Del Merei Grille

I pray that they’re planning on re-​opening the restaurant (or something similar to it) in a new location. This place was fantastic, unique, and managed to mix quality cuisine and wine with a relaxed atmosphere, almost like a quieter Evening Star Café that served high-​end comfort food.
My stomach will now commence weeping.

The food here was very very good. Our steak were cooked exactly to our specifications (my fiancé wanted it seared which is an unusual request) and the smashed potatoes were fluffy and smooth.
My only complaint was there the portions were pretty small for the price. They actually gave my fiancé a smaller steak and me which was strange. We’re not asking for a 72 ounce steak but something larger than a half dollar would be nice.
There was a sign up saying that they were closing next week. I don’t know if they’re just relocating for giving up all together. I hope they open elsewhere since it’s a nice place to go for a night out.

Went here last Thursday with my parents and an out-​of-​town cousin from the south and all four of us were not impressed with the cuisine. The frickles were severely salty and our dishes… very disappointing. I will be back to give them another chance as they blessed us with complimentary desserts because we were so displeased with our meals. Our waitress was FANTASTIC! Friendly, helpful, understanding, I could keep going but there isn’t enough room on here for that :-).
The ambiance is to die for. Love it! They must’ve called HGTV as so many restaurants need to for personalized decorating tips.
Even the screaming ²⁄₃ yr. old 2 booths down from us didn’t ruin our evening. My mom was just happy to try some place new. In my best Terminator voice, «I’ll be back».

We saw Del Merei on the Alexandria Restaurant Week list and decided to give it a try. My colleague was a little concerened it was in a strip center with cars parked on top of the restaurant.
My colleague had the Prix Fixe menu with salad, steak and crab cake, and dessert. I had frickles (fried pickles), salmon, creamed spinach, and mac and cheese. The fried pickles were amazing and not like any I’ve had elsewhere. The salmon was very nicely prepared with a dill sauce on the side. The creamed spinach was very fresh tasting and the use of penne pasta for the mac and cheese was a nice change.
They have a section of the menu where you select your meat or fish, a sauce, and two sides (for about $ 20). It was a good way to make a combination. Enjoyed the IPA on tap as well.

I’m surprised by all the rave reviews. I’ve been here twice to sit at the bar and have an app., and once in the dining room for a full on dinner.
The bar: I had the frickles, and they were wayyyy to salty. Like, 3-and-you’re-done, couldn’t-quite-get-em-down salty. Between 4 of us we couldn’t even finish them. Since everyone else seems to love them, I thought maybe it was a just a bad night, and I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. The next time at the bar, I had the hot dog and mac & cheese, and it was decent but nothing to write home about.
They have a nice-​ish beer menu but seemed to be out of the good stuff both times (I ended up having to go with the second or third choices both times.)
Dinner: We had a gift certificate, so we went, despite the lackluster previous attempts. Give them a shot, right? The fried green tomato was fantastic, and I loved the jalapeño cream cheese. My husband’s steak was cooked wrong (way wrong.). The shrimp and grits were good, but it seemed like it was on the old side and/​or had been reheated. It just looked… offf.
Speaking of reheated, Yikes. I was stoked to see a steaming basket of bread come out, but I should have known better because it was WAY too much steam. That’s right friends, the bread was microwaved, and it was terrible. Microwaved like someone popped it in there on high for two minutes, because the corn bread bent in half rather than let me break off a piece.
So yes, there were some highs, some lows, and some creamy middles. But the icing on the cake was that an appetizer and two entrees plus a couple of beers cost $ 90. If I’m paying that much I expect a hell of a lot more. If you want a steak, I’d head to Ray’s instead.

Fantastic food, perfect price, and great service. The ambiance is great considering it’s in a strip mall — and personally I love that it’s in walking distance from my apartment. I was very pleasantly surprised and will be back. The steak was cooked to perfection and I appreciated having so many options for sauces. The sides were incredible — the thin green beans were just amazing. The menu changes seasonally which I appreciate. The portions are generous enough that I’m sad I had no room for dessert. No complaints here!

