The Grille

The service and setting were really nice. The food was good but not great. Almost 4 starts, but not quite…

This small restaurant at Morrison House Hotel is really nice. Excellent food and a really friendly and knowledgeable staff. Expensive but not stupid-​expensive. We had a person on crutches in our group and the staff went way out of their way to get us accessible parking and access to an elevator to reach the restaurant. This place is a really nice, calm, sensibly elegant spot to have a great meal.

This place was really cute. I came for the 5 course tasting menu with my husband, and was pleasantly surprised. We came because we got a travelzoo voucher, and my husband loves old hotel ambiances. The restaurant was small and cozy. The food itself was quite tasty. I enjoyed the lamb ragu quite a bit, and my husband enjoyed the short rib. We were surprised by the portions, which are usually quite small at tasting menus, but these were full sized.
We were less pleased with the course planning. The amuse bouche was a duck carpaccio (and wasn’t stated on the menu), and one of the appetizer choices was duck carpaccio. I was a little disappointed to get such a similar appetizer and amuse bouche without warning. Additionally, the food came out extremely quickly, which was a little disappointing for enjoying an evening on a date with my husband and away from the kids. We had the whole 5 courses in about 1h30, even though we ate fairly slowly.
I would come back, but I would probably not bother with the tasting menu — I’d just go straight for the lamb ragu!

This is the piano bar attached to The Kimpton Hotel in OT. Go see Frank on Fridays — knowledgeable and friendly. I generally drink scotch or bourbon on the rocks, but here, I Iearned that I like sazeracs a.k.a. old man drinks. This place has an older environment, but you don’t really feel out of place. I would suggest this be the final place you end up at on an OT bar crawl.

Overall not terrible but the best. The ambience I’d say is the high point. It’s very charming with an old piano bar /​historic hotel bar feel. We dined here with a Travel Zoo deal for the «chefs 4-​course tasting menu» because we’ve been wanting to try this place for a while but just never have. The service I’d say was good to very good. There were a few points where the server let a finished plate linger on the table longer than a typical «fine dining» restaurant serving a tasting course menu should, but that doesn’t bother me. I was also missing a fork on the table set up. They did bring one right away when I told them it was missing but just something to note. The service was very friendly. The dining room is pretty small so if you’re looking for a lot of privacy this is probably not the place for you. We could fully hear conversations at the tables next to us. In general the food was just OK. Everything was cooked properly but they seemed to lack some flavor and seasoning, and the selections were not very pretty standard casual dining selections (filet/​steak, salmon, etc.). We were however very happy with our cocktails. We both had the basil gimlet and it was very refreshing and tart, perfect for a hot night. We would probably pop in to the bar for a cocktail again but most likely would skip dinner.

Visited The Grill at Morrison House for a quiet weeknight dinner. The Morrison House hotel itself seems more like a B&B that you could mistaken for a nice house if you’re not paying attention. It did take a second to find the restaurant, which is on the main floor down the hallway to the left of the hotel check-​in.
The Grille is small, but in a good way, and even though you’re seated close to the next table it isnt loud at all. The attentive staff immediately seated us for our reservation and offered us drinks. They dont have any beers on tap so my friend ordered a bottle of Stella and I chose the Basil Gimlet from their cocktail list. Although the gimlet didnt taste at all like basil, it was a good gimlet. We also ordered the french onion soup to start which was tasty and covered in baked gruyère. We then chose the pork loin and tilefish for entrees. I liked them both, but my friend didnt care for how buttery everything was.
For dessert, we got the honeycrisp apple galette and passionfruit crème brûlée. This was my friend’s absolute favorite part of our meal. He even mentioned he would come back again just for dessert. I definitely plan to return for dinner or dessert and would love to come back for the «afternoon tea».

My girlfriend and I had a very enjoyable anniversary dinner here; yet, I concur with John I. that the service was somewhat lacking relative to the high prices.
First, the food: The steak tartar and filet mignon were highlights. Sooo good. The filet was perfectly cooked. Rockfish was just OK. A little «fishy» for my taste. Chocolate tart was a nice way to end.
As for the service, both my girlfriend and I appreciated our friendly and mostly attentive server. He definitely enhanced our experience. That said, I was slightly concerned by the fact that he also doubled as a bartender at the half-​full bar. This is because, from experience, I know it can be difficult to give exceptional service when covering two different areas of the floor. Sure enough, I found myself trying to grab his attention at a couple of points. For $ 200 (including tip) for two people, I expect the service to be 100% «on.»
Another negative: Whenever the pianist went on break, the ambiance was broken by pop music playing over what sounded like a cell phone. Weird.
Overall, The Grille is a nice experience for a special occasion if you have it in the budget. The service and ambiance were very good, but not great.

