I know, I know...a mere 2 stars...I'm in utter disbelief myself. Â My Dad and I went to Emerson Grill last summer for the very first time and was blown away. Â Well, we revisited just recently and were completely underwhelmed. Â I'm not even kidding when I say the best thing we consumed were the CROUTONS on the Caesar salad, really. Â
Long story short, my Dad and I were planning on an incredibly nice dinner on his last night in Bozeman (he was flying out the next day; I now live here), and so we'd kind of been planning on hitting Emerson Grill, thinking we wouldn't be let down. Â Let's just say we both left very disappointed and unsatisfied for the overall service we'd received. Â Also, I feel bad for ranting and raving about this place to all my friends telling them how great it is! Â
The service was attentive and perfectly timed, and our server was friendly and willing to give helpful suggestions as well. Â However, the service fell flat when our server told us she "didn't quite know what to do about this situation" after we'd told her how unimpressed we ultimately were with our dinner.
Back to the food:
Bread - tasty w/ nice seasonings, evoo and balsamic are a nice touch
Caesar - very good w/ delicious croutons; Bridger Brewery's Caesar is better
Fish Special - salmon was lukewarm and wimpy/thin, the polenta was nicely pan-fried and hot, broccoli rabe was average; isn't the fish supposed to be the hottest and last thing prepared?!?
Seafood Pasta (1/2 price from 5-6pm) - more like a tasteless cioppino, so brothy/watery that 1/2 of it sloshed out when brought to the table...I thought it was supposed to be pasta not soup? ***We had this sent back and ordered the risotto in its place
Risotto - steak that came on top was overcooked and lacked flavor (server didn't even ask how we'd like it prepared), risotto was bland in flavor; had better steak and risotto at Ale Works a week prior as two of their nightly specials (they both were actually amazing)
Beverage - great b/c we took our own bottle of wine!
Of course when you don't like a dish (or dishes in our case), the waitstaff it hugely offended and you're "snubbed" for the remainder of the evening...and they even had the nerve to say, "No one else has ever not liked this dish, etc, etc." Â Yeah, I'm sure everything is ALWAYS perfect and that nobody has been disappointed w/ ANYTHING they've ever ordered from Emerson Grill. Â Get real!
Like I mentioned earlier, when I told our server about our overall experience and how we'd had high expectations due to our previous experience being amazing, she acted dumbfounded and said, "This has never happened before." Â She took a mere $13 off (1/2 price pasta) and charged us for both the salmon and risotto (we did eat the salmon but barely touched the risotto). Â Of course charge us for what we ate but for what we were disappointed with and had even told them about? Â They didn't even attempt to compensate us for a very lackluster meal...horrible customer service in my opinion!!!
After we left, we walked around the farmer's market and wished we'd have picked something up from "Island Noodles" instead! Â So much for Emerson Grill being at the top of my list as one of the best places to dine at in Bozeman.
The food was good, I think we had a 2-3 course meal salad and anti-pasto was great, as was the salmon. Â Maybe it was the two bottles of wine, but dinner turned out to be waaay too expensive for 2 $180+... Â I guess that's what I get for letting the lady do the wine ordering... Â It's much smaller than I expected and it surprised me to see a family with smaller kids eating there. Â The service was excellent, as was the meal. Â We ate every bite. Â The wine dammit!
Review Source:This place is fully local and organic. Â It's the most delicious Italian I have ever eaten. Â
We pulled in from a long drive based on other reviews on Yelp and we were impressed beyond belief.
The service was great. Â The wine list was extensive and their bread service was fantastic. Â They serve herbed focaccia bread with fresh olive oil and balsamic.
They salad was fairly simple but good. Â The fresh pasta we ordered was fabulous. Â We had the fresh fettuccine bolognese as a split order between my 17 year old daughter and me. Â It was the perfect amount of food.
We rounded the night off with lemon and almond creme brule. Â
I would never ever go to Bozeman ever again without having dinner here. Â What an amazing find.
Quaint, small place. Not cheap, but not ridiculous either, for a good dinner. Highly recommended by my neighbor. Â She was right on! Â Service was at a perfect, leisurely pace....and VERY friendly (both the Hostess and the Waitress). Â The Cesar salad plate (appetizer) was really good....with requested Anchovies. Â My wife loved the Vegetarian plate and I liked the Seafood special, fish, mimi-clams and mussels on noodles and a great sauce. Â Ample servings of each. Â Fairly quiet but enjoyingly "noisy" at the same time. The waitress let me sample three wines before selecting what I wanted. Â Tried for a booth, but ended up at a table for two.....comfortably seated, middle of the room. Make reservations for dinner. Â One downside: Parking was very hard to find....I parked 2 blocks away in a bank parking lot.
Review Source:Went here for a special, we-feel-like-splurging dinner with my fiance. Food was to-die-for status!
I got the pork chop that was smoked and then grilled, omg I don't even like pork chop but I became a believer! My fiance thoroughly enjoyed his meal too, though he felt it was over-priced, even at the quality. We also got an appetizer that was mouth-watering and we savored every bite. It was a meat and cheese slices with antipasto veggies type of appetizer (forget the name).
I will say it's not 5-star because the place is really small but does not have the cozy, intimate atmosphere you'd expect with a small place. And as other reviews say, service isn't great.
