Stillwater - Lowville

Tonight, I had the pleasure of meeting Marian and Joe Romano. Despite encountering a difficult situation, they remained cheerful and empathetic. I must admit, I was somewhat impolite to them, yet they responded with grace and kindness. Although I have not yet dined at their acclaimed Stillwater Restaurant and Hotel, if it is anything like the owners, I am sure it deserves a perfect 5-star rating every day. It was a delight to meet them both, and if they happen to read this review, I hope to have a more positive interaction with them in the future.

This restaurant is a lovely spot with excellent food. The view is fantastic and the staff is friendly. It can get quite busy in the winter with snowmobiles passing by.

As soon as we entered the restaurant, it appeared to be a bit disorganized, almost like a messy gift shop. To the left, there was a bar, and to the right, there was a dining area. There were no signs indicating whether we should wait to be seated or seat ourselves. Since no one approached us (the bar was full), we decided to seat ourselves. Our waitress, Jessica, was amazing! She was very attentive and friendly, which helped ease the uncertainty we felt when we first arrived. We ordered the Stillwater Steak Sandwich and Bacon Mac and Cheese for lunch. The sandwich was delicious, with steak so tender you could cut it with a fork. The brioche roll was a bit tough, requiring a knife to cut through. Unfortunately, the bacon in the mac and cheese was burnt, overpowering the dish with a charred taste. Despite this, I finished my meal because I was quite hungry. The view from our table was stunning, with the fall colors adding to the ambiance. Overall, I would definitely return to try other items on the menu.

My partner and I had heard nice things about this place but when we went, it was a completely different story. A very nice waitress Jess began helping us before a very rude lady came over and practically snatched the menus out of our hands telling usthey had switched to dinner. She sent the server away telling Jess she would help us instead. She had no idea what drinks we hadordered and never came to tell us if the food we wanted was available and just put in an order. Before our food came she wasmumbling about the table being reserved for another couple and we would need to move but lucky for us it was 4:15 and theyweren 't coming till 6... Why she even brought it up I don 't know... very unprofessional. She never checked in to see how ourmeal were or offered refills. But she wasted no time chatting with people who seemed like regulars . I guess new customersaren 't worth the conversation. We pulled Jess aside and asked her who the owners were as we wanted to say something about howrude this woman had been to her as well as the complete lacking of customer service. It turns out the rude woman WAS the owner. We can see why it is for sale. The owners hearts are just not into it anymore. There was also a huge dog walking in and out ofthe kitchen and coming up to tables. After we finished eating we sat there for over 15 minutes with no sign of the owner. Jesshad been doing her job and helping others and saw us sitting there idly and went to get our server/owner. When the owner cameover she seemed annoyed saying Jess had informed her we didn 't want dessert and were ready to leave. She told us how the dessertwas homemade and wasn 't happy when we reaffirmed we were ready to leave. Partially due to the fact the whole meal was awkwardand uncomfortable because of her attitude. The portions were tiny for the price, one app, two drinks, a cheeseburger and a BLTcost 70 dollars! We felt very sorry for Jess as she was great but we will not be returning.

A slice of God's County Mariam and Joe are extremely gracious hosts, they go out of their way for customers. You'll feel like family as soon as you walk through the door. Highly recommend you visit the Stillwater Hotel Restaurant