Timberwood Grill — Restaurant in Virginia

I give this restaurant zero stars.

In order to leave a comment I must give at least one star. Please read this as zero stars. My experience here was horrible.

I have celiac and am obviously highly allergic to gluten. We went out of our way to get to this restaurant to make sure I was safe for dinner on our long drive home. We ate there last night. Today, I am incredibly sick. In response to the fact I was immediately sick while still on the premises, the manager offered me Benadryl. Clearly these people have no idea how to deal with gluten intolerance.

When we arrived at the restaurant, I informed the hostess I was very sensitive to gluten. I did the same thing when I first spoke with the waitress, sharing with her we had gone out of our way to get to Timberwood Grill because we understood this restaurant was responsible about gluten free issues.

My salad was delivered with croutons on it.

After the salad scare, I began to worry about the nachos we had ordered. They were ordered from the gluten free menu. Ninety percent of the chips in the order were apparently gluten free, but some of the chips were different. When I asked about the different chips, I was assured the platter was completely gluten free. After I had consumed the different chips, the waitress came by to let me know they were actually wheat chips.

Likewise, the "gluten free" fries we consumed were advertised as gluten free. After I began to get sick while still in the restaurant, the manager came by the table to say she needed to let me know the fries were not cooked in designated oil and that there might be traces of gluten in them.

Needless to say, I was sick and uncomfortable on my four-hour ride the rest of the way home to North Carolina. I know people have been criminally prosecuted in my state for advertising something as gluten free and knowing it is not, in fact, gluten free. I do not know the laws in Virginia, but will find out.

The manager, who had no idea what she was talking about, said the entire thing was a "server error" and indeed, the server was not well versed in the seriousness of this disease. Also, after being told several times I was gluten intolerant, she allegedly did not make a note of that fact on the order. Nonetheless, the manager was also clueless, offering Benedryl to combat the injury. These people are not trained and do not realize they have left me with two weeks of misery and an inability to walk, as my joints swell up today and my body is ravaged.

Please avoid this restaurant if you have any tendency to be impacted by gluten. I believe if a restaurant advertises itself as a gluten free eating experience, they have a responsibility to educate their employees. If you are on a gluten free diet because you are trying to be healthy, maybe the gluten included in the "gluten free" items here will not leave you in pain. As for a celiac, you would prefer to not eat than to eat here....

Since we moved here in 2008, Timberwood Grill has been a regular part of our rotation of dinning out because it offered something for everyone. However, there has been a big change in their food lately. We went this past weekend and one of my tried and true orders was changed without noting the change on the menu. I love the mushroom ravioli with Alfredo sauce. But they have now added crushed red pepper to the recipe (without noting it on the menu), unfortunately for me - this is an allergy, one that I've never had to worry about when ordering this dish previously. When I asked the waitress (who was incredibly friendly and helpful, this rating does not apply to her at all), she immediately went to check with the kitchen and confirm that it had recently changed, but all sauces are made for each order, so to let them know in the future, but they would remake my order. She offered to bring out something else in the meantime, and I said just some of the bread and butter would work. I was only brought a small plate of bread (not exactly appetizing). When my order was ready the second time a runner brought it to the table. While the sauce was red pepper flake free, it was basically liquid salt, I could not taste anything but salt. Completely inedible and unpalatable. By this point I had to leave and asked to have it removed from the check. I don't know if they have a new food supplier, cook, management, or ownership, or if was just an off day, but that left a bad taste in my mouth (metaphorically and...

I can't tell you how many times I've passed this place during COVID wondering how good it may be so this day I had a chance to test it out! Upon entering there was a bit of a cluster of people outside and inside the door giving the perception they may be really busy. After watching for about a minute I realized most people were just standing there with their parties and were separate. Keep that in mind if you feel discouraged by the door.

We went in a little later so we didn't do dessert tonight but the entrees were amazing! To start I had a cup of loaded baked potato soup which was so creamy and heavenly, the perfect start to a great meal! My beverage tonight was a Passion Fruit Lemonade which was to die for and was consumed almost immediately!

My dinner entree was the chicken au poivre which came on top of a pile of delicious mashed potatoes and accompanied with a side of mixed greens with lemon vinaigrette. The mixed greens were fresh and crispy and the addition of the lemon dressing was wonderful. The chicken Au Poivre was cooked to perfection and really juicy! I will probably have the same exact dish next time I go back!

My friend's entree consisted of scallops grilled and served over mashed potatoes and topped with a corn/cilantro/cotija cheese blend. I believe it was one of the specials of the night.

We were super full by the end of it all and finished everything! We can't wait to return and try out some new appetizers or even visit their...