I met a friend in Bridgeport for the day, and one condition of my driving there was that she had to find a good, local place to dine. Her boyfriend suggested Mountaineer Grille. Located on Barnett Run Road, this restaurant is connected to a Mountaineer gift shop, which sells as the Mountaineer gear you could hope for. You can walk directly from inside the gift shop to the restaurant. As we walked in, we were seated and looked over the menu.

I noticed a few of their menu items were "specialty" items - like the "Autumn Chicken Salad." Its description said it was grilled chicken atop a bed of fresh mixed greens, with apple slices, toasted walnuts and gorgonzola, finished with a lemon balsamic dressing. Sign me up.

My friend ordered the zucchini straws for an appetizer. I was apprehensive because I figured straws would be thin and crispy. They had a little bite to them - delicious breading and tangy sauce. Another friend got the "grille chips," which were just chips with melty bleu cheese. Also not bad.

When my salad came out, I was impressed. The presentation was beautiful. The first thing I noticed was the giant brick of gorgonzola on top. The combination of these flavors were fantastic. The balsamic was the perfect dressing to take it to the next level. I took bits of cheese, lettuce and walnuts with every bite. The clean, crisp taste of the apples drove this dish home. It cleanses the palate and made all the flavors that much better. It's on the pricier side, but the ambiance is comfy and the food was worth it.

Oh, and how could I forget about the complimentary chocolate stick? Minty and delicious!


Grade: A