Eddie Merlot's — Restaurant in Virginia

UPDATE BELOW

I kept most of my original review below because it was what we experienced and how we felt on Thanksgiving. However, I did have an excellent communication with the Director of Operations Tony Fattahi who has changed my opinion on never returning to Eddie Merlots. I submitted my negative review and received the response to reach out via a link. I did so not expecting a response, but Mr. Fattahi was exceptional and spoke with me personally. He made no excuses for the evening and took full responsibility for the restaurant failing to meet our expectations. He listened and genuinely seemed to care about the failure. I was admittedly impressed. I have previously dined at this restaurant and I plan to return with hopes this was a one off which unfortunately happened on Thanksgiving.

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I booked Thanksgiving dinner well in advance at Eddie Merlot’s for my husband and I, his sister who was in town from out of state, and my two 90 year old parents. If you cancelled less than two days before the booking you were warned of a $25 per person charge. I had no intention of canceling since this was our planned Thanksgiving dinner. I also recommended to my friend to book there as well.

Our reservation was at 6pm and our friends booked at 5:30pm. Instead we were greeted by a PACKED lobby. It was about 5:50pm and I saw my friends in the crowd. They were not seated until 6:05pm so I knew we had a bit of a wait even with our reservation.

While we were waiting, a man (manager?)came around to apologize for the wait….and also advise use that they had run out of the Thanksgiving dinner! At this point there are zero options but to wait and think about a different dinner item since you can’t find another place to go on Thanksgiving at 6pm. The overflowing lobby had me step into the bar area and I soon noticed that there were quite a few empty tables that were not cleaned and just sitting. It became very obvious that they weren’t short on just food, but also personnel.

We were finally seated at a low table in the bar area at 6:40pm. At least we could see the football game - and the start of the 8:20pm game since we were there until 9:30pm! Everything was moving at a snails pace. Our server Junior tried the best he could to deal with a horrible situation, but there is only so much he could do.

At this point we are all hungry and I’m embarrassed that I recommend this to my friends (they had a similar experience). We ordered drinks and soup/salad. It took 30 minutes for the drinks to make it from the bar 20 feet away to our table. They were good though. They brought my dad the wrong size soup. Another bowl was brought out later. The crab/corn bisque was good. The ceasar salad wasn’t only poorly presented, but also had zero flavor and was sent back.

As previously mentioned, there was no turkey dinner which was advertised at a set price. This was the bill I had planned for as well. So everyone had to order off of the menu. The lower priced items were sold out as well. I could tell my mom was nervous about what to order based on the prices, but I told her to get what she wanted (other than turkey or chicken since neither were available). The food finally arrived at 8:20pm. Everything was ok, not amazing, but I had lost my appetite at that point and had my food boxed.

We ordered two desserts to go and finally at 9:15pm the $460 bill arrived. $32 showed at “comp” and for a minute I thought they were taking some kind of service off the bill for all of the disservice, but it was because we had returned the salad and they had double charged for my appetizer/dinner.

This was probably the absolute worst experience I have ever had at a restaurant. I HIGH end restaurant. Poorly planned,...

Dropped in on a Saturday night with a colleague to celebrate his compleaños. We sat unattended at a four top set for four for a quarter hour, appreciating the decor and wondering when a waiter would come by. Eventually someone came by to pour water and clear the extra settings, who quickly brought a manager to apologize for the wrong thing. Eddie Merlot's sets four settings on four tops "even for Valentine's Day” as a matter of policy.

First round was a delightful smokey burnt orange Manhattan served in a rocks glass on the rock. I'm happy to note the trend of a single large chunk of ice has not skipped this establishment.

The Caesar salad and the iceberg wedge we opted on instead of a heavy appetizer were solid but otherwise unnotable. Unfortunately, Eddie Merlot's also follows the tradition of leaving you only pre-ground pepper on the table, forcing the uncomfortable minute of a waiter turning a too tall mill for far too long over each of our plates. A globe of warm bread, cut into quadrants, was dropped off with a ramekin of plain butter without ceremony halfway through the salads. The crust was hard and flakey, topped with a forgettable red spice that crumbled everywhere, while the interior was very soft with a hearty flavor.

