By Cliff Lewis

The Penn Square Grille, adjoining the new Marriott Hotel and Lancaster County Convention Center, maintains a thoughtful and tastefully engineered atmosphere; however, the cuisine too often lacks refinement enough to keep up with the restaurant’s decor. But, with its devoted head chef and clever selection of menu items, the Grille could one day mature into a genuine hit—instead of merely ‘hit or miss.’

Aesthetically and architecturally, the restaurant shows great ingenuity. The furniture and fixtures are designed in boxy, modernist angles while the entirety of the space is bathed in rich, earthy tones to achieve an environment that is both cool and comfortable. (The intrusive, ballroom style carpet would stand as one stark exception, however.) A long table for twelve is cordoned off in a private room to accommodate larger groups that could easily flood the common area with chatter.

A long table is provided near the entry to the Rendezvous Lounge, apparently for lone travelers who care to socialize over their dinner.

The clientele for lunch consisted largely of an upper-class, matronly lot—perhaps out on the town for market day —and business executives in expensive suits. Prices, however, were not exorbitant, with the most expensive entrée ringing in at $14.

The menu selection strives to serve up Lancaster County’s culinary heritage with an upscale flourish. This effort often amounts to copious references to our nearby market. The Central Market salad, for instance, boasts “hand selected fresh greens, Linden Dale goat cheese, dried cranberries, toasted almonds and citrus vinaigrette.” The Roasted Fresh Turkey—a Thursday lunch special—features a down-home spread of “cornbread dressing, seasonal vegetables, old fashioned country gravy and mashed potatoes.”

Although lacking the local color of other items, the Crab Macaroni and Cheese similarly works to serve a common dish in high style. The lunch special incorporated a larger, penne-like pasta with a creamy cheese sauce—far more in the neighborhood of Alfredo than Velveeta—and mingled in morsels of smoked bacon and lump crab.

The restaurant walks a fine line, and too often stumbles, in its tendency to fancy up the familiar. From the bland, tough dinner rolls, to the undrinkable Maxwell House coffee, to the filtered tap water served in sheik “Natura” glass bottles, the Grille shows an unfortunate propensity to throw a high-grade label on a low-grade item. The Shoo-Fly Pie Tart, for example, sounded like a clever idea; but the final product tasted like a sharply sweet layering of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and vanilla icing.

As noted by my senior lunch companion, the desert menu would do well to incorporate a few heart-friendly items. The sociable rhythm of dessert following dinner needn’t be a luxury exclusive to sprightly twenty-somethings.

The Penn Square Grille has only been in business for several months, and as such, shouldn’t merit any final judgment. There is plenty of time and room for this establishment to grow into its vibrant surroundings. And with a head chef like Paul Gusst, who eagerly seeks input and advice from each table of patrons, this restaurant may well learn to capitalize on its strengths and work out its weaknesses.