Sometimes it’s the company that makes a meal, and so it was last Friday at Daily Grill, an awful California-based chain that, well …
Happy hour premium mixed drinks were $9, and a shot of Don Julio Blanco – which I needed badly when I saw the food arrive – was $10.50.
Popcorn Shrimp ($4.95 at happy hour, $10.95 as an appetizer) was tempura battered, deeply frozen rock shrimp, some still clinging together, served with a cajun tartar sauce (that I didn’t even know was cajun until I looked at the menu afterwards). They were mushy and flavorless.
Seared Rare Ahi Tuna ($4.95 at happy hour, $13.95 as an appetizer) was a gamble, yes, I knew, but I just wasn’t in the mood for fried calamari or a cheese quesadilla. This was sesame-crusted, cold, dried out, and blah. Enough about this.
I don’t normally go to national chain restaurants, and (wonderful dining companions notwithstanding), this was a poignant reminder why. Just so I can say something positive, I’m told by a trusted source that Daily Grill treats their workers well.