Grill 233

Hello everybody!  Well, once again Kate and I ventured out in search of something new and I'd been hearing a lot of commercials for this restaurant.  So off to Yarmouth we went!

I was quite honestly very desirous of a good steak and had been told that I probably wouldn't be disappointed here.  Some of you may know that Kate is a designer by profession, so when we go out we not only wind up dissecting the meals and service, but frequently the conversation delves into the atmosphere and decor as well.  So with no further ado, I'm handing the mic over to Kate!

What I first noticed when we entered the restaurant, was the bar to the left. The area for people to sit or stand was narrow, sandwiched between the bar and the wall of windows, which made it feel very cozy. It looked cool and fun, and I thought it might be nice to return to it some other night. As soon as we turned to our right, following the hostess to our table, the atmosphere was quite a contrast. It felt a bit dated and rather ordinary.

We were seated near one of the service stations in the back of the dining room which also placed us next to a blocked off door to the kitchen, a door that was obviously not in use anymore. My view was a stack of booster seats and ketchup bottles. This isn’t exactly the most appealing scenery when eating. The dining room was too dark for me personally, which made it feel a little dreary. Dim lights can be done warmly if they cast the right light. It was somewhere between Bonanza, Friendly's and ANYWHERE USA. This didn't bother me because it is what it is. Not every place has to be hip and trendy. However, some things are so easy to fix and can advance any place 2 notches with a little effort.

Another thing that could be improved upon (in my opinion) is the cleanliness. My wine glass had spots on it for instance, the silverware had fingerprints, and the rest room was not terribly clean or tidy. (Joe mentioned that the men's room was out of soap). 

The very sweet server was an absolute delight. However, she carried too many things at once, leaving her armpit the only option for transporting our bottle of wine to us. There too, is another area for improvement. These are all extremely easy fixes to make. Given the quality of the food and the meal we experienced it would have made this an even better overall experience.

A little polish on the silver and a little more for the servers, and the atmosphere would have better matched the nice meal we had.

And now, back to Joe...

To begin I ordered a bottle of Spanish Red wine as I knew I was going to have a juicy steak for my main course.  I chose the 2008 Monte Vicor Garnacha (Granache).  For those of you who haven't figured out yet that the Spanish reds are quite the exceptional values yet I say: what are you waiting for? TRY THEM!!  Kudos to Grill 233 for having the insight to include them on their wine list.

I ordered a bowl of the Clam Chowder and Kate ordered a Caesar Salad for our first course.  We shared both.  The Chowder was terrific.  The use of red bliss potatoes was unique for a clam chowder and I liked the presentation.  Kate's Caesar salad was a little bit under dressed.  It is easy to overdo a Caesar dressing, leaving one's palate pining for water or more croutons, but to have a salad not have enough of that wonderful flavor is equally disappointing.  I was impressed that Kate's salad plate had been chilled in advance, a trick I learned way back when I first started working at the Lancaster Country Club in the early 90's.  (I wish my chowder bowl had been given the same courtesy of being pre-heated prior to the chowder being put into it.)

We both ordered the 12 oz grilled Rib eye medium rare.  They both came out perfectly cooked and exactly as we ordered them (Kate opted to have the sun dried tomato garlic butter on the side of her steak).  I must say for the record: Well Done Chef!  I have commented often about how so many restaurants and chefs let the seasoning do the talking for them as opposed to cooking and seasoning something perfectly, the way it should be done.  To create a signature is one thing, but to create an exceptional experience consistently is another.

Before I forget to mention it, I was pleasantly surprised by the presentation and preparation of the olive oil that accompanied the fresh bread.  It was not your typical good oil served with fresh cracked pepper, but rather with herbs and spices that really took this common offering to a whole new level.

We were truly satiated by the end of the meal and opted out of desert on this visit.  I did overhear the presentation of offerings at another table near to us though and was impressed with the selection.

I give Grill 233 and it's staff a solid 3 stars on this visit.