Grinder is really the type of restaurant that can divide a room--as illustrated by previous reviews, people seem to love it or hate it.
I personally love the hustle and bustle of Grinder; this place is ALWAYS happening and the crowd is always beautiful. The interior is beautiful--especially the living wall on the open air side of the restaurant. Poor service is a common complaint about Grinder but after two visits I don't have anything particularly bad to say about the service--it was not exceptional but definitely satisfactory.
It is definitely possible to eat at Grinder and keep the bill fairly reasonable, but it is also very easy to let it get out of hand. On my first visit I had the appetizer duck tartar (quite big) with a side of mashed potatoes and a side of mushrooms; this was more than enough portion-wise and I thoroughly enjoyed each dish. On my second visit I shared with a friend; we split the beef short rib and raw scallops. The scallop plate was so small I found it to be bad value for money, but the beef short rib was amazing--I would order it again in a heartbeat. We finished off the meal with the soft-serve ice cream sundae--very good and very big (split if you can).