05/17/09

Not worth the price.

by brautiganshoes

With an exception to its location, there is nothing particularly special about the Grey Moss Inn Restaurant. I attended with a party of 6 at around 7PM on a slow Thursday night. We were celebrating the 50th birthday of two of our lady friends. We started with the restaurant's famous Olive Twists which were absolutely divine. The complementary appetizers were the highlight of the night, as from that point on, the food just got worse, I specifically remember biting into one of the Grey Moss Oysters, a $9 appetizer, and thinking that they tasted absolutely ordinary. One could easily spend a couple bucks at a seafood place for the same quality.

The dinner items are pretty expensive. Expect to spend at least $27-$30 a head, not including beverages. Everyone at the table ordered steak, so I decided to try something different and got an $18 vegetarian plate. To our surprise, the meals didn't come with any soups or salads. Our food arrived about 20 minutes after ordering. No one looked completely satisfied. My friend ordered a $35 steak and had to ask for A1 sauce, as she said it was really bland. My vegetarian plate consisted of roasted vegetables topped with the same exact au gratin stuffing that they use on every side. All of the vegetables tasted the same. Another friend ordered their $50 seafood special. My, was that plate not worth it. I can get better lobster ANYWHERE. It was chewy and overcooked. The slice itself was 5 inches long and on a stick. She looked shocked afterwards. Every plate comes with a half baked potato on the side, with that same au gratin stuffing. I would expect some differentiation and innovation, but it was completely lacking. And, to top everything off, although the server knew we were celebrating two 50th birthdays, he didn't offer any cake. I never expect restaurants to offer such a thing, but with their prices and food, it was the least they could do.

I would not recommend this place. Any mediocre steakhouse could offer the same quality of food for less than half the price. The service was nothing memorable, neither was the atmosphere. Although the location of the Grey Moss Inn Rest. is quite intriguing, it is not worth the drive. It's not even worth trying. I would recommend Crumpets for the same type of menu with better food and prices.

Although we did not complain or send anything back, we all promised each other to blog about it later ;)

• Pros: Olive Twists, location
• Cons: quality of food

11/23/08

Best Smoked Prime RIb Ever

by PapaAday

My wife and I went for our wedding anniversary, approximately 20 years after our first visit. The food was exceptional and well worth the ?above average? prices. We were pleasantly greeted at the front door, seated immediately, and service was superb. We started our meal by splitting the ?Waiters Special salad with the ?White French? dressing. The salad was crisp, fresh and perfectly chilled. The marinated asparagus added an interesting and enjoyable flavor and salad quantity, even split, was ample. My wife had the Ribeye as her entree which she thoroughly enjoyed and I had the Smoked Prime Rib and an added Stuffed Roast Quail. The prime rib was some of the best I have ever eaten (and I am a huge prime rib fan). The flavor of the meat added by the ?witches brew? marinade was wonderful; the smoke was evident, but not overpowering and the meat was cooked exactly to order. The 'Grey Moss Squash' was robust, but a definite and delightful change from the usual bland broccoli or mixed vegetables at other places. The twice-baked potatoes were perhaps a touch overcooked and seemed a little dry, but were certainly edible. We also had wine (some great choices), coffee (dark and strong) and the chocolate cheesecake for dessert. The cheesecake was quite good, although not remarkable, but the real highlight of the evening was the Stuffed Roast Quail. I have loved quail since I was a boy, and this was special. It is stuffed with chorizo which gave the dark meat of the quail a real zest and a wonderful flavor. When I first read the menu, I anticipated that it might be greasy from the chorizo, but it was not at all and I was truly glad I took the gamble. All in all, we had a pleasant trip, a superb meal and a wonderful time for under $125.00 with tip. We plan to be back well before our next anniversary, and will bring friends.

• Pros: Food -- definitely worth it!
• Cons: Limited veggie choice, but what they offered was great

11/10/08

Not Like It Used to Be

by Howard2008

My wife and I visited tonight 25 years after our first (and only other visit). We were visiting SA from Houston. Our server (Aaron) was seldom around. The other server in the room made 3-4 passes through the dining room to his tables between one from ours. The first visit was 15-20 minutes after we arrived. There were only about a half dozen tables in use. The special 3-salad combo was very nice, although the 'white french' dressing tasted more like ranch. I had lamb chops, which were pretty good, although very light on the cabernet reduction - I ran out midway through the second of three chops. My wife had a ribeye which was also good.

The signature 'Grey Moss Inn Squash' comes with every meal. It is heavily seasoned with chili powder and got old quickly . Neither of us finished ours. No other vegetables are offered.

