Burtons Grill & Bar — Restaurant in Sterling

We arrived on a Monday about 5PM. It was not crowded at all. The restaurant has a great atmosphere. Vibrant and inviting. Our 19-year-old server was very eager but not up to par. He knew nothing about the wine or food which he readily admitted. We ordered a bottle of wine which was retrieved fairly quickly. He had a terrible time opening the bottle of wine to the point of being awkward. We avoided making eye contact and fiddled around with the silverware. My husband was “this close” to just grabbing the corkscrew and doing it himself. He finally managed to get it done and took our food order. Then he disappeared. Someone else delivered our food. After we were done eating, he came by to see if we needed anything. We had placed the dirty dishes right on the edge of the table, but he didn’t pick any of them up. Okay, I get that finding decent help is a struggle these days. What about actually training these people before throwing them into the fire? The service left a very bad impression. Onto other things. The wine list has many choices, and the prices are $36 and up. We had the Rodney Strong Chalk Hill for $44 which is a bit high IMO. For entrees, my spouse ordered the chicken risotto, and I ordered the Caesar salad with 5 grilled shrimp. The chicken risotto was so-so. The chicken was a bit dry and a little grisly - like a chicken tender with that weird tough piece. The risotto was cooked fine but had an overwhelming chicken broth taste. The Caesar salad was typical although over dressed for my tastes (in their defense, you could get the dressing on the side). The shrimp was large but overcooked, so it was rubbery. After requesting our check, we waited and waited. At least 10 minutes or more passed before finally getting the tab. Sigh. Hopefully, they are able to work out the wrinkles. With so much competition in the area,...

Burton's was a fun place to visit with friends. The food is New American style, so a touch above if you like American favorite foods. Lots of free places to park, but when we went around 6:30 p.m. we had to hunt for a while to find a place because the area was so packed. Burton's faces a pedestrian plaza shared by a number of other businesses and restaurants, which makes it fun to people watch out the windows. It was a little cool the night we went, so we sat inside, but the canopy covered outside seating looked inviting. It's pleasantly noisy inside, but not out of control as they've done a good job of sound damping. You can hear people across the table from you easily. Well appointed interior decorating. It has the feel of a high-end brick oven pizzeria. Everybody liked the food, it was well-plated and tasted great. There was a glitch in the service, however. One in our party of six had her order lost. The manager who came to address the issue seem to promptly take action, but then somehow the order was lost again. That was some sloppy work, but I'm not sure anybody did anything intentionally wrong. Prices were high, expect to lay out a minimum of 20 bucks for a sandwich, or 40 or 50 bucks for the better offerings. With a single drink from the bar, we were lucky to get away at $75 a head. All in all, our group had a good time there, so in that regard, I would consider going again if invited. But with the food prices being that high, I might choose...

My husband and I have visited Burton's many times over the years and we've always had pretty good experiences. The last visit, on July 23, we sat at the bar and ordered two apps. I'm a huge fan of the Generals Tso cauliflower and the ginger aioli it comes with is delicious! We also ordered the calamari this time, which we typically go for the wings or firecracker shrimp, and I was mildly satisfied with it. The tarter sauce, to me, did not have much flavor. I asked for a side of the firecracker sauce, instead, which was good with the calamari. The peppers with the calamari were good and definitely packed with a nice heat. The breading on both apps is nice and light so they do not have too much of that fried flavor or are overwhelmed with grease. Our service at the bar was good. The bartender was attentive, although we were 1 of 4 at the bar at one time. There was a lack of energy behind the bar, maybe because it was after 7:30p, but it was odd for Burton's since their bartenders typically have great attitudes (ours did) and are usually pretty social. I'm sure it had something to do with them not being busy so the energy in the restaurant overall was low. We'll definitely continue to visit Burton's, especially on the patio...