A sugar rimmed limoncello martini served as round two for the birthday boy and a still empty water glass served as mine. My coworker sprung for the Wylarah Wagyu steak (the waiter sagely advised him against dressing the steak with a heavy peppercorn cream sauce, the delicacy with which it was performed was highlight of the night's service), while I went for the more modestly priced NY Strip. Both were cooked medium rare and came out as ordered, if a bit more rested than I expected. The char on my strip was perfect, and my satisfaction was only slightly dampened by trying a bite of my friend's Wagyu. I have no more words to describe that buttery melty mass of deliciousness than “wow.”

The sides ordered for the table, cauliflower au gratin and brussel sprouts, were presented ungarnished in a circular baking dish and high walled asymmetric bowl, respectively. The cauliflower was in large chunks, smothered in a heavy cream sauce, while the sprouts were halved into bite sized pieces, tossed with a thick cut bacon and a smidge of oil and balsamic. Both were delicious, if somewhat understandably overshadowed by the steak.

The tableside chocolate-brownie flambé a la mode we eventually got to order was quite good. It came out on a platter with four small gravy boats of fresh raspberries, candied pecans, a heavy chocolate syrup, and a brandy or cognac of some sort, delicately ignited with a comically large butane torch. The toppings mostly ended up in the soupy mix of melted ice cream, chocolate syrup, and partially combusted alcohol, but a few stuck on top long enough to look pretty before being devoured.

All said, while I appreciate being unhurried, I don't particularly relish when it slides into abandonment. Long periods of empty glasses and unbussed tables are not conducive for second visits, even if the c-note steak had perfect pitch. It's a shame the hospitality portion of the staff wasn't up to par, because the kitchen executed their...

Had dinner with a friend on a Sunday evening. Parking was plentiful and the decor inside was lovely and elegant. We were able to easily carry on a conversation without shouting for the few people in the dining room with us. The overall evening was lovely and our server Daniel was terrific. But a few hits and misses with the food/dessert offerings.

We started with a bottle of rosé, which was crisp and refreshing for an unseasonably warm day. We received warm bread and soft butter, which oddly was difficult to break apart or chew without difficulty. I'm a huge bread fiend, and I couldn't get through a single piece of it. We ordered the filet mignon potstickers, which were very tasty with the drizzled sauce.

For dinner, my friend had the sea bass over julienned vegetables (see pic). It was a sizeable piece of fish, and she said she enjoyed it. I had the 6oz filet mignon with Bernaise sauce (see pic). The filet was very small, esp for the price, but it was admittedly the smallest of the three sizes offered. I asked for it medium, and it came out more like a well done with a mere streak of pink. It was well seasoned and seared. The Bernaise was a bit of the lukewarm and goopy side, but tasted fine. For sides (which are family style), we ordered Eddie's potatoes, which were their version of au gratin, and sautéed brussel sprouts (see pics). The potatoes were okay, nothing to write home about. The Brussel sprouts, however, had a detectable fish taste for some reason. I wondered if it was cooked in the same pan as my friend's sea bass!??

For dessert, we ordered 30-year port for two and it was absolutely delicious. I could have gone for a second glass had it not been so expensive. I'm still thinking about that port a day later, it was scrumptious! To go with the port, my friend ordered the Triple Chocolate Cake for us to share, which was HUGE (see pic), but sadly it was dry and tasteless. We each had a bite and left the remaining. We weren't asked if we liked it or why we left the huge piece barely touched.

My friend placed a small order to-go, and that came out as we were wrapping up so it was nice and warm to take home. And Daniel asked if we wanted to wrap any items from our meal and dessert to take home. We finished about 9pm, and we were one of the last tables remaining on a Sunday night.

So, like I said, some hits and some misses. For the expensive price point, I would have expected far more delicious standouts. Service and decor is lovely for a celebratory dinner, but I hope they improve a bit with their menu or the kitchen execution...