Walnut Grove, Fox Chapel

When my extended family gets together for dinner out, we usually require a private room. We’re not obnoxious, but we do like to be loud and expressive. On Saturday night my cousin Chris was in town, and we decided to meet at Walnut Grove in Fox Chapel.

I was the first to arrive, and was immediately greeted by one of the managers. She showed me to our room, which was spacious with large windows. As other family members slowly filtered in, our server began taking drink orders. Everyone was milling about, but our server was able to keep up with her elusive patrons, handing cocktails out at a hurried pace.

Before sitting down, we were served fried zucchini (with marinara sauce) and artichoke dip. The thin planks of zucchini were well-seasoned and hot, but obviously not made in-house. The dip contained large chunks of artichokes and cheese, and went well with my ice cold Corona.

Eventually we decided to take our seats, and began looking over our menus. We all had salads- I started out with a Caesar with extra anchovies. I enjoyed my salad; the dressing was tart, and there were large pieces of shaved parmesan cheese atop the romaine leaves. Crunchy croutons provided a nice texture contrast, and the large strips of anchovies were salty and flavorful.

Caesar Salad

As an entrée, I chose the Oak and Burgundy Marinated Sirloin Steak ($19.00). Other entrees included: Tuscan Artichoke Chicken ($17.75), Apricot Glazed Cedar Plank Salmon ($23.00), Sea Bass with Porcini Mushrooms and Goat Cheese ($28.00), WG’s Crab Cakes ($25.00), and Parmesan Crusted Chicken & Gnocchi ($18.00). *Most entrees are available during lunch hours for a lesser price.

Oak and Burgundy Marinated Sirloin

My steak came a bit underdone, but was still good. Fried red onions, broccoli, beans, and a large baked potato accompanied my entrée. I had a change to taste the apricot-glazed salmon which was delicious. The Tuscan Artichoke Chicken looked good as well.

For dessert, we had a Brownie Works (chocolate fudge brownie, with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and a strawberry), Crème Brulee, and a Caramelized Walnut Ball (French vanilla ice cream rolled in caramelized walnuts with caramel and chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. The crème brulee was rich and buttery. The Brownie Works was HUGE- enough for at least two. The Caramelized Walnut Ball seemed to be the perfect dessert for one.

Creme Brulee

Overall, the food and service at Walnut Grove in Fox Chapel was good. If you have a family event, or other small party coming up, Walnut Grove is worth considering.

Chef Chuck Kerber

cooksandeats.com

chuck@cooksandeats.com