Bites Nearby: Upper Providence Grille is Not Quite the 3 Martini Lunch

Whenever I go to a new restaurant (this happens all the time--shocker) I always make it a point to study the menu but equally important is to study the people dining there. What are they like? How old are they? What are they drinking? Do they look like regulars? I like to try and get a sense of the clientele of an establishment. For me the crowd plays a big role in the dining experience. I hate feeling like an imposter/outsider when I go out to eat. Even if the food is out of this world, the ambiance and the vibe of the place can really make or break it for me.

is most definitely a spot for regulars but the service is so good that they make everyone feel like a regular, even when it's their first time there. The crowd here is older and people really enjoy the cocktails and affordable wine list. Little touches like frosted glasses for your beer are examples of the excellent service. 

My friend and I started off with the mussels marinara ($7.95) which were well prepared and delicious. All you could hear was the clinking of the small forks and shells against the glass bowl as we dug in voraciously. The marinara sauce was well seasoned and tasty, the mussels soft and tender. 

Next we had the house salad and Big Blue salad ($5.95, iceberg wedge). Both were decent renditions with the iceberg wedge being a bit more hearty in terms of size (the wedge is surprisingly dense) and content. The iceberg wedge is a super old school salad that was and is still popular in steakhouses across America. The light and tangy vinaigrette my friend had on her salad was the diametric opposite of the thick and decadent blue cheese dressing. Both were good but definitely very different.

The UPG Burger ($8.95) was a half pound of Angus beef, had bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion. The patty was OK, the bacon crisp and the cheese could have been melted a bit more. The tomato and lettuce were generously portioned and the fries were good. I'm sure if I had not been full from the mussels and iceberg wedge that it would have tasted better. My mother always says, "hunger is the best sauce" and she's so right.

My friend's scallops ($18.95) in a creamy Madeira sauce were on the heavier side. The portion didn't seem that large but given the richness of the sauce, the dish proved to be more than either of us could handle. I would suggest ordering this solo. 

We were both stuffed so didn't have room for Jennie's Famous Desserts but I have heard good things about them. Our server could not have been any nicer and she was so attentive throughout our dinner. The rolling carts they use to deliver your food reminded me of the dim sum carts in Chinatown. The vibe of the joint calls to mind the low lit locales of the three-martini lunches of the world of Mad Men and funny enough, many of the people around us were drinking martinis. There is a certain nostalgic feel to the UPG which I enjoyed. While I am no regular, like I mentioned earlier, I was treated like one and that makes all the difference.