Silverado is part of the ubiquitous Great American Restaurant (GAR) chain which has a variety of eateries which dot the suburbs of NOVA and MD. Part of me doesn't understand the allure of any of the GAR joints. They all serve the same bread (of which they are most famous for their round bread puffs), all have about the same cuisine (generic Americana), and all GAR establishments are usually staffed with swarms of energetic young servers whose idea of service borders on the eerily intrusive.
In the instance of Silverado, I do understand what their appeal is. It is an oasis of "American" food in a culinary landscape which is otherwise dominated by Korean and other ethnic restaurants.
I generally don't do chains, but I was here with a dinner party celebrating a recent birthday for a neighbor who just turned 85...and this is one of his favorite places to eat. The evening got off to a most inauspicious start when the hostess sat us in the front of the restaurant which was extremely loud with tightly spaced tables. After expressing our desire to move to another location, we were then placed at perhaps the worst table in the entire restaurant - a booth right next the server's station all the way in the back of the dining room.
I was tempted to ask to be moved again, but since our guest of honor has mobility issues, I didn't want to make him move tables again after he got settled. So I figured, how bad can our location be?
Well, it was bad. All of the servers would constantly gather in the back corner under the pretense of getting napkins/utensils, water, etc. But in reality, they were there to congregate and gossip like they were at a food court. One particularly offensive exchange I overheard was when one of the servers (Xander, I think his name was) made a remark about how he knew one of the female guests "liked him," but he wasn't interested since she was only a "C+".
Okay, I get it dude. You think you're a stud and every woman wants you. Fine...but you don't have to brag about it and especially talk so loudly about the guests in such a sexist manner. Believe it or not, some of the other guests don't want to hear your braggadocio.
As for the food, eh...Silverado is a GAR joint so no surprises. I will say the $14 bacon cheeseburger was EXTREMELY greasy. The bun was soggy and not from the juices of the patty, but from all of the grease. I don't say this lightly, but I've had a better cheeseburger at Red Robin.
Every 3-4 years, I somehow wind up at either Sweetwater Tavern, Coastal Flats, or Artie's. And after I finish my meal, and pay the check, I always promise myself as I'm walking out, that this will be the last time I eat at a GAR restaurant.
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