Emma's And Lounge Statesboro, Georgia

I am conservative with my stars but Emma's gets 4 from me because this is about the best dining Statesboro has to offer besides the private Country Club. The owner and chef is very good and the staff always tries very hard to please. The tuna tartare is always excellent and I get it every time. The duck is always fantastic and so is the shrimp and grits.

We chose Emma's because we saw their menu online and it seemed extremely appealing. We had heard great things about their bread as well. When we arrived, we ordered and found out that the menu is not what is advertised on line and only has 1/3 of the items. Not to mention, there is no longer bread to hold a starving family paying roughly $30 per person. The food took 30 mins to get to us. We haven't been this disappointed in a long time! No wonder the restaurant was completely empty with the exception of us.

Emma's is hidden in the Holiday Inn, but don't be fooled by its location. It is a great place for dinner. I would recommend the tuna tartare for an appetizer. I've had it all three times I've gone to Emma's and it was spot on every time. It is paired with thick wonton chips and plated with artistic dashes of wasabi and srirachi sauces to give it that extra kick. I also had the grilled flank steak on my last trip, which was cooked perfectly and came on a bed of grilled corn. So good! The service is not always stellar; at times our group had to entertain ourselves or go thirsty waiting for a refill. My first trip, however, the service was excellent. I think it depends on the server and his/her level of experience. I've had okay/so-so service 2 out of 3 trips.

Emma's used to be a great restraunt, then before The big C it started closing more. Today went in and women at the check in desk said now only open for breakfast. Would give a 5 on previous sittings, but been awhile since I've eaten there...couple years.

Not open for dinner after we drove 30 minutes. Hotel staff seemed oblivious that we were standing there in shock. It looks like nothing more than your typical Holiday Inn restaurant open to the lobby. They had some signs up about limited breakfast service.