Rarely Legal Grille

DowntownBethesda.com User Ratings and Reviews:

• 4 Stars by SallyBGood on 12/12/07
  

  This newcomer could benefit from a little more advertising and maybe a redesign of the interior, but overall I've enjoyed my visits. I've been upstairs to the bar area a few times to take advantage of the great happy hour specials. Large draft beers were $2 and most of the appetizers were half price. The calamari was great!
  
  I have only recently tried the steak and although I was a bit overwhelemed with the choices (you can pick your sauces, sides, etc) I was pleased with my meal. The steak was cooked to perfection and the garlic mashed potatoes were quite tasty.
  
  A few times the place has been quite crowded and others it's somewhat empty, but overall I've been more than satisfied with my experiences.

• 5 Stars by tiko1975 on 10/31/07
  

  I went there last saturday off of a referral and the place lived up to the standard. I eat all the time as well as the couple we were with at the ruth chris and mortons in bethesda and I can tell you that I will put this place on par with them and you cannot beat the price for the amount of food you get. I was so impressed that I have gathered other friends and have made a reservation for this weekend as well. I enjoy a place that actually isn't a franchise and puts out a good product.

• 1 Stars by RJWDMW on 10/30/07
  

  My wife and I were so looking forward to trying this new Restaurant. A relative of ours had dinner there several weeks early and gave it 5 stars. So when we decided to entertain our friends from out of town we choose Rarely Legal. When we arrived we were promptly seated and started to review the menu. We ordered our drinks and bottle of wine along with our Dinner. The bottle of wine and the Ice Tea came out in about a minute, but my guests cocktail arrived about 10 minutes after our drinks. Our waiter said she was sorry but she had to go up stairs to the bar and she got very busy. When our first course arrived, I ordered the House Salad with Green Goddess dressing. Quite bland but did not come with Bacon Bits as advertised. My guests had the Calamari and Mussels, Which were OK but the Mussels came out sizzling hot which was a different way of presentation. As we were finishing our first course, My wife and one of my guests noticed something running across the floor. The diners at the table next to us looked over at us and asked if we had seen that. We said yes and asked our waiter for the Manager. A few minutes pass and the Manager asked us what the problem might be. We told him that he has an unwanted guest who just ran across the floor and it looked like it went into a closet. He said, well we do have a Pest and Rodent control contract, but this is an old building and maybe they have not gotten all of them. With that he turned around and went back toward the Kitchen. That response turned us all off and I asked my guests if we wanted to leave. We all decided to stay for the main course but kept an eye on that closet door. When the Steaks came two Ribeyes and two Filet's they were over cooked and charred. The burned taste over whelmed any flavor the steaks could of had. After we finished our dinner we got the check paid the bill and left the grill by using the front door, which was so dirty with finger prints all over it I gave everyone in the car some hand sanitizer. This situation could of been turned around so easily if the Manager had addressed the issue differently but he choose not to. I don't believe Rarely Legal Grille will be on my list of places to go back to any time soon.

• 5 Stars by ryanross on 08/20/07
  

  Forgot to mention - what hurts them is being in the Triangle, away from all of the big action of Downtown Bethesda. But I believe with the quality of the food, and outrageous bar specials, the people in the are will soon take notice of this hidden gem on Woodmont Ave.

• 5 Stars by ryanross on 08/20/07
  

  I eat out just about every day of the week and pride myself on trying out every new restaurant in Bethesda. I can honestly say that this place is up there with the very best. It just recently opened so I'd understand the confusion and perhaps some sloppiness with the surface. The food however is truly one of a kind. With your steak you choose from 11 different sauces, as well as 2 sides (my favorites: Lobster Corn Mash/Truffled Mac&Cheese). If meat isnt your thing, their fish entrees are seriously ridiculously good and served beautifully on the plate. The mussels and calamari are awesome, and best of all their bar specials are hands down the best in Bethesda. I HIGHLY recommend this place.