Be sure to stop by~
DESCRIPTION: Very good all around! Four thumbs up!~
DATE: 2002-02-13
FOODRATING : 8
SERVICERATING : 10
AMBIANCERATING : 6
OVERALLRATING : 8

DESCRIPTION: We brought my husband's mother for dinner last night and we were sorely disappointed. The service was excellent BUT the food was terrible. I ordered a Prime Rib. It was ordered medium rare. I truly believe it was prepared at some point in the microwave...For $30.00 I would have expected it to be grilled or served au jus. It was served with gravy!!!!! Who wants that? It wasn't even mentioned on the menu which only confirms my opinion it was prepared in a microwave, then covered up. My mother-in-law ordered Soft Shell Crabs which she said WEREN'T!!!! They were Paper Shell crabs. My husband had the special Calamari Salad. It was soggy calamari, probably purchased frozen, already breaded and heated in the microwave (again) or so it tasted like so. I have to say for the prices charged, it was embarassing when the bill came and my mother-in-law insisted on paying. I would be embarassed to prepare food and serve what we had last night. I couldn't recommend your establishment to anyone right now. Jimmy Dean's or Denny's would have been better. At least we wouldn't have emptied our wallets for the garbage served us last night. You really should be ashamed. I know you'll read this and shrug your shoulders BUT we will let EVERYONE we know NOT to eat at the Oregon Grille again. Thank yo
DATE: 2003-05-03
FOODRATING : 2
SERVICERATING : 8
AMBIANCERATING : 6
OVERALLRATING : 2

Wonderful Food Excellent Atmosphere
DESCRIPTION: We had an excellent meal with a total of ten guests. The food was excellent in a charming atmosphere, fantastic wine selection and attentive servers. Thank you for a wonderful evening !!!
DATE: 2003-07-19
FOODRATING : 8
SERVICERATING : 10
AMBIANCERATING : 10
OVERALLRATING : 10

A Great Dining Experience
DESCRIPTION: I went to The Oregon Grille with my family and we had a wonderful time. The food was excellent, and the service was wonderful. For an appetizer, I enjoyed the clams casino. They were full of flavor and I really enjoyed them. For an entree, I had the pan fried trout with capers, artichoke hearts, mushrooms and beurre blanc. The fish was cooked perfectly and the vegetables were sauteed to perfection. My overall experience at the grill was spectacular! I would recomend this restaraunt to annyone. Chef Mark Henry and his kitchen crew are amazin
DATE: 2003-11-09
FOODRATING : 10
SERVICERATING : 10
AMBIANCERATING : 8
OVERALLRATING : 10
RECOMMENDED DISHES : Clams Casino, Pan Fried Trout, Double Chocolate Cake

Beyond all Tipping Points
DESCRIPTION: My wife and I had what we expected to be the pleasure of dining at the Oregon Grille on Saturday, Oct.4, 2003, from 8:15-10:30 PM. We left, not utterly discontent, but wondering at how the cumulative effects of lacking attention to detail can erode all positive aspects of the overall dining experience. It is not my habit to complain. So please regard the following as just a few observations I made. 1. Reservation: I made the reservation for the dinner the preceding Monday. I was put on hold for about five minutes. This in itself could serve as a velvet rope and be used in a targeted fashion to enhance the impression of exclusivity. It wasn t. It just sounded disorganized. 2. Parking, Greeting, Reception, and Speed of Seating: Very satisfactory. 3. Music: There was a piano and a bass ensemble consisting of two senior citizens. Being seated right across the aisle to them, the volume was so loud, it conversation across a table for two nearly impossible. 4. After-cocktail wait to place dinner order: too long. Our menus were down for a good ten minutes before the Waiter approached. (A personal note: You know the wait has been too long if my wife is able to decide on an entree before being asked by the waiter ) 5. The Waiter. Oh. my. A case of "I was a brain surgeon back in my country?" While being polite and appearing competent, we noticed he was avoiding eye contact throughout the (rushed) recitation of the specials. No personal opinion as to preferences or recommendations was offered. No attempt at upsale was undertaken. (In fact, he talked us out of getting a second serving of mashed potatoes without redirecting to an alternate dish.) Good for us, bad for the Oregon Grille. 6. Wine: The wine list includes a 1989 Chateau Simmard. The only year available was a 1990. Your waiter broke that news as he brought the vintage 1990 bottle to the table. (He should have approached us without it, expressing his regrets, handing us the wine list again to give us another choice, maybe even alternate wine suggestions.) A classy establishment would have comped the wine in a case like this. Not the Oregon Grille... 7. Food: The food was set up on a serving table in the aisle right behind us and sat there for a good ten minutes, as busboys, waiters and other guests walked past it. I expected having to pick other people's pocket lint off my steak by the time it was served. Our waiter finally appeared from somewhere, hastily serving it with the words Careful, the plate is hot, when it was lukewarm at best. In serving, he pushed a fork off the table. No apology was offered, neither was warming up the broccoli. 8. Food, too: While overall very enjoyable, the medium rare filet mignon my wife had ordered turned out to be rare, whereas my rare pepper steak was medium rare to medium. (My wife does NOT like raw meat her loss was my gain.) When the mix-up was pointed out to the waiter at the end of the meal, he offered a polite sound of surprise, but no apology, and no offer of redress. 9. Desert: Not their strong side. Again, the wait between being handed the desert menus and placing the order exceeded 10 minutes. The cr me brul was like old vanilla pudding, the caramelized top layer like rock candy. (If something ever was brul -ing, it happened a long time before: They should have their chef check with Patisserie Poupon on a better recipe!) 10. The waiter, again: Our impression of your waiter s attention to his guests was of a man making hurried rounds as the cards are being shuffled and dealt for a poker game with the Maitre D and the busboy in the pantry. 11. I wrote a letter to the retaurant's management on Oct. 6, 2003. To date, i.e., 10 months later, I have yet to receive an acknowledgment. Again, my intent is not malicious, and I do not wish to get individuals in trouble. Being in a customer-oriented business myself, however, I am very aware of certain Tipping Points that make or break a business if not attended to in time. Based on our Saturday experience, I would consider the Oregon Grille an establishment that in regard to service and attention to detail is far outranked by the service levels of The Charleston or Ruth s Chris. And in all honesty, we ve had better waiters at Bob Evans or the Macaroni Grill. If you want to impress your date or your guests, the Oregon Grille may not be the plac
DATE: 2004-08-23
FOODRATING : 6
SERVICERATING : 4
AMBIANCERATING : 6
OVERALLRATING : 2

