Granite Grill FX serves lunch and dinner every day of the week. The menu provides a variety of choices, including old suppertime favorites like chicken Parmesan, London broil, pork chops, and spaghetti and meatballs. It’s American fare served in a nice atmosphere (cloth napkins, check; artwork on walls, check; fancy martini drinks, check) at fairly reasonable prices.
On a recent Thursday night, Granite Grill FX was dimly lighted and very quiet, and the main dining area was mostly empty.
We strolled into the lounge and sat on comfy chairs at the long, dark mahogany bar. Three high-definition television sets were showing football and hockey games. The bartender was friendly and accommodating. She put down a plate of bread and hummus in front of us. We dug in right away, and it was delicious.
I started my meal with a spinach salad ($9) made of fresh spinach leaves, topped with crumbled egg, sliced radishes and bits of scallion that gave it a wonderfully mild, zesty flavor. I was pleased to see that they prepared the salad as I requested, and left out the bacon. (It’s amazing how often those requests go unheeded. Brownie point for Granite Grill FX!)
My dining companion ordered the sweet potato gnocchi ($16), which consisted of sweet potato dumplings and roasted butternut squash with crispy pancetta crumbles and Bechamel sauce. After sampling the dish, she nodded in approval. It was sweet and tender.
For my entrée, I had the balsamic salmon ($17), which came with roasted red bliss potatoes and grilled asparagus. The fish was pan-roasted and drizzled with aged balsamic vinegar, which proved to be a lovely, flavorful combination.
The salmon itself was rather well-done, which I didn’t mind - I like my seafood cooked thoroughly. But the potatoes and asparagus were, alas, very overcooked. While I nibbled on the asparagus, the charred flavor dominated my tastebuds. I couldn’t stop thinking, if only they had taken it off the grill earlier!
