The Main Dining Room at The Greenbrier

Unfortunately, the Main Dining Room at THE GREENBRIER does not rate high marks for quality of the food. My family and I have dined here on a number of occasions and each time we say that we will not return. However, at this time of year, several of the other restaurants within the hotel are closed either because of house count or because of the season. The food never seems up to par for THE GREENBRIER. Management needs to take a serious look at this dining venue and improve dramatically.

We had dinner here on a Friday night. We could not get a reservation at any other restaurant in the Greenbrier on that night, but the Main Dining Room appeared only half full. The room itself has an elegant, genteel atmosphere suitable to a special occasion. Our server was very pleasant and efficient but not very knowledgeable about the composition of some of the dishes. A small tray of assorted crudités with house-made ranch dressing was served before the meal. My spouse ordered the veal Oscar which was served over a bed of lemon risotto, accompanied by green asparagus and adorned with shrimp and crabmeat. The dish was well prepared but not memorable in any way. I ordered the lobster tail which came accompanied by drawn butter, whipped potatoes and white asparagus, a completely uninspired color combination. The lobster tail was small but tender. The whipped potatoes lacked any flavor and the asparagus was overcooked. We ordered a chocolate soufflé for dessert with our coffee. It was accompanied by a vanilla sauce and a small ramekin of whipped cream. The soufflé was tasty and probably the best part of the meal. We were also presented with a plate containing four pretty, handmade confections to end the meal: a fruit gel, a marshmallow, a chocolate, and a mint. Our two meals including one glass of wine for each of us totaled $235 with the house mandated 20% gratuity plus tax plus the hotel's 6.5% mandated historic preservation fee. It is a lovely setting, but we have had much better prepared meals than this for half the cost.

Despite the lovely atmosphere of the venue, my meal was quite mediocre. The Trout tasted like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for too long. The portion sizes were small for the price I paid. The Chef salad was nothing special, and I've had better salads from a local grocery store for a fraction of the cost. The service was acceptable since it was a slow evening. The dining room was elegant, but considering the expensive prices and dress code, I expected a more impressive dining experience. Overall, I was disappointed with my meal.

The food was delicious and beautifully presented in a lovely atmosphere. The staff was friendly and helpful, and the music was fantastic. It was a truly special evening!

Beautiful atmosphere for fine dining complete with live entertainment and dancing. Staff made it special with a personalized menu for our anniversaty.