Gourmet Detective

Average, but a recommended experience. You have to try some sort of dinner theatre at least once. Just went last night for a birthday celebration.

The parking is confusing if you're not familiar with this area of downtown Newport. For clarification, you want to turn right on Palm and take the first left into the metered parking lot (which is free after 6 PM). Website directions also suggested that from my particular location, I should take the Balboa Island car ferry to get over here. Um, no. Just take the 55 route, which adds an extra 15 min to the overall drive, but doesn't take any chances. Though I did take the ferry back at 10:30 PM and the scenic 5-minute ride was enjoyable for $3 fare.

The setting for the Gourmet Detective consists of circular tables (8 total I believe) in two large rooms of The Siena Restaurant. Very sparse in way of the decor. So you really have to use your imagination to picture the French Riviera setting. Each table holds 8 people and they will seat you with strangers if your party is small. Likewise, if your party is larger than 8, you will have to be split up. The show was not sold out, so I suppose we could've eaten alone if we were feeling anti-social. We had 4 parties of two at our table with one member of each party celebrating her birthday; an amusing coincidence. :)

Two of the parties at our table got the special Celebration Package. I don't think it's worth it. For an extra $25 you get: one drink, a t shirt, a birthday (or whatever) announcement, and a picture with the cast. Mixed drinks are only around $10 (sodas at $4, REQUIRED gratuity is 20% instead of 15%); the t shirt is an XXL so it's only good if you wear that sort of thing to bed as PJs; everyone can get an announcement if you inform them ahead of time when checking in; and a picture with the cast...well, it doesn't seem necessary given the amount of photo ops you get during the performance as the characters are roaming around talking to you.

FOOD: Note that you select your meal preference ahead of time. Want more specific descriptions of the food besides "steak," "salmon," "chicken," or "vegetarian"? Go to the Gourmet Detective website, click on The Dining Experience in the upper nav bar, and click on the lovely pic of food above "The Balboa Inn." Note that this photo is not indicative of the food you are actually served. It's just there to look nice.

Also note the descriptions in the dinner menu. The steak is served medium. There is no preference. Meaning you can't get it well done or rare. I will say that the steak was indeed cooked medium and not medium-well or medium-rare, which was impressive since hardly any restaurant can get this right imo.

You also get: basic bread and butter (both served in single communal baskets, so you are encouraged to talk to your table mates ahead of time so you don't feel so awkward asking them to pass the butter), a large salad which is more or less a Caesar salad, a half slice of cheesecake with a bit of chocolate drizzle, and one cup of coffee to go along with your dessert. I was informed that if you order coffee off the bat, they will charge you for it. But if you wait until dessert comes around, you get it for free. Odd.

Yes, the food is just basic. It's not amazing, but it isn't horrible. And it is filling with appropriate portions. I expected average food and I wasn't disappointed.

SHOW: The acting was entertaining, and I appreciated that the actors tried to get the audience involved. The quality of the acting was decent, but there were times when characters stumbled over their lines and these very obvious mistakes made it difficult to fully immerse myself into the experience. Because the characters move around during their performance, and the setting is in two large rooms (as opposed to one gigantic room), your view of a speaking character may occasionally be blocked. The music is played live by a pianist in the corner of one room and he did a wonderful job (at the end of the show, one of the Gourmet Detective patrons fingered the pianist as the culprit --even though he's actually not an option-- because he "looked shady" and his reaction was hilariously entertaining).

The story itself is pretty sappy and a little contrived at the end, but entertaining nonetheless. At the end of the show, correct answers as to the culprit (you write them down on sheets of paper) are put into a drawing where one person wins a Gourmet Detective t shirt. I will say that given the convoluted-ness of the crime, it's a difficult question to answer and I'm not sure how they decided which answers were correct...you'll see what I mean if you go see the show.

Finally, the bathrooms are an issue. The Siena Restaurant apparently doesn't have bathrooms. Or you can't use them. Instead, you have to use the bathrooms outside next to the bike rack. So, more or less, these are public bathrooms. And they reek. I'm very critical of venues that don't offer clean bathrooms.

First time at a mystery dinner. First the show: I would call it rather hokey and amateurish. Story line was weak, acting predictable. Audience participation was mostly the two female actors cozying up to patrons while singing. No real involvement. The solution to the who-done-it could change every night since the plot was so loose.

