My friend made a reservation for 8:15 last Saturday night, which in my opinion is the witching hour for hunger. I gently mentioned that 8:15 is when my stomach starts writing angry emails, so she called the restaurant. They said we could come earlier and they’d try to squeeze us in—restaurant speak for “We’ll do our best, but it’s chaos in here.”

We rolled in at 6:30 anyway, fully embracing our destiny as hopeful walk-ins. The place was absolutely packed, which is always a good sign unless you are, like me, already hungry enough to eat the menu itself. So we camped out by the fire with cocktails like four classy hobbits waiting for second dinner, checking with the hostess every so often like kids asking “Are we there yet?”

We ended up being seated at 8:00, which honestly wasn’t the restaurant’s fault—we basically crashed their dinner rush on purpose. But everyone apologized like we’d been stranded on a desert island. The staff is so nice I almost felt like I should apologize for existing.

Once inside—wow. Laurel Grill is gorgeous, the bar was buzzing, and our server Abby could win a medal in the hospitality Olympics. The managers too—they doted on us like we were VIPs, or at least very important puppies.

Now…the food. Ohhhh, the food.

We started with bacon-wrapped dates, parmesan, chips and guac, and New England Clam Chowder. The chowder? Thick enough to stand a spoon straight up. The guac? Perfectly seasoned and accompanied by homemade chips that I would fight someone for. The bacon-wrapped dates? I will not lie: I basically inhaled them. Zero regrets.

Then came the Baby Back Ribs, fall-off-the-bone tender, like they’d given up immediately when touched by a fork. The ribeye? Cooked so perfectly it could star in its own cooking show. The chicken? Juicy enough to restore my faith in chicken everywhere.

Dessert arrived—chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream—as if the staff looked into our souls and said, “Yes, they need this.” And they were right. Delectable doesn’t even cover it.

In conclusion: Laurel Grill is fantastic. The food is amazing, the staff is angelic, and even though we arrived two hours early like overeager grandparents, they still treated us like royalty. We will absolutely be back—possibly earlier, but no promises.