I went to the Chocolate Grille with David and Eric last night after attending the premiere of Trap, a 15 minute short film written, directed, produced and performed by a Belfast woman. David said that the Chocolate Grille was his newest place to hang out because it had a good bar and was different, though very cookie cutter.....my response was "It sounds like a swank Denny's with a bar." and thats what it was.
I must say, I was impressed by the interior.....the restaurant actually has a very nice interior of sponged walls with black and white photos...black banquettes and tables and a very nice bar where we sat to eat. The bartender was great, big drinks that tasted good. We ordered off the bar menu and David had the crabcake special appetizer which was bready and not too terrific. I had the spinach and artichoke dip with crackers and veggies...The dish had some kind of bacon flavoring, which was terrible. It was also served in a bread bowl, which is a total waste of time and bread. The crackers were stale. We asked the bartender about the dish and if it was supposed to have bacon and he said no and took it off our bill without question. Ceasar salads came next which were basic, but very good. Eric tried encrusted salmon fillets which he said were moist, but he didn't like the crust. No dessert for us. I give the place a B+ for atmosphere and a C+ for food.
Enjoy,
Seth
