Change is Good!

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This week, our Event Coordinator, Cindy Genovisi, tells up about some of the changes at the Steam Plant Grill.

Change is good. Change is necessary. We at the Steam Plant Grill have embraced a number of changes in the eight years we have been here since December 1999.  I have been here since opening day, so I can tell you just what has changed.

We have changed floor plans. In the beginning, you might remember that when you walked into the building there was a coffee shop on the right hand side. They served excellent lattes, mochas and shockingly, just plain coffee! This room is what we now call the Boiler. It can seat up to 24 with a little squeeze and 20 easily. You can see on the ceiling where the pipes were cut off, but used to form the firebox where steam was created. Nowadays, instead of steam, we create great meetings and meals in this space.  We serve hot food and cold beer, mix in some of our great guests and you could say that we still heat up the room, just not in the same way.

We also changed another one of the Boilers into a dining room. This room is a “U” turn from our host desk.  Wells and Company made the wise decision to leave in sections of the original pipes for ambience and, as it turns out, for great photo ops! There is a large picture on the north wall. The lovely young lady is Julie Well’s mother, Vera. If you take a closer look, you will notice her classic curling locks of hair and the classic car she alights from. I personally call this room, Vera’s room because it is a classic, just like Vera was.  Now, she watches over board meetings, family parties, business meals and rehearsal dinners, just the way she did for her own family.

You should also notice the floor in the Board Room, aka Vera’s room. The tiles are 12 X 12 X 2. They are original tiles that made up the floor of this boiler when it was operational.  They were removed for construction and then re-installed as flooring for this unique and much sought after private dining room. Last but not least, check out the walls. They are the actual insides of the boiler when it was in action 24/7. The pipes have been cleaned and glossed but the ambience remains the same. If you would like to experience fire in the room, ask us for some candles!

Another thing that has changed a lot and also not so much is the menu.  We still have some items from our opening day menu, like Beer Cheese Soup and our hand-cut, house-made battered Fish and Chips.  But most of our menu continues to change to take into account local ingredients, available specials and our evolving tastes. 

Let’s switch gears and talk about the one thing that hasn’t changed very much at all. Beer! We still take great pride in producing the area’s finest micro-brews. On the subject of change, though, let’s take a little quiz: Do you remember the Triple-Cherry Porter? How about Mike’s Picnic Pilsner? If you do, consider yourself an expert on the history of the beer of the Steam Plant Grill. Thanks for playing.  Come see us soon to see what changes.

Cindy Genovesi

Weekly Features

To view Executive Chef Barry Matthews' features for this week, click on the links below:

Lunch Features

Dinner Features

Quote of the Week

Flying off the handle sometimes causes hammers and humans to lose their heads, as well as their effectiveness.

                     - William Arthur Ward

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