Damien's On The Lake

Amazing food.
Great service outstanding customer service
Beautiful atmosphere. Great view of the lake just outstanding

When we arrived, we informed the waitress that one of the members of our party has Celiac disease and absolutely cannot have any gluten. The waitress indicated that was "no problem" and that she would just alert the cook, who was also the owner.

The individual with Celiac disease ordered the scallops, and asked the waitress to confirm that it had no gluten-containing ingredients. It is listed on the menu only as being cooked in sesame oil, which is gluten-free. We confirmed with the waitress that it was completely gluten-free at the time of ordering.

When the scallops came, they were covered in teriyaki sauce. We asked the waitress to check with the cook about whether or not it contained soy sauce. She said that she would "try, but the owner is in a bad mood."

The waitress came back out with a huge bucket of soy sauce and noted that, because the bucket didn't say that there was "wheat" in there, it must be gluten free. We indicated that it wasn't safe for the person with the allergy to have soy sauce, and asked for a new dish without the sauce.

The waitress came back and said that the owner is refusing to provide a new dish unless we pay for it and, if we don't agree, we can speak directly to him. We opted for the latter option, and met him in the middle of the dining room floor.

We stormed out of the kitchen, smirking, and aggressively stood inches from our face. We asked why we should have to pay for a second dish when the first one was supposed to be made without gluten. The owner, who identified himself as "Damien," yelled that soy sauce does not contain gluten (which is untrue: https://blog.nimasensor.com/2016/07/05/soy-sauce-gluten-free-nima-cant-detect-gluten-soy-sauce/). The owner asked: "Why should I have to make you another one when this one doesn't have gluten?!"

We noted that, in order to be gluten-free, dishes need to be not only free of the "traditional" wheat-based items like bread and pasta, but also sauces - like soy sauce - which contain gluten. He said that "soy sauce is made from soy beans, not wheat," and reiterated his position regarding our payment for a second dish. We told him that this is a very serious concern, as one wrong move can send this individual directly to the hospital.

We told him that many kitchens are not only much more careful about gluten (particularly when the waitress confirms that dishes are completely gluten-free), but some have a separate preparing station for these items. In response, he belly laughed and said "There's not a kitchen in the world that does that!" At which point we returned to our table. When we got the bill, we were astonished that the scallops were included since they were not touched.

It is bad enough to represent that a dish is gluten-free when it is not, particularly when people are relying upon your representations to avoid severe health consequences. But to demand that a person with Celiac disease pay for a second dish, and then yell at them in the middle of your restaurant when they try to discuss the issue with you, is truly shocking.

Needless to say, we will never be back for fear not only of our health and safety, but also of the owner.

We went on a Tuesday night, which as it turned out, was a two-fer night. You could pick one appetizer to share and two entre items. It was a great idea......gone wrong. Every restaurant is short handed these days, but we waited over an hour for our food to show up after we ordered it. It wasn't exactly worth the wait, to say the least. I ordered the "Crispy Grouper" which had enough breading on it for an entire grouper and less fish than a single Mrs. Pauls fish stick. It was awful. My wife ordered Chicken Marsala which was so bad she couldn't eat it. I certainly will not return.

Their Tuesday specials have been a great reason for us to go and to invite friends.

During the pandemic, they had some issues with staffing that slowed things down some, but the staff that was working was always attentive and did their best. It made the experience pleasant.

4th of July Weekend, reservations for 7 pm, greeted by server immediately, seated, took drink orders and told the kitchen is backed up because they are short staffed in kitchen. Okay we understand because it's busy, I get it. Then I tell server we are ready to order dinner and she couldn't take our order (too busy). It's 8 pm already by the time they were ready to take order. So needless to say, we had to leave. They cannot stay in business if customers are walking out. I will never go back there.

Avoid - avoid - avoid

Who in their right mind makes you pay for an inedible meal??!!!

Ordered scallops my usual way - medium well. They came to table inedible- sent them back. The manager- on order of owner/chef - wrapped them up to go??!! WTF??!!!

Orders back up meal - fine - expected scallops to be taken off Bill.....Nope

Charged us for both meals... Again WTF??!!!

Place is going downhill fast - used to be a regular- NO more.

Decided to go here and celebrate our 6th anniversary with an early dinner. Surprised to be the only ones in here! It was just after 4, but nice because that's when happy hour started :)

I ordered a New York strip which came with a baked potato and I chose a side salad. Steak was cooked perfectly, but I thought $30 was a bit high.
Husband ordered the Heights Filet, which was a chopped steak with mushrooms. It came with a side of fries. He liked it, but it was cooked medium instead of well done. He loved his order of French Onion soup.
A bit of a lake view is nice too.

We went there for our first visit and loved it! The atmosphere was one where we felt we could relax and truly be ourselves in this topsy turvy world. The staff was kind, hardworking, and attentive. Of all the restaurants I have been to this past year and some odd weeks... I can most definitely say this staff was my favorite!!!! The food was delicious and arrived beautifully garnished on our plates. I regret not taking a photo to add here. The Godfather pasta sauce is top notch! Lobster is heavenly! Our family will definitely be coming back!

We have been regulars for the past few years and can't say enough about the yummy crunchy grouper and Tom who is typically our server of excellence. Today they let me down. The bar was slow to check me out for a to go. Waited 5 minutes while they took care of other customers first as they walked up after me, and then Rolled their eyes when I said something. Got the food home and was missing three of the items a big portion of our order. Tried calling for 40 minutes with no answer. Extremely disappointed.

Took my uncle here for his 75 birthday on Friday night. It was very disappointing the food took well over an hour to get. Waitress did not offer any bread or even apologize for the long wait.
When the food came out I got the chicken marsala it was terrible. The chicken tasted bad, and the vegetables were cold. When the waitress came over to ask how the meal was I said it was terrible. She didn't offer to correct the meal. So, my thinking why ask if you aren't willing to correct the meal. I didn't want to make a big deal as we were there to celebrate my uncles day.
My uncle got the Godfather Sauce w/Meatball & Sausage, he asked for an extra sausage. When his dinner came out he was given two sausages and no meatball. When we called the waiter they said they would correct it and when they brought it out we were told that we would have to pay for it. Which was obvious but $4 extra seemed a bit steep for a meatball.
Sadly we really liked this place and frequented on every visit to PA. I don't think we will be eager to return in our next visit.