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The Super Spendy Grill Is Significantly Spendier in 2018

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A mushroom omelet has gone from $24 to $38, a 52 percent hike

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A man in a white tuxedo stands behind the bar at the Grill, in front of a giant arrangement of pink and red flowers Photo by Gary He

“May we all be rich enough to eat here more often,” I wrote in my four-star review of The Grill, Major Food Group’s reboot of the old Four Seasons space. At the time of publication, I estimated that a meal would easily run in the $200s per person.

Well guess what? Nearly a year after opening, some of the dishes are significantly spendier, with a few high-profile items having jumped up by 20 to 50 percent — the type of increases that you’d expect after a restaurant eliminates tipping. Except here, of course, you still have to tip.

To be fair, a few of the dishes haven’t changed much, or at all. The salted anchovies are still $19; the littleneck cocktail remains at $18; and the Amish hamsteak, one of the best items on the menu, is only a buck more expensive at $40.

But the famed mushroom omelet, flipped tableside by a tuxedoed waiter, has leapt from $24 to $38, a whopping 52 percent hike. The pheasant Claiborne with black truffle, once $45, has increased by over twenty dollars to $69. And the triple lamb chops, once $59, are now $92.

For those who prefer to visit The Grill during lunchtime hours, the burger has risen to $33, which isn’t that bad until you consider that after adding on fries ($15), a cocktail, ($20), tax, and tip, you’re at $88.

It’s not uncommon for restaurants to raise prices after the review cycle is over; Major Food Group managing partner Jeff Zalaznick attributed the increases to rising food and labor costs. But man, these prices are like, really high.

Or let’s put things in full meal terms: A dinner for two — an omelet and foie gras, followed by lamb and pheasant, plus a side and two cocktails each — would’ve cost $354 last summer. This year, that same meal would run $123 more at $477

So, to paraphrase that line my review: May we all get yearly raises commensurate with the price hikes here.

Following is a chart with a few of the increases, as well as the full menu with prices.

The Grill Prices

dish 2017 prices 2018 prices percent increase
dish 2017 prices 2018 prices percent increase
mushroom omelet $25 $38 52%
pheasant claiborne $45 $69 53%
neptune's crown sole $89 $98 10%
sole riviera $82 $96 17%
prime rib $62 $67 8%
squab $49 $58 18%
foie gras $32 $42 31%
crab cake $36 $40 8%
jack's pie $12 $15 25%
triple lamb chops $59 $92 56%
strip steak $65 $83 28%
minted black bass $39 $45 15%
steak tartare $26 $33 27%
cocktails $18 $20 11%
desserts $15 $17 13%

THE GRILL

99 Market Square Southwest, , DC 20024 (202) 916-5996 Visit Website