The Grill Room @ Perkins Rowe Review

I'm gonna start off by saying that this was one of the best meals I've had in or around Perkins Rowe if not THE best.

The decor: Not fancy, but nice - open space with high ceilings and visible ductwork (I think they were trying to replicate the warehouse look of the one in Chicago maybe) with large drum-shaped light fixtures that gave off a dimmed glow. Long rows of adequate-sized booths with round tables running along the middle. The bar is also very long with plenty of seating and a few high tops running alongside it. There's a small stage area behind the bar that I assume will be used for live music soon. Lots of LCD TVs (about 36"-40" I think) all over the room with ESPN on that weren't too distracting if you wanted a quiet meal alone, but there if you wanna hang and watch a game.

The bar: We got a couple drinks before getting seated - the bartender we had was very cute and cheery and even tossed out and made a different drink after I got the first one I ordered and found I'm not a fan of Acai syrup. I wound up with the Pom Peche - a martini with pomegranate, passion fruit, orange juice, etc that was really well made. Not sure on the pricing - the bf got the bar tab. They have a ton of mixed (some girly-ish) drinks - lemonades (alcoholic and non), margaritas, and martinis to choose from - many of which come with muddled fruit, which I love. The wine list was decent and very reasonably priced except for one pricing misstep that we noticed on a Chardonnay. They have glass pricing on a few bottles of each varietal, but more in the higher quality range wouldn't hurt. They also have beer - not a ton of options (maybe 10?), but adequate enough for most guys to find something I would think.

The food: Once seated, they bring mini sourdough rolls with honey butter that we all liked. Our waitress was very pleasant and and provided really good service. We got the fried blue crab claws with remoulade ($9) for an app - they came out piping hot - about a dozen and HUGE. Very good. There were 3 of us - the bf and I both got the flat iron steak ($22) that came with a side; I got the mashed potatoes and he got the mac n cheese. I also added a chopped salad ($2 with entree) that was big enough to be a meal, lots of fresh corn, avocado, black beans, tomato, etc with iceburg - it was great. It came with blue cheese crumbles and dressing that I 86'd for ranch dressing with no problem. The flat iron steaks were very large and thick(about 8oz) compared to the ones we've gotten from Omaha Steaks and cooked to perfection (we both got medium rare). My mashed potatoes were great and his mac n cheese was a gourmet version with large corkscrew noodles and a smooth cheese sauce that so many restaurants have failed to get that good. Our friend got the fish tacos ($12) that he got fried - you can also get the fish blackened or grilled. It came with 3 tacos with plenty of fish and he got beans and rice as the side. I didn't try any, but he was very pleased. They have about 6 or 7 steak options and a ton of other (very reasonably priced) entrees ranging from grilled fish to seafood pasta and pot roast(if my memory serves me well). Most of the entrees have lunch pricing. We had 2 bottles of wine (don't judge!) with dinner - a Chardonnay to start and with the app and a Cab for the steaks and after dinner drink.

I gotta say, if they keep up the great food and service, this will be a winner for Perkins Rowe. If this doesn't turn out to be the businessmen's lunch spot, there's something wrong with this town.