A new restaurant and bar in Pine Grove Mills is set to open this week, bringing with it a regularly changing, locally sourced menu and (eventually) a live entertainment venue.
Pine Grove Hall, located 101 E. Pine Grove Rd. in the former Old Oak Tavern building, will start by offering online ordering and curbside pickup 4-7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, with tentative plans for dine-in service to begin next month.
Liz Grove, best known locally as a member of the band Cone of Silence, purchased the building and liquor license in July 2019 with a vision for a ‘grown up’ restaurant, bar and live music venue, she said in a news release.
Mark Johnson, founding chef at Elk Creek Cafe in Millheim, and Jess Glick, of J. Rose Bartending, came on board as food and beverage consultants and Grove worked with a team of local artisans and craftspeople to renovate the building.
Grove initially planned to open in May, but COVID-19 pandemic restrictions but a stop to work in mid-March.
“We had to pivot,” Grove said. “How would we open a new restaurant that was focused on live music, great ambiance and great food and translate that into takeout? We just had to sit with this for a while.”
Her team developed a plan to get back on track and start with curbside pickup and beer, wine and cocktail takeout before gradually moving toward a fuller opening for the restaurant.
That team includes chefs Shane Orndorf, formerly of Shy Bear Brewing in Lewistown, and Tory Glossner, formerly of RE Farm Café, as well as front of house manager Karen Caswell Sapia, formerly of Zola and Carnegie House.
The opening week menu will feature North African-inspired dishes, including a harissa rubbed pork from Spring Mills-based Soggy Fleece Farm and an Urfa chili pasta from Fasta Pasta. The full menu — also including snacks, starters and desserts — is available at pinegrovehall.com.
Grove said Pine Grove Hall plans to source more than 90 percent of its ingredients from within a 50-mile radius.
“Supporting our local farmers is a priority,” she said.
The menu will change weekly as Orndorf and Glossner continue to establish relationships with local producers.
Photo provided/Pine Grove Hall
Pine Grove Hall tentatively plans to open for dine-in service by reservation by mid-July, initially operating at 50 percent capacity to protect the health and safety of staff and guests in accordance with state guidelines.
As a musician and former independent record company executive, Grove’s vision included a venue with a state-of-the-art sound system where musicians of all kinds would want to play on a regular basis.
Live music will start as soon as possible, Grove said, and will include an option to stream shows through a new high-definition, multi-camera video system.
Grove’s Cone of Silence bandmate Steve Christensen is sound engineer for Pine Grove Hall and local musician and producer Chris Younken is heading film and livestreaming
Visit pinegrovehall.com for menus and updates.
Pine Grove Hall will begin hosting live music as soon as possible. Photo provided/Pine Grove Hall.
