Our dinner here was just really, really good. We started with the garlic bean dip and house-made tortilla crisps--perfectly salted, piping hot, and honestly hard to stop eating. Our server, Will, suggested a wine that turned out to be spot-on: a dry, subtle Chardonnay, nicely chilled and presented in a granite cooler on our table like it was royalty. Loved that detail. The entrées did not disappoint. My husband had the salmon, delicately enhanced with salmoriglio, served with wild rice atop a light bed of bok choy and baby carrots--simple, fresh, and perfectly balanced. I had the crab-stuffed shrimp, which was absolutely fabulous, also with wild rice, baby carrots, and that sneaky little layer of bok choy you barely notice but totally appreciate. It was a busy Saturday night, so definitely make reservations--it's worth it. The atmosphere struck the perfect balance: lively but not loud, elegant without being stuffy--the kind of place that makes you feel justified putting on heels and lipstick just because. And a special shoutout to GM Brad, who was absolutely wonderful, along with the rest of the staff. Warm, attentive, and genuinely welcoming--service like that makes a great meal unforgettable. We'll absolutely be back. read more

We were very excited to return to Dusty's after their 'refresh.' For those who appreciated Dusty's atmosphere, it is unchanged. Our drinks and appetizers were good. Dinner and service, however, was a huge disappointment. The 3 differnt pasta dishes ordered were bland and the pasta overcooked. The Carbonara tasted like Alfredo with some bacon pieces thrown in. While the accompaniments to the Branzino were good, the fish was overcooked and dry. Server was inattentive and didn't check on how the mains were. They also couldn't get the bill correct. We won't be back for a while. Hopefully, things will improve with time. read more

Was really good. The place was hoppin on a cold snowy night. I had the turkey pesto sandwich. I ordered extra potato, I love it. Everything was really good. They only had one waiter but she did really good with a packed house. We eat at Dusty's for dinner but never tried their bar. Dusty's wine bar is Better than average bar food read more

Fabulous from start to finish. This is our favorite restaurant int eh Lansing area to have a celebratory or birthday dinner. Our server, lara, was polished, charming, attentive--everything you'd want. Our dinners, veal shank and short ribs, were sublime. Great wine suggestion from Lara and the cocktails were just right. I have been going there for 40 years and never been disappointed. read more

The service is very good--friendly, quick and unpretentious. The atmosphere is comfortable and stylish with a Cheers type of feeling. The food--incredible and excellent. Hands down, they serve the BEST Ruben sandwiches I've ever had. They're perfect and they actually grill the corned beef before grilling the sandwich and its ingredients are perfectly balanced and proportioned. I'm very picky about my food and this sandwich never disappoints. I usually get the fries for my side which are really good as well. Last, but certainly not least, they garnish the meal with a high quality pickle. My son always gets a burger from here which he loves with fries and the delicious pickle. I highly recommend this place. read more

Much better than our last visit 12 years ago. I love the number of gluten free options on the fall menu, even though we're not gluten free people. Food was delicious -- acorn squash risotto and shrimp and grits. We started with pomme frites --hot and garlicky! Cocktails were tasty too. We skipped dessert. So glad we visited! read more

