Grille 116

15405 N Dale Mabry
Tampa, FL 33618
(813) 265-0116

Dining Date: Mar 16, 2007

Grille One Sixteen is in a class by itself for the area, but is not quite a 5 star restaurant overall. Prices are similar to Capital Grille, service isn't even close, steaks are better.

Grille 116 uses only grass-fed organic beef, which is very uncommon in Florida and wet-ages their beef in contrast to almost every other steakhouse which supposedly makes the beef more tender.

Highlights: Steaks are top-notch. The chef uses a wood-fire grill (why don't all steakhouses do this???) and seasons very little. The result is a pure beef flavor and a lingering taste of wood chips. Grille 116 is a steakhouse for steak eaters; sadly, most of the clientele are middle-aged women looking for businessmen.

Entres: Steaks are fantastic, boursin-stuffed chicken is both original and delicious. The filet tastes fairly common, but the NY strip is close to perfection.They have a selection of fish, but why would someone order fish at a steakhouse?

Sides: Sides are huge. One of the few places that call them "table sides" and actually mean it. Mac&Cheese is made w/4 cheeses and the Spinach Gratin may be the best I've ever had.

Apps: Tuna tartare tower is creative and original. Salads are very large - the tomato and mozzarella had the largest, most luscious tomatoes I've ever tasted. Kobe sliders are great also.

Wine: Hopefully, Grille 116 has improved since February, but the wine list was the weakest point. Compared with Bern's, Flemings, Capital Grille, et al, claiming this restaurant has wine is like calling the plant on my table a forest. Nice-yes; steakhouse wine list-not even close. Dominated by new-world (mainly CA), the list lacks the interesting wines that would pair excellently with their organic-natural-tasting beef. I was completely at a loss when I couldn't find a single Rhne or Primitivo. If they want to go "all-American," fine; they should, however, take off their "Peruvian asparagus" and "Chilean sea bass." French and Italian reds go with Beef, period.

Ambiance: Very modern, which is rare for the area. Basically the only place to have a glass of wine within 10 miles. Possibly better suited for NYC/Houston/Boston/SF where it would probably need to be booked 2 weeks in advance. Friday/Saturday nights get clubby, but note the aforementioned crowd.

Overall, I will certainly return. With a better wine list and more attentive servers, this will be a 5 star restaurant in my book.