The opposite case was the Sour Cream Potato on the Half Shell. It was very bland. Even after adding butter and pepper it had little to offer. It is sad that they want $3 to add jalapeno to this dish. What a ripoff!

All told, we wish we had spent our time and money somewhere else.

• Pros: Parking, ambience
• Cons: Service, set side dishes

02/23/08

Terrible and disappointing experience

by TomandBarb

We had wonderful experiences at Grey Moss Inn prior to tonight. We were there 1 1/2 hrs. before our food came. My husband's steak was bloody so he sent it back. His lobster tail was squishy and raw. Before we knew this, he gave me a bite and I almost got sick. It was like chewing white fat. The squash au gratin, a house favorite, was hot and didn't go with the steak at all. Hy husband's jalapeno half shell potato was not tasty at all. I thought the soup, salad and coffee were very good. The food servers are nice and polite. But it was very hot and humid where we were sitting also. They finally turned on the air. At the end of the meal, I asked for a cup of coffee and the dessert menu. The coffee came, but the dessert menu never did. So we paid and left. I had heard GMI was under new management and the food had suffered as as result, but I didn't want to believe it. Sadly, I do now. We will never go back--especially after paying $100 for a substandard meal.

• Pros: Ambience, coffee, soups, salads
• Cons: poor service, substandard food, temperature of room

02/22/08

I would only go there for the features and the service...otherwise the place looks ridiculous....7 things about Grey Moss Inn you didn't know!!!!!!!!!!!!

by iwonderwhoitis

1. "It's more about the sizzle than the steak." Menus are rigged. "We list the item that makes the most profit first so it catches your eye," says consultant Linda Lipsky, "and bury the highest-cost item in the middle."

2. "Our markups are ridiculous." Coffee, tea, and sodas typically cost restaurants 15 to 20 cents per serving, and pasta, which costs pennies, can be dressed up with more expensive fare and sold for $25 a dish or more. Putting a chicken dish on the menu for $21 will make a $15 pasta dish, where the restaurant is making a big profit, seem like a bargain.

3. "Our specials are anything but." This is one where I must interject. Here, the features are amazing. And it is sad to say, that besides the service, the features are the only things that bring me back time and again.

4. "Nice tip -- too bad your waiter won't get it." According to federal law, only employees who customarily receive tips -- wait staff, hosts, bartenders and bussers -- can participate in the tip pool. But sometimes management takes a cut. In 2006, waitstaff from the Hilltop Steak House in Saugus, Mass., won $2.5 million in damages after complaining that managers dipped into their tips.

• Pros: Fantastic Service, Great Features
• Cons: High Prices, Heard from others that owners are greedy drunks!

11/14/07

Most exquisite dining experience in South Texas

by steaklover22

This was my second visit to the Grey Moss Inn, and I enjoyed it even more thoroughly than the first. My first experience was with the food on the standard menu, and the second time my meal was all choices from the daily features. It had been several years between visits, and the decor, ambience, staff, and menu remain consistently exceptional. Our server had a french accent and treated us with utmost respect and was very knowledgeable regarding the 500+ wine list, while not being snooty. I had a seared tuna appetizer, along with a caesar salad wedge, followed by a magnificent grilled stuffed trout. My companion had the peppered ribeye and lobster tail. The lobster was extremely succulent, and the peppered ribeye was cooked to a perfect medium, with just a little bit of red juice from the steak so as to insure the flavors hadn't leaked from it. I'm not sure if the person writing a previous review got another restaurant confused with this one, but the steaks and seafood are far superior to those of the Barn Door or Pappadeaux, and you just can't beat the atmosphere and service!

• Pros: location, service, wine list, ambience, romance
• Cons: find a table far from children, as it can get annoying

07/21/07

Avoid at all costs!

by blalllison

We were looking forward to a special dinner as it was our anniversary... so on the evening of 7 July 2007 we drove the 30 some odd miles from the Northeast side fo San Antonio to Grey Moss Inn. Our previous experiences there had been memorable. I read the reviews and could not believe the negative comments, so off we went! We went early and were greated at the door and immediately taken to our table. The atmosphere and the ambience were really nice. The service was acceptable. My wife order steak and I ordered the steak and the lobster combination. The sides were ok and were of adequate size.... the steak and the lobster were absolutely tasteless! I was shocked, as I remembered the flavor being very nice before. There was no flavor! Bland! Looking back I should have asked for A-1 for the steak. The lobster had no flavor, even with the drawn butter, the butter was the highlight of the lobster! My wife had to send her steak back to have it cooked to medium... it came out with "red" on the plate. The wine was very good... I left a nice tip for the waiteress as she did a good job and was apologetic for the steaks! This was my last trip to the Grey Moss Inn... I believe they have lost it.. Next time I will go to Papadeaux for lobster and the Barn Door for steak! To add insult to injury the cost of the meal was outrageous! Never again.

