CombatCritic's TravelValue™: Grill

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Showing posts with label Grill. Show all posts

Sunday, September 19, 2021

Washougal, WA: Post Script - The 2 Rivers Bar And Grill Attack And Debacle

2 Rivers Bar and Grill

1700 Main Street, Suite 110

Washougal, WA 98671

Phone number (360) 210-7987

Website: 2riversbar.com

Prices: $$$$

I deleted my original review after consulting with Yelp and the Washington State Attorney General about the slanderous public reply the owner of 2 Rivers Bar And Grill published on Yelp, calling me a "transient" (vagrant) and "creepy" (pervert) in order to try to cover up for their crappy, overpriced, frozen food and highly unprofessional behavior. Rather than apologize for my horrid experience, I was attacked with lies by the restaurant's owner. Let me briefly explain.

I had a horrendous experience here on Father's Day. When I first entered for dinner immediately after a round of golf at the local country club, it was not clear where to go based on the odd layout, so I stood in front of the bar while the bartender, who turned out to be the owner, Derik, stared at me for a few uncomfortable moments, then said "Can I help you?" Of course you can help me you jerk, do people come in to your restaurant to sit down and eat or go shopping? I replied with the obvious, "Yes, I would like to sit down and eat some food please" if it were not obvious enough for him. He also insulted me in front of fellow patrons, hollering out across the bar, "Should I take it outside so you can get a better picture?", as I took photos of my substandard hamburger, drink and the surrounding dining room as I always do when eating somewhere for the first time.

He later claimed in his blasphemous public reply to my review on Yelp that he mistook me for a transient who came in the week before, making excuses for my poor treatment when I first entered, even though I was wearing golf attire appropriate for a day on the links at the country club. Would a transient be wearing golf shorts, a new Under Armor golf shirt, Nike Air sneakers, and $200 Oakley sunglasses? He also claimed that I was secretly taking photos of the waitress, his wife apparently, who had her huge, fake boobs popping out of her tight, very low-cut blouse while I was simply taking a few photos during my experience to publish with my review. This guy and his wife are not just sick, they are compulsive liars.

I had contacted Derik last November, right after they opened, to see if they wanted to be included in my annual Veteran's Day list of local restaurants offering free or discounted meals to veterans and to be published on my popular food and travel blog. Free advertising, basically, as my blog gets over 100,000 visitors a year. Being a retired Air Force officer and disabled combat veteran, I try to do as much as I can for fellow vets because I am one and have worked extensively with active duty and Iraq/Afghanistan veterans as a licensed psychotherapist. Derik refused to acknowledge my offer even though he "claims" to be a veteran himself.

So, when he attacked me publicly and defamed my character, even though he knew I was a veteran and food/travel writer, the gloves came off. You can read about their frozen food, terrible service, and unprofessional behavior in many other Yelp reviews, so I will not detail my experience any further here because it is now about more than that. Can you say defamation of character? This place will be closed soon enough because they are obviously struggling and with frozen food, even worse customer service, and unprofessional attacks against those who offer them constructive criticism, I predict they will not make it through another Pacific NW winter.

I support local businesses 100%, as I did with 2 Rivers Bar and Grill by offering them free advertising on my blog and keeping an open mind during my first visit (despite all of the negative comments about them on Yelp and other social media platforms - see below), so the last thing I want is for someone to fail. However, when I see someone like Derik, with ZERO experience in the highly competitive restaurant business and who attacks customers whom say anything negative, the writing is, unfortunately, on the wall for this sorry businessman.

Businesses that offer quality products, outstanding customer service, fair prices, and always act in a professional manner and with integrity have a much higher probability of succeeding in the extremely competitive hospitality industry. 2 Rivers Bar and Grill gets an "F" in all those categories to go along with their current "D+" rating by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Nuff said.

In his reply full of lies, fake news, Derik lashed out with defamatory remarks about me, a highly decorated, disabled, combat veteran and retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel, but he neither addressed nor denied my review comments about his highly unprofessional behavior and extremely low-quality frozen foods, so my assessment must have been spot-on. What kind of lies will he make up when I publish this review I wonder? We will have to wait and see how low this turd of a human being will stoop in his treatment of a fellow veteran.

UPDATE: WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND

Dirtbag Derik, now a mayoral candidate in Washougal, was arrested for fourth-degree assault domestic violence in mid-September and has suspended his short-lived campaign in addition to losing his wife and business:

Washougal mayor candidate faces domestic assault charge

by KATU Staff - Friday, September 17th 2021

WASHOUGAL, Wash. — Camas police have arrested a candidate for mayor of Washougal on a domestic violence charge.

Police say on Wednesday night, Washougal police were dispatched to Derik Ford's house for a reported assault.

When they found out he was the suspect, they called in Camas police to avoid a conflict of interest.

Police say Ford's wife told them he had assaulted her and she had visible injuries.

When they caught up with Derik Ford and interviewed him, they say he denied any physical confrontation.

As of early Thursday night, court records indicated Ford was still in jail.

He faces one count of fourth-degree assault domestic violence.

KATU reached out to his campaign for comment.

Bend, OR: A Meal Here Will Not Send You To The Poor House

Pour House Grill
61276 South Highway 97
Bend, OR 97702
Phone number: (541) 388-2337
Website: pourhousegrill.com
Prices: $$$$

Your basic sports bar and restaurant, modern and tastefully decorated to give it a more upscale vibe. Best of all, they allowed me to bring my emotional support animal along for dinner, something only a handful of Bend restaurants allow.

