Best for the money!
I have eaten in almost all the resturants in Greenwood and Crystal Grill is the best tasting in my opinion. Great taste on all dishes that I have eaten there, which have been many. Would recommend it highly.    [28 Jul 2006 08:22:30]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Just about all.

     ­Anonymous   

Always great!!!
Anything you order will be amazing!!!    [02 Sep 2007 20:02:32]

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     ­Anonymous   

Good homestyle cooking on the edge of downtown
For a family used to nothing but chain restaurants with sanitized and manicured exteriors, the Crystal Grill might seem a bit... Seedy. Or at least 'questionable'. But like most things in life, you can't judge this book by its cover.

My dining partner and I arrived on a Thursday evening and parked on the street, along with many other cars. Once inside, there wasn't a soul to be found dining. We were told to seat ourselves and that all the dining rooms were open. We sat in the front room because we weren't quite sure where these other 'phantom rooms' were.

The atmosphere was... Interesting. The front dining room is no frills, with little décor and intrusive florescent lighting from the kitchen. There was also a lot of mechanical noise through the wall which detracted from the experience.

The Crystal Grill offers a menu of steaks, seafood and sandwiches, but also has a leaflet that advertises daily specials. My dining partner and I both opted for the specials. On our visit there were lots of menu items for an entrée, with a smaller selection of veggies and a pick of two desserts.

My dining partner opted for the breaded veal cutlet and I opted for broiled sea scallops. We both chose turnip greens and yams for our veggies. She chose coconut pie for dessert; mine was chocolate pie.

The breaded veal cutlet was bigger than the plate and lightly fried. It was covered in a traditional brown gravy. It was very, very good. The gravy wasn't too salty and the veal was super tender. The sea scallops were about as perfectly done as humanely possible. Most places tend to over-cook them, but the Crystal Grill got 'em just right. The light, slightly-hot seasoning was wonderful.

The turnip greens were good, as were the yams. The yams were cylindrical slices, with a buttery, sweet and cinnamony sauce. Delightful.

Rolls were served with the meal. They were decent but slightly chemical tasting.

The only disappointment was dessert. My dining partner thought the coconut pie was 'institutional'. The chocolate pie's filling was a big letdown. It was like really think off-tasting chocolate pudding. The crust and meringue on top were both good, though.

Our server was competent but not very friendly. I got the impression that she'd been a server here since the dawn of time and saw no reason to alter her attitude to reflect the expected friendliness of modern day restaurants. She was a little slow keeping the drinks filled, which would be forgivable in a busy setting. Except... We were the only ones in her section.

I later discovered the "back room" where the throngs of people who came in during our visit would shuffle off to. The servers back there appeared to be much more 'on top of things' and the room itself seemed much more contemporary than the front one, where we dined.

Overall, we got a positive impression of the Crystal Grill and will certainly be back. Next time we'll know where to sit, too.    [28 Jan 2008 13:53:57]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Breaded veal cutlet, yams, broiled scallops

     ­Tom Servo