MiLL CiTY GRiLL — Restaurant in Longview

We really wanted to love this place. It has great potential.

The 1st time we were there, we thought maybe our server was missing our table and forgetting to check on us because of our table's location (up against the pillar in the bar). So we tried a different table in a more visible location the 2nd time we went (Sunday evening, December 19th). Still, it took 15 minutes before our server 1st approached our table even though there were only 2 other tables in the bar, no one sitting in the stools at the bar, and only a few tables on the lower level of the restaurant. It took another 15 minutes or so to get our drinks, and another hour to get our food.

The server's disposition was somewhere in between apathetic and rude. When the server 1st approached our table, my husband asked for a beer and a mixed drink. She rudely said he could only have one. Well that's fine, if that's your rule, but there's no reason for the attitude. She didn't check on us after our food was delivered...until it was time for us to pay. That's when she asked how our food was. Why ask us AFTER we've eaten it? If she cared, she would have asked a few minutes after it was delivered to ensure it had come out of the kitchen correctly and to see if we needed anything else (like condiments). My husband told her there were only a few pieces of meat in my stroganoff, to which she shrugged her shoulders and apathethically replied, "I don't know how they do it. That's not my area." Wow...just wow... My husband raised his eyebrows, looked at me and said, "I hope you're okay with me not leaving a tip." I was a server for 15 years. He knows I leave a generous tip unless the service is really bad AND the server is rude. In this case, I agreed not to leave a tip. Her behavior was unacceptable.

The food was okay, but not worth the price. I think they have great potential, though, in this area. The 1st time we were there I had a Philly steak-like sandwich, which had an excellent flavor but was way too salty (and I love salt, so that's saying something). If it hadn't been so salty, it would have been delicious. Last Sunday I ordered the Stroganoff. Stroganoff is SUPPOSED TO BE sautéed garlic, onion, and mushrooms, thin pieces of floured sautéed steak, in a tomato, beef broth, and sour cream sauce with egg noodles. What they served me was an alfredo sauce with mushrooms and a dollop of sour cream on top, with about 2.5 ounces of tough, unfloured steak and an overabundance of some sort of pasta (not egg noodles). There weren't any onions, garlic, tomato, or beef broth in the sauce. It was cream-colored, not brown like it should have been. I guess maybe I was expecting them to know how to make traditional Stroganoff. That's on me. But 2.5 ounces of meat isn't worth $20. There should have been at least 5 ounces in a meal for $20. If they want a great traditional Stroganoff recipe worth the price they're charging, I'd be more than happy to give them mine. My husband says the only reason he takes me out to eat is to give me a break from cooking. I'm more than willing to give up my recipes to ensure I get to go out more...

Sunday evening, seemingly had 2 servers. 3 large tables (all of which arrived well after we had ordered) and a few other regular tables. We were sat, given water, and menus. We ordered and were eventually brought our food by the food runner (super nice kid). The burger is I think a 1/3 patty, and a pretty large bun. The BBQ bacon burger comes with bacon, BBQ, and onion straws. The only flavor on the burger was the BBQ sauce. The table spoon of onion straws didn't add much of anything to a large burger. There was half of a leaf of lettuce and one slice of tomato (with the entire center being white and green from the stem/core) about the size of a roma tomato on the plate for toppings- so 2 bites of the burger got tomato. The little ranch cup isn't enough for the serving of fries or tots. The turkey marionberry sandwich... skip the sandwiches and go to Cow Deli. The bread was dried out as if it sat on the counter all day. About a tablespoon of marionberry jam does not help with the dry dry bread. Cajun tots- great!! All of this and we NEVER saw our server again after we ordered. She would walk by, but ignore any attempt at getting her attention. Food would have been mediocre if we could have asked for more tomato, more ranch, and a beverage refill. After waiting well after we had finished our meal, I finally had to go to the counter to ASK for a box and our ticket. I waited at least 5 minutes at the counter watching both servers walk by more than twice. The dishwasher was audibly and visibly irritated when I asked him if he could please get someone to help me. Our server never did come back to our table after taking our order. What kind of tip did she think she earned?? Tipping culture is out of control as it is and then the tip isn't even earned anymore? Eat at home. Better service. Better food....

The Mill City Mac & Cheese AIN'T IT. I took my teen for a special lunch out since we were in town, and we left disappointed and poorer for the experience. She was too embarrassed to allow me to try to send it back, but the mac & cheese--which bafflingly was the most expensive item we ordered by far--was just awful. She told me, "It just tastes like...milk." "Just sort of wet and no flavor at all." "And WHY the chips??" I tasted a couple of bites and she was very right. She has a hard time advocating for herself and felt terrible since it cost a whopping $21 for the plate. We boxed up the entire mess and took it home, hoping that her younger sister could "zhuzh it up" a bit since mac is her specialty. Sadly, there was no saving it. And the crushed chips on top just don't belong at all. The whole pile went into the garbage can, and wasting pricey food is just not our style.

I left three stars instead of one star for two reasons:

1. My Steak Dip sandwich and sweet potato fries were decent. Nothing especially remarkable, but fine enough fare. It was a paltry portion of meat (some bites of the sandwich were just bread) but the grilled mushrooms and onions made it at least taste good;
2. Our waitress (I'm sorry I don't remember her name) was lovely and provided good service. It was "seat yourself" and took no time at all for us to be seen once we found a table. It was only toward the end of the meal when I mentioned that my daughter didn't like her meal at all, and she DID offer to take it back, but by then we were ready to just leave and take the L. She brought us the requested to-go boxes and we paid and left.

I've eaten here several times over the years and never left disappointed before, and was aware of their "famous" mac & cheese, so I guess I expected better. (Expensive)...