Visited this fantastic find about two weeks ago after passing by on foot, had no idea it existed! Simple décor with a tasty selection of food that makes it hard to choose what to start with.
The boyfriend and I ended up having deviled eggs (nothing special but good) filet mignon (very good and tender) and Cajun. Butter mashed potatoes (sooooo yummy)! We split a reasonably priced bottle of wine and it made for an over all enjoyable experience that I would love to repeat!

Wow. Great appetizers — the taquitos are really BBQ tacos morethan Tex Mex tacos — superb steak, very fresh vegetables. I recommend the grill selection — pick your protein, pick your sauce, pick your sides. The applewood smoked smashed potatoes were all the waiter promises and more. For dessert, strawberry blueberry cobbler, strawberry shortcake. We were here for my 39^th birthday, and I’ll tell you, 40 isn’t looking so bad!
I love this place. Can’t wait to bring more people.

What a difference a year makes! The last time we stop by Del Merei Grill, it was too smoky to enjoy. Now it’s smoke-​free and very pleasantly packed. We had great seats at the bar. The food was as delicious as we remembered. We’ll certainly put Del Merei Grill back in the rotation of restaurants we visit regularly.

Great secret spot with a nice changing seasonal menu… service has been pretty consistent and so is the freshness of the food.
I would stick to the seasonal choices and the apps are outstanding with frickles, fried green tomatoes or even the ‘bar menu’ being good choices.
Don’t leave without the deep fried donuts for dessert!

Everything was decent, but something about this place screams «two stars!» so I suppose I’ll give Del Merei 2.5 stars. Maybe it was the décor, maybe the strip mall locale, in all likelihood it was the average food.
They do have a decent wine list and most bottles fall under the $ 30 mark.
For once, I chose salmon off the mix ‘n’ match menu, sauced with tarragon bernaise, along with brussel sprouts and creamed spinach. Salmon is salmon. It was a generous portion and had some char-​grilled flavor, which was nice. The sprouts were chewy and the spinach stringy. I also had the seven leaf salad – quite good though skimpy on avocados and toms – and tried the pudding for dessert. My friends and I split the fried green tomatoes for an app and the jalapeño cream cheese that came with was amazing; probably the highlight of my night.
The service was good. Atmosphere: felt like a library in that you had to be really quiet, PC, caucasian and proper in a stuffy, I’m-from-Iowa kind of way.
The pudding was good, and a friend ordered the donut – also good. Everything is good, just not great. It felt like a locally owned Ted’s Montana Grill. If it were the only place in town, I’d go back. But since it’s not, I’ll likely be dining elsewhere.

I really was looking forward to trying this place, and I guess my expectations were too high. The food is not terrible, but it’s average at best, nothing to rave to anyone about. Great service, no complaints there, but the restaurant was soooo cold I don’t know if they had a heating problem or what. However, the waiter took the dessert off our check (without us asking), so I assume he did it as a way to apologize for the freezing room.
We started with deviled eggs, I did not like it, there’s no nice way to say this, and I LOVE deviled eggs. They put way too much mustard in it and it overpowers everything else. Also it was very salty as well. For my entrée I got the flank steak with the teriyaki bacon glaze and spinach and brussels sprouts. I asked for the flank steak medium rare, and it was maybe medium (more like medium well in my book). The teriyaki glaze was yummy, but very heavy (thick). I loved the two veggie sides, especially the brussels sprouts. My friend had the crab cake special, and she said it was so-​so.
The dessert was probably the highlight of the night. The grilled glazed donut was very tasty. However, I don’t know how you can mess up putting warm glazed donut and ice cream together. Although I have to say the donut tasted a bit stale to me. It’s not like the melt in your mouth warm donuts you get at krispy kreme. I don’t know if maybe that’s on purpose as they want the donut to hold the ice cream on top?
It’s really a 2 ½ star place. I am giving it 3 stars as the service was great and they recognized how cold the place was. Don’t think I will go back, although I don’t think they will miss me as I think they get lots of regulars/​locals to fill the seats.

