Critic's Review
The China Grill closed its doors on June 1; the restaurant that nobody knew was there because of it's location under the SE 17th Street bridge was a flashy but ridiculously overpriced restaurant with a bad reputation for gruff service. It won't be missed.
The good news is that the hotel will be seeking another restaurant for the location. Stay tuned for more info.
Review 8/5/10
China Grill is a chain restaurant known for its swanky decor and high prices. This particular location is a bit unfortunate; its one of those places that is more likely to be patronized by tourists than locals. Its off the beaten path, and they don't do much to compel locals to come for a visit. The restaurant is located at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina Hotel, and you'll never pass it on your way to anything as its sunken location is out of sight to normal roadways. Its really not that bad to get to; they have valet parking only at the restaurant, but there's a metered lot thats very close to the restaurant for $1 per hour. So if you don't want to lay out $7 with tip to park, you can park a few steps away for $3.
On this particular day, the restaurant and bar were particularly empty. Without a well-attended event in the rear the place would have been downright desolate. They have 1 TV hanging in the middle of the bar area that just seems out of place.
While the China Grill is a pretty nice place, its also a disappointment. I expected it to be nicer. There's something about it that a bit boring. Maybe its the lack of people. They have nice furniture on an outdoor deck, but there's no staff outside and the deck is poorly maintained. It looks a bit ridiculous with the fancy tables on the badly weathered wood. I'm not sure if its the Hilton's or China Grill's responsibility, but its a shame.
They have an open kitchen here, so it is interesting to watch the chefs do their thing.
The food is good but not outstanding; it certainly doesn't justify the price. Their wines by the glass are largely cheap stuff selling at 400% retail. The menu isn't chinese; its a collection of asian cuisines; a little chinese, a little japanese, sushi, korean. Its just all over the map.
If you do want to try it, go at happy hour, which runs from 5pm-7pm daily. Their web site says 1/2 off appetizers and 2 for 1 drinks but they have a separate menu; I had a glass of Aquinas Pinot Noir for $6. but was not offered 2 for 1, so perhaps they re-thought it in favor of lower prices. The prices on the happy hour menu are much more reasonable.
Originally this place was just stupid expensive with ridiculously massive portions at equally massive prices. Economics and savvy humans have forced them to offer what they call "half-portions", for which you pay about a $2 penalty for ordering. For $36 per person you can get a fixed price dinner with limited choices. Its hardly a deal that is going to get people to come to the restaurant, so why bother?
The big problem with the China Grill is that its entire concept is designed around dining in big groups. However its hotel location doesn't lend itself to large groups since you're not usually in a big group at a hotel. The place just isn't friendly to people dining alone or in pairs. Paying a penalty for a normal portion is somewhat insulting. Even a group of 4 would have to all agree on what to order to take advantage of the $22 dumpling appetizers.
I attended an event here and they did a particularly bad job with it. Most people didn't get any food at all, there was supposedly a bar just for us but you could only get certain drinks (which were full price even when the regular bar had happy hour prices). They certainly didn't go out of their way to make a good impression.