Velvet Grill & Creamery — Restaurant in Modesto

So I finally made my way to the Velvet Grill and Creamery from seeing the Billboard many times this past year 2018-2019 traveling to work sites up anywhere in Northern and Central California up and down the Hwy99 corridor. The billboard itself looks inviting. I wish I could take a picture of it driving but my commitment to Safe Driving is above all else. So without further ado. Here is the review.

First, their food selection was vast ranging from Breakfast Menu (served All Day), their Lunch and Dinner Menus too. They might be the only All Day restaurant Creamery that I can remember in my travels. So I have pictured in my review, the Crispy Fish Tacos w/ side of French Fries. The other side option was Cole Slaw or for an upcharge, Side Salad. Let us start off with the main catch. First the Crispy Fish Fillet was indeed crispy in the batter-that-matters was on point doing it's job at holding that fish together. Secondly, the Fish Fillet pieces was properly fried cook to perfection. Next, the toppings of their Cabage and Salsa Fresca (mildly pickled) I will add gave the tacos a little zest while the purple cabage gave a little more texture fighting over the salsa of who reigns Supreme. Finally, the Double Corn Tortillas binding the taste of flavor all together without breaking down or being a sad case for a tortilla, it was in fact fantastic they did it's job.

The fries tasted like fries and nothing too special to round out the lunch meal. So far, so good. Also just as good as the Fish Tacos were, was the staff and the waitress that took my order, clued me in on the Velvet's most popular, their Burgers If next time, will be Chili Beans, because is also a basis of great food is by that dish or perhaps a Burger and Chili Beans. Especially if I have a craving.

I have had many creamery type places all around California (Northern, Central and Southern). It goes without saying that Velvet is a very good Competitor among them. To name some that I remember, first around the area where I reside in the Sacramento surrounding area: What used to exist for a few years, Ferrell's Ice Cream Parlor (some existing locations in San Diego County and L.A County) which served food and Ice Cream dishes. Next in the Sacramento area, Gunthers. Also Leatherbys with a few locations in the Sacramento area too. Then there is Fenton's Ice Cream off I-80 in Vacaville and thr Creamery in Stockton, CA on the I-5 side. So Velvet, I believe they are in great competition with the aforementioned Ice Creamery places that I have experienced.

I will naturally give Velvet an official 5-Stars rating, not only for the great tasting food and ice cream sample that i had, in addition to the fact that they do honor Military and Veterans with a discount. Thank you Vevet in Modesto. I will be back again and perhaps at other locations up...

Food is always good here. The service at the dale location was bad. I mean really bad. It took the waitress 26 minutes to get me a drink. She sat us down, came back 5 minutes later and then asked my partner for her drink of choice, a Dr. pepper. The waitress proceeds to ignore my presence and awkwardly walks away to fulfill her drink order.

A few minutes later she brings the singular drink back and again ignores my presence. I expected the waitress to correct her mistake but she did not. I should have spoken up in the moment but shame on me for expecting basic service etiquette.

My partner and I take a few minutes to figure out our order and place it the next time she circles back around. My girlfriend speaks up and asks the waitress to grab me a sprite while placing our orders and she left.

5 minutes later she comes back and asks my girlfriend to repeat her order. Still no drink.

10 minutes later we get our food and the food is great as always at velvet grill. I still didn’t have my drink though. I finally just spoke up for myself and asked the waitress to go grab me my sprite. She brought it right away. The rest of the night went smooth but I forgot to mention there was maybe 4 tables with people. It was not busy by any means.

The best part was when two guys walked in 15 minutes after we sat down and got both of their drinks right away. If you’re looking for quality service don’t come to the dale location. The McHenry location is...

GONE DOWNHILL, BIGTIME!

What has happened to The Velvet Creamery on DALE Road? It has consistently went downhill for the last five years. I have (had) been constantly patronizing this restaurant for 22 years, except since 2013 I have slowly become disenchanted. They "remodeled" to a less desirable decor. They removed the carpet to expose a "cold" dull looking cracked cement floor. They now have an exposed dishwashing area towards the rear of the restaurant. If you sit in the back 1/3 area then you get to see and hear the dishwasher/stacker rattle dishes throughout your meal. Forget about being able to speak in a normal voice. The enjoyable ambiance that was once enjoyed by a crowd of patrons is no more. On top of all that, their food prices have escalated while the entire portions have gotten smaller. Their "crab seafood" is unseasoned and appears to be fresh out of a frozen bag! I felt this way 3 months ago but I decided to bring my family back for 1 last chance. No positive changes. I'm afraid I will no longer be a customer at my once FAVORITE restaurant. It's sad. PS. Be aware of their special drinks on chalkboard. My daughter got a Mimosa that was in a miniaturized champagne type glass (about 4 ounces). Mostly orange juice, and unable to taste any alcohol. PRICE $8.00!

On top of all that they never even offered a senior citizen discount. Unfortunately, I look the age...