Comments on: Local Chop & Grill House Is A Hit

By: Anne Lorimer

Anne Lorimer — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 14:42:31 +0000

Dear Former Server at D56,

Your advice is wise: “expect nothing more than new people trying their best” — in any circumstances, but especially on a restaurant’s opening night. When the reviewer says she “hated the idea of going in and reviewing a restaurant on opening night”, I read her as sharing your take on this matter: that would be why this new place “far exceeded [her] expectations”. She does imply that the D56 server was not thoroughly trained or experienced; but this is pretty realistic, as you point out. Nowhere does she blame the server personally. The incident actually sounded kind of charming. (As an inexperienced server I had help from customers myself, and was grateful they handled the situation so gracefully (but perhaps Ms. Parmer did not?); if it happened to me here as a customer, it would probably strike me as part of the local charm.)

I’m new to Harrisonburg, and trying my best not to offend people. (For me it’s a place to live, not a launchpad for future success elsewhere.) I’m therefore sincerely curious what it was about this review that struck you as so close minded or hostile. (For example: it does not acknowledge that the opening of a new restaurant may be bittersweet to those with fond (& justifiably proud) memories of the old one, or that the closing of a local business brings misfortunes or disruptions to many people’s lives, not just an opportunity for new customer service experiences.)

Yours sincerely,
Anne

Sincerely

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By: A former server at D56

A former server at D56 — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 03:16:53 +0000

It infuriates me that you can be so close minded, Ms. Parmer. To criticize your service on the first night of opening of the old restaurant is not only tacky but takes away from the grand opening of the new restaurant. I’m not sure what fine dining service you were expecting on that night, but in a town of primarily college students and “townies” you should have expected no better than new people trying their best. If you want a perfect fine dining experience maybe you should go into DC, where servers are waiting tables as their sole profession. As you know Harrisonburg is a very transient area, where people start out and move away to become more successful. I see you’re still waiting for your big break, as you have yet to grown out of the local paper. So maybe you should be more thankful for the service available in your area, otherwise you can join the rest of the town at the buffet at the mall.

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By: Sally

Sally — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:13:51 +0000

We have now eaten at Chop House two nights in a row…being invited the first night and last night the invitee. It was wonderful both nights. The bar area is great with so many beer choices. The dining areas are wonderful first night eating upstairs and last night in a cozy little area downstairs which was perfect for our group. We have now had the tuna, the salmon, the filet, and the scallops and all were absolutely delicious. We did share dipping sauces to get a taste of the variety. I cannot wait to try all of the sides. The Creme Brulee is out of this world. The honey and lavendar ice cream (not so much) just our opinion. Our waitor Nate was great….just precious. This is a remarkable restaurant and we are very fortunate to have it in Harrisonburg. It is perfect for special occasions and entertaining out of town guests. We loved it !!

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By: 2009 in Harrisonburg | hburgnews.com

2009 in Harrisonburg | hburgnews.com — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:25:18 +0000

[...] according to your clicks and comments, were restaurant-related. News and reviews of Beyond and Local Chop and Grill House were among the top ten most-clicked of ‘09. hburgnews readers love [...]

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By: Jeremy Aldrich

Jeremy Aldrich — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:06:21 +0000

It’s a little fancy-shmancy, I admit. Maybe I should borrow some of their menus for my French class (we certainly couldn’t afford a field trip there).

But the food is amazing. Amazing!

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By: Carole

Carole — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:00:23 +0000

Have eaten at this wonderful establishment twice in two weeks! Great food/great service/great wine and beer list. GO!

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By: New Restaurant in Harrisonburg: Chop House & Grill

New Restaurant in Harrisonburg: Chop House & Grill — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:46:12 +0000

[...] further creating buzz around downtown by adding a delicious menu and great atmosphere to the area. HburgNews.com posted a thorough review of the restaurant, so head on over and check it out! …the shining star here is Chef Ryan [...]

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By: David Miller

David Miller — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:14:29 +0000

The bison burger was the best burger I’ve had in recent memory. The carpacio was the best dish I’ve had since I tried the Wilton’s filet. Bravo, We’ll see if I can make it for the bar scene but I liked everything I saw. My only request is more pilsner-ish on tap, but now I forget what they even had, their list of tap beer offerings was incredibly long.

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By: Joey Groah

Joey Groah — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:58:39 +0000

My wife and I could not have enjoyed our meal more. It was the kind of experience you talk about on the drive home.

We ate in the dining room, and had the pork chop and New York Strip respectively. The pork and beef were paired with a different rub and sauce (you have a number of choices of each) suggested by our incredibly knowledgeable server. I didn’t put my fork down till I was a third of the way through.

I opted to go with two starches for the sides, and regret nothing: the chevre macaroni & cheese gratin and the roasted four onion risotto, and I’d easily order both again. Also got to sample the asparagus, maybe that and the potatoes next time? The biggest problem on subsequent visits is deciding what to get…

Oh, and the bread and olive oil at the start of the meal: we declined a second round because we knew we’d be getting a third. From the description I remember, the dough is soaked in a local beer and paired with lavender and ingredient-I-can’t-remember-because-are-you-eating-this-bread-right-now? Two different types of olive oil to dip in. We would have left happy after the bread.

And the burgers on the bar menu. That’s also going to be tricky, figuring out which section to eat in. What a great problem to have.

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