FD's Grillhouse — Restaurant in Tyler

My husband and I are regulars at FDS in Tyler. We love the environent and experience. My girlfriends and I often choose FDS for happy hour after work specially for the limos.

Tonight was everything but any encounter before. Of the 3 bartenders Megan was training and Austen was a season bartender. Dispite my many encounters with Austen and our personal reviews of his service- nothing was farther from this experience and expectation.

He and his bar crew made no more than 2 eye contacts with my husband and I our entire time there: We sat on the right side of the bar yet their gaze was on nothing but the left. Despite there being no customer requesting attention or service on that side. I heard more times about Austens new vehicle with his regular customers or friends- than I received in general inquiries about my experience, needs, or desires as a customer.

My husband is very hard to disappoint- but despite the fact that we asked for waters with our second limos, and them not being delivered- he kindly asked our bartender again for waters when she replied “yah I know” -Ps: Had she known, we wouldn’t have asked twice.

Never once was silverware offered to us- I had to get her attention and request such a simple (yet foundational NEED) of eating a lot restaurant from our server. Nothing past the point of being initially acknowledged were WE engaged from either 3 bartenders.

After such an experience I obviously wanted to engage the manager and let them know how fundamentally lacking it was to every experience we had encountered before at their establishment. I enjoyed speaking with the Kitchen manager who we praised the food and service of the kitchen- let me state that my husband and I order the same thing every time both dine in and to go: we know our favorite meals and we live by their quality, taste, and delivery.

No- to go is never the same and ALWAYS lacking. FDS to go kitchens quality has always been lacking but our love for the establishment has allowed us to over see. But honestly they need to address the fact that the quality of to go food does not equate.

Back to our dining experience: the kitchen manager I genuinely felt wanted to fix our experience and asked to compensate something of our evening which I refused. The food and drinks were outstanding and we were happy to pay for such service. Yet the in person- human encounter (or RATHER LACK thereof) is why this review is being written.

I have never been more disappointed in such an environment I felt loyal to- but will not continue anymore if that kind of service is the norm.

Here is the last message I will leave: it was so bad, and so uncomfortable to try and force the bartenders to engage or pay attention to us that I couldn’t even order a random, celebratory shot bc I couldn’t get their attention and was tired of trying to receive service....

I ate at FD's Grillhouse on June 5, 2022.

I came in right at the end of dinner rush. Google Maps said that they weren't too busy, but close to 15-18 people were walking in right as I was pulling up. I settled myself in for a wait, because I hadn't made reservations, but luckily, all those people were two big parties and required big tables, so I was able to get seated at a standard booth right away.

Austin, my server, was on the ball. The restaurant was full, and he was obviously busy, but I was never neglected. Sometimes it's easy to neglect a lone diner in favor of big tables, because the tip won't be as high from that lone guy. I get that. But a good server will make sure everyone they're responsible for is having a good dinner. And Austin was a good server. I tipped him accordingly.

The restaurant itself was rather full, but the lighting was down and the music subdued, so people were able to talk without raising their voices. So, even though the place was full of people, it wasn't rowdy or noisy.

I started out with a Banshee pinot noir, which was amazing. I usually don't take special note of the wines I try, beyond making mental notes for my review, but this one was so good I sent myself a text to buy it later for the wine cabinet.

The deviled egg appetizer was a nice homey touch. I've had 'gourmet' deviled eggs with wasabi or other stuff in them. And I like those just fine, but these were good old fashioned deviled eggs like grandma used to make. The bacon bit on top was just crispy enough with just a touch of chew, without being over-done, hard, or brittle.

It's hard to mess up a filet, but believe it or not, I've gotten some bad cuts in other restaurants. My steak at FD's was tender, well-seasoned, and perfectly cooked throughout. It practically melted in my mouth. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I've had some homestyle breads that were harder to chew.

The matchstick vegetables were zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots and appeared steamed. Soft, but a touch al dente. The preparation was simple, without too much done to them. But they were delicious.

The potato was 'fully loaded', but here that seems to mean "butter, sour cream and cheese". There were no chives or bits of bacon. But I don't mind that so much. The potato was fresh and delicious, and had plenty of butter--sometimes, you end up with a dry potato because they give you about half the butter you need to moisten the whole thing. It was well-washed before cooking, too. I like to eat the skins--which I know not everyone does--and sometimes, you can get a bit of sand grit if the restaurant has not thoroughly washed the potato before cooking. Mine was perfect.

Everything was so delicious that I didn't leave a scrap...

Stay your hand, scroller of reviews, and indulge me for a spell as I regale you with the story of my experience with this most fortunate of restaurants.

I was tired, famished, downtrodden by the abusive Texas sun on the ides of July, finding myself near hopelessly lost in a sprawling shopping center, a microcosm of expenditure: juice bars, department stores, furniture galleries, and most damning of all - a planet fitness, all loudly competing for my attention. Until I beheld a ray of merciful light beaming down from the kingdom of heaven to illuminate the place where I would spend my fateful afternoon.

Like a sailor careening towards the inexorable siren song, I found myself brought fourth to and then through the doors, as if carried by a gentle wind, and there in the air-conditioned lobby of the grillhouse, I was received by the welcoming gaze of Kymbree.

She merely said: "Hello"

There, in the house of grill, I felt as though a peasant standing before the throne of Ramses, as my words escaped me, and the toll my journey had taken bid my knees to quiver. But the need to speak was not for me; she brought a single solitary finger to my lips, and gently shushed me. She implored me not to worry, that she knew what I needed, and told me to follow her. And so I did. I followed as we walked through an empty row of tables and seats, as if the building itself was making room for me. She had me sit at just the right booth, with just the right view of just the right TV, and as I sat, I looked and saw exactly the drinks I was going to order, already on the table before me. How did she..?

But there was no time for such questions - as just as I'd given way to the comfort of the cushion, and felt reprieve from the trials of the day, four masked assailants bursted through the doors of the restaurant, demanding the valuables of its occupants under threat of dastardly violence. Without missing a beat, Kymbree, our warrior queen, placed herself between the villains and the frightened guests, a bulwark against evil. With but one sweeping roundhouse, Kymbree dispatched the nefarious malefactors right back through the doors they so shamefully trespassed.

Taking no time to gloat, not even a moment, our rescuing Valkyrie dutifully retired to the back of house, returning momentarily with again exactly what I was going to order, then placing it before me, her eyes promising me that this chicken parmesan was especially for me. With the reassurance that crime will find no refuge under this roof, I began to dine.

I could've eaten anything that day, and it would've been the finest meal of my life. I will tell my grandchildren...