I was having high expectations because I saw that previously they had a Georgian wine tasting. Not too many people know about Georgian wine and food. I love it! It seems like the menu wants to play with the "big boys" - high end restaurants. Upon looking at the menu, it's all over the place. There isn't cohesion, and the combinations of the ingredients made me question the food. Yes I was concerned but I stayed because I already ordered a glass of wine and I was hungry. The beet salad is a large but visually it didn't make me feel excited about the dish. Like the old adage, you eat with your eyes first. Yellow for the beets, green for the arugula, white for the goat cheese. Maybe mix some red beets with the yellow. Don't dice them so small. Showcase the beets! It is a beet salad! I didn't taste the cashew candy since all the cashews were pulverized to tiny tiny pieces and were in the bottom. Suggestion, leave the cashew candy whole. Since watermelon is in season, maybe replacing the beets with watermelon and add walnuts. Something for a spring/summer menu item. Had a similar salad in Hawaii and it was delicious. Whoever sliced the green apple for the salad has good knife skills. The chicken wings were described by our server as an Asian flavor. I didn't get ANY Asian flavor.... NOT at all. It's just salty and the skin was rubbery. Didn't taste any garlic or ginger. Double fry like Korean fried chicken and toss it in sauce. Double frying them will make them really crispy. There are many types of Korean fried chicken sauce recipes available online. Other option are Vietnamese fried chicken or Chinese style salt and pepper chicken. If you don't want to go the Asia route, just don't serve chicken with rubbery skin. The scallops... oh the scallops. This REALLY missed the mark and for the price of $45 is NO BUENO. The scallops are good quality but the balsamic reduction seared into the scallops is a waste!! Let the quality of the scallop come through! We want to taste the scallop! Scallops have a delicate flavor and there is NO need for the balsamic reduction to touch it at all. AT ALL. And why is the scallop only seared on one side??? They seared the balsamic into it! Sear it on both sides WITHOUT the balsamic. A suggestion if you want to use the balsamic reduction, drizzle it on the roasted carrots. This is a segway to the issue with the roasted carrots....The roasted carrots are diced (like the ones from the bag of frozen peas and carrots) and sprinkled on the puree. It looks really really sad. Suggestion, roast tourne carrots or baby carrots and place them on the side of the plate. Add a bit of microgreens on the plate to bring some color. The scallops are white and the puree is white dotted with orange. The presentation and taste is so poor. It irritates me this dish cost me $45!! The bucatini pasta was overcooked. It was mushy and NOT al dente. You can tell by the taste and the texture of the pasta. You are charging $28 and for this reason you should use pasta made in Italy. The texture and taste of the Italian pasta is different and it is noticeable. Please be more generous with the sauce. The dish was REALLY DRY. The texture of overcooked pasta and with hardly any sauce, it wasn't good. It was dry mush.The sauce wasn't rich in flavor and the Calabrian chili was lacking. The entire meal is a miss 1 star for the generous wine pour 1 star for our server read more

We had an amazing dinner here last week. My seared salmon was cooked to perfection and accompanied by a wonderful light wine sauce and cous cous with quinoa and asparagus. My partner enjoyed their delicious duck entree. The ambiance was warm and cozy. The house wines are perfect here. Our service was friendly and excellent. An exceptional experience! read more

We made reservations for Valentine's Day, the menu looked good and we could book online. When we got there we were sat in the converted sidewalk "patio" on cold metal patio furniture (it was heated and walls, but still not what I expect for a $250 meal for two), the lighting was super bright, and you could hear ever other tables' conversations. The waiter was nice, she was probably the best part. When our entrees arrived, we had cool, overcooked beef tenderloins and garlic mashed potatoes that tasted like they're come off a buffet line. We didn't even bother with desserts. I'd expect better food from a fast casual chain, I was really shocked at how low quality it was given the price point. read more

I came here while in town for work and was pleased with my experience. The menu has enough flare to satisfy those looking for something unique but it's not something to write home about. It's also a bit pricey, but the atmosphere is warm and quaint, and I love supporting local businesses. The shrimp and grits was really good, this coming from a girl who spent most of her life in south Louisiana! read more

Dusty's Wine Bar - Pesto shrimp and grits - Wine Bars Near Me - Okemos, Michigan

I was very disappointed! Had dinner with our friends after my recommendation and we were all disappointed with our meal.. Miss the old Dusty's!! The wine and soup were the only saving grace!! read more

We visited for a birthday dinner. We started with the shrimp cocktail, a tasty choice. He had the filet, I had the salmon, both were perfectly prepared. We perused the dessert menu but we're dismayed by the lack of simple desserts, like a simple cheesecake or crème brûlée. I'm sure their offerings were delicious, but in my quest for a birthday dessert, we opted for a few cannolis from the Cellar store on our way out. No birthday greetings we're extended, although it was mentioned when the reservation was made. A nice "fancy" meal, with superb service. read more

