Local Chop Grill House - Harrisonburg

The food was OK, but not outstanding. We had a reservation for 3 which we made about 2 or 3 weeks ago. It was parents weekend. Yesterday my son asked if we could increase the number in our party from 3 to 5 so a couple of his friends could join us. We called yesterday and left a voicemail asking if it was possible to increase the size of our party. Apparently they don’t open until 5:00. They never called us back to let us know whether it was possible. So we called back and spoke with someone at 5:30. They told us it was not possible. That is fine, no big deal. I was disappointed to see that they easily could have accommodated a larger party as the table for two directly behind us was never occupied while we were there. I would have ordered the imperial stout, but they didn’t have it. We ordered the cheese board. The focaccia and homemade butter were good, but the cheese selections were uninspiring. There was a goat cheese Brie which was a miss in my opinion. The blue cheese was ok, and there was a cheddar which was also just ok. We ordered the feta Cesar salad and this was very misleading. I think it is a big stretch to call this a Cesar salad. I did not get the sardine flavor that is the trademark of a Cesar. Also, for a salad making feta the feature, it lacked feta too. Next, I ordered the local farm steak, New York strip which was supposed to be aged for 45 days. I can’t tell you that it wasn’t dry aged, but it was a really thin cut for a dry-aged steak. I ordered it with the Demi glacé sauce. I can definitely say that this was not a Demi glacé. I have taken the time to make a Demi glacé before and I would refer you to chef John on YouTube for his Demi glacé. The thing you look for in the sauce is that it is thick enough so that when you run a spoon through it, it remains separate for a moment and has a dark caramel, glossy color. This sauce was about the color and consistency of tea. As a side I ordered ratatouille. What I got instead were vegetables which were whole and grilled. They were not sliced and layered as a ratatouille preparation would required and I did not get the tomato base. By this point I was so disappointed with the food I skipped dessert. My wife and son ordered some. My wife ordered the white chocolate cheesecake which came out as 3 small dallops of something, but I gotta tell you, maybe it vaguely tasted like cheesecake. My sone had the triple chocolate cake, and said that it was basically just a devils food cake. We paid $206 for the meal and I was very disappointed in the overall meal. On this one, I would have to say both the front of the house and the back of the house were to blame, but I think the kitchen needs to really focus on quality. Maybe these issues will pass by some people, but ratatouille is pretty distinctive, and that wasn’t even close. I didn’t give them zeros for this, but they are not performing above 2 starts.

Best food in all of Harrisonburg if your in the area please do yourself a favor and eat here. Service: Dine in Meal type: Dinner Price per person: $100+ Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5

1. The cheese plate was poorly designed; the portion of goat cheese was unreasonably large, which was quite off-putting. 2. If a restaurant wants to achieve a “top-rated” status, they should use terminology that everyone can understand. The “goat cheese” mac and cheese was greasy and lacked flavor. 3. The scallops I had were both tasteless and chewy. 4. My husband ordered a steak that also lacked flavor, and he described the “duck fat fries” as no different from regular fries served elsewhere. 5. Service was lacking; the waitress only approached our table twice—once to ask if I needed another drink and again to bring the check, which is disappointing. (I did leave her a tip.) In summary, I recommend looking elsewhere for a dining experience where you can create lasting memories. This place did not meet my expectations and I won't be returning, even if offered something for free. On a side note, I did notice that there were children dining upstairs, and there was a ramp for wheelchair accessibility.

We were really looking forward to trying the bison burgers, but unfortunately, we left feeling a bit disappointed. The meat didn’t have that rich, gamey bison flavor we were hoping for, and the bun was somewhat stale. Unfortunately, it wasn’t anything to rave about. In fact, the Five Guys burger we had the day before was better. The duck fat fries were just average, but the asparagus side was excellent and definitely worth ordering. On a positive note, the service was very good. Expect to spend around $20–30 per person.

Regarding vegetarian options, I noticed only one entrée, cauliflower steak, on the menu. As for parking, when we arrived, the lot was full, and there appeared to be just one handicapped parking space. We ended up circling the block and finding street parking, which required us to walk quite a distance—a challenge for my husband. In terms of kid-friendliness, the menu had limited options for children, making it not particularly suitable for families. Lastly, the restaurant's wheelchair accessibility was an issue; we were seated upstairs and since my husband uses a cane, navigating the stairs was challenging. It would have been helpful if we had been asked about any mobility concerns when making our reservation. While there was seating available downstairs, it was full and we weren’t offered an elevator, leading us to believe that one might not be available.