I was recommended to try this by a friend. Â As others have noted, the menu is excellent. Â Unfortunately, given the price, the service is simply not up to par.
From the get-go, the staff were very surly. Â Moreover, not until long after mentioning the specials, and as we were ordering, did our waiter let us know that all but one of the non-meat entrees were unavailable (at 645PM). Â With half of our party being pescetarian, we had to leave and find somewhere else to eat.
Have been going to Bozeman all my life and would love to see some great places to eat. Â For the $25-40 per entree, however, the service must match.
The food and setting was five stars. The service and temperature of the place pulled it down to 4. I still highly recommend this place. My wife loved the calamari and vegetarian special of the night. I think the pork chop may have been the best I ever had. Smokey and grilled to perfection with a slight sweetness of the apple reduction, it was perfect. It had almost a bacon flavor to it. Total for the meal (2 entrees, 1 appetizer, 1 salad and a bottle of wine) ran about $100+tip. They had a seating area outside under a large tree, but we sat inside due to the warmth. The temperature was a little warm with no moving air inside. Our server was ok, but seemed to be new and very unsure of himself. Overall I think this is a great place for a special night out.
Review Source:Oh the Emerson Grill...I drove by it a million times before finally coming in for dessert one night. What a lovely place! I would love to come back for a full meal sometime. The dessert I had was decadent, delicious and so fairly priced!!
The interior and exterior of the restaurant are both truly beautiful and the servers are wonderful, wonderful people.
Really great place to come to celebrate anything!
Quaint location, the building houses other small businesses and artist spaces. The common hallway walls are lined with artwork from local artists...way cool. The restaurant boasts an open kitchen where you may watch the maestro at work.
The good: Â Food is excellent and portions are generous. We ordered a flat-bread pizza (pear, Gorgonzola and pine nuts....YUM). We then shared a pasta dish (pasta del Mare). Pasta was hand-made, seafood was fresh (salmon, clams and scallops...needed a couple of grilled shrimp for me though..but not a deal-breaker). All of the food dishes were expertly seasoned.
The not so good: Service was average. They don't like to write down your order, so this would account for why I was delivered a glass of white wine instead of the red that was ordered. Could have left me the white and also brought me the red, after all, it was their mistake. And speaking of wine, the selection is good, but the storage is not so good. Wines are kept out in the ambient temperature, which this night was quite warm. Need to invest in a beverage cooler. Seems like the wine is an afterthought to the great food rather than an equal partner...too bad.
This place is absolutely worth tracking down if you're rolling through Bozeman.
I took a good friend, who was visiting from the fine culinary city of Denver, to the Emerson. Â It was an amazing experience. Â My friend could not get over how amazing their breakfast was. Â She said she had never had anything as good, and I would have to agree. Â I don't remember what she ordered, but I got the french toast special. Â I don't like french toast but the the description on the menu made it irresistible. Â From the first bite to the last, I though I was in heaven. Â One of the best food/dining experience I have ever had. Â Plus the music was great!
Review Source:The food is incredible!! Blissful!!
I had capellini & pesto. It was light & delicate, rich in flavor, just barely creamy. I did the food happy dance in my chair, I was so impressed. My boyfriend thought the pesto was too potent, but I thought it was bliss!
He had a "pepperoni pizza." It was much larger (longer) than anticipated. Again, I thought it was just fantastic. The crust was thin enough to have a bit of crunch, but not so thin to deny you the nice chew a really great dough offers. I was the only one who tried it that thought so, but I swear the sauce had a similar flavor as Doritos. Heaven!! Dorito pepperoni pizza perfection. :)
I shared almond gelato...nice.
The ambiance is lovely, but not perhaps enough space for a large group.
The Emmerson Grill is probably the classiest dining establishment in Bozeman because it is tasteful but not pretentious. Â The ambiance is quaint, and the entire menu is well worth sampling. Â My only complaint is that like most good restaurants in Montana, it is slightly overpriced with entrees ranging from $25 to $40. Â Regardless, I would highly recommend eating here if you are looking for a quality meal in a cozy environment.
Review Source:Bozeman is one of those places that conjures up some pretty potent images in the minds of those who haven't been to Big Sky country. There's skiing, ritzy resorts, beautiful views, etc.. In the midst of all of these cliches of the new west, there's still a small city that is thriving on imported talent and native ingenuity. The Emerson Grill is an awesome example of how magical this combination can be.
I came to dinner with some business associates, and I had no expectations. From the moment I pulled up on this renovated school building, I knew I was in for something different. The space is great. The Emerson shares the building with a number of local arts organizations, and what appears to be a gallery or two. The restaurant itself boasts high ceilings, cozy booths, and a partially open kitchen.
The menu tilts toward Italian, but not too far. We had mussels in a tomato and creme case as an appetizer, which were great. I had the Chicken Ossobucco, while the others had the locally grown NY Strip and the Halibut. We chased it with an excellent bottle of South African wine. Even my starter salad was awesome... who knew there was such a thing as a maple vinaigrette?
This is the sort of place that makes you yearn to be a local. I don't ski too much, but atmosphere like this makes me want to hit the bunny slopes. I guess the other route is to become a filthy rich SOB, but that just doesn't seem fair.
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