JG's Tarentum Station Grille — Restaurant in Tarentum

My wife and I were excited to get a night out together for the first time in a while. We chose Tarentum Station as we had never been there before. 3 stars is really due to a mix of experiences.

First off, the food was delicious. The atmosphere lends to a classy eatery while also allowing the casual diner.

We ate upstairs and loved how cozy it was.

I had the Cajun Combo with Blackened Scallops, shrimp and steak tips. All were cooked well (although the steak tips were admittedly medium for ordering them medium rare, a tough ask for steak tips). My wife had the filet with mushrooms and onions. She ordered hers medium and it came out a bit more medium rare (hardly a sin for a filet). We both had a side of twice baked potato which we would rank as fair.

Unfortunately, that is where the good review ends and the poor review starts. Our service was sub-par given the semi-fine dining atmosphere that is offered. Our meal started well but that is the best that I can offer for the entirety of our service. I ordered a beer (Elvis Juice IPA) and my wife had the Lemontini. Our waitress came back to have me change my beer order as she could not find Elvis Juice in her POS interface (even though I later found that it was indeed on tap and more order could have been filled). Our drinks were enjoyable, until they were empty; and then so were our waters. Our first order of drinks were made before 7:30pm so we were hopeful to order our second during happy hour ($2 off from 7:30pm-830pm) unfortunately from the time that I was halfway through my beer until the time that I had finished both my beer AND my water and had been out of liquid for 5-10 minutes our waitress did not stop by and was unable to be waved down.

Finally, she came by and asked if we were interested in more drinks and deserts. After much debate, my wife and I decided that our evening was not going to be cut short simply by poor service and we decided on another round of drinks and desert.

I ordered the cheesecake which undoubtably is an authentic New York style cheesecake. My wife ordered the Chocolate Creme Brulee. If you have ever ordered Creme Brulee, you know that half of the enjoyment is breaking through the hard crust bruleed on top. Unfortunately my wife's Brulee was like pudding; no sugar crust on top. We mentioned our disappointment to our waitress and she adamantly argued that she saw the cook torch the top (which does nothing if not enough sugar is applied.)

Overall, we will try this Tarentum Grille again to give them a second chance, but it will be a while as they are now low on our list.

It is a shame that poor service can effect a decent dining...

You've heard the phrase, "you can put lipstick on a pig, but..." Let’s be honest: Tarentum Station is historic. The town of Tarentum has its own history, but so do places like the National Public House, the Bloser Mansion, Voodoo New Ken, and the building that houses Botl. So what does that really mean?

Nothing.

For over 15 years, we've visited Tarentum Station roughly every 2 to 4 years. Most recently, we dined here after a hiatus of two or three years.

Upon entering, you encounter most of the typical fine dining clichés : daily specials, food treated as art, signature dishes, everything à la carte (even the French fries), a complimentary bread basket, overly formal waitstaff, decadent desserts, and minimalistic plating.

During our recent visit on a weekday evening, the atmosphere felt sparse, with more waitstaff than diners, creating a quiet and somewhat down ambiance.

The menu appeared largely unchanged, but prices had risen significantly since our last visit, especially for basic items that were pasta or chicken-based. French fries were an additional charge, and the shrimp cocktail was nearly $4 per shrimp (yes, you read that correctly). The nine-dollar house wine was of poor quality, and even the so-called "dry" options leaned towards sweetness. Overall, the food ranged from mediocre to below average and was overpriced.

I must commend our server, who was attentive and upbeat.

To gain perspective, I revisited some of my earlier reviews of restaurants of similar “caliber” - from the perspective of pricing.

Perhaps there's a good lunch crowd? Maybe the owners are satisfied with breaking even or accepting minor losses? Or are there just a few loyal, older couples trying to recapture a bygone era?

I can't say for sure, but this earns 2 stars from us. There was nothing about the experience related to wine, meals, appetizers, atmosphere or VALUE, especially, that gave us any semblance of a positive feeling.

We’re not gonna pay a 50% markup for nostalgia that lacks substance. I don’t remember previous visits being of this caliber.

It just wasn’t...

After speaking to the restaurant manger and told that I am not permitted to speak to the owner, it pains me to have to change my review from 5 stars to 1 star, but after what happened a few weeks ago, I unfortunately have to. We were seated outside since it was a nice evening. Our waiter was very nice and the service was good, except that we waited almost 2 hours for our food to come out of the kitchen. The waiter was clearly overworked and flustered as it appeared he was trying to wait on every table in the restaurant. We even had a period where 27 minutes went by without us even seeing him. I'd definitely eat here again, but please hire more wait staff or kitchen staff to decrease the wait times for orders. There was only 2 of us in my party so it wasn't a lot of food. After speaking to the manager who couldn’t care less, I was told not to come back if I could not wait 2 hours for food. I will now tell all my family and friends to avoid this establishment.

Original Review: Excellent experience here tonight (2/26/22). Our waiter William was very attentive and had very good mannerisms as well. Our food was excellent from the French Onion soup to the steak and double baked potato. I will definitely be back and I’m excited to try other menu offerings in the near future. Every restaurant should have a waiter...