Route 7 Grill

999 Main Street (rte 7)
Grewat Barrington, MA 01230
www.route7grill.com

Don't always stop in the center of Great Barrington, although there are many alluring eating opportunities in town. Drive a little further south on Route 7 and you will come upon the charming Route 7 Grill, a restaurant built around an impressive two-sided open stone fireplace. They specialize in BBQ-d meats smoked in-house and all the items on the menu originate from local farms, all at a reasonable price.

The atmosphere is definitely cozy, simple and family friendly. This is all about comfort food, not about fine dining.

I went to the Rt 7 Grill last Saturday with my friends M and C. M is a vegetarian and when she simply wondered out loud what the pasta of the day might be, both the waitress and the host came over to point out all the vegetarian options on the menu. We started with freshly made chips and salsa - the chips were hot and crispy and the salsa was flavorful with a slight kick. Then they put down corn bread that was crumbly, corn-y, not too sweet. I started with the house salad which featured fresh greens (some of which looked like seaweed but weren't - we couldn't ID what variety of green it was), apples, cheddar, and almonds with a maple-bacon vinaigrette that had real chucks of bacon. Delicious. M. ended up ordering four sides - beets, mac and cheese, fresh homemade applesauce and... I can't remember. But there are fish options and there is always a pasta of the day.

I ordered the brisket with mac and cheese and onion strings - the meat was tender enough to cut with a fork but a tiny bit on the fatty side. C. ordered the pot roast cooked in Guinness, which was so rich and tender, I think I would opt for that over the brisket next time.

For you mac and cheese fans, the side is served in individual ramekins with crusty crispy cheese melted over the top. Gooey with a bit of cheddar sharpness - very satisfying. Sometimes I regret ordering onion rings/strings but these were thin and crunchy without being greasy.

For dessert, we had chocolate pecan pie with SoCo Creamery Dirty Chocolate ice cream. The pie was an excellent balance of pecans and chocolate.

The restaurant wasn't very full when we arrived early, about 5:30, but as we left around 7, it was filling up. I would suggest getting there early during the high season.