This place used to be incredible, with former White House pianist Bob Smith on the piano. Food was okay but never great, and always pricy. Went for dinner last night, and same pricy food, although better, but no Bob Smith any longer, just a new piano player pounding out the standards with no sense or feel for the room, and no love for the music, it seemed.

I decided to take my fiancée here for our Valentine;s Day Dinner and though we had to postpone a day due to bad weather, it was definitely worth it! It’s a bit on the pricey side but I knew that going in.
Its set in the Morrison House so you walk in and are a little confused exactly where to go but there was a very helpful valet who directed us in the correct direction. After being seated we were told of the days special and informed that the Valentine’s Day offer had been extended through the weekend. After we decided to pass on the dinner for two and just order off of the main menu, we both ordered appetizers and a meal. The appetizers arrived in a timely manner and although my fiancée’s cheese selection was a little off, my butternut squash soup of the day was delicious.
Before ordering I did inquire since the sides were extra if they were single serve or family style and was told that they were only single serve. My garlic pomme frites came out and were a little more than one person could handle but I think those are an exception to the rule.
Overall I would definitely recommend this place as a special dinning place for birthday, Valentine’s Day or Anniversary. The food was outstanding and the staff although it seemed they were understaffed for a weekend, were very attentive and friendly.

I recently went to the Morrison House for a special occasion (Valentines Day). We had 8:30 reservations and weren’t able to leave until after 11pm. The service was absolutely terrible. Once the food finally arrived it was delicious but unfortunately, not worth the wait. It was obvious that the entire establishment was under staffed. The staff were on each other’s nerves, making the experience negative. Not sure if I would be able to go back or recommend this place to anyone. It’s a shame because the atmosphere, piano bar and food were all great. Maybe it was a bad night for them but if I’m paying over $ 150 for a meal, I expect much more…

The Grille is a traditional restaurant with an ambiance more similar to a lounge/​bar room than a true fine dining experience. The service is very average relative to what you might expect. The wine selection was OK offering a variety of whites and reds. I would compliment their sherry wine offering as it is becoming increasingly popular.
I started with an onion soup, which was just OK. The broth was fair, but I detected little or no port dollop that usually adds to the flavoring. The main course was the usual beef tenderloin. Cooked medium, I didn’t come away overly impressed.
In summary, I think there are better and more creative places to dine at in Alexandria, VA. On a side note, I would recommend thinking about at least one Alexandria restaurant if you are staying in the National Harbor. The commute is about $ 15 and well worth it so as to discover better cuisine and dining ambiance.
Good luck!

My husband and I tried this place for the first time during restaurant week. We were seated on The Grille side (less formal) in a private corner. We chose to order off the prix fixe even though the regular menu was available as well. We also added wine pairings for $ 20 each. The food was well presented and tasty and the wine choices were complementary.
For some reason the service was a little off. The tables next to us arrived after us but received their meals long before us. Not sure why. Either way, I would be willing to try this place again.

