The Governors’ Pub

Our last visit to The Governors’ Pub may not have caught them at their best but I can’t say that we ever have. A few years ago, just as the Elk Creek Cafe + Aleworks was getting its feet under itself, one of our favorite restaurants in Centre County was at this same location on High Street in Bellefonte. We try not to compare The Governors’ Pub its predecessor, The High Street Pub, but it’s hard not to since they are at the same location and much of the interior/exterior looks that same.

It’s sometimes hard to snag parking along High Street but a drive around the block will usually score us a space without having to resort to the municipal lots. A short walk to The Governors’ Pub on the hillside will reward you this fall with a sight of some huge sunflowers and autumnal flowers growing on the planters in front.

In warm weather it can be nice to grab a seat on the wooden deck. Even the free Wi-Fi reaches out to some of the umbrella protected tables. This is a nice place unless there are irresponsible families with rambunctious children that also choose to dine there. More than once I have noticed that parents will act as though the deck is a playground and obliviously sip their after dinner drinks (coffee/ wine/cocktails) as their kids yell and run loose around the exterior tables.

Another, usually kid free, option is the slick little bar inside, right in the middle of everything. The 6-8 chairs are really a bit tightly placed for eating any more than a light appetizer with your drink and it’s more difficult having a conversation side by side. Thursdays they boast live music.

The rest of the classy-looking interior has a nice hierarchy of spaces. High top tables close to the bar make a cute pub area and a couple separate dining areas break things up around the place. A modern gas fireplace divides two of the rooms and tvs can been seen in the pub area.

The speed of the kitchen, accuracy of the staff and quality of the food just don’t match its pretty wooden interior. Jim estimated that it took us 45 minutes to be served our Greek Salad and Portabella Burger. Neither were anything special and Jim was so hungry that he ate his small sandwich almost in a single bite. Even though the mushroom cap might have been marinated and topped with some mellow caremelized onions, he said the burger was skimpy, mediocre and served on a really dry bun. His coleslaw was nice and creamy.

I could say the same for my salad. The components were presented in a fine way but it wasn’t special by any means. The romaine lettuce was topped with feta cheese cubes, regular sliced black olives, cherry tomatoes, fresh red bell pepper and big slices of red onion with the tart dressing on the side.

One real problem was that we had ordered an appetizer of Spinach and Artichoke Dip that didn’t appear before our meals. When our salad and burger came out I asked about it and they had to put the order in again. The “crustini” was not toasted, grilled nor crusty but cold chewy french bread. The cup of dip was warm, not overly salty but no discernible spinach nor anything to season it like garlic.

I know that every place is running on a limited budget and tends to understaffed but on a Friday night before a home Penn State game, a Bellefonte restaurant should be ready for a few guests. The delay and mistake made me ask why there weren’t more people working and the waitress couldn’t give me a reason but agreed that they could have used a lot more help that evening.

To her credit, before things got busy, our waitress checked on the Swabian Onion Soup and told me it was made with a chicken stock. The only other options seem to be a couple of their Chef Features, Spinach and Tomato with Cheese Ravioli and the La Belle Fonte Pasta, a roasted red pepper cream sauce served over linguini pasta.

I don’t see much changing about The Governors’ Pub anytime in the near future so I probably won’t return for quite a while. They have some vegetarian food on the menu and I don’t see that changing either. The location is fine and building is pretty and clean but the service is spotty and really doesn’t offer much (nothing for vegans). What we were finally served, including the lack luster appetizer, was not bad but it wasn’t anything special to offset the problems. It’s about what a vegetarian would expect; to wander into any place without benefit of reading a review, it’s average.

The Waterfront Tavern

I have had some really wonderful times at The Waterfront Tavern in Lewistown. The restaurant and its outdoor deck is situated with a very nice prospect of the Juniata River. Because of the location on 6398 Belle Ave., just off the bridge (Rt 103) that crosses the Juniata, the main approach from Lewistown has you driving past the restaurant and turning left at the light onto Belle Ave. Parking is in front, beside and behind the building.

Roofed area of the outdoor deck.

The deck is only hospitable in the best of warm weather so don’t count on it being open at any other time. One weekend, Jim and I visited on a lovely summer’s day and there were still only a couple of patrons taking advantage of it. There was a sign directing us to go inside to arrange seating even if we wanted to be on the deck. I assumed so that they would know people were in need of attention.

We once took our mothers to the Waterfront Tavern for a Mother’s Day lunch. I wouldn’t say the restaurant is “kid friendly” but I frequently see older patrons enjoying meals there. Actually, the 55 and older crowd seems to be more the demographic of The Waterfront than the 30-something crowd, even when there is a game on the 2 televisions at the downstairs bar.

Table by the window int he downstairs dining room

The moms enjoyed the special menu that day and most of us lingered and enjoyed coffee as we watched the full banks of the Spring run off fill the lazy Juniata. We have never felt rushed to leave and are encourage to enjoy dessert and another round of coffee every visit.

Sadly, it’s the downstairs bar and its worn floor that keeps the cute interior of the main dining area smelling like stale beer. If the downstairs is starting to get full, make sure to ask to sit upstairs. The view is even better because you don’t have to look through the furniture on the deck and it looks down onto the Juniata, quite pleasant in any season.

Wedding reception in the upstairs dining room.

