Woodmont Grill in Bethesda is one of my new favorite restaurants. Although it is a bit overpriced, the food is really good, so it makes it worth the trip. Formerly Houston’s restaurant, Woodmont is a local favorite that serves good comfort food. I compare it to a combination of Sweetwater Tavern and Daily Grill.

AMBIANCE

Woodmont is a bit dark inside, which reminds me of Daily Grill. Although it’s dark, it feels homey and cozy. The restaurant features live jazz nightly, which provides nice background noise. The booths are warm, and the table chairs are comfortable (though a bit weird at first due to the leather structure).

FOOD

The menu is fairly small, but sometimes less is more. The spinach and artichoke dip was chock full of spinach, but lacked any discernable artichokes. It was pleasantly dense and cheesy, and served with decent tortilla chips and a side of sour cream and salsa. A close cousin to the Cheesecake Factory version, this one was more satisfying.

I had the Hawaiian ribeye the first time we dined, and it was delicious. Ordered medium, it came perfectly pink in the middle with a nice crust. The "Hawaiian" seasoning tasted like a mix of pineapple, soy sauce, and ginger. The loaded baked potato was an odd side dish choice, but was good as well.

BF had the ribs the first time, which were a decent sized portion with a sweet flavor. The ribs were petite with little bones, and the sauce had a kind of Sysco flavor to it. The coleslaw was mediocre, it looked similar to the amazing coleslaw (thick cut and not "soupy") at Urban BBQ, but sadly did not have the same addictive bite. Overall, a kind of blah dish.

We tried the house and caesar side salads, both of which were tasty. The caesar dressing had a great flavor and plenty of cheese and croutons, and the house salad was beautiful. Cheese, corn, egg, crispy bacon pieces, croutons and tomato are arranged over mixed greens to create a pleasant blend of traditional flavors. To top it off, an amazing hunk of cheese toast comes with the house salad. Salads are expensive on their own at $10 and $11, but order with an entree and get one for $5.

The second time, I ordered the french dip sandwich with a side of horseradish sauce. The french dip comes on superb (house baked?) bread which was thick, buttery and perfectly toasted. The roast beef is sliced thin and unlike some versions, it’s neither fatty nor salty. French fries are thin crispy strands, and definitely up there in quality. For $17, it was a bit expensive for a sandwich, but well worth it. BF declared it the best thing he’s eaten in a long time.

BF ordered chicken fingers. These were battered chicken fingers with an almost cracker-like crust that reminded me of the ones served at the Great American Restaurants chain.  They were pale in color and flaky in texture. The first bite or two seemed awesome, then got progressively worse. Served with fries and coleslaw, it was a big portion, but not sure it was worth the $16 price tag.

One of my favorite things to order at Woodmont is the lemonade. It’s refreshingly sour, and refills are free. I honestly go back there just for that – I’m a bit of a lemonade freak. If you’re looking for good lemonade elsewhere, try M&S Grill. It’s fresh squeezed and tart.

For dessert, I was disappointed that all of the choices had nuts (walnuts or pecans), so we were left with the ice cream sundae. It was a simple pleasure, really good vanilla bean ice cream (in fact, it tasted almost homemade) served alongside a gravy boat of deliciously rich hot fudge that you could pour as you like. The only thing that was missing was a cherry. For $8 though, you could buy your own pint and hot fudge.

SERVICE

The first time we dined, it was a bit busier and we had to wait about 15 minutes. The server was slow to refill our water and bring any special requests (i.e. extra napkins or salad dressing). The second time, the server was extremely attentive and everyone pitched in to serve and bus tables. Our food came quickly and we were in and out in less than an hour.

LOGISTICS

Parking is easy if you go on a weekend, a free public garage is just across the street. Otherwise, there is metered street parking, paid garages and a valet parking lot.

Sparkle Rating: 4 out of 5 Carats

Overall: Great food, good location, nice setting, but overpriced. Consistently good food and service. Top menu choices include the french dip, house salad, and lemonade.

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