As I
posted about on January 6th, our newest Restaurant Row (70th Road) restaurant,
The Grill, finally realized it was opening in Forest Hills and not the Upper East Side, and adjusted the prices of its menu accordingly. Adjusted them so much, in fact, that I—a Forest Hills resident—was actually able to afford eating there! Imagine that!
So, what's the verdict? I'll cut right to the chase given the fact that many of you may have just struggled with this morning's water main break. Hey, this is a very "mass transportation rider-friendly" blog, as many of you know! I give our newest restaurant a grade of A-.
Positives:
The food: I went for dinner and had as an Appetizer the Mediterranean Spreads. These were fine. Nothing very memorable. I'd rate this dish a B. This was followed by us ordering two kebab plates, chicken and shrimp. The chicken kebab ($19) was wonderful. Perfectly seasoned, large, juicy chunks of chicken served with mediterranean rice flavored with cilantro, scallion and spices. The shrimp kebab ($21) was not quite as good, but still good. I found that it was unevenly seasoned with one side of the kebab quite nice, the other a little bland. Ratings: Chicken Kebab A+, the best chicken kebab I have had in Forest Hills as of late. Shrimp Kebab A-, only because it did not seem to be evenly seasoned, or if I'm wrong in this regard, it could use a little more seasoning overall.
Decor: Modern, relaxed, upscale. This is a nice place to take a date you want to impress, or just to have a romantic night out. The lights are kept dim. For lunch, it's probably much brighter. They also said they will soon be having brunch.
Prices: Just about right now. They lowered them since they opened. They also have a very affordable lunch menu with great deals. (See my
January 6th Post).
Service: Very pleasant and friendly. The food came out nice and quick, in about the average time you'd expect.
Negatives:
Stinginess: They charged me $2 after asking if I wanted more bread for the Mediterranean Spreads appetizer. If it'll cost me a little extra, at least let me know before asking me if I want more since actually charging $2 for more bread is so very, very bizarre in the first place. We were saying we may have been able to ask them for more of the free bread they served when we first sat down since it seemed to be the same anyway, and saved ourselves $2. Hey, $2 isn't much, but it's the thought of it that just isn't great for a restaurant looking to win loyal customers.
Overall Verdict:
We'll be going back for sure the next time we're in the mood for some chicken, shrimp, or other kebabs (they have a variety of others on the menu as well). Like I said, the chicken kebab was hands down the best I've had in the central part of Forest Hills as of late. In fact, that chicken kebab was so delicious, it made me want to return to The Grill very soon.