A little Gem in Okemo. This is our favorite restaurant, for special occasions. I visited this weekend again, as it was my husbands birthday and we were not disappointed, the food was delicious as always and it tasted so fresh. I had the lamb shank, and it melted in your mouth. My husband had the short ribs, and he loved it. The service was superb as always. read more

We had a deeply disappointing experience that ended up with us leaving the restaurant before we even ate. Despite putting in our food order when we first arrived, we waited for close to an hour for our entrees. After getting an erroneous assurance that our food would be right up, we let our server know that we had another engagement to get to. We were then told that our entrees were in fact delayed. This meant that we wouldn't have enough time to eat before we had to leave. When we told the manager that we wanted to cancel the order, he accused us of not leaving enough time. That despite our budgeting of 1.25 hours, we should have budgeted 1.5 hours--as if that waiting for over 50 minutes was acceptable for an entree and that patrons should be expected to eat their meals in under 10 minutes. read more

Dusty's is one place in the Lansing area where you should NOT waste your money. I have lived in the area for 25 years and it used to be a solid place to eat. But over the years I have watched the restaurant go from being a place to celebrate to a very sad place. My most recent visit only confirmed what I already "felt" from earlier visits in the past few years. They fail on the big 3 of dining: Prices, Food, & Service. Prices: With the cheapest non-appetizer/non-salad costing almost $20 and their upper range stuff over $40 / plate, Dusty's prices are very high for this part of the country. And if you read reviews elsewhere online (here and other forums), you will find that the constant refrain from the restaurant/management is that they use great ingredients (and such), thus necessitating the cost. I don't buy that. The reality is that that explanation doesn't hold water. Costs at Dusty's are comparable to *multiple* Michelin starred restaurants in Chicago (e.g., Boka, Blackbird, Elske, Sepia, and others, not to mention Bib-Gourmand places like The Publican, etc.), where the food is SO much better. Plus, those restaurants are paying Chicago rent. So you do the math. Food: If the food was on a par with the restaurants I mention above, I wouldn't mind the price. But on a recent visit with friends, nearly EVERY person at a 7-person table had to send their food back. One salad had a bottle top on it. Another's steak was way underdone. Another had their stake served with *meat thermometer* still in it! Are you kidding me? I had the 5-cheese pasta -- figuring they couldn't ruin mac & cheese, and the quality was worse than Zingerman's' in AA. In addition, the salads were flavorless and the duck dry and bland, among other flaws :( Such a bummer. On the other hand, a couple days earlier I ate pasta from the Good Bites food truck at Bad Brewery in Mason and it was substantially better and much cheaper. Service: If waitstaff at a restaurant directly see that the table they are serving is receiving food with caps, meat thermometers, etc. they should DO SOMETHING about it. Talk to the manager. Talk to the guests. Make it right. It is not like we received food that was too salty, etc., and never said anything about it. It was very clear! This low level of service and attention to detail is indicative of a systemic problem at the restaurant. The bright spot? The water pourer was there all night refilling water glasses. That kid deserves a medal. read more

Simply SUPERLATIVE food and experience. And not just "for Lansing area," but period. Dusty's used to be our go-to restaurant for fine dining, back in the 90's and early 2000's, before we moved to a different state. This was the first time we'd been back for at least 15 years, and the food and service were INCREDIBLE. Colton was our server, and was EXTREMELY attentive. And the food was top-shelf. The fig and gorgonzola flatbread is a flavor BOMB - a fantastic WOW combination of sweet and savory. My wife and I both took our first bites and went, "OMG....this is SO GOOD!!!" And the entrees were equally excellent: she got the Korean braised beef (truly melt in your mouth), and I got the mushroom stroganoff. Both were piping hot and delicious. And the key lime pie gets our mutual vote for BEST KEY LIME PIE WE HAVE EVER HAD, ANYWHERE. Side note: we've taken the last year, since pandemic, to go out once a month to different restaurants, mostly in the Birmingham AL area (where we now live), but also in Portland, Seattle, and Chicago. And our dinner at Dusty's ranks as one of THE best food and service experiences we've had (out of close to two dozen). A+++ THANK YOU Dusty's!!!! read more

