Contemporary Connection

Penn Square Grille, Lancaster: Lancaster County traditions and history meet the modern dining scene.

February 24, 2012

7:29 AM

Photography by Donovan Roberts Witmer

Infrared grilled strip steak topped with a local apple demi-glaze over Long’s horseradish-infused mashed potatoes

Behind the Beaux-Arts façade of the former Watt & Shand on Penn Square in the heart of downtown Lancaster, Penn Square Grille is a contemporary connection between the architectural landmark of Central Market, modern design, today’s food trends and timeless classics, all served up with local ﬂare.

Executive chef Bob Rothfus is a Lancaster County native who knows his stuff. A Culinary Institute of America grad, he even dabbles in pastry and hopes to go back to school for formal training. His most famous confection creation: A birthday cake for The Cure’s Robert Smith while working in Ocean City, Maryland. From rock stars to farmers, Rothfus is well connected, his position at Penn Square Grille bringing him back to his roots in a story he tells of how his grandfather, a stand-holder at Lancaster’s Central Market where Rothfus shops for the restaurant, met his grandmother while delivering her produce.

The restaurant’s seasonally inspired menu, the newest of which will roll out in April, is a blend of steakhouse classics and innovative specialties.

One thing that won't be coming off the menu - and if you go, and you like bacon, you must have—is an appetizer of house-cured slab bacon ($9); it comes wafting through the dining room and you have to devour it.

As strange as it sounds, this simple plate of bacon will be one of the best bites you ever put in your mouth.

Slightly spicy, smoky and sweet, its texture is like the foie gras of bacon. Deﬁnitely seems like dude food, but eaten delicately with a fork and knife, it’s a dish even the persnickety can’t resist.

Rothfus’ Chesapeake Blue crab bisque with Cope’s dried sweet corn “soufﬂ é” ($10) is made unlike most soups of its kind; the shells from the stock are actually pureed into the bisque, giving it an even richer ﬂavor. But the presentation is what really makes this dish special, as the bowl comes out with two pancakes of ﬂuffy sweet corn topped with a generous heap of crab; the server pours the soup tableside.

A fun appetizer big enough to share among eight, the shrimp BLT ﬂatbread is a ﬂavorful blend of sweet tomato jam on crispy crust topped with Reiff Farm spinach, citrus poached Gulf shrimp, that delicious house-aged bacon and tangy melted Linden Dale Farms goat cheese.

“All of our cheeses are local,” adds Rothfus. So are the ﬂowers on the tables that are purchased at Rohrer’s Family Farms and the Long’s horseradish that’s infused into the mashed potatoes.

“There aren’t a lot of ‘grilles’ in the Lancaster area that are like this—contemporary, fresh,” says Ben Gilkey, the restaurant’s manager. The kitchen’s infrared grill gives a charred ﬂavor without having to consume carbon from charcoal, explains Rothfus.

You choose your steak, whether it’s a choice grade bistro steak, dry aged top sirloin, pork chop or tuna steak, which range from $22-36. Or upgrade to one of the prime “signature steaks,” which will cost you $62-$75 for the most expensive Wagyu center cut ribeye ﬁlet. Then pick a ﬁ nishing sauce or condiment, such as a cabernet reduction or bleu cheese crust, and two sides. We recommend the mushroom gratin, which comes out in its own Emile Henry crock bubbling with cheese.

“When you’re preparing the type of food we’re preparing, you really have to have the right mise en place [everything in its place],” says director of food and beverage Steve Goris, referring to the attention to detail in every dining accoutrement, down to the pearl-handled steak knives general manager Mark Moosic picked out. “It’s all part of the experience,” adds Goris.

A lot of twists on Lancaster County traditions, like “shoo ﬂy” tart and the nod to the old Watt & Shand’s Rendezvous Lounge shakes and sundaes, are all part of the nouveau downtown Lancaster experience that is connected to history in a contemporary way.

While Penn Square Grille and Rendezvous Lounge are located within the new Lancaster Marriott and Convention Center, which opened in June of 2009, they are anything but a hotel restaurant and bar.

The adjacent Rendezvous Lounge has become a part of downtown events with live jazz every Friday and Music Fridays featuring Amy Banks. The lounge offers $6 appetizer and drink special combos every weeknight, like Stoli martinis for $5 and their must-try house-made kettle chips for $1 on Fridays. Sleek horizontal wood grains meet rich mustard-colored tufted leather banquettes for an ambience that is hip and happening.

The restaurant’s trendy but comfortable color scheme and décor seamlessly ﬂ ow into the dining room

where warm woods and modern light ﬁxtures accent aqua and pomegranate textiles. Floor-to-ceiling street-side windows facing King Street keep the pulse of the city while allowing natural light to spill into the space. A nice touch for those not so keen on city parking, valet parking as well as validation for self-parking are available in the attached Duke Street Garage.

Penn Square Grille
2 East King Street, Lancaster
717-207-4033

HOURS: Open for breakfast
Mon-Fri 6:30am-11am, Sat-Sun 7am-11am
Lunch: 11am-2pm daily
Dinner: Sun-Thurs 5-10pm; Fri-Sat 5-11pm
www.pennsquaregrille.com

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