We rented the entire upstairs for a wedding reception in November 2009. The chef catered it with wonderful appetizers of my suggestion. The bruschetta was a twist from what they have on the menu, he utilized roasted red peppers since tomatoes were not in season. The cheese and fruit platters ended up not including any of my requests and the bar forgot to purchase the champagne for the toast.

Not everything went as planned but, like every time we visit The Waterfront, the company was great and we had a sensational time in spite of the botched moments.

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Waterlogged at the Waterfront

Spinach Artichoke Dip and Pitas

Even though we make the best of our times at The Waterfront doesn’t mean it is a great place for vegetarians. There are a couple of appetizers, Spinach Artichoke Dip with Pita Chips and Tomato Bruschetta, neither of which are vegan.

The appetizers and the House, Stilton and Spinach Salads are the only vegetarian offerings on the lunch menu. Although they are very good and the entrée sized salads are generous, I really wanted to try the Greek Pasta on the dinner menu. When the river waters rose this past week and threatened to flood my parent’s basement, we took advantage of the revised less emergent cresting to have an early supper at The Waterfront.

A tree floating down the Juniata during the 9/7/11 flood.

The website WRONGLY says that Lunch ends and Dinner begins at 4:00 PM. We found out when we went at 4:30 PM that day that, as the waitress smartly put it, “Dinner has started at 5 for as long as I have worked here.” Thank goodness they have free Wi-Fi because I called up their own Website as a defense as to why I was expecting to be offered the dinner menu. This was on September 7, 2011, and when I called today they seemed in no hurry to change it even though I told them this blog would be linking to their page.

House Salad - Entrée

At the waitress’s encouragement, we ordered some appetizers and enjoyed them until the official dinner hour arrived. The hot Spinach Artichoke Dip with Pita Chips was very nice and the potion was quite generous.

It took us quite a while to make our way through the heavy bowl of dip and deep fried pita 1/2 rounds. We munched and watched the swollen river wash unknown debris swiftly by. The skies opened up again to wash more imaginary alligators down river. It was very wet out and we were just finishing our appetizer when the waitress returned to ask if we were interested to know the evening specials. It was three different kinds of pizza (which is usually not on the menu at all) one of which was a White Pizza. The White Pizza was vegetarian, not vegan, and had cheeses and garlic that sounded very nice.

Stilton Salad - side

I was still set on the Greek Pasta and got a small Stilton Salad, Jim ordered a large House Salad and Mom ordered a Spinach Salad. The waitress went to clear away our appetizer dishes and spilled my ice water all over my lap. It was fitting that for the cold and flooding day I should sit for most of our meal with wet jeans. She apologized many times but what would it help to get angry? I was glad to be with good company and hope that, for as emotional as I can be, I don’t ever come across as irrational when accidents happen.

Greek Pasta

The Greek Pasta was a bit bland, no real flavor of basil and the tiny bit of garlic I could detect tasted like it was from a powder. The feta cheese added some saltiness and the black olive slices some color contrast but the over cooked linguini made it all a little “bleh.” I couldn’t get too disappointed but it was, after all, why I was so insistent on waiting to order from the dinner menu. What a waste of effort.

I was grateful for the fine company and conversation with Jim and my parents. All of our salads had very fresh greens. Mom’s Spinach salad had a sweet homemade pear vinaigrette that she seemed to enjoy along with the caramelized onions. Jim’s House Salad looked very nice with the feta cheese and thumb sized grape tomatoes and pine nuts. My Stilton side salad was my favorite part of the meal, its tangy champagne vinaigrette and almonds were very nice with the blue cheese.

Spinach Salad - entree

Coffee and conversation were our dessert before we braved the crossing of the rushing Juniata. Not to worry, the river bridge was just fine and not one Lukens had to jump in to save anyone from the raging waters (as my Grandfather had to near Hawstone many years before my father was born). In fact, even my jeans were finally starting to dry out from the ice water mishap at 5 PM.

The Waterfront Tavern

Hey, it’s average! I had to think long and hard to find any place in Mifflin County that I could rate with consistent vegetarian options and stay within my review criteria. If I can offer a review of at least an average place, my hope is that it can empower current and new vegetarians (and hopefully vegans) to find something in whatever area of central PA they are in. Until the local vegetarian group has something more to share (other than educational fliers at Kid Connection) my review of The Waterfront Tavern is the best I can present at this time.

Upstairs Dining Room - set for a reception

Instead of preaching to the choir, let my 4 decades of local vegetarianism tell you that you have to pick and choose carefully in Lewistown area. I grew up in Lewistown and the restaurants in this region seem to be some of the most at fault for thinking bacon is an herb.

The Waterfront Tavern has never been confused about meat being vegetables but they just don’t have a lot to offer. The patrons aren’t a sketchy crowd but the waitstaff can be a little lackadaisical. It’s another one of those hit or miss places, sometimes they are missing ingredients and other times the chef is bending over backward to make our experience pleasant.

Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta - catered reception appetizer

I’ll wrap it up by reminding readers that it is a tavern and smells like it on the main floor. It has about as many pluses (free WiFi and a great view) as minuses (very limited menu and nothing vegan). It all equals out to an average vegetarian dining experience. My advice is to surround yourself with people you like being with and the mediocrity of the meal won’t matter as much.