Chef Mark Henry of the Oregon Grille holds two of his dishes, a rockfish with Delmarva salsa, and Dry Aged New York strip with crispy onions and sugar snap peas. Whatever else you want to say about the Oregon Grille, you have to admit that it's the brainchild of a savvy restaurateur. Ted Bauer, who also owns the Mount Washington Tavern, realized early on that the kind of upscale restaurant most likely to succeed is a steakhouse. The decor has a hunt club motif, but it's understated - a discreet horsey print here, a decorative row of bridles there. This is a comfortable, handsome restaurant, with well-spaced sitting areas in various rooms and on several porches.
People tend to murmur rather than shout here, even when there's live piano music.
Gentlemen are required to wear jackets to dinner. The service, which I remember being a little ragged when the Oregon Grille first opened, couldn't have been better this time around. Our waiter was professional and unobtrusive, and the meal was well paced even though the restaurant was busy. The Oregon Grille ranks among the area's most expensive restaurants. As such, its food gets judged with a more critical eye than most other places'.