110 Grill — Restaurant in Lenox

Are you a Chili's, Applebee's, or 99 Restaurants fan? Well then you will probably enjoy the 110 Grill. It offers that same salt-and-sugar uniform flavoring across all of its dishes that other chains cook up, but with a considerably higher quality of food (and often larger portion sizes). Yes, the prices are higher, but the food really is better IMO -- it just still suffers from the same problems that all of these chains do.

My wife and I have been to the 110 enough times to know what to expect, so it's not a surprise when an entirely different dish has the same flavors and consistency of everything else we've had previously. The meat is usually soggy and squishy, either from overcooking or industrial tenderizers. The onion rings are often bitter, greasy, and limp -- as is most everything else from the fryer. The sauces are uniformly either too sweet or too salty, with very little variation in other flavors. In fact the last time I was there the garlic aioli was too salty to eat...and really didn't have even a hint of garlic.

But the real challenge with the 110 is that they just do nearly everything "over the top." For example, the mac-and-cheese with pulled pork is actually a pretty darn yummy entrée on its own. But at the 110 they will insist on piling a huge portion of those bitter and limp onion rings on top of it, and then drizzle a bunch of BBQ sauce on top of that. But...why? The onion rings and BBQ sauce completely overwhelm the more subtle (and interesting) flavors of the pulled pork and mac-and-cheese. So...apparently the 110 chain believes American diners are more impressed with those enormous piles of overwhelming toppings than the much better meal hiding underneath. It's really too bad.

One last issue I personally have is the lack of fresh or interesting veggie sides. It seems as though only Brussels sprouts and broccoli are regularly available -- which I think may hint at how disinterested this chain is in providing fresh or local options.

Sadly, the service at the 110 is just as spotty as everywhere else in the Berkshires. You might have a really attentive and helpful server, or you might have someone who really doesn't want to work or pay attention to you at all -- and would rather chat with patrons they personally know several tables away while you wait to order, wait to be served, wait to have your water refilled, and then wait (even longer!) for your bill to arrive. That's just the way things are at local restaurants here, alas. :-(

One nice feature this 110 Grill location has in its favor is the huge parking lot out front. You likely won't have to search for parking long even on a busy night. And the interior space is open, clean, and comfortable -- with the added option of outdoor seating when weather permits. Another benefit is the chain's commitment to food sensitivities...they really do try hard to meet folks where they are in terms of dietary restrictions, and deserve plentiful kudos for...

The food and atmosphere was great. Everything took a left turn when the bar patrons were in exchange of conversation about n-word. I was in complete disbelief this was happening with the bartender standing there and not saying a word. When the bill came I asked to speak to the manager. The manager apologized profusely, stated that was not his view of people of color, then stated the bar patrons had just came from a funeral and may have had too much to drink along with emotions. If that is the case why would the restaurant risk liability of the individuals should something occur. Also the manager mentioned one of the bar patrons was a childhood friend and shocked by the behavior? Seriously the behavior didn’t happen overnight. When I was leaving with my father the manager comes over to ask if he could compensate us with deserts or cocktails. We politely said no and left. What fool would accept a cocktail or additional food from an establishment that supports racism, discrimination, disrespect, and acknowledge that his friends were completely out of line but yet they still stayed in 110 Grill. I am utterly disgusted with the display of actions from 110 Grill. If anyone ever asks me about 110 Grill please believe my review will not be favorable. I don’t need to speed $120 on an early dinner to be completely disrespected. I need for your company to understand the power of the minority funds, it’s stronger than most think. I have friends of all shades of color including the Caucasian race. This was a slap in my face that will never...

Flat-Out Disgraceful – Don’t Waste Your Money

Absolutely furious with the experience we had at 110 Grill. We ordered TWO NY strip steaks — both were undercooked and completely flavorless. For $40 a piece, they couldn’t even be bothered to season the meat. Not a grain of salt. Not a hint of effort. Just rubbery, bland beef slapped on a plate like it was an afterthought.

And it gets worse.

My wife ordered a wedge salad. Simple, right? Nope. We literally watched them make it and stick it under the heat lamp for 25 minutes while the rest of the food cooked. A cold salad — sitting under a heat lamp. It was warm, wilted, and they were “out of bacon.” A wedge salad with no bacon? What a joke.

The sides were just as pathetic. The rice tasted microwaved and somehow still managed to be both dry and mushy. The Cuban sandwich? Burnt bread and zero resemblance to an actual Cuban. It was a sad, lazy mess that screamed “we’re closed but here’s your food anyway.”

Yes, it was the end of the night. No, that’s not an excuse. If your kitchen is open, then act like it. Don’t serve overpriced, half-assed garbage to paying customers and expect it to go unnoticed.

I’ve had better food at gas stations — at least they don’t pretend...