Little gem hidden in okemo, been living in the are for 3 trs years and didn't noticed before. My husband and I went for the first time for a nice glass of wine and a light dinner. It's a beautiful place and a nice ambiance. We settled for the small plates and a glass of wine. We had the lamb meatball, which was delicious, and the cheese board. We had the house Cavernet and the house Chardonnay. Good portions. It was a nice perfect evening, we will be back for the full dinner. My server was very nice and attentive. Highly recommend it. Prices are very reasonable read more

My first experience at Dusty's was for the brunch service. Our table was small for 4 people which some might call intimate, but we felt it was crowded. There weren't many people there for Sunday brunch which was fine by us. The waiter was prompt and courteous. After ordering, he brought us a basket of warm mini muffins. They looked and tasted freshly made. My table of 4 ordered the Crab Cake Benedict, Mixed Berry Crepes, Chicken Biscuits and Gravy, and the Classic Eggs Benedict (the last being my dish). The chicken in the Chicken Biscuits and Gravy was AMAZING! Just the right seasoning and expertly fried to perfection. The biscuits and gravy were good; nothing to write home about. My Eggs Benedict was very well-prepared. I loved the sampling of fresh fruit on the side. The eggs were not prepared quite correctly; the yolk was a little over done. However, the dish was yummy. For brunch, the price was great. I took a peek at the dinner menu and it appears to be a bit overpriced for what it was. However, I can't comment much on that since I have yet to try it. I will be back for brunch again. read more

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Had a wonderful experience here. The "Straw and Hay" linguini tasted great, the block salad was mouth watering and the rum punch drink (can't remember the name) was perfection! Great lighting, great service and food, amazing beer, wine and drink list. I would definitely recommend Dusty's as one of Lansing's finest. read more

Dusty's Wine Bar - "Straw and Hay" linguini - Wine Bars Near Me - Okemos, Michigan

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Stopped here for a salad/snack mid afternoon on a weekday. This place has been around for a long time, and although my visit there was very pleasant, there is some room for improvement. Here's why it was a fun experience (and tasty). They offered salad nicoise. Why don't more places have these? The salad was beautiful with tuna filet cooked to order. It was huge, fresh, and so much fun to share with my mom. The service was lovely, fresh white tablecloth, beautiful stemware... Very nice. My mom had a Michigan wine that she really liked. There is a store attached that has some nice things on offer... European chocolates and snacks, some fresh salads, and pastries, bread, etc. I picked up pastries like a cannoli and Napoleon for my dad and he was happy. This restaurant would be better if it they spent some time updating the interior of the store and restaurant. The decor is dated and dark, and given the prices here the atmosphere could use some new attention. read more

Dusty's Wine Bar - Salad nicoise - Wine Bars Near Me - Okemos, Michigan

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The brunch menu is amazing!! So many different and unique items to try. The prices are reasonable. there was no wait on a Sunday around noon. I would highly recommend this place. Looking forward to eating there again soon. Granola French toast = read more

Dusty's Wine Bar - Granola French toast - Wine Bars Near Me - Okemos, Michigan

Some of the highest quality food I've enjoyed in the Lansing area. Had a lovely cranberry-walnut salad with brie. There is much care paid to the food including details such as toasted walnuts. This also goes for presentation, with orchid buds on plates. Had a very good filet mignon here - not overcooked as with some other places, so beware if you order rare, it will be rare. Vegetables were perfectly al dente. Lobster puff appetizer also was delicious. Service was very good but not exceptional (the waiter accidentally spilled a beer at one point). Prices are steep but we were here for a special occasion, and we were not disappointed by the quality of the meal for the price. read more

Dusty's Wine Bar - Lobster puff appetizer - Wine Bars Near Me - Okemos, Michigan

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I planned a birthday dinner in one of the private rooms at Dusty's. I worked with the manager Jeremy and he went above and beyond to make sure the room was set up based on what I needed for the event. The service was also very good and it seemed like our guests enjoyed their meals. Some of the items people liked included the truffle fries, lamb meatballs, pecan and pepita salad and filet mignon. read more