This review is for the afternoon tea service at the Grille at Morrison House.
Tea is served on Saturdays from 2−4pm here. They offer two tea packages — the Royal Tea at $ 44 and the Traditional Tea at $ 38. Included in the Traditional Tea package are house made scones with Devonshire cream and jam, French breakfast radish and pipe dreams goat cheese, Waldorf chicken salad on fresh cucumber, smoked Scottish salmon and dill, tomato and boursin, biscuits with roasted turkey and herbed pesto, and a selection of organic and herbal teas. The Royal Tea includes everything in the Traditional Tea package and also includes a house made champagne cocktail, Scottish salmon tartare with American caviar, and petit fours for dessert.
Their tea selections include organic breakfast, organic earl grey, bombay chai, tropical, dragonwell, spring jasmine, rainforest, organic African nectar, Iron Goddess of Mercy, orchard peach, chamomile citrus, and organic mint mélange.
My boyfriend and I made arrangements to come for high tea on a Saturday. We both ordered the Royal Tea (you cannot share). Our first tea selection was the Iron Goddess of Mercy, which is an oolong tea with peach and chestnut flavors. The server dropped off a 3-​tier appetizer/​dessert stand, which contained all the above appetizers.
Favorites:
+ Scones: house made and the strawberry jam (also house made) was delicious!
+ Smoked Scottish salmon and dill
+ Tomato and boursin: I’m a sucker for boursin!
+ Champagne cocktail: the perfect start to our tea service
In actuality, everything was alright but not really extraordinary. You could eat as many appetizers and try as many teas as you want, which was nice, but I was really, really full by the third helping. It was a fun experience and the Morrison House is really nice (there was even a wedding the day we went to have tea). Fun fact: even though it looks old school, the Morrison House is only 20 – 30 years old. However, its colonial-​era and Federalist style makes it a more vintage boutique-​like hotel.
For those who want to bring a cake for birthdays/​anniversaries/​etc, they charge $ 3 per person for cake storing/​cutting.

Went here this past Saturday for tea. Had a wonderful experience. When the waiter first brought out the tray of scones and sandwiches, I thought they were tiny! However they refill your trays as much as you want!
The strawberry rhubarb jam was great! My favorite sandwich was the turkey pesto, yummy!
They also will change out your flavor of tea. Would definitely recommend tea here.

This place is amazing!!! The service was great, the bartender, Nathan, was even greater with his signature drinks. It’s a nice place to enjoy a quiet and delicious dinner with «visionary» cocktails.

Some friends and I went to The Grille for brunch, and overall, I felt that it had the foundation for a good brunch, but there wasn’t enough diversity in the food they offered.
To be honest, I hadn’t really heard of this restaurant before my friend suggested Morrison House for brunch, but I’m always up for trying new place. The dining room itself is very small — it can’t have more than 20 seats. All the seats are armchairs, which gives it a more refined feeling, if a bit stilted. Clearly the restaurant is geared towards the dinner crowd and a more romantic setting, not really for brunch. They have a piano player playing the whole time, and while that can be a fun thing, the smallness of the room made the piano seem very loud, and our proximity to it meant that we had trouble hearing our own conversations. It is what it is.
The brunch here is a buffet, and they are good points and bad points. The day we were there, they had a duck station, as well as a crêpe station. The duck was just OK, and it didn’t have enough seasoning for our tastes. But the guy serving it was very outgoing and make sure you had a good time. The crêpes were also hit-​and-​miss for me, as the ham and cheese crêpe was very tasty, but the salmon and crème fraîche crêpe was not that good.
Besides these unique station, there were normal offerings of sausage/​bacon, some overcooked salmon, and some starches. There are made-​to-​order eggs from the kitchen, so that’s nice. But in general, I was underwhelmed at the offerings. I found myself just getting a lot of crêpes because after one serving of sausage, you’re pretty much done with that food.
The manager came around to talk to us, and was very friendly. He mentioned that the hotel wanted to do brunch, so they tried to do something different with the crêpe and duck stations. I agree that those are unique, but those two alone cannot sustain a brunch buffet as THE only option offered. You cannot get just one dish from a menu here, so with the buffet as the only option, then I can’t rate the restaurant that highly because the brunch did disappoint. They have unlimited mimosas for $ 12, but none of us were drinking.
I don’t think I’d recommend The Grille for brunch — I cannot speak to their dinner menu, though.

Atmosphere is amazing, bloody Mary’s are good (but not exceptional). The corned beef hash = out-​freaking-​standing. Never had corned beef hash as wonderful as what the Grille serves.
Overall, I will come here again and enjoy every delicious second.

We visited the Grille at Morrison House this past Friday during restaurant week. It was easy to find, but I would have appreciated a sign for valet parking because I ended up parking in a garage down the street. No biggie, but if you offer it, advertise it!
From the very moment I sat my fanny in a luxurious leather club chair in front of the bar area I knew I would love this experience. We went with the gazpacho, the scallops and shared the pavlova and the peaches at the end. Everything was delicious and perfectly prepared, which came as little surprise based on the reviews I’ve read on the Grille. The service was impeccable!
They did a nice job with the wine pairings, but I would have preferred something a little less citrusy for the smoky scallops. The dessert wines suited the desserts spectacularly!
This place is all about the details and I really appreciated all the special touches like the little morsel that was the best bite of a Reuben (my fav, naturally) sandwich that I have ever tasted! Even the dinner roll was heavenly. There wasn’t a single thing about this restaurant that wasn’t exactly suited to my tastes and preferences. It feels very homey, but luxurious at the same time. I will be back!!!

