Neutral Ground Bar + Kitchen — Restaurant in McLean

My GF recommended we meet for dinner here because she and her husband had a fabulous experience. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to her expectations and it was my first time, and I wasn't that impressed. This was a Wednesday night, and it wasn't very busy. I am not familiar with having 3 different servers, and they all not really knowing what the other did. #1 asked what we wanted to order; #2 took our order because we weren't ready when #1 asked; #1 came back and asked if we were ready & we told them #2 took the order. #2 asked if we wanted complimentary bread, we said sure. It never came. #2 came by another time & filled glasses. #3 asked us if we had ordered & we said yes. #3 seemed to be the main server however, on the bill, it was #1's name. It was herky -jerky, not something either of us were expecting. Food - was umimpressive. She had the ricotta with honey, I had the pimneto cheese. Pimento cheese was okay, the ricotta w/honey, runny. Bread was good, but the rest of dish did not come together. It was flat. Next, the cabbage salad with cucumbers & green goddess dressing. Again, no flavor except for the bite from the dressing, which I guessed was jalapeno but it was serrano chili. They took it off the bill. Also had the endive salad with candied pecans and apple. It was plated like runny coleslaw with thin slices of green apple on top & carefully placed pecans. Forget the texture, it was as my friend said, 'off.' Lastly, the candied carrots (great!), and the prawns with tomato head sauce. I was warned if I thought the cabbage salad was hot, watch out for the tomato head sauce, it was really spicy! No, it was not at all. It had a bit of smoky flavor, and again, lacked something. The polenta was nice, and the prawns were nicely cooked too (not shelled BTW). We think what was missing was salt. I ate the leftover prawns the next day and added salt, much much better. Atmosphere is beautfiul. Staff is pleasant. It is clean. Parking is ample. Cozy, comfortable, casual, and not overly priced. This might have been an off day as my GF said she really liked it the last time she visited. I didn't give it a lower score because overall, the staff and atmosphere were nice, and I had a great time visiting with a friend who I hadn't seen in months. It won't be a place though I would go again, or...

Returned to this great restaurant last night with my family to celebrate my husband's birthday. From beginning to end, it was a wonderful experience. Cocktails were excellent and the meals were consistently delicious and well-prepared. Overall atmosphere is warm and inviting - upscale but welcoming. Excellent service added to the enjoyment. Clearly the owners care a great deal about their patrons satisfaction.

Highly recommend all the dishes we had - Fall Roasted Beets, Brussel sprouts in Gochugang sauce and Charred Cabbage "Chopped Salad" were great starters, The Fish was delicious and perfectly prepared and seasoned in a luxe butter sauce. The Bird was skillfully fried and well-balanced with watercress rounding out the dish. And my husband's choice- The Burger was high quality beef and outstanding fries. The Creme Caramel for dessert was silky and flavorful with its apple cranberry compote on the side that didn't overpower the deftly prepared custard. Portions are generous with enough left to bring home for another meal.

Just left this new restaurant after an outstanding meal tonight. We are long time Bayou Bakery (Arlington) regulars so we were excited when we learned Chef Guas was opening a full service restaurant. It was a great experience from start to finish. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming and the decor, quite inviting. Clearly a lot of care went into this place and it showed not only in the food but also in the design of the restaurant.

We started with a special - burrata with peaches and heirloom tomatoes - so creamy and a delicious blend of flavors. I had the branzino - perfectly prepared and full of flavor. My husband had the burger and fries which he said were great - high quality beef with perfectly cooked fries. The cauliflower steak side was a nice addition and rounded out our meals. We ended with a blueberry black pepper pavlova - very light and filled with flavor. Our server was great - all her recommendations were spot on and she made sure we had everything we needed. I could tell she was very experienced because she had just the right blend of attentiveness and skill in doing so while giving us time to thoroughly enjoy our meal. So many other delicious items to try - hard to chose. We will...

On the whole, a very positive experience and looking forward to seeing this place mature a bit. The space is cheerfully decorated and gives off a "nice but not stuffy" vibe. The chairs were pleasantly comfortable.

Appetizers were just so-so. The white fish and pimento cheese spreads were just that. Spread and toasted baguette pieces with the first and spread and crackers with the second. Might be more interesting if there were a platter of smaller portions of multiple spreads and maybe some cut up veggies. Our third app, the radish salad, was very pleasant.

Entrees were a big hit. The pork chop, which two of us had, was cooked perfectly and one of the most juicy and flavorful I've every tasted. The quail, which I sampled, had a delicious spicy-sweet sauce and was surprisingly meaty for such a small bird. The person who ordered the burger seemed happy. Shoestring onion rings for the table were also big hit, crunchy with a nice ranch dipping sauce.

Service was solid, except for a quirk at the end of the meal. Apparently our original server clocked out and went home but didn't come by the table to mention that he would be leaving and turning us over to someone else. This was pretty much near the end of our meal, and the person who took over carried on seamlessly, but we just thought it was odd to be abandoned without a "good night". Easily fixed with some additional training.

The big negative, as others have said is the noise. It is very loud. Server #2 said they are aware of the issue and exploring ways to deal with it. The problem is that loud restaurants cause people to speak loudly, which cause the overall sound level to go up, which cause people to speak even more loudly in a never ending crescendo of noise. Server #2 recommended coming in at 4:00 when the place is not crowded and hence quieter, but as I am not 90 years old and do not live in Florida, that is not when I want to...