Dustys cellar bar generally has good service, the prices have gone up and the portions have gone down. The quality is subpar. My last visit was very disappointing, the waitress at the Taproom, Beth, was yelling at me as I entered the restaurant, and ordered me to stop, when I was actually meeting a friend at the bar. Beth should not be working with customers, she's rude, Loud, and very bossy. read more

Second time to Dusty's. It was Friday after Thanksgiving this time. We travel to Lansing from Portland on the holidays to visit family. Nutshell- if you live around here/ are from here & maybe want to hit it up on a return visit for nostalgia's sake, Dusty's may be ok. If you are from non-rural elsewhere, don't get your hopes up. The goods: food was ok, predictable. My steak medallions were surprisingly chewy, for small pieces of tenderloin. The fish-salmon - was very good as was roasted red peppers pasta. It was clean, and busy. Flip side: staff, while polite & attentive, was wooden & fairly robotic. The cocktails were terrible - worst old fashioned I've ever had. It was in a giant glass, not cold, and kind of opaque. It tasted like it had been made & then set out for 45 minutes on the counter. read more

Came here for dinner tonight and while the food was good for the price the service was disappointing. After being seated (with a reservafion) we waited 10 minutes for a waiter to greet us, then another 15 minutes for the wine we ordered. We ordered the fondue appetizer. It would have been great except for the hair floating on top. We returned it and waited almost 20 minutes for replacement. What shocked me was no one came out to apologize. I wasn't expecting anything free, but stunned no manger came by to apologize. And when the waiter came back with it, he said "here is your new fondue, hair free". Umm ok. Not the most appetizing sentence. Food was pretty good, we both got steaks and they were prepared well. But our water glasses were empty and we had to flag down the waiter several times for refills. I guess I just expect better. read more

This might be the only non-ethnic restaurant in the Lansing area where I've had a good quality, value-for-money meal. Dusty's consists of a gourmet food and drink store plus bakery, an upscale restaurant, a banquet hall, and a pub. There are regular wine and beer tastings held in the store (for which you need to reserve ahead - see their website) and more elaborate cooking classes in the banquet hall. I haven't yet eaten in the restaurant, but the space is ok, if a little stuffy and oldfashioned. Entrees on the menu are in the $20-30 range, and include some of the more adventurous dishes I've seen in the area, with (gasp) fish and vegetarian dishes as well as the usual meat, meat, cheese and meat. There's a small bar (seats about six) where you might like to hang out with a wine tasting selection and some cheese. I've eaten twice at the pub, which is narrow and fairly long, with a bar running two thirds the length of the right hand wall. Seating is mostly at high tables, on bar stools. The menu is limited to burgers, sandwiches, salads and the like, but the quality of these is excellent. I recommend the black and bleu burger, and the spinach salad with goat cheese, dried cherries and poppy seed dressing. Entrees are in the $10 range. The beer list is endless, and includes many local craft brews. The only down side to this small space is the television screens dominating the bar, but the food is good enough to distract you from their flickering presence. read more

We were lucky enough to get a last minute reservation here and we were not disappointed! The service, although initially slow, was great. And the food was fantastic! The rainbow trout special was incredible and the steak my husband ordered was perfectly cooked. We will be back! read more

Went back to Dusty's recently for the first time in about 7 years. I remembered it as being one of the best meals I had ever had up to that time. Unfortunately, it seems to be regressing. Started off with the calimari with a sweet/sour sauce. Instead of rings or tenticles we got thick strips that had me immediately thinking frozen food aisle at Meijer's. Sauce was not great. Entree came with a salad and I went with the key lime caesar. Ok, nothing amazing. I had fond memories of their 3 cheese penne rigate from previous visits and while that familar jerk seasoning was present, it was served and plated differently than previous visits (yes I remember that long ago). It was good, but not as great as I remember. Sensing a theme? Service was attentive and good. Wine list is epic. Prices are very high. Didn't love how every other entree seemed to come with the "black truffle grits". I'm sure theyre tasty but how about mixing things up? All in all, I left thinking that mid-Michigan is in desperate need of a great restaurant. I don't think they have one. read more

