Greystone Grill is a restaurant for date night because it's great if you want to relax.Greystone aims a bit higher than most Columbia restaurants. It's going for a modern steakhouse vibe. Pretty. Classy. Seasonal American meals served with an interesting sauce and precise cooking.
In the end, my review boils down to the piece of tuna in the photo above. I remember that it was excellent. Well-cooked, tasty flavor, and served with early asparagus and a tasty sauce. One of Greystone's twists is that you can order any meat with any vegetable and a sauce on the side. That worked well for us. We built our own meals and appreciated that the sauce was available, but not drenching the plate. But I don't remember if that tuna was mine or my wife's. I don't remember the other plate. As much as I enjoyed Greystone, I didn't come home inspired to write, and a few weeks after the fact, I remember the vibe more than the actual food.
Again, I remember that we had a nice night. Our waiter disappeared at times, which made me think that, where Greystone borrows the menu from more upscale steakhouses, it appears to borrow its waitstaff from some casual chain. But he gave nice suggestions for wine by the glass, and we were soothed by the atmosphere. Romantic if you're there on a date. Quiet if you're there on business. One of my favorite parts of Greystone is that they give you space. Even in the bar, tables are far enough apart that you're more than an arms length away, and the dining room offers some little banquets where you can almost disappear into your conversation.
I also remember that I didn't pay full price. Greystone is a great reason to try the Restaurants.com offer for discounted gift certificates. This week, they have extended a special where you can buy a $25 gift certificate for $2. You need to order $35 in food, but that's a flash at Greystone. We had a $75 bill, and I was very pleased to pay $50.
For more about Greystone, check out BillZ's take on Live in Howard County.
Greystone Grill
8850 Columbia 100 Parkway
Columbia, MD 21045
410-715-4739
NEAR: This is a classic Columbia location -- pressed up against Rte 100 and literally impossible to stumble across. Columbia 100 Parkway is the road running parallel to Rte 100 just south of the highway. You can reach it from Executive Park Drive (an exit from 100) or from Centre Park Drive (the road connecting Rte 108 and Rte 100 where you can also find Bangkok Delight
and Cafe de Paris).
5 comments:
Thanks for your reviews -- love reading them!
We went to Greystone for the first time about a week ago. The food was very good, but a bit pricey for what we got (we'll have to remember to get the Restaurants.com certificates next time!)
Our experience was less-than-romantic, however. We were in a fairly empty restaurant, but were seated next to a large table of girls'-night-out women who were obviously very excited to see each other. No fault of the women, but we were wondering what the restaurant was thinking?
My husband and I were just there last night to celebrate our anniversary. It was my first time there, his second. We shared the seafood appetizer (shrimp, crab and seared tuna) which was amazing; I had the Filet special and my husband had the stuffed pork chops, both with the wedge salad. Our meal was very well prepared, with a few ordering glitches (watered down cocktails, elements missing from my entree, etc). As a result, our server compensated us with a free desert (the berries and cream - perfect for 2).
Like the prior poster, it wasn't the most romantic atmosphere, as the tables surrounding us were occupied by business people talking loudly about business.
We used our restaurant.com gift certificate too ($25 gift certificate for $2.50). Without it, our meal would have been over $100.00. Overall, it was a good dinner, but I'd definitely like to try other places (Iron Bridge & Tersiguels come to mind) before I return to Greystone Grill.
I couldn't resist that restaurant.com deal (thanks for the heads-up!) so my husband and I took advantage of it last night at our first toddler-free dinner in many months. I'm happy to report that we had great service and really enjoyed our time. I had done some pre-visit reconnaissance on the online menu, but it didn't have prices on it. I knew it was going to be pricey, but I have to say I was surprised at how many things were in the $30 range. Would probably not go there without the great discount coupon. That said, we weren't made to feel even the slightest bit less worthy for having the coupon! And at least you get a salad and a side for the entree price.
I am now a HUGE fan of the "Wine Vine" concept that they have. You can select 3 of any of the wines they have listed (which number quite a few!) and get 3 oz pours of each. They come in full-size glasses tucked in this metal twisty-holder-thing that sits on your table. As a red wine drinker who knows very little about wine, it's a great incentive to sample different kinds. We also had the cheese plate which came with 5 kinds of cheese plus fresh fruit and candied cashews.
I took my wife here for lunch, using the restaurant.com coupon to keep it reasonable. The place was nicely decorated and comfortable without being too casual.
I had the hanger steak which had a good flavor and was a bigger cut than I expected. It was a little chewy, but you expect that from hanger steak.
My wife had the bacon wrapped scallops. The lunch size portion was three scallops, but it was enough for her. She was disappointed though that two of the scallops (the smaller ones) were overcooked and tough. The larger one was done perfectly and she really enjoyed it.
Since we were using the restaurant.com $25 coupon, we ordered a dessert and split the chocolate souffle. It was the highlight of the meal. You need to order it with your main course since it takes 20 min to prepare, but it's worth it. I'd go back just for that souffle.
Ruth's Chris prices - Bob Evnas Quality.
Too expensive (Cobb Salad $18) for what you get - Quality is slightly above average. No really outstanding dish's here that give you a reason to want to go back. Instead, I feel like I paid too much and learned a lesson along the way.
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