The Grind: First Visit
I dropped into The Grind on the way home from the gym tonight (Monday), about 8 pm, wanting a good protein hit. I ordered the peppercorn crust number and an Anchor Steam. Service was prompt and courteous; the place was almost empty. While I was there another couple same in, a solo guy, and as I was leaving another couple was walking in. Staff mentioned it was their slowest night so far, which I believe. Bill was $15.25, $19 after tip.
The beef was excellent, ordered medium and not overcooked. The bun was good too, soft but substantial enough. It took a while to find the "charred onions," but they were a plus The recipe -- the matchstick frites don't work that well, don't add much ... watercress? Why? Very little of it ... My main concern was the presence of some white sauce that was not mentioned on the menu. I asked about it and was told it was some kind of peppercorn demi-glace ... there wasn't much peppercorn essence on this hamburgerat all and I am one cat who does not dig mayo or anything like it on my food and would like to know it's there before I order it. Bummer.
This place has potential but needs a wake-up call. The burgers seem to be pretty good but the recipes? Okay - I'm not the target demographic but I'm well-paid and I drive by this place 5-10 times a week. There are plenty of tasty burgers along the corridor. Chef should know that marketing is about what tastes good to his customers, not what might taste good to him, verdad? The three recipes on the menu have not been lighting up the market. I'm gonna try the chicken number next time, see if it's good. They had a couple of items on the board: a $28 steak and a $12 salmon sandwich (Atlantic, probably farmed) and since I love fish I would have ordered it but I was there for a burger.
Another little thing -- the bar stools are backless and therefore not very comfortable, which is fine if you want to turn them quickly. From what I saw tonight they may want to encourage their clientele to hang around a little longer, make them happy, spend some money.
I'll give it another shot sometime but there is plenty of competition nearby I intend to investigate.
