Who loves discounts and bargains?  I think EVERYONE- no matter your income status, likes a discount or bargain on goods and services now and again!  Nowadays, it seems as though there are all types of reward systems, discounts, special offers, coupons, points; you name it.  I’m a huge fan of Groupon, mainly because I am a food enthusiast/foodie and it gives me the opportunity to experience new restaurants and return to my favorites.  There usually is a wide selection of eateries, from fast food to fine dining.  Prior to purchasing a dining Groupon I always checkout the establishment’s website to see what type of fare and pricing they offer, which is what I did prior to buying a Groupon for Quench Restaurant located in Rockville, MD.  Quench’s tag line is “Crafted Cocktails. Creative Cuisine. Laid-Back Luxury.”  Their menu looked appetizing and had seafood choices, which often is a must for me.  So I purchased the Groupon and dined there a couple of weeks ago with my daughter.  On the way to the restaurant my daughter recalled a co-worker mentioning that Quench was a really good restaurant, so that made me excited to try it!

We entered the restaurant and were received with a warm greeting from the hostess who seated us at our table of choice. We chose a section opposite the musician’s area, as we didn’t want to be close to the music.  We weren’t aware that there would be live music, so we thought WOW, we’re in for a treat. More about the music later…

Our initial impression was that it was a bar (small with all wood tables and a couple televisions), so we did not witness any “laid-back luxury”! But that was okay, because you don’t want to judge a book by it’s cover, right?  I’ve found that some of the best dives have superb food!  We surveyed the tables of other patrons to see what entrees they were feasting on to help us determine what looked appetizing.  After several minutes of contemplating what to order and asking our waitress her recommendations, I settled on Crab Cakes and Taylor settled on Shrimp and Grits.

When our entrees arrived we both looked at one another!  My entree looked like an appetizer, not an entree and we’d never seen Shrimp and Grits with a totally RED sauce!  I tasted the Shrimp and Grits and it was NOT good at all! Well actually, the grits were cooked well! The sauce tasted like tomato sauce! My daughter was very disappointed, so I suggested she return it and order something different; however, she was famished and decided to go for it!  Although my crab cakes were good (they had very little filler), I WAS STILL HUNGRY!

Our drinks taste good, so perhaps they are known for their drinks!

Now, about the music.  We actually were not aware that there would be music, so we didn’t know what to expect; nonetheless, we are both music lovers so we were open-minded. Well, the musical artists happened to be two middle-aged folk singers and it wasn’t that it was folk music, it was they were not the best vocalists! My daughter said I am being kind and should be frank and state that they were singing out of tune the entire time!

I rarely return to restaurants after an unpleasant dining experience, which may not be fair because a number of factors could have contributed to the experience.  I just feel like there are just so many restaurant options out there to not take another chance. Quench did have great wait service!