My husband Mike and I don’t get to do as much local dining out as we’d like to in the summer months, we’re usually down the shore with our family on the weekends. But, we don’t let the months go by without a date night–we just don’t do it at night!
We do our best to sneak away for a quick drink at a local happy hour spot at the end of our work days. What’s one of the perks of working together as a husband/wife team? We decide when the end of our work days are! 😉
We have a handful of favorite spots to grab a bite and a drink before heading home to our kiddos. In the Summer and early Fall months, we usually head straight for Grillestone on Route 22 in Scotch Plains. Their outdoor patio is one of the best kept secrets in the area. Yes, it’s on a major highway, but, thanks to clever construction and landscaping, they’ve done a fab job of making the patio feel secluded and more like you’re on a hotel roof deck than a concrete oasis mid-commute.
Their Happy Hour drink specials are diverse and plentiful (though we don’t typically stray from our go-tos, I’m a wine-girl and Mike’s a tequila-guy). Drinks aside, it’s their HH food menu that keeps us coming back. An entire list of hit-the-spot items for just $5 beckons. For us, it’s the $4 sushi rolls that win our love (who would have guessed?! Sushi at Grillestone!). An in-house sushi chef sets up shop inside, right by the main bar. In the cooler months, belly up to the bar and watch him work his magic. He’s great!
The Crunchy Spicy Tuna Roll includes fresh cucumber, which give them an extra crunch and the Blue Moon Roll happens to be my favorite roll–possibly of all time! It’s Blue Fin tuna and avocado rolled to the perfect size (you know what I’m talking about, I can’t deal with the oversized rolls that need to be consumed in an often messy two bites!) with a drizzle of “special sauce” made with Blue Moon Belgian White beer.
The picture above is of Mike and me on, what I thought was a regular happy hour outing; however, it turned out, he called ahead and told them it was our anniversary and they had some special drinks set up at our favorite spot. Mike said they were happy to accommodate him on his special request.
On one of our earlier trips to Grillestone, we found out it’s actually a family-run restaurant. I feel like this adds to the experience. The bartenders and managers are friendly, and after just a couple visits, remembered us and our favorite menu items.
The Skinny on this Feature
Grillestone Restaurant
2377 Route 22, Scotch Plains
tag @grillestone
grillestone.com
About the Contributor
Ellie Mroz will be a regular columnist for Westfield Area magazine. She and her husband are the superhero team behind Michael Robert Construction and Ellie Mroz Design based in Westfield.
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