Long week? Assert some dominance and go to Grills Riverside!

One awesome part about my workplace is that I get alternating Fridays off from work.  The un-awesome part is working nine hours a day (at least).  So when the week is ending with a surplus of hours and stress, ending it on a good note always helps me have a good weekend and a better next week.  Christening this great long and patriotic weekend was a trip to a place I haven't tried before and was suggested to me: Grills Riverside.


First impression driving up was, "Whoa!  That turn came up fast!" and "Wow, this place is big."  Now, I must admit that I didn't take my friend's advice when he said to make a reservation for a table, and I will remember to do that if I want to sit inside the restaurant (overlooking the river).  Now, this is where things get interesting.  My dining party has met up, and we're getting a buzzer for a 45 minute wait.  Remember, this is Thursday night.  But given that buzzer, it is your back up plan and go-flag to hunt for seating and tables on the deck outdoors.  Try your luck basically.  In the mean time, I got the best pina colada that I've had in quite a while, thick, creamy, icy (no ice-cube chunks!).  Then I was surprised to find that it was Island Oasis brand.  Usually, I don't like Island Oasis brand fruity drinks, but maybe other places cut their mix with water or something.

Anyways, back to table hunting.  It's amazing how people slip in to get tables.  And what's the etiquette on stalking tables?  I mean, do you ask those people ending their meals if you can have dibs?  Freakishly stand over them while they're eating?  Stealthily dart your eyes around and then slip in?  Eventually, we get a table, but it was a close call with another party waiting for a table.  I felt a little bad since there was only 3 people in our party at the table, I wanted to invite the other group of ladies to sit with us, but it was not well received by the rest of my party.  Maybe I just need to get more Alpha qualities and assert more dominance.  Still, hunting for the table was less time than the 45 minute wait for indoor seating.

Dinner entertainment was awesome.  The guy they had for live entertainment was awesome, doing covers from Lady Gaga with choreography to "Pour Some Sugar on Me."  There's room for dancing to burn off some of those tropical drinks consumed while hunting for a table, if you're so inclined :)  Maybe I'm getting old, but the music wasn't too loud, which is nice, because I hate pretending to nod my head in a agreement in conversation because I can't hear over the music.

Food: it's consistent.  I had been to the Grills Cape location for a bachelorette lunch, and I got the same fish sandwich grilled.  Appetizer was coconut shrimp with a sweet marmalade like dipping sauce, not bad.  The wings were good too, looked like they do the butter and hot sauce route, which is how I coat my wings when I make them at home.  The clam chowder is almost thick enough to be a dip!  If I hadn't loaded up on wings, coconut shrimp, and pina coladas and mango coladas, I could have finished my chowder.

Overall, atmosphere and being on the river at Grills Riverside really just made a great place to meet up with friends at the end of work week.  And to tell you the truth, the outdoor tables looked like it was the better place to be than inside.   I would definitely recommend this place for more happy hours with your buds.