FOXBURG, Pa. (EYT) – Nestled in a picture-perfect location along the Allegheny River in the small hamlet of Foxburg, Pa., the Allegheny Grille has become a go-to place for people looking for a great dining experience throughout the region.
(Photo: Allegheny Grille co-owner Jim Marron (far left) with executive chef Nate Best outside the Allegheny Grille in Foxburg. Photos by Dave Cyphert of ProPointMedia.)
“It’s becoming a destination place,” said co-owner Jim Marron who along with Dewey Irwin will celebrate their fifth year of owning the restaurant in December. “People from Youngstown, Erie, Cranberry Township, and State College all come here.
“Foxburg is becoming a destination town, and we feel we are a big part of that.”
Marron said the Allegheny Grille has attracted patrons from as far away as Seattle.
“They were heading through on their way to Vermont,” Marron said. “They stopped in and guaranteed me they were returning on their way back to Washington.”
A big reason people keep coming back to the Allegheny Grille is because of the food, and the food has continued to evolve and get better since A-C Valley graduate Nate Best became the restaurants executive chef almost a year ago.
“Nate does a great job for us,” Marron said. “He comes to us from Denver, where he did his chef training, and one of the biggest things he has brought to us is a changing menu.
“One of the things we heard a lot was our food was good but that people couldn’t get something different. Nate has changed that.”
Best said the menu rotates every three months now along with the seasons.
“For example, its summer, and we have shrimp risotto right now,” Best said. “It’s nice, crisp and fresh. In the fall, it will change to butternut squash risotto with pancetta and lavender.
“We are trying to match the flavors to the leaves around you, make you feel like part of the seasons. You don’t just go out to eat for the food, you pay for the experience, the service, the food, and the atmosphere. We should get you excited about it and make you feel like you are a part of it.”
According to Marron, one of the things that make the Allegheny Grille unique is it can be a casual restaurant and fine dining – all at the same time.
“It’s hard to describe,” Marron said. “We are both fine and casual. We are a mix of both.
“On a sunny Sunday we may have 200 motorcyclists in here, but on a Saturday night, we may have a rehearsal dinner or a wedding reception outside in the facility by the waterfall. We are really a multi-dimensional restaurant.”
The bar area of the Allegheny Grille is a popular gathering place.
The dining room area is perfect for a more upscale night out.
One of the reasons the Allegheny Grille can be multi-dimensional is because of the ability of its staff to adapt and go out of its way to help customers.
Marron shared a story of how recently the Allegheny Grille got a call from a man who said he was going to propose to his girlfriend over dinner.
“The staff went all out with roses on the table and roses on the floor, that sort of thing,” Marron said. “The staff really goes out of its way to make you feel welcome.”
Being multidimensional is also a necessity for the Allegheny Grille, according to Marron, explaining that the local customers’ business is what keeps the restaurant going during the middle of the week and in the winter.
To serve that local customer base, the Allegheny Grille recently brought back one of its more popular features: the 10 for $10 menu, which is available Monday through Thursday.
That menu includes homemade meatloaf, penne Blanco, bruschetta chicken, kielbasa and kraut, white fish of the day, chick and biscuits, shepherd’s pie, pepperoni balls, nachos and Marron’s favorite, two grilled all-beef Smith Hot Dogs, which he says are two “quality” hot dogs that bring back great childhood memories.
“I’m excited for our 10 for $10 menu,” Marron said. “It has been developed for the local customer to come in through the week. There is no equal to it. Ten meals for $10.00. A couple can come in and get a quality meal for $20.00.”
While the 10 for $10 menu is a local favorite, Best says the Allegheny Grille’s signature dish is the Chicken Marsala.
“When I worked here in high school when I was 16, 17, 18 years old, that was the favorite dish,” Best said. “It is still the favorite dish today.”
Marron also pointed out the Allegheny Grille’s Prime Rib as another great meal, while Best said his favorite dish to make is the grilled brie appetizer and the lollipop lamb chops.
“Throughout the last year, we have focused on cutting down our menus so we can put dishes (like that) in and have the time and quality to do them,” Best said. “We want to make people coming through the door happy.”
Another great feature at the Allegheny Grille, according to Marron, is the “event” dinners.
“We have things like whiskey pairings and tequila pairings,” Marron said.
“We have a wine dinner coming up on August 24 at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale on our website (alleghenygrille.com).”
“Doing the event dinners gives me an opportunity to have a lot of fun with the food and go to that full, fine-dining experience,” Best said. “People really embrace the experience. It’s not just sit down and go. It’s a five-course meal. It’s amazing to me to be able to make the food and see the guests become emersed in it.”
A clam bake will be held on October 12. Details on this event will be provided on the website at a later date.
The Allegheny Grille offers a wing night every Thursday night with whole wings, as well as entertainment from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Tuesdays on the patio from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
To give the community a place to gather after A-C Valley School’s athletic home events, the restaurant stays open late.
The Allegheny Grille also offers banquet experiences where people can hold meetings, family reunions, weddings, showers, etc.
“There aren’t too many people who come in and don’t say that they have to come back with their spouse,” Marron said. “We want them to have that experience.”
Marron said that maintaining the Allegheny Grille’s reputation and all-around quality from the food to the service to the experience and beyond is something everyone involved with the restaurant strives for on a daily basis.
“The thing I am most proud of is the clientele we have built up and the management staff we have developed,” Marron said.
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