Hello Grille Fans, the Mercer Grille has updated their bar menu and I just wanted to share a few of the highlights! The small plates menu saw the addition of a few exciting dishes. A bright cilantro pesto compliments house made lamb meatballs perfectly. The pesto is full of flavor, combining fresh cilantro, toasted pine nuts, a little garlic and extra virgin olive oil. Sautéed aromatics give the meatballs great depth of flavor.

Chicken wings have made the menu, tossed in a gourmet sauce du jour, look for flavors like raspberry habenero or roasted pear with bleu cheese. These wings are great with any cold beer, and bring watching the Black and Gold to whole new level.

Rosemary bistro fries; skinny cut, crispy French fries tossed in rosemary sea salt, will satisfy anyone’s fried potato craving. Served with a house made garlic/lemon aioli (a light mayonnaise style sauce) they add a new dimension to the classic French fry.

All our new small plates sound great but, what about something to wash it all down with? You can find great craft beers from right here in PA as well as other brewed favorites. We are stocking bottle choices like Church Brew Works Celestial Gold and Magic Hat’s Number Nine. There are also two taps reserved for rotating craft beers, one seasonal and the other from the Keystone State.

For the oenophile on a budget, check out the 10 for 20 in 2010 feature. Ten great bottles of wine priced right, at under $20 each. Can’t decide on a wine? Try one of our pick your own wine flights; three tasting pours of any of our wines offered by the glass.

Last but certainly not least, you must check us out for happy hour M-F from 4pm to 6pm. Our small plates are half off and there are great deals on draughts and house wine. When choosing that perfect place to relish in the comfort of good friend at the end of a long day, don’t forget the Mercer Grille!

See you soon! Chef Nate

Caramel Apple Brie, you know, that luscious delight of a grilled brie wheel smothered in homemade caramel and served up with green apples and toasted crostinis (Italian for “little toasts”).  Top Chef Nate (he hates that term, but he DID earn it fair and square…) rolled out his magic cooking cart and went through the process of how they make them so delicious.

After a little discussion on the different types of Brie cheese Nate told us why he selected this particular type for this dish.  The lightness of this cheese complements the flavor of the caramel whereas a stronger type would overpower it.  The combination of Brie and caramel flavors just explode upon that first crunch into a tart crisp green apple slice.  …

Here are the raw ingredients:

The Springfield Grille in Mercer hosted another one of it fabulous wine dinners on a cold and snowy night.  This was one for the books!  Everyone was excited with anticipation of the goodies soon to come.  And we were not disappointed! The Arugula and Prosciutto salad starter was perfectly matched with the Pinot Gris from Oregon, a wine region I’m just not as familiar with as I would like to be.  Chef Nate pointed out how the Toasted Walnut flavor of the dressing was also subtly present in the Pinot, something I would not have noticed if he had not pointed it out.  The salad? Gone in 2 minutes, just fantastic!

Up next, the Mar…..

The evening's menu

You are invited to our next big wine event where we take the on task of explaining the how’s and why’s of paring the perfect wine with the perfect appetizer.  And you thought it was only for entreés, right? Our own Top Chef Nate will detail the specific qualities of 3 popular white wines and how they complement or contrast the paired appetizer.  Oh, and did we mention that you also get a ringside view of his appetizer prep in action?

Welcome the Mercer Grille’s online newsletter. I’m Chef Nate, executive chef and resident foodie of the Mercer Grille. Thank you for checking us out! This newsletter will keep you informed of the exciting things going on here at the Springfield Grille. Look for articles profiling some of our best selling menu items and others detailing the sourcing of ingredients from local Pennsylvania farmers and merchants. This will also be your place to hear all about the wine dinners and tastings we do. You will be able to hear me explain this month’s Wine Dinner menu and view archived menus from past months. What ever your food interests are, this is your connection to the Mercer Grille’s foodie world.

Welcome to all who venture here!  We at the Grille decided to think out of the corporate box and bust into the connected world in a big way.  We also just couldn’t keep quiet any more about all the really cool foods and drink that Theresa and Nate and Dan and the rest of us work with every day.  The result? This blog, where we will share with you our love and knowledge of the wonderful world of culinary delights!