Gentelin's on Broadway, Alton

Delicious! The food here is nothing but great! I have never had anything bad here. Service is excellent, just don't let them seat you in the bar if you want a quiet meal. I made reservations, but when we got there, we were sat in the bar and it was very loud. A very attractive male (manager maybe?) was behind the bar being pretty loud and obnoxious, with no regard for those of us dining on a special occasion (my father's birthday). Just a warning, the bar area has nothing in place to absorb sound and it bounces around quite a lot. However, I highly recommend this restaurant if you can get seated in the dining room.

food, service and staff all well above average. wide enough selection on menu and wine. nice view. we will return.

Overpriced and definitely NOT a fine dining experience. I ordered the filet minon (medium). Not only was my filet very rare, it was tough. My potatoes were cold. When I told our waiter, he argued that my filet was not rare and that maybe I should have ordered it medium well. Then he had me scrape off my potatoes only to bring me back the same potatoes after warming them up in a microwave! He tried to salvage the situation by offering me a free dessert. I normally don't eat dessert, so I declined. No visit from the manager or chef and apologies were disingenuine to say the least. This place has a great view and very clean atmosphere, but the food and service left little to be desired. I will not be returning and never recommend this place to friends or family.

Gentilins is nicely decorated with a very cozy feel, there is a nice fireplace that adds some depth to the atmosphere. The tables are clustered in such a way that you don’t feel to cramped to the person eating next you, however there could be a bit more distance between tables if they chose to just remove one and spread everything else out. The service is excellent and the staff is friendly enough, but does not reflect the atmosphere or the price. One thing that really bugged my girlfriend and I while we ate at table number 13 was that we were seated facing some kind of staff utility room. It’s a bit hard to describe but there is a sort of “nook” in the entryway to this room and at all times several buss boys would stand there like vultures waiting to clear the tables. I know this might sound a bit over the top or picky but seriously! You should not have to eat your dinner being stared down by scraggily looking teenagers who need to take hygiene 101. While I was pleased overall with the service I found that my server was very uneducated about the meals and their preparation. When I explained to him that it was my first time dining at Gentilins and asked what he felt the chef specialized in and then asked him what house favorite was he replied “everything, when you decide what to order, try something you would normally never try at a restaurant”. So that was nice and all but, sounded like something the server would tell you at microwave restaurant like Applebees or something. So we ordered….. I tried the half duck and my girlfriend ordered the sesame-encrusted grouper. The duck was literally just ok. It was overly gamy and tuff in some areas, while other areas were almost perfect. One down side is they serve you two legs and thighs and no breast. Depending on who you listen to some people prefer to eat the breast of the duck instead of the legs. It would be nice to have the option though or at least be told what part of the duck it was. Because generally as a standard. If a menu says half of any kind of fowl. It includes the breast or part of the breast. My girlfriend who had the grouper was not impressed. The presentation was very nice and well displayed in the plate. The fish however was very tuff and difficult to eat. I tried some myself and it was very chewy. Also to be fair I should mention we had crab cakes as an appetizer and they were wonderful. They were very dense with a perfect crusting on the outside and a moist and flavorful inside. The asparagus that I had with my duck was steamed to perfection. The wedge salad with the little shrimp was perfect with a spicy southwest style dressing which was very light and refreshing. So all in all the staff was friendly and the service was reasonable. The clientele appeared to be upper middle income and very well behaved. All the plates had marvelous presentation and it was a very clean restaurant. Our bill was $117, which I feel is very normal for us when we dine at higher end places. This is probably the nicest restaurant in downtown Alton so they sort of have a monopoly on the high-end clientele. But for the price versus the service and quality of food there are many 4 star rated restaurants nearby in Edwardsville like Neruda or Tony’s on Market St in St.Louis.