Consistently tops my list of fun places to go with great food.
We’ve been heading here for celebrations as well as just plain old «dinner» since they opened and rarely have I been disappointed.
My favorite is the «mix and match» portion of the menu. You get to pick a protein of your choice (which includes chicken, a fish choice as well as well prepared and tasty portabella mushrooms for the non-​red-​meat and vegan crowd). Then you pick a sauce you’d like to accompany your protein and two sides. I admit, the sides are some of my favorites — including the cheesy grits, the spinach and on a really decadent night the smashed potatoes (with any of their mix-​in choices).
My partner loves the sirloin well done (agh, I know) and always orders a double side of fries. Yes, it’s a heart-​attack on a plate but it makes him happy, so that’s why we only go 2x a month.
They have a decent wine list, a full bar and friendly but sometimes distracted service. On occasion the noise can be overwhelming — so call ahead and see if you can get a booth toward the back — –a little more conducive to hearing your dinner mates.
This is a fun place, with super food and they really work to make you happy.

Del Merei was good — but we were hoping for great. One of the big letdowns was the price in comparison to the quality and the amount of noise from the kids in the joint. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love kids! But if I am dropping that kind of cash I want a more intimate environment.
I had the filet with blue cheese reduction. I didn’t think the beef was of a very high quality. My husband scored better with the strip steak and he picked the bacon teriyaki which was excellent. Sides we tried were —
mac & cheese — I personally think mine is better
apple butter baked beans– very tasty
southern green beans — just okay
mashed potatoes with cajun butter — just okay, didn’t think it was overly cajun flavored
Service was fine but overall, the just okay overwhelmed the really good stuff.
Good to try but I am not sure it will hit our visit again list.

This place is great for the young-​at-​heart and not so great for the young. On a Saturday night, our party closed out the restautant at 10pm. It was a pity because the décor and ambience inside were really nice and I think everyone could have benefited from more time.
The venue (and it’s wonderful décor) are very deceptive considering that it’s located in a strip mall. I would like to say that we could have made our way to the adjacent bar at 10pm, but when we left, there were no cars in the parking lot. So unless all their patrons were walking (possible since it’s located directly next to an apartment complex) — it wasn’t likely.
I ordered the steak and was less than impressed. It was rather small, had no flavor and wasn’t exactly cooked the way I wanted. I ordered it with the peppercorn brandy sauce and was also disappointed. Fortunately, I have the best fiancé in the world and he traded me his steak sauce (and the reason he’s the best is because he pretended he liked the peppercorn more though I know it wasn’t true). Anyway …
We ordered the frickles because they were so highly recommended. I normally like salt but thought these were a bit over the top for my tastebuds. The CBA dip was yummy and the mashed potatoes (with all of the throw-​ins!) redeemed my plate.
I can’t say that my food was enough to keep me coming back, but the service, environment and other options definitely leave me hanging with the desire to go back at least once more just to try another dish.

Good food at affordable prices. And, it’s a local business.
Sometimes I wonder why supporting local businesses has to be so expensive. Do I really have to go to TGIF or the Olive Garden to get a good deal?
Well, no. You just have to go down the street to Del Rey.
Now, this is one of those places that I never would have gone to unless our real estate broker had given us a gift certificate for it after we purchased our new home. But, we drove down to Del Rey to give it a try.
We were very impressed. First of all the place is very busy, and you can tell it’s populated by all locals. The food was great, innovative, and tasty. And, the service was friendly enough. I would imagine that it might be the kind of place that would be good for a Valentine’s Day date or a semi-​special occasion.
I hope this experience was definitely not a fluke, because I want to go back for some more!

Del Merei Grille is a hidden treasure located beneath a downmarket apartment complex in Del Rey. Serving chic southern inspired cuisine, many diners are delighted by their Frickles (fried pickles). Their menu is simple, and involves picking one of their excellent sauces to pair with a variety of meats (flank steak, chicken, grouper, portabello, etc.), along with some of their top notch sides. Try their smashed potatoes that go along with a variety of flavors (garlic, bleu cheese, etc.). The desserts are also top notch, and include a grilled donut.
The dining room is very trendy, and features a back room with a stylish and busy bar. It is a great place for a date, special occasion, or just for a great dinner.
They’ve recently added a special lunch-​ish menu including their great new chili recipe.