I had a Reuben Sandwich ($15), coming with tots, that was pretty average, but at $15, just a tad high. I think $11.95 to $12.95 would be a more appropriate price point.

My wife had the Pour House Mac ($12) which was a much better value than mine and much tastier too, coming with sliced mushrooms and bacon in a six-cheese blend. It was actually one of the better mac & cheeses she has had, rich and creamy with the macaroni perfectly cooked.

My son ordered the Smoked French Dip ($15) and his vegan partner the House Salad ($10), both seemingly pleased with their selections.

The staff were very nice and the service excellent. The food was pretty good too, a bit better than most places in this category, but the prices just a tad high. Overall, we had a good meal and were able to enjoy it with my trusty dog Kemper, worthy of an extra star in my book ... HOOAH!

CombatCritic Gives Pour House Grill 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Shits & Grins"

Sunday, September 1, 2019

Washougal, WA: SOLID - Shelby's Rivals KC Barbecue, Some Of The Best You Can Get

Shelby's Grille
419 E Street
Washougal, WA 98671
Phone number: (360) 835-1103
Prices: $$$$

SOLID. No BS here like I had at a place in downtown Washougal recently, Shelby's has fresh, hot food (not frozen); excellent and friendly service; and fair prices. What more can you ask for?

It was chow time, so we headed to Shelby's for the first time and I am not quite sure why we waited so long because I had heard good things about them. The decor is simple and nostalgic with tasteful maple wainscoting and knick-knacks adorning the walls. Best of all, it was very clean! We were met with a smile and a welcome, then taken immediately to a booth in the main dining room (the pub-style lounge was also an option).

I asked about happy hour and was told that it was from 2-5pm daily in the lounge, so we were a bit late anyway. Their happy hour food menu looked appealing with a few real bargains like a hamburger or BBQ sandwich for $7 or street tacos for $3 a piece. I was a bit dismayed by their happy hour drink discounts with just 50¢ off of wells ($8-$11), wine ($9), and beer ($6). Their drinks are not particularly cheap, so a food deal is definitely in order.

My wife got the Mushroom and Havarti Burger ($13) with grilled mushrooms, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato and garlic mayo, coming with a large side o' fries, a relative bargain in this town ... HOOAH! Her meal was hot, obviously freshly made, and very tasty. The meat looked fresh and the Havarti was real cheese, not the processed cheese-like squares some places serve their customers.

I had a hankerin' for some BBQ, so I asked for the Brisket Plate ($14.50) with 6 ounces of brisket so tender and juicy that you could cut it with a fork, choice of two sides (fries, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, hush puppies, brussel sprouts and bacon, etc. - I had the fries and hush puppies), choice of BBQ sauce, and cornbread and butter. The brisket was scrummy, perfectly cooked and seasoned, and the fries were cut in house and hot and crispy, just like I like them. The brisket rivaled some of the best BBQ I had during our 11 years living in Kansas City, a city where you can find some of the best BBQ in the world. The hush puppies were also very good, crispy outside and soft and moist inside although I could taste neither the bacon nor the jalapeños purportedly contained therein.

The only negatives were minor ones: the temperature inside (could have been 4-5 degrees cooler); the minuscule happy hour drink discount; and the honey for the cornbread we were promised, but which never quite materialized. Those minor infractions were the only things separating this review from a perfect rating, a rating I do not routinely hand out as readily as many other reviewers do. So there ya have it ... good grub!

CombatCritic Gives Shelby's Grille 8 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Eight Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "What-The-Fuck ... Over!"

Thursday, February 28, 2019

Hilo, Hawaii: Jose Can You See By Don's Early Light? If So, It Is Breakfast Time Amigo

Don’s Grill

485 Hinano Street

Hilo, HI 96720

Phone number (808) 935-9099

Website: donsgrillhilo.com

Prices: $$$$

A nondescript diner on a backstreet somewhere in Hilo, Don's Grill has decent service and fair prices, but is utterly unspectacular. The place has a vintage coffee shop motif with breakfast, lunch and dinner options served all day.

I asked our server for a list of beers, one of which was "Longboard", but when I asked if it was an IPA she looked at me and shrugged her shoulders, never offering to walk 20 feet to check. "I guess I will have the water", I said.

I had the Pork Cutlet Dinner ($13.75), two small, thin, cutlets breaded and fried and covered with brown gravy. It came with a very small salad and a roll fresh from a plastic bag. I had asked the server if they made their own mashed potatoes and she apologetically shook her head from side to side. "I guess I will have the fries", I said. The cutlets were extremely dry, making them difficult to cut even though they were very thin. The flavor was OK and the fries were hot, I will give them that, but the steamed carrot, broccoli and cauliflower medley was bland as all get out.

My wife ordered the Mushroom and Cheddar Omelette ($9.75), coming with hash browns and toast. When they say toast, they mean toast, because this is the only place I have ever seen that gives you just one piece of toast cut in half. The three egg omelette was actually cooked perfectly and there was plenty of mushrooms and cheese inside. The hash browns were plentiful and also perfectly cooked, a crispy golden brown on top and soft and warm on the inside.

Based on our experience, I would stick with the breakfast offerings if I were you. We filled the holes in our stomachs and neither got sick the next day nor paid an arm and a leg, so as George W. Bush famously said, "mission accomplished".

CombatCritic Gives Don's Grill 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

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Vancouver, WA: No Veal, No Deal – Olive Garden Delivers Mediocrity with a Side of Sticker Shock