"I'm surprised that this restaurant has such a high overall rating. We received a gift card for Stalk for Christmas and were excited to try this quaint little restaurant in downtown Dover. Unfortunately, what we were hoping would be a magical night was ultimately below average.The evening started with the polite but unfortunate warning that they were out of steak, the exact main course that I had planned on ordering from the limited menu. Everything we ordered, including hors d'oeuvres, beet salad, main courses and coconut cake were all of average quality and presentation. My wife liked some of the dishes better than I did, but my daughter and I were not impressed.For dessert we had hoped to order a cappuccino, but only French press coffee was available, so we simply ordered the coconut cake. The cake itself was a tad soggy, but the fruit toppings were exquisite, leaving us with an overall pleasant experience.Unfortunately, we had calculated to more or less use our generous gift card to pay for the meal and most of the tip, only to learn at time of payment that we were not allowed to put any tip on the gift card. As we didn't want to return and hadn't spent all of the gift card, this was an unfortunate circumstance, which left us with a negative parting experience.It appears that Stalk is trying to be a casual chic restaurant, but they need to raise their game if that is their goal. First, improve the flavor and presentation of the food to make it worth the upmarket prices. Second, do a little work on the menus to make them clearer and better align items for clarity and elegance (right-tabs and appropriate proximity to indicate relationships are your friends). Third, the decor could use some work the multiple framed documents with tiny print are a bit confusing and awkward to read without disturbing other customers. Fourth, and most importantly, don't be petty during the final interaction of the evening with unfortunate surprises at time of payment. If you want people to return, make their final memory a pleasant one."
