Grillroom offers classy setting for creative dishes

• By LISA TRAMONTANA
• Restaurant reviewer
• Published: Jul 3, 2009

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The Grillroom at Perkins Rowe has a comfortable, yet elegant feel. Large modernistic paintings adorn the wood-covered walls, giving it the ambience of an upscale pub. Large windows let in lots of natural light, and the tables spill out into the courtyard, allowing visitors a chance to enjoy being outdoors.

Our first visit was interesting. We tried the skillet pot pie ($12), which was brought to the table piping hot in a small iron skillet. The pie featured a creamy mixture of chunks of tender chicken, peas, carrots, onions and mushrooms surrounded by a delicious, flaky, puff pastry. Instead of the traditional pie crust top, creamy mashed potatoes topped the pie. This was a very filling and flavorful choice, a sort of comfort food with a modern twist.

The special on the day we visited was a pork entrée ($10) that included mashed potatoes, sautéed vegetables and three slices of pork topped with a sweet glaze. The meat was tender and tasty, but the potatoes were bland and the veggies were almost cold to the touch.

The best item was the shrimp and grits ($16). Two pie-shaped “grit-cakes” were topped with five or six large, nicely seasoned sautéed shrimp, in a mixture of tasso ham, onions, peppers and, according to the menu, barbecue butter.

The grits had a smooth, creamy texture much like mashed potatoes. The peppers and onions and ham were plentiful enough that they practically served as another side dish. This entrée was very spicy, but had an excellent flavor.

On another visit, we tried a couple of appetizers, a steak and two items from the sandwich menu.

One appetizer was the blackened, seared Ahi tuna ($12). The rare, bite-size chunks of delicately flavored tuna weren’t so much blackened but had a finely ground pepper rub on two sides that was a nice contrast with the mild tuna. Fried wontons were mixed into the serving of tuna, both drizzled with a tasty remoulade. Chopped cabbage was also served on the plate.

The other appetizer, crab cakes ($13), were a disappointment. Drizzled with remoulade sauce, the cakes were the consistency of tuna salad. A second look at the menu informed us that they were sautéed, rather than fried, which accounted for the texture.

The steak we chose from the brief “grilled steaks” portion of the menu was an 8-oz. filet ($25). Several steak toppings ($2) were available, including blue cheese, parmesan-horseradish, peppercorn and mushroom demi. We tried the peppercorn, which was a nice addition to an extremely juicy, perfectly cooked steak. For our one entree side order, we picked macaroni and cheese. Blended with a mild, white cheese, it was a very satisfying choice.

Other steaks on the menu include New York strip ($26), flat iron ($22) and top sirloin ($19).

The shrimp po-boy ($11) was served on French bread and while the shrimp were a good size, the batter was overcooked.
The burger ($9) was very average, but we ordered it with pepper jack cheese and avocado slices, which gave it some flavor.

The waitress on our lunch visit was extremely friendly, describing many of the dishes and making helpful suggestions. She also encouraged us to add flavorings to our iced tea, which we enjoyed. Blueberry, pomegranate, mango and strawberry are some that we tried.