The food was mediocre at best. We had steak, all cooked medium, not flavorful cut. It was served lukewarm. The veggies and mash-pos were actually cold. I had no idea anyone could cut a slice of cheesecake so thin! I'm sure it was brought in frozen and cut into slivers. The coffee with dessert was more like very weak tea. I don't like strong coffee but this was basically warm water. The other party at our table asked for cream for her coffee and the server seemed perturbed. Don't know what drinks come with dinner other than water. We had to pay extra for iced tea and coke.

So glad we had tickets courtesy of FillASeatOC. Had we paid the over $70 plus tip per person, we would have felt robbed. Will not go back or recommend.

I am speaking for myself and for my three friends who were here recently celebrating a 31st b-day: we had a great time! I wasn't sure what to expect since I have never been to a mystery dinner before... but the experience as a whole, from start to finish, was done just right. Set in a room at the Balboa Inn, Newport Beach, the actors are in character from the minute you walk inside until you leave for the night. I found the script entertaining and I think the actors did an awesome job and included just the right amount of audience participation.

Food was good too... probably a solid 3 1/2 stars. My boyfriend and I had the lasagna, one friend had the steak, and the other the salmon. We all finished our plates clean and everyone thought the food was satisfactory. Along with the main course you get bread & butter, a caesar salad, drinks, and desert. They also have full bar service ( not included in price).

The reason I gave Gourmet Dinner 4 stars instead of 5 stars is because I was kind of disappointed with the room setting/decoration. The room was kind of plain & boring and didn't have the look or feel of the era the show was set it... but halfway through I completely forgot about this since I was so intrigued by the show.

Overall I think this would be a fun thing to do with a date or group of friends... definitely something to try if you live in Orange County

I gave this place a generous 4-stars because I happened to have such an excellent time. I had always heard about the murder mystery dinner theater but had never actually gone - so some friends and I decided to get dolled up and go out to celebrate my friend MH passing the CA Bar Exam.

This particular dinner, titled "Get Cartier," was held in the Balboa Inn in Newport Beach. We made reservations in advance by calling the hotline on their website and since we had over a party of 6, we got the group discount ($65/person, which includes dinner, show & gratuity).

Tip #1: You can book in advance online and make sure that you know which meal preference members of your party want. They can choose between steak, chicken, salmon or a veggie option. Payment in advance is required for the reservation.

The food itself wasn't exemplary, average at best, but it included a dinner salad, my steak was cooked well, and the cheesecake was nice and airy. However, it really was the overall performance that hit it home for all of us. The montages, the characters, the audience participation... it was very fun and well-done (in my opinion).

You really have to go with a group of people who are willing to joke and play along. The actors stay in character from the minute you check-in to the end of the show - even when they serve your food and have full on conversations with you. At the end of the night, you can make your predictions on which character committed the murder, and you can write up a creative reason why.

Tip #2: Parking is dreadful in this area, especially on a Saturday night. You can go early and try to grab some parking next to the Balboa Inn on Palm Street, but know that you may have to park elsewhere.

It's a hefty pricetag, but it was an enjoyable evening for me and my friends, and one we won't soon forget!

We have wanted to try out a murder mystery for a long time...should have picked a different one!! We had a completely obnoxious table that was so loud with the heckles that we couldn't hear the actors half of the time. A man from our table did get up and ask if they would keep it down a bit and was met with hostility. I went to find a manager and was told they were too busy but would stop by our table when they could....never saw one. I called their offices Monday and was told that they would have a manager call me back. Phone hasn't rang yet!
The food was decent at best. The marsala sauce was the highlight of the meal. If you want a drink then I advise to go get it yourself because the service is lacking immensly!

THE EPITOME OF "MEH"...

My wife's office had their annual holiday party there this evening. Parking was very close (Right on Palm, and make a right into the parking there).

The dinner theater was cheesy, funny and amusing. The actors did a fine job.

The service was passable. Nothing great, yet nothing to complain about.

The food:

The salad was surprisingly not bad.
My meal was okay. I chose the parmesan chicken, because you really can't screw up a parmesan chicken, right? It was just okay. For reference, Olive Garden parmesan chicken blows this away (and for reference: I'm not a big Olive Garden fan). My wife had the steak in mushroom sauce - she barely touched it. It wasn't very tasty at all.
The cheese cake dessert was also: just okay.

