CLOSED: Inspired American grub: Old Towne Grill is new at Madison
The grilled salmon at the Old Towne Grill in Provo Tuesday, August 7, 2012. MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald
The pulled pork at the Old Towne Grill in Provo Tuesday, August 7, 2012. MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald
The beef filet at the Old Towne Grill in Provo Tuesday, August 7, 2012. MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald
We hadn’t even entered the restaurant before we were made to feel welcome at the new Old Towne Grill in Provo.
All we had to do was approach the restaurant, located inside the Madison building on Center Street in Provo, where we were greeted by an extremely friendly staff member at a reception desk out on the sidewalk. We were immediately led inside and directed to a secluded and quiet corner section off to one side of the restaurant.
The restaurant has service on two different floors of the Madison, and one of our servers informed us that we were seated in the family section, since our party of four contained two children. Other areas of the restaurant, including sections featuring lounge areas, we were told, were reserved for those over 21, in accordance with state alcohol directives.
The Old Towne Grill opened on July 10, replacing the previous eatery — the Center Street Bistro. We had eaten at the Center Street Bistro twice before just after the Madison opened, with mixed results. The biggest problem we encountered previously was related to service — it took way too long to not only place our orders but also to receive them on the first of our visits, with servers extremely overbooked and laregly inattentive to details.
We are pleased to report, however, that our experience at the new Old Towne Grill was completely opposite to those prior problems. Our waitress could not have been nicer or more helpful and an additional server who brought us some of our order was extremely friendly as well, and answered many questions we had about the restaurant. It was almost as if we were the only patrons in the diner on our Monday night visit — and we guess that was at least a possibility in that we were the only ones sitting in the family section, and the other areas were mostly out of our view. Whatever the reason, our service was impeccable.
Another major thing the Old Towne Grill has going for it is ambiance and its own quirky charm. The place oozes personality — whether it be the purposely mismatched plates at each table, the heating vents and pipes in plain view, the “Sleepless in Seattle”-style music (as one member of our party described it) coming from the nearby dance floor or the fact that the curtains are tied with, get this, actual neckties.
Our server recommended two appetizers that have proven to be favorites among patrons so far: Flash-Fried Artichokes and Santa Fe Rolls. The recommendations proved excellent as we enjoyed them both. The former featured artichoke hearts dipped in a batter and deep fried — and came with a lemon garlic aioli sauce. The rolls came stuffed with a Southwestern blend of all kinds of good things, tasting much like little burritos, and featured a slightly spicy cilantro lime sauce.
Our server also scored extra points in our book when she offered to add a dash of cranberry and pineapple juice to the standard lemonade on the menu — noting that she had just created the concoction a little earlier that evening while trying something different for herself. We tried it and enjoyed it. The drinks came in Mason jars, a unique twist.
For a main course, we sampled the Old Towne Burger, featuring a half-pound of beef topped with bacon, caramelized onions and Madison sauce (a house variation on fry sauce). The burger normally comes with blue cheese dressing, but we ordered it without that — proving that you can have it your way at more than one location. The burger was so huge that it came with a steak knife impaled in the middle of it to not only hold things together, but also offer the option of cutting it in half for a more manageable portion — which is precisely what we did. The burger came with sweet potato fries, for a slight add-on upgrade, and we also added on a cup of the soup of the day: broccoli and cheese. The cup was a large portion, actually coming in more of a bowl, and was extremely rich and hearty.
We also sampled the Fettuccine Alfredo and Fish & Chips dishes, which offered large portions that were difficult to finish.
For dessert we tried the Brownie Bottom Pie with Cinnamon and Vanilla Ice Cream. The whole thing was drizzled in strawberry sauce. It was delicious, but we think if we ordered it again, we’d do without the strawberry sauce. To each their own!
The Old Towne Grill touts its menu as “Inspired American Grub” — and that is precisely what we encountered. In addition to what we sampled, it offers an array or gourmet style burgers and sandwiches, a handful of salads, and entrees featuring chicken, salmon, cod, steak and pork chops to name a few. We’re looking forward to trying other menu items on future visits.
Old Towne Grill
Where: 295 W. Center St., Provo
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Saturday
Prices: $4-$24
Info: (801) 375-2183, www.theoldtownegrill.com