Ok, here is the reason for the 4 stars. The food is awesome. The actual location is a tad awkward. It’s a little hard to see from the road because it’s stuck back in a little residential area. When you first walk in, there is no real waiting are, so your not sure if you have to wait to be seated, or just grab a chair. The décor is a little wacky, too.
On to the food…5 stars all around. To start, we had the bacon, artichoke and crabmeat dip served with a baked mini french baguette. For an entrée, I had the 6oz. sirloin with horseradish sauce, smashed potatoes with goat cheese and the grilled portabello mushrooms. My boyfriend had Granny’s Gumbo. Now, or course I had to sneak some of the gumbo. It was lacking some spice, but eventually, when you got to the leftover sauce, low and behold, there it was. The steak was cooked correctly and was very flavorful. I will be going back for more potatoes. I would never have thought to put goat cheese in mashed potatoes.
For dessert, we shared a slice of the crème brûlée pumpkin cheesecake. Why I decided to share this is beyond me. Love makes you do crazy things sometimes.
All in all, a great meal… except for one a small mishap. When one of the servers came out of the kitchen, she dropped a plate right next to our table. Whatever sauce was on the plate ended up all over my boyfriends jeans, my jeans and my new suede boots. Now, I know a lot of people have worked in the restaurant business, including myself. Shit happens. Even the best of us have droped a plate. I was impressed with the way that the staff and the manager handled the situation. They were all very apologetic and helpful. The manager even insisted on picking up the dry-​cleaning bill. Even though the club soda that they provided managed to get the worst of it, it’s the thought that counts.
I can’t wait to go back. There is a seasonal sweet potato soup that I didn’t get a chance to try.

**A solid 3.75 stars**
‘Smashed potatoes’ available with your choice of about 10 add-​ins or flavors — yummmm! That’s definitely one of the cooler things about Del Merei. (I can’t help it that love of potatoes is in my genes — blame my Northeastern European peasant ancestors.)
My mom, who’d just flown into National, and I came here for dinner. She’s not big on exotic ethnic food, so I figured this place would be right up her alley. And it was. I like the way you can choose a grilled meat (or portobello mushrooms, as my mom did) and then choose your sauce and 2 sides. I had a hamburger and a side of the smashed potatoes, as well as a glass of Malbec. At a total of $ 28, this was a pretty good dinner. Service was fine, and the atmosphere is kind of strip-​mallish, and reminded me a lot of places I’ve eaten in the Midwest. Overall, Del Merei is nothing outstanding, but the food was tasty, and the potatoes were great!

I’m still appalled that that the dish I had even exists and that I, this one-​time star reader in Pizza Hut’s Book It! Program, may be literacy-​impaired. Or maybe I’m just so much of a carnivore and carbivore that vegetable words don’t enter my vocabulary and my mind filters them out.
Here’s what I read on the Del Merei Menu:
Lobster and Spaghetti…$ 19
lobster sauteed with portabella mushroom over spaghetti in white
wine and xvo
Here’s what the menu actually says:
Lobster and Spaghetti…$ 19
lobster sauteed with portabella mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes over zucchini «spaghetti» in white wine and xvo
I was so psyched about the pasta dish I thought I was getting. Then I get this bowl of what looks like julienned cucumbers. I start digging through the dish with my fork — futilely searching for any sign of carbohydrates. Recognizing this loss, I entered the 5 stages of grief.
(1) Denial — They must have given me the wrong dish. I ordered a pasta dish. They screwed this up royally.
(2) Anger — What the eff is this ish?! Zucchini «Spaghetti»? Seriously?! Why weren’t the quotes around the word spaghetti in the dish’s name?! Julienned zucchini is not and will never be an appropriate substitute for pasta!!!
(3) Bargaining — I can’t complain to the waiter because hooked on phonics did not work for me. Maybe if I offer some of my dish to my dining partner, she will offer some of hers to me.
(4) Depression — I am so sad and hungry.
(5) Acceptance — Zucchini spaghetti is just plain wrong.
That is the last time I will skim a menu — I can’t go through the horrors of another zucchini «spaghetti» incident.