Since, I have Fridays off from work, I enjoy going out to lunch in a never-ending search to discover new eateries and new food. Today was no different. When I left my two-bedroom apartment on Springfield’s south side, my ultimate purpose was to find a little hole-in-wall cafe. I drove around for a bit, until I ended up at the intersection of Battlefield and Kimbrough, close to the Buffalo Wild Wings, and Umi Sushi Grill. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught what looked like a new restaurant in the same building as Umi. I decided to drive by and see what it was. It was called The Grotto and it looked quite appealing on the outside, so I decided to give it a try.
From the outside I couldn’t tell if it would be a “fast food” pizza joint or a more upper-scale, expensive place. When I walked in I discovered it to be an upscale yet casual and inviting eatery that offers much more than just your typical pizza place. This is a place where you order your food at the counter, yet the selections appear to be typical of a trendy, more costly restaurant. The decor reminded me of a modern day diner, sleek and minimalistic, yet casual and inviting.
The menu is quite expansive with appetizers ranging from a house or caesar salad to onion rings to steamed vegetables to homemade bleu cheese chips. There are a variety of soups with tomato bisque, broccoli cheddar, french onion and garden vegetable being offered each day. There are also soups that change from day to day.
Next on the menu are the salads beginning with a simple house salad, but also including eclectic and unique options such as the enchiliso the asian crunch salad or the steak bistro salad, among others. I was very impressed by the large list of dressings available, particularly the low-fat dressings. While The Grotto does have the standard dressings that most restaurants offer, they appear to have more choices in low-fat dressings than other places. Some examples of the not-so-standard dressings include a low-fat raspberry viniagrette, a fate free cilantro lime viniagrette, a reisling viniagrette, a sweet red wine viniagrette, and an avocado ranch.
There is a wide variety of burgers and sandwiches, including chicken sandwiches, a grouper filet, a sashimi ahi tuna filet, a palo alto portabello, and a hippy burger made with a black bean burger and guacamole.
The Grotto’s specialty is California-Style pizzas. According to a description on the menue, these pizzas put an emphasis on the toppings rather than just the crust and sauce. There is a strong selection of these pizzas at nice prices. Don’t worry, if California pizzas are not your style, you can also order typical, thin or thick crust pizzas with your choice of toppings.
They do offer a children’s menu as well as a few desserts including chocolate chip cookies, malts and shakes (adding to the diner feel), and a warm cookie sundae. My personal favorite would be the cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory drizzled with chocolate, caramel, or raspberry sauce. They offer imported and domestic beers as well as house and select wines.
Since I am a single working girl on a budget,I found the prices very reasonable. I opted for the thin crust four cheese pizza which was priced quite nicely at $4.29 for a personal-size. I added an appetizer of the bleu cheese chips. I topped it off with a home made chocolate chip cookie. The bleu cheese chips were absolutely scrumptious. They consist of homemade potato chips seasoned with rosemary and thyme, topped with semi-melted bleu cheese crumbles and bleu cheese dressing. I would go back just for these.
The pizza was quite good as well and was large enough that I ended up taking two slices home. The service was friendly, personable, and quick. I waited less than 10 minutes for my meal. When I first arrived, only one or two other people were there. After all, The Grotto had been open less than a week. By the time I had eaten half of my meal, more and more people arrived, finally culminating into a nice, steady crowd.
Though I was looking for a “hole in the wall,” I found a restaurant that I truly believe will be much more than that. As word catches on, The Grotto will become one of Springfield’s best places to try.
Check out their website at www.gogrotto.com for more information.
