Four First Impressions of Del Frisco’s Grille
Y&H stopped by the newly opened Del Frisco's Grille this week to see what's up with that "Honey Badger" drink—and to find out whether those cheesesteak egg rolls are worth $11. Our initial thoughts:
1. The mini ketchup squeeze bottles are kind of genius. The well-beyond-done patties on the $15 Grille Prime Cheeseburger? Not so much.
2. The "Honey Badger" shot ($7) is so popular that when I went around 7 p.m. on a weekday evening, it was sold out. The drink, named after this viral video, consists of Tuaca vanilla citrus liqueur, sweet and sour, and pineapple juice. It's served on tap, which seems to be the cool thing to do.
3. The cheesesteak egg rolls are as greasy as they sound. But then again, have you ever had an egg roll or cheesesteak that wasn't greasy? We wouldn't turn them down after one too many beers on a late night. But served on a fancy white plate with long sprigs of green onion as garnish? It's like 7-Up in a Champagne flute. Aside from the fact that the egg rolls contain beef and cheese, the dish doesn't really evoke cheesesteaks. And as far as egg rolls go, the wrapper was too thick and bread-y. Fusion fail.
4. The place is staffed out the wazoo. When we entered the restaurant, there were six—six!—hostesses at the hostess stand. When my dining companion accidentally knocked over a drink, four staff members immediately swooped in. And at one point, a server carrying a tray of food couldn't get to her table because there were three other servers standing around blocking her way.
Photos by Jessica Sidman
4:29 pm
"But then again, have you ever had an egg roll or cheesesteak that wasn't greasy?"
Actually, yes, often. That's how you can tell it's a egg roll that's been fried correctly.
10:38 pm
Alright, now that you've had the $12 cheesesteak eggroll, you have to go to any of the 30 carryouts on Georgia Ave and try the one that costs $1.25 for a comparison.
Inquiring minds want to know!
4:19 am
I remember the cheesesteak eggrolls that J.Paul's in Georgetown used to have. They stoppped making them a few years ago. I'm not sure why, they were money.
1:31 pm
you should try the dc rolls at town hall in glover park - they're pretty addictive, and definitely not good for you
9:39 am
This place doesn't fit a niche in its location. It's got that too-many-calories thing going on without being fancy enough to get away with it, so it ends up feeling like a better-decorated TGIFriday's. It reminds me of Aria.
I'd bet money it's going to shut down in less than 2 years.
9:39 am
And look at the lettuce on that $14 burger. Gross.