... My friend was not
The hot sauce that comes with the oysters is one of the best I've had in a long long time.

The bad all came from the main course:
Friend got the lobster roll - although it looked good, the lobster was very very cold, almost like it came out of the fridge only a few minutes ago. The dish would have been 10/10 if the lobster was hot but the temperature alone turned us off. It is to my understanding that lobster rolls are often served cold as well, but the rest of the dish was hot so it was odd.

The halibut steak (which also came out a little cold) just wasn't worth it? For 40ish dollars I expected more flavor. Outside was nice and crispy but the inside was a little dry. The salsa Verde that it comes with had very little flavor to add(although it did help with the dryness) and I was hoping it at least had a little kick. I honestly could barely taste the salsa at all.

I was going to complain about the hush puppies... But I see now that the menu says "beignet style", so ordering this at all was my fault. But please keep in mind that the hush puppies taste very much like a dessert, not a side to your fish. No points knocked off for me not knowing how to read

We honestly really liked the experience until the main courses came out, but it was hard to ignore how disappointed both of us were. I hope to try again soon and order a different array of items and see if my experience changes.

P.S. The Optimist did an awesome job with all Covid-related practices