Overall, the Gourmet Detective was saved by the fun that the actors brought to the show. Would I return on my own dime? Absolutely not. Would I return on someone else's dime? Sure, why not.

Don't waste your life.

This was my second Gourmet Detective experience (even thought the first time at the Riverside location was ENOUGH) . I was taken here for a birthday surprise :/

Any-who. The show was cheesy, which could have been fine if it wasn't also so sloppily presented. The costumes and set were very unprofessional and the room itself looked and felt cheap.

The food was,unfortunately, reminiscent of Hometown Buffet. I had the fish and my man had the vegetarian lasagna. Our vegetables were cold and his lasagna looked like it had already been chewed up and spit out. My fish was a bit dry, but no big. The dessert was half frozen, chalky,cheesecake covered in chocolate sauce... l LOVE sweets and cheesecake but couldn't force it down.

Also, I asked the cocktail waitress for a White Zinfandel and she looked at me like I was crazy. So I asked what kind of wines they had, she said white and red -_- The serves/actors were very kind and accommodating though. I didn't mind that they doubled as both, it's nice that they stay in character!

All in all if you MUST try this once, perhaps the one in Riverside is a better choice. But if you are looking for quality and some decent food, perhaps a show at a local jr. college or university and dinner at your favorite restaurant will be a better option for your time, money and memories.

The Gourmet Detective is where you will find the REAL DEAL murder mystery show. The actors are professionals and if you like it, their improv with you is GREAT!

***They just moved to a new location in OC (they also have a location in Riverside) so make sure you are going to the right place.

There is a lounge bar area for you to relax with a drink if you like before it all starts. You get assigned to a table (all the seats in the house are great because the performers go all around the room.) The three course dinner happens between the three act show. Funny, funny, funny plot where someone dies and it's up to you to figure out who did it. Play along to have the most fun! ...and don't forget to pay attention.

The performers are your servers! After you fall in love with them ...go get your photo with them for memories after the show!
Fun for all! Worth a try!

I just went to this last night and was expecting just an ok show. I was shocked on how good it was! Right when you get there the cast is in character which makes it fun.
The food was great and the show was even better. I highly suggest this show which is right on the beach at the balboa inn. The moment you arrive there is the chef with a french accent to greet you, and while your waiting in line the cast is talking to each other in an old setting which has to do with the play which is great. If your looking for a good play I would go and see this. 5/5 stars!

If your expecting 5 star food, service and a show you should go to The Performing Arts Center or NYC. If your looking for something different from the typical dinner and a movie night out this may fit the bill. Having set our culinary expectations low we choose the vegetarian and chicken entrees over the fish and steak. The chicken parm was a big size and tasty, and the lasagna was good too. The cheese cake was decent. The other people at our table had salmon and that looked like a winner. No idea if steak was good, no one had one at our table. The cast in the show also performs the waiter staff duty and they only have one cocktail waitress for the whole room, so we opted to just go buy a bottle of wine at the bar, and that ensured that we did not get frustrated with empty glasses during the show or getting our first drink. They refilled our water all the time, so chug away and the cast will visit often. Engage the actors and you will have more fun. Ask some questions.

The characters in the show interact with all the guests and make the evening fun, the actors do a good job. But after they reveal the guilty party at the end of the evening, they take a little to much time to recognize all the special celebrations in the room. Do not say it's your ^&*()%$# birthday you do not get anything for free, the desert was included in the price. It just takes forever for all the ^&*() birthday people to be pointed out in the room. Your an adult and can play pin the tail on the donkey when you get home. They just do a group singing of Happy Birthday. How special. Kinda funny watching the dumb look on the people's faces who get nothing for saying it's their birthday, really funny to eavesdrop on the friend encouraging someone at the table next door - it was your birthday last week etc - raise your hand. Don't do it.

Also do not get all caught up in guessing who did it, a dozen of people get it correct and all the correct guessers names get thrown in a box and one person wins a tee shirt -- Yippee! Might be a nice shirt to paint your house in but it's not going to be a treasured item. But fun to see if you figured it out correctly.

Half the fun is watching the other people interact with actors, there is some good people watching to be had. Show was decent, food was decent and its a good time. But set your expectations low this not a Tony Award winning show.