Food:
04/23/2008 12:58 pm
My dining background. My wife and I usually go out to dinner at least once a week. Usually we go to chain restaurants like Macaroni Grill, Outback, or any of the Great American Restaurants like Sweet Water Tavern and Arties. At least once a year we try to go to a very nice restaurant. We have been to several of the top ten restaurants in the area.
A little research. I was looking for a nice place to take my wife that we haven’t been to before. I think I found the Chesapeake Grill in a book at the bookstore that listed romantic restaurants in the area. I checked it out on the web. The pictures of the place looked nice, the food sounded up scale, and I thought the view would be a nice touch. I wasn’t able to find any reviews of the place.
The place. We went there on a Saturday at 5:30 PM, which is when it opens. If you use the hotel’s valet parking, the restaurant will validate your parking. While we made reservations, since there was only one table occupied, it didn’t seem like it was necessary for that time of day. The décor was plane. It was basically a room with tables. Nothing really stood out as interesting. The view was all right. You’re not close enough to DC to see the monuments. You can see the Potomac River and part of National Airport. I imagine the view of the airport use to be better before the building across the street went up.
The receptionist. The receptionist, while nice, appeared to be extremely board. I thought it was strange that she was already board when the place just opened. She gave us a window table. When she was done sitting us she went back to her station to stand in a position of boredom.
The waiter. The waiter was nice enough. He fumbled the part about telling us the specials a little, but other than that he did a good job. He was attentive and prompt. He kept the drinks full, brought us our food in a timely manner, made sure everything was all right, kept the table clean, and brought us our check in a timely manner. I don’t think you can ask anything more of a waiter. But for some reason, while he was a nice enough guy, it seamed that he was just as board as the receptionist.
Now for food. The complimentary slices of cheese bread were good. The salads we had were nothing special. They weren’t bad, but the were kind of blah. Neither one of us finished our salads. My wife had the Cornish Game Hen. I forget the name of what I had, but it was like a tomato soup full of vegetables and various types of seafood – like clams, shrimp, scallops, and half a lobster tail. Again, they weren’t bad, but they were kind of blah. Neither one of us finished our main meals either. My wife and I are people who love deserts. Considering the food we received so far, we skipped desert at the restaurant and picked up some Ben and Jerry’s ice cream on the way home.
Leaving time. It was a little bit after 7:00 PM when we left. Most places would be packed by 7:00 PM on a Saturday night. Of the fifteen to twenty tables, there were only three occupied – including ours. There would have been four, but the couple that was there before us had already left. As we left, the receptionist was still standing at her station, waiting for something to do. She gave us a quick smile and said, “Have a nice night.” before going back to her position of boredom.
In conclusion. So, in conclusion, the staff did a good job, even though they were board. The view was nice, but the restaurant decor was plain and boring. The food was plain and boring. The price for two salads, two main courses, one drink, and one bottle water came to roughly $110 dollars. The place didn’t justify the price. With so many good places to eat in Northern Virginia, both my wife and I discussed on the way home how we just couldn’t see going back. While the staff did a fine job, and the view was all right, the food and the atmosphere brought my rating of the place down to below average.