It pains me to say it, but Dusty's may be the best fine-dining restaurant in Lansing. Their entree menu is sprawling and redundant -- how many steak choices do they need? The decor is plain, at best, with highlights that feel like they came out of my grandmother's house. The lighting is way too bright and the dining room too small and too loud. The service is stiff and surprisingly slow, considering the relatively few number of tables. Their pre-entree salads are huge and surprisingly dressing heavy, but they're... good. The wine selection is large and diverse. The food is fresh and well-prepared - I understand why they have so many steaks on the menu, they may be the only place around that knows how to cook one well. Dusty's isn't exceptional, but dollar-for-dollar it beats every over "fine dining" place in Lansing with ease. read more

My wife and I received a gift card for Dusty's from an incredibly generous relative. We used it to celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary on 2/28/17. And we could not have been more pleased! Everything from the front-of-house greeting thru the service and every food course was top-shelf. No rush between courses, and everything arrived at the table at the proper temp and prepared as ordered. The quantity of the mussel appetizer that my wife ordered was enormous. My Delmonico steak was as good as any I've had at any of the 'Big Name' steakhouses we've dined at. And our server was attentive, cheerful, and very well informed about the menu. We had no complaints, and we'll certainly return. read more

This is my favorite place to eat around the Lansing area. They have amazing food that typically you don't find around this area. Fabulous wine selection - and like some of the other posts have a great store that they keep stocked with a good wine, beer and cheese selection. Also sell gift baskets. They are usually busy on the weekends and reservations are recommended. But it's definitely worth trying out. read more

Poor service, mediocre food. I bought a gift certificate to take my parents out for their birthdays. After being seated, I told the server about the gift card, so we wouldn't be surprising her at the end of the meal. She came back a few minutes later to say they couldn't find it, and looked at me like I was trying to pull a fast one. I was finally able to pull up the receipt on my smartphone, which seemed to persuade them that I wasn't some scam artist. After explaining to a manager how this unnecessary stress put a damper on the evening, he said "desert's on us tonight." I felt better about things, and when the time came, we all ordered deserts. But then the bill arrived and we were still charged for two deserts. The server tried to explain that they said 'desert' was singular--they were only comping one desert. I had to talk to the manager again, to finally have the other two deserts comped as well. All in all, it cast a pall over what was supposed to be a carefree evening with my parents. On top of all that, the food was pretty bland. I had the hanger steak, which was chewy and lifeless. I've had far better hanger steak at other places for half the price. Good wine/beer list, though . . . read more

One star for the restaurant giving it a good try, and another star for the little wine and cheese store. Otherwise, I really dislike Dusty's. I have had several problems with my food being served on the cold side, or not properly cooked, and I've never had a good server (although the bartender is very cool and is entertaining to watch. He's very skilled). I've experienced very flighty service and always end up with some unknown foreign item on my plate that tastes really bad. Is it just me or do they put pine nuts on every thing? To add to the negatives, the lighting in the restaurant feels like you're eating in the dark and some serious remodeling needs to be done to improve the sound quality - you can hear everybody elses dinner conversations except your own table. I would only recommend Dusty's for their selection of wine for gifts. read more

Stopped in one evening for beverages and appetizers only. To enter the "wine side", you have to walk through the equivalent of a wine gift shop. Reminded me of the themed gift shops that amusement parks force you through after each ride. I had a martini and sampled a sweet wine flight. The wines are excellent and varied. The martini was made expertly. The lobster fritters smelled delicious, but looked burned or cooked in old oil. I'm not sure either of these were true at all. They were ok. Nothing to write home about. The plate was coated with a tasteless white sauce of some sort. Though the presentation was pretty for the golf ball sized fritters, I would have preferred the sauce in a ramequin so I could have actually used it. I also had almond flour coated goat cheese with compote of something sweet. Again, the compote was coating the plate, so it was difficult to use. It was just a golf ball of goat cheese. Well, ok. The menu items appeared to be fairly overpriced. Not just for the area, but for anywhere. This restaurant is in a strip plaza ferGodsake. Doesn't make it bad, but let's be realistic. A $40 NY strip "special"? Dusty's portrays itself to be very upscale, but the fool yelling at the TV in the wine gift shop flushed that illusion, if there ever was one. I can think of a dozen places to spend this kind of money and have a better experience and better food. read more

Great selection of beer & wine in this place!