• Pros: Ambience, Service, Very Expensive!
• Cons: Steaks and Loster needed A-1 sauce

06/21/07

Great Food and Good Service

by hip2hick

My sister and I ended up here by chance one evening. While she had eaten here before, I had not. My sister knew there is a "daily" menu much different from the printed one. The printed one I beleive has not changed much over the years and is pretty extensive with most items from the "grill". Both of us consider ourselves "foodies".

We dined outside on the patio. A herb of deer went through the parking area while we were there. The wooded area is really pretty and I like dining al fresco. The inside was rustic and looked lovely.

We shared everything we ordered as we are grazers who love to try things. All the "daily" menu had interesting combinations. We started with a a cream of crab soup that had brie in it. A very good soup. While rich it was not overly rich. We had buffalo and shrimp empinadas with an avacado creme and a cucumber (cold) soup. On to the main course of lamb with mashed tators and hominy. All very good. We topped off the evening with a "dessert trio" which contained cannoli, orange creme (fabulous) and a lemon/almond cake with marsala creme. Everything was really very good and more "gourmet" then I had had since moving to SA. The entire meal cost us $70. The waiter was very good about us sharing everything and there was no extra "plate" charge. The service was friendly and not stuffy which I appreciate. Everyone was attentive and made good suggetions.

• Pros: Great Food and Atmosphere.... Romantic and Interesting... Ask for the daily menu!
• Cons: Cost - but that is because it is above average and worth it

05/17/07

good time

by themoosh77

I recently dined at the Grey Moss Inn with my boyfriend. I had been hearing people talk about it all week. There were good and bad remarks, but mostly good, so I thought I would give it another go. I hadn't been in such a long time, and alot has changed. We had an incredibly wonderful experience there. I don't remember there being linens on the tables, so I was quite surprised to find a beautiful dining room. I do remember the rustic part. Some people sitting next to us had a rude comment for everything, including the "rustic" atmosphere. I think that's part of the charm. It seemed as though they went out that night to have a bad time, instead of a good one. We had a blast anyhow. I also don't remember the food being that good! The chef prepared the most outstanding hawaiian sea bass. I love morel mushrooms. My boyfriend was boring and got a steak, but I soon realized how un- boring his steak was. He ordered a medium rare smoked/grilled prime rib, complete with homemade horseradish sauce. The waitress was extremely outgoing and helpful. She answered our thousand questions without batting an eyelash. She also coached us through the wine book. I call it a book because it is huge. We had a little snag when the wine we all decided on was out, but I guess that's what happens when you have so many wines. Our waitress was quick to reccomend something similar, and was right on. Overall we had a great dinner. I just wish we would'nt have sat next to Mr. and Mrs. "we're too good for everyone".

• Pros: Outside looked fun but it was too hot, great food, excellent friendly service
• Cons: I don't have enough money to eat there as often as I would like!

05/13/07

Lost Luster

by rockyrider

When phoning for reservations, I got Dr. Jekyll. The Maitre D' was Mr. Hyde. Bubbly phone person said if upon my arrival I wanted to be seated inside rather than outside, that would be easily accomodated. M.D. was exasperated when my dinner guests preferred to be inside. This resulted in a 20 minute, standing wait inside, where it smelled, well, mossy, next to an empty table that was right on the main pathway inside the door. Guess where we were eventually seated. By far and away, the worst table in the house. Sweaty waiter (remember, this is in the AC'd part of the restaurant) showed up 5 minutes after we were seated to get the drink order. If you order a martini stirred, not shaken, your drink is served room temperature. Bartender doesn't know the difference between "stirred" and "neat." Speaking of the bartender.... Finally got the merlot 10 minutes after the somewhat grisly steaks were served. Back to Mr. Sweaty. Had to read all of the specials, which really weren't special (or tantalizing as the menu would claim) at all. Didn't know that some of the items he read were gone. The house salad was on par with the salad you would get at Denny's. The decaf coffee was weak. The bus person a few tables away delighted in dropping, rather than gently placing the soiled plates into his big, grey tub. 45 minutes before closing time, the surrounding abandoned tables were stripped of the table cloths, down to the bare, mismatched table tops. Does somebody want to go home?

Certainly, not an awful experience. The noise level (outside of the brief plate crashing) was such that good conversation could be had and the house merlot was more than acceptable. But, when you travel over 1000 miles to entertain business associates at a restaurant that's been around all this time with a certain "good reputation," it becomes a letdown. I think they're resting on their bucolic laurels.

• Pros: Rustic, country setting
• Cons: Poorly trained staff, including chef