This is a special occasion only type of place. Food gets a 5, other distractions take it down to a 4.
Boyfriend and Myself had a post valentine’s day dinner here this past weekend. We arrived right on time for our reservation in the grille.
Initial Impressions… I was lost. There was no sign of a Valet sign, no sign pointing me towards the grille, no hostess to help me out, and random people in ball gowns were circling me. Putting it mildly, even though I was dressed up I felt out of place and not welcomed at first impression. So now I feel awkward and annoyed– had to wait in a line to be seated by a man in a suit. (a waiter finally stumbled upon me in the hallway– he was very nice)
We were seated in the small dining area of the bar where the piano and the open mic night take place… more on open mic night in a bit.
Server came over– handed us our drink menu, we ordered a bottle of Riesling.
the chef sends out this amazing seared tuna little bite for you… which let me tell you is sensational.
We were brought bread which was nice– then we ordered the Scottish Salmon Tartare — house made blini, crème fraîche, american caviar which was wow VERY VERY good. I could have had like 5 of those it was delish. Then I had the Painted Hill Farms Filet Mignon seared foie gras, mushroom duxelles, spinach, asparagus frites, sauce au poivre… which was delightful. Boyfriend had the Crispy Lacquered Rohan Duck Breast– kabocha squash, matsutake mushrooms, farro, brussel sprouts, tesa, port reduction. He said the sauce itself was dynamite and he would come back just for that sauce.
Then we had the Warm Valrhona Chocolate Molten Cake
gianduja ice cream, hazelnut cappuccino, filbert tuile to finish it off, and it was ok… not like AMAZING.
So yes the food portion of the evening was amazing… the open mic night… was a little awkward.
I loved the piano player by himself that was very nice.
Open mic night… aka classy karaōke. Everyone was pretty interesting — the problem for me was that my boyfriend and I were paying 150 bucks to sit at our table and once 8pm rolled around I had the open mic people bustling behind my chair hard core all night. Multiple times people knocked into me… so that was glorious. Singing was ok… kind of distracting and awkward… but I just hate watching people sing up close like that. Piano player was much better.
Overall we had a great time– but a couple things could and should be better for the price you pay… our bill ended up being $ 155 without tip.

I checked out the Grille for my anniversary which was conveniently during Restaurant Week. I never noticed this beautiful Kimpton hotel tucked off King Street but the entrance is quite pretty with curved dual stairways and it’s nice when someone opens the door for you. We sat in the dining room and I enjoyed the upscale décor and the separation from the piano room, which did get louder later on at night.
The waiter was very gracious and allowed us to take our time with ordering cocktails before dinner. I like that I did not feel rushed at all, which is rare during Restaurant Week. My husband tried their take on a Manhattan which was bourbon, port, and maple syrup. I tried their pear-​vodka-​wine-​lime concoction which was too tart for my taste. Both were good but the Manhattan stood out and was my favorite surprisingly.
Now onto the dinner. I thought their menu was one of the more interesting RW menus in Alexandria. I started with the pumpkin soup with duck confit and liked that the pumpkin flavor wasn’t too overwhelming and the duck confit strangely reminded me of caramelized onions. My husband enjoyed his chicken liver mousse which came in a jar. He was also impressed with the red wine sauce on the beef bourguignon and how tender the meat was. The poached salmon was a big portion and was not overcooked –it’s definitely hard to find a restaurant that does not overcook fish so props to the chef. It was my first time trying pioppino mushrooms and they were delicious — now to find more restaurants that serve them…
Lastly, for dessert I had the apricot cake and my husband had the chocolate crème pot. The crème pot was good but not memorable. The apricot cake was warm and had a great texture of slightly hard on the outside and soft on the inside. The apricot purée was the highlight and made the meal. The coffee was high quality as well and you got a big french press for just 1 order.
I would definitely come back here for the food… if I could afford it which is only during RW.