I liked this place. First of it is huge in the sense - there is a Dusty tap room, store and the Cellar. They also have several rooms named for wine growing areas too, which makes this place ideal for hosting large groups as well. I would like to learn if they do wine tastings. For lunch I tried the Chicken crepes (unusual no?) which was very good. Basically is was Country Farm Chicken, Crepes, Dagano Cheese allbaked and served with sides of fresh sliced fruit. The service was excellent. They brought warm bread and butter to the table quickly. Before the main meal I tried their Soup Du Jour -which for that day was roasted red peppers, tomato and a bit of some cheese I think. Very delicious. Portions seemed quite generous and I loved the pervading wine themes on the walls and general decor elsewhere. Plan on going again! read more

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Let me start with saying I've had many outstanding meals at Dusty's Cellar. I attended a seminar last night however and had what I considered to be a pretty subpar meal. New York Strip was very fatty and tough, mashed potatoes were very dry and fairly cold and brussel sprouts didn't appear to be fully cooked. Hoping this was a one off. read more

This place has potential to be great, but tonight they failed on nearly every aspect. The food tasted old, undercooked, underseasoned, and way overpriced. The entrees tasted good, but ... 1) We didn't have a reservation, and when the hosts found out they didn't, they gave the pretentious "Oh, that's okay, we'll put you in our other dining room." I get that they had a whole area for reserved tables, but they did not have to mention we're dining in their "other" room. And saying "Oh, that's okay" implied they were super busy when both dining rooms were only 1/4 full. 2) The bread rolls that came with soup and salad were very hard. We like a crunch in our bread, but the bread was clearly old. The butter, despite its adorable presentation, did not spread. 3) My girlfriend is (unfortunately) a vegetarian. So once again she's stuck eating only a salad. And once again, her lettuce was visibly not good quality. A super basic salad with sparse toppings for $10.99 is ridiculous. 4) My swordfish was cooked well, but the sides of green beans and super-long-stemmed broccolini were terrible. They were unseasoned, cold, and difficult to eat. The pieces were too long to eat in one bite in polite company, but were not cooked enough for the knife to cut. This cost $29, yay! 5) The brownies that came with our check were clearly old and crunchy. 6) The water boy/man had completely unkempt hair. If you have long hair in a fancy place, control it! 7) All behaviors from every member of the staff was rigid, like it was rehearsed over and over again. This leads to an overall unfriendly feeling. 8) The air was so cold my girlfriend was shivering, and we weren't even in the "climate controlled" area. 9) All the beer and wine in the "gift shop" were overpriced. I can get the same beers at my local store for $1/less each. I can get the same rosé wines for $2-3/bottle less, as well. At least our server was friendly! read more

TIP: if you are a party of two, and not starving, ask to split your entree. Their portions are so big that with an appetizer, this is enough food for two people! They will split everything up nicely for you, including the salad that comes with the meal. I like Dusty's--though I think their menu is on the sweet side, as in, things tend to be glazed in sweet balsamic or honey. Sometimes this is ok, but sometimes it's just too much--once I ordered scallops, which were cooked perfectly, but glazed in honey. Good scallops have their own sweetness; no thick honey glaze is needed. They are heavy handed with butter too. The menu could use an update to lighter, fresher flavors. Regardless, this is one of the few places that I return to consistently. Their service is excellent, good ambiance, meats are always cooked right and locally sourced, and I can count on them for an overall good experience. Oh, and they do have different options for your starch if you don't care for their truffle grits--wild or steamed rice can be substituted for a healthier meal. read more