Is It Worth the Drive Downtown to Doug's? - CLOSED

Doug's Downtown Grill

12900 Main St.

Garden Grove, CA 92840

Looking for something new to do, my girlfriend and I went to the Gem Theater to watch "A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum." We got there about an hour early, so we decided to try one of the local dining options within walking distance. We decided on Doug's Downtown Grill.

This rainy Friday night, Doug's was pretty slow, so we got right in and were greeted by a cheerful waitress. We alerted her that we were going to the play, so we would be in a hurry. She reacted like she had heard this before, which was no big deal. Doug's is a casual bar/restaurant in which you immediately feel comfortable.

This is the salad that came with the meal that I ordered. Nothing too spectacular here, but it had crisp lettuce, and the blue cheese dressing was adequate.

Here are two pictures of my meal: the grilled marinated tri-tip. This dish came with julienne vegetables and a choice of sides. I chose the twice-baked potato. The meat was cooked just like I like it, medium rare. The marinade was subtle and added a nice flavor to the meat. The twice-baked potato was good, and the vegetables were just okay. I felt that this was a good value at $13.

Here is Katie's grilled ham and cheese stack, served with sweet potato fries. There was too much bread for this sandwich. Instead of a Kaiser roll, two pieces of toast would have been more appropriate. Also, two slices of ham and Swiss cheese should never be called a stack. She loved sweet potato fries. I thought they were good for sweet potato fries, but I usually do not like them, so I will go by her judgment on those.

So, how to size up Doug's? I thought it was a cool little joint, and if I went to more plays or was in the area, I would give them another shot. The service was excellent, and it is a place you can really feel comfortable in. Also, it was good value for the money.

Out of five parking meters (get it?, because we are downtown), five being best and zero being worst, I would give Doug's 2.5 parking meters.

If you would like more information on Doug's Downtown Grill, check them out here: http://www.dougsdowntowngrill.com/index.html