Ambience AWOL
DESCRIPTION: Made a reservation for a very special event and a first time visit to the recommended establishment. We got there on a cool summer evening, a rarity in Maryland. Asked to sit outdoors and got a set of rolling eyes from the bothered Maitre D'??? We were escorted (myself and 2 guests) to our table a total of 2 tables sitting outdoors including ours. Our Maitre D' pointed to the table and walked away. No chair pulled for the lady, no "enjoy your meal" or anything. VERY RUDE! Our waiter appeared shortly thereafter, one of my guests,a smoker, placed his cigarettes on the table with matches (dining symbol for ashtray needed). After smoking his first cigarette after our drink order was taken the guest had to put the cigarette out with his own means then putting into a paper napkin. He had to ask for a ashtray 20 minutes into the visit! SERVICE? Another set of guests appeared, the male wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt? Dress Code (Jacket For Men Very Specific). Was escorted to the table from the same Maitre D', had his female guests chair pulled out and then said "Enjoy your meal." And, an ashtray was rushed to his table just before he lit up his cigarette. SERVICE? Our waiter never looked any of us in the eye and with the foreign dialect made us feel almost nervous that he was almost suspicous in nature. We ordered our food and our dinner was good. Although the full ashtray never dumped from the minute it was finally brought out was pathetic at best in the dining world. SERVICE? The ambiance was further ruined by the permiable smell of the dumpster from the parking lot! One table of 5 guests left due to the horrid smell. The combination of the ashtray and the dumpster was a lovely combination for the outdoor dining ambiance experience. To make the outdoor experience more rich, over half of the outdoor night/landscape lights were out! Making the outdoor dining area a haunting feel with the sound of cars passing by on Shawan. As we ordered our coffee/desserts, it was getting dark. Our waiter rushed by and placed a candle on the couples table receiving all the fine dining experience. We, however, sat in the dark all thru the coffee/dessert and finally after realizing we were not on the candle list, called the waiter in the dark for the check. He brought the check and left in a hurry. Perhaps he had to dump the other tables ashtray, we never knew why he was so rushed with 2 tables!? After trying to read the menu in almost pitch black, we asked for a candle to see the bill. The waiter brought the candle and said "he hated the candles because they were hard to light!" We lit the candle with one match. After getting over the shock in prices and bill, we paid our bill, held our noses and moved to our car in the parking lot. SERVICE? This being mine and my friends first dining experience at Oregon Grill will be a lasting memory in what NOT to do in the restaurant business. The food is only 1/4 of a dining experience. Horrible service and atmosphere are the bigger 3/4 of any establishment. A letter was written to the management about the experience. Hopefully, someone there reads and responds to mails unlike other diners and reviewers experiences listed. Sparks Reside
DATE: 2005-07-29
FOODRATING : 6
SERVICERATING : 2
AMBIANCERATING : 2
OVERALLRATING : 2