Redstone American Grill — Restaurant in Oxon Hill

UPDATE: 2 Stars now! We attempted to return to Redstone Grill on Saturday, 12/10/22 with a party of 4 (2 adults and 2 children). We arrived at 1105 and when being taken to our seats we asked for a booth. We were told that we could not have a booth because that was for parties 6 or more. Despite the fact that we saw several parties of 2, 3 and 4 seated at booths and the restaurant was not full as it had just opened. When we questioned this ‘policy’ we were repeatedly told that this was a managerial policy and those customers seated at booths must have been seated by a manager. This, of course, makes no sense. Why would a manager seat less than a party of 6 at a booth yet have a policy that parties under 6 people cannot be seated at a booth? The situation we endured below in the original review was when I was seated at a booth and it was 2 of us. We informed the host seating us that it was a ridiculous and not clearly followed policy so we would leave. He said “OK” and we left. No attempt was made to contact a manager, since it was their policy to make and break according to the employee. We were just dismissed. I cannot express my level of disappointment and frustration at the continued poor experiences at RS. I sent this information to management inJan 2023 and 10 months later NOT ONE RESPONSE!

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

Our visit to RedStone was overall .. not very enjoyable. Our waiter was nice however several things went wrong. First, our appetizer (spinach artichoke dip) arrived quickly but the bread was over salted. We asked for new bread, with no salt and it took over 10 minutes for it to arrive. They brought us a new order of dip which was nice but we only needed new bread. We ordered cocktails andd when I asked if they could swap rum for vodka I was told they could but I would be charged for the rum (I wasn't asking for extra liquor just an exchange). I decided against the swap and ordered the Tito's Lemonade which was flavorless. It had no fruit flavor and tasted like lightly flavored water. I asked for extra simple syrup which didn't help. I asked for strawberry puree to add flavor which made it better but I should not have to mix my own drink for $14. There was also a large party celebrating that made a lot of noise as they loudly cheered and clapped and no-one advised them to keep the noise down. We also were privy to a manager holding a conversation with a patron at our booth (their backs were towards us however we did not care for having people's backsides facing our food as we ate). Towards the end, we began to feel rushed as our server came back several times about the check. We said "Wow we feel like we're being rushed" and we were told "yeah they want us to clear the tables for new reservations. Did you make a reservation or just walk in"? We didd reserve the table but do not know what difference that made in rushing us when at least 2-3 tables around us were empty. Sadly, the food was just okay as well. Overall this was a very expensive $100+...

Down in National Harbor, there are several restaurants located on the water with available outdoor seating.  However, I wouldn’t recommend sitting outside at dinnertime, as the sun will beat directly on you. We decided to walk in without a reservation, and to our surprise, we were seated almost immediately despite the restaurant being very busy.

Inside, we noticed the workers fanning themselves and didn't realize at the time there was no air conditioning. It was quite warm, and we would have appreciated being informed about the lack of air conditioning beforehand. This might have influenced our decision since we were seeking a more upscale dining experience, and the prices reflected that.

The service was slow, which could be expected given how busy it was. However, there’s a difference between being busy and hustling and being busy and chatting with other servers. Unfortunately, our server seemed to do more of the latter, and we had to flag her down several times, which was frustrating.

I ordered the filet mignon with mac and cheese and mashed potatoes. Initially, I assumed the mashed potatoes came with the meal, but I later realized they were an extra side. I hadn’t been given the option of picking. Nevertheless, they were good. The mac and cheese was exceptional – not mushy, with perfectly cooked noodles and nicely melted cheese on top. The steak was seared crisp around the edges and cooked to perfection.

My husband had the ribeye sandwich, which I tasted, and it was mouthwateringly delicious. The sandwich was cut in half, each side secured with a toothpick and topped with a pickle. The au jus sauce complemented the sandwich perfectly, enhancing its flavor. The Chesapeake Bay fries, though warm and not hot, were a nice addition with their light dusting of seasoning.

When we first entered the restaurant, we noticed a bar area with tables and loud music. Initially, our seating near the water allowed us to hear the music at a manageable volume. However, midway through our meal, someone turned up the party music on our side to an overwhelming level, which didn’t match the restaurant’s ambiance or its menu prices. It was unexpected to pay $50+ for a steak dinner while listening to music more suited to a rave.

Overall, the food was excellent, but the service was mediocre, and the ambiance was...

My Fiancé and I wanted to go on a quick lunch date. We had a baby 10 months ago, and havent had much alone time. I recommended this place, because this is where I brought my mon the day I was released from the hospital after having open heart surgery.

The restaurant itself was very clean, which was expected. Plenty of available seats (thank you snow Gods lol). There wasnt a host to greet us, and we did stand there for a minute or two before someone appeared.

Our server was friendly, but moved very slow. There were large gaps in time between when she would stop by our table. We ordered two small plates to come out first. Both came out room temperature, and did not seem to have been freshly prepared. I had the cheesesteak eggrolls. The WORST eggrolls I’ve EVER tasted in my life. I would recommend they take this completely off their menu. The cheese was stiff, and the eggrolls had more air than meat in them. My fiancé got grilled wings with a ranch rub. She enjoyed the wings, although they came out room temperature.

For my entree, I wanted one of the Featured items, Scallops. I was informed when the server finally returned that they were out of their “Featured” item. The server then proceeded to recommend the most expensive dish on the menu as a substitute, without even as much as a conversation. Maybe ask what I have a taste for or something. It also was while I was still processing the disappointment. I ended up getting the Seabass. The fish was cooked to perfection, although when I got down to the last two bites…you can tell some over seasoning occurred. It also gushed water. I had this on mashed potatoes and veggies which were a different temperature from the fish. My fiancé got pasta with Salmon. She kept the salmon, and sent the pasta back. The pasta had a very strong vinegar taste and was undercooked.

I dont recall seeing desert on their menu.

Overall, It would be worth another visit. Maybe during dinner we would have a better experience. My past visit was in 2016, and was great. I will give them one more try before scratching them from mt...