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The Grille, which sits at the edge of the Luzerne Shopping Center, is an unassuming, almost nondescript sort of place that nonetheless packs in the crowds.
S. JOHN WILKIN/THE TIMES LEADER
Appearances can deceive, it’s true. When someone suggested we try The Grille, I’ll admit, I put it off as a maybe-someday proposition. Perhaps it’s the whole shopping-center restaurant experience that didn’t pull me, or that nothing really recommended the place from the street.
I changed my mind when we ventured in Sunday afternoon and found the dining room packed wall to wall with happy, hungry people, most digging into teeming (and luscious-looking) breakfast plates. Breakfast is served all day here, and as we all know locals on Sundays tend to enjoy it well into the afternoon.
So, once we got a parking spot (no easy feat), then a table (only a tad easier), we couldn’t resist the egg-centric options, though we decided at least one of us should try a light lunch.
First up: The Grille favorite: a $7.95 combination platter of two pancakes, two French toasts, two eggs and two breakfast meats that scored high marks from our taster, who especially praised the pancakes for their lightness of being. This, of course, is not always so in diner-type establishments. Pancakes can be too thick, dry or heavy, but these were easy and airy, with that perfect, faintly white-yellow hue with just a bit of bubbling.
The eggs (we chose scrambled) were similarly light and bright, not at all dry, and the meats tasted fresh, not freezer-burned. Sausage links were sizzling and admirably colored, and the bacon was a nice medium between thin and shriveled and straight and thick.
Overall, a perfect breakfast combo that left our taster satisfied for several hours.
For a lighter option, a French Toast combo for a couple of dollars less also was pleasant, given the French toast was neither thick nor thin and delivered a buttery kick. Nothing fancy here – no thick sourdough bread or multigrain or seeding of any sort – just the basics done well, good bread with a bit of browning and the aromatic essence of actual butter.
Locals loving their kielbasa also will be pleased to find the signature ingredient folded into both omelets and egg dishes.
Our light-luncher, meanwhile, ordered up the chicken Caesar salad, which he described as avante-garde, for it lacked croutons but did contain sliced tomatoes and onions. Interesting, but he approved.
This salad was less than $5 but quite large for the price. Most important, the chicken was clean (chopped, white and thick enough to make a difference) and certainly not scant.
Those wanting smaller salads might add the salad bar to a dinner, at least on the recommendation of a member of our party who’d been here before. She noted the fresh choices, talked up the soups and still raves about a large and tender ham-steak special. Yes, dinner fare sounds quite downhome. I would have gone for the meatloaf or meatloaf parmigiana, which adds mozzarella and sauce.
Now we must mention dessert, which we couldn’t skip given the word of mouth. The pies are the thing, and the rule here might be get ’em while they last.
Homemade lemon meringue is reportedly a big seller. A few bites, and we can see why. The crust was wonderfully light and crumbly, the lemon filling all kinds of pliant with just the right amount of tart, and the meringue had a bit more of a homemade-whipped-cream taste than an odd aftertaste, which meringues can tend to carry. So that was nice.
A cherry crumb pie is due similar accolades, especially for said crumbs, which were quite plentiful and looked soft and handsome. No complaints about the fresh fruit filling either.
One note: Service was a bit slow, but we’ll excuse that. First, the place was busy, very much so. Second, the food was worth the wait. And third, we really didn’t mind waiting. Going out to eat isn’t just about the eating, after all, but about the socializing and the lingering. And the roving coffee-pourers here were on the ball, so we were never left dry.
In fact, at one point, the pourer was so stealthy I had my head turned and didn’t even realize she’d refilled my cup. That explains why I too forcefully picked up what I thought was an almost-empty mug and forthright spilled the joe all over myself.
Some might complain about the appearance of this establishment, a hybrid of diner, pancake house and family restaurant. In the interest of full disclosure, someone did ask us if everything looked clean enough. To be fair, OK, maybe tables weren’t sparklingly polished and menus might have contained a few dried-food spots. (Or maybe some other folks got a little clumsy with their coffee as well?)
But honestly, I think we’d worry more if such were the case and the tables were desolate and the staff standing around. Might you notice a few details that are perhaps less-than immaculate? OK, sure. But does the food suffer? If you said so, the obviously satisfied citizenry would beg to differ.
If you go
Chow chatter
What: The Grille
Where: 588 Union St., Luzerne
Call: 570-718-1188
Credit cards? All except Amex.
Handicapped accessible? Yes
Other: Breakfast served all day
While out and about, Times Leader food critics keep their ears perked for things people are saying about local food, good and bad. Let’s face it: Food creates buzz. We decided it’s time to start sharing what we hear, bit by bit. Our first offering:
Vanilla-bean cheesecake from TGI Friday’s might be one of the best desserts in town. And it tastes even better when ordered as part of the three-for-$9.99 dinner promotion often in effect.
In these economic times, you can hardly fault that price for your choice of several grand appetizers (we love the crispy green-bean fries and the potstickers especially) and several quite-tasty dinners (our vote goes to the spicy southwestern-style chicken.)
And lest you think the portions must be skimpy, we’ve checked this out ourselves and can definitively say it isn’t so.