Twelves in West Grove

[gfweb]

A new BYOB "Twelves" just opened in an old bank building in West Grove of all places. We've been turned away for lack of reservations a couple times, but made it in last Thurs night when it was half empty.

The menu is bistro-oid... crab mac and cheese...steak frites... seared scallops all well executed and presented nicey.

Chef previously was at the Back Burner in Hockessin, Farmhouse in Avondale ( a favorite of mine), and Dilworthtown Inn.

Service was a little slow and the plates had odd design that made it hard to cut meat without tipping the plate. Three dined for about $100 without dessert.

All-in-all a good new place worthy of a visit.

http://www.twelvesgrill.com/

[Bluehensfan]

We actually tried Twelves a few weeks back. Not bad but nowhere near Philly standards sans a few exceptions (the whole fish and the pound cake dessert).

The place itself is in a nice old bank building that has been renovated. You can see the vault when you enter (very neat to see the inside...) and then you are seated in a long dining room that is an expanse of neverending shades of browns and beiges. The floors are brown tile, the walls are a lighter brown, the furniture is dark wood. The only thing on the wall are some mirrors above eye level (all you see is brown reflected). In fact the only color whatsoever in the room (aside from the bright red fire extinguisher at the end) are the small purplish candles on the table. While I'm no interior designer by any stretch of the imagination, I fould the room to be rather stark and depressing. While they do have a few windows (that open up to an alley), these were covered by beige shades so there's not much to look at.

Anyway, the food was definitely hit-or-miss. We tried the g's bread appetizer which was just so-so despite heirloom tomatoes on it, and had fried oysters which were small and not all that exciting. For entrees, we tried the rainbow trout which was pretty plain and served over an expanse of butter-laden mashed potatoes. The asparagus served with the fish was good though. We also tried a whole fish entree (a dorade) that was excellent. I could see getting the whole fish again (if they decide to serve it again) but would pass on the trout. The desserts were also hit-or-miss. We tried a chocolate cake that was mediocre and had a grilled piece of pound cake with peaches over it that was very good.

The service was fine, and they do have a few things in the counter up front to take home like sticky buns and cookies (we tried the latter and they were very good). There were only a few other diners when we were there and most of the dining room was empty.

All in all, it seems to be a work in progress. Some things are hits while others are misses. I think the problem with the misses lies not in the execution of the dishes (all were cooked perfectly) but the recipes themselves.

[gfweb]

Sounds like we got luckier with our meals than you did.

You are right about not being up to Philly standards. In fact it isn't even up to local standards (Farmhouse, Katherine's, Fair Hill Inn (very very good BTW)).

But, it is better than the Perkins in Avondale (which I'm told is the busiest Perkin's in the world...go figure) :-)

[gfweb]

We revisited today for lunch. Place filled up at about noon.

Menu seemed limited in scope. A couple soups, four apps including olives (at ~$5!), bruschetta ("G's bread"), fried oysters and hummus (blech).

Most entrees were sandwiches of one sort or another. My companion had a scallop dish which lacked depth and was just OK. I had a hamburger which was dry and dense. The ketchup for the fries was served ice cold, right out of the fridge. Squash soup was nice, the bruschetta (goat cheese, fig,parma ham) was a bit bland.

Overall we thought that the food was underseasoned...and there were no salt or pepper on the table.

Service was slow, but short of painful. Decor was a bit better than last time, with more artifacts from the building's previous life as a bank.

I had hoped for improvement, but the locals seem to like the place.

Edited December 13, 2008 by gfweb (log)

[Bluehensfan]

We revisited today for lunch.  Place filled up at about noon.

Menu seemed limited in scope. A couple soups, four apps including olives (at ~$5!), bruschetta ("G's bread"), fried oysters and hummus (blech). 

Most entrees were sandwiches of one sort or another.  My companion had a scallop dish which lacked depth and was just OK.  I had a hamburger which was dry and dense. The ketchup for the fries was served ice cold, right out of the fridge.  Squash soup was nice, the bruschetta (goat cheese, fig,parma ham) was a bit bland. 

Overall we thought that the food was underseasoned...and there were no salt or pepper on the table.

Service was slow, but short of painful.  Decor was a bit better than last time, with more artifacts from the building's previous life as a bank.

I had hoped for improvement, but the locals seem to like the place.

←

Admittedly with Sovana Bistro down the street (and the fiasco with at least one of the owners covertly posting about how good some of the food is on another Chow-worthy site), I have not returned.

[gfweb]

That owner post was pretty eggregious! I've put my two cents in over there too.

Your earlier point about problems with some of the recipes is a good one.

[Bluehensfan]

That owner post was pretty eggregious!  I've put my two cents in over there too.

Your earlier point about problems with some of the recipes is a good one.

←

Yeah, some of our meal was pretty good (especially the fish and the desserts) but not worth rushing back for, especially with Sovana around the corner.

And thanks for coming to my rescue in the other site! It was rather annoying to post about our visit only to have one newbie after another miraculously appear on the site to tell me about how wrong I was with the interior decorating or whatever I found fault with. My fave was when someone posted:

"Anyone who has not been to Twelves Grill yet is missing out. The food is great- the chef obviously wants the taste of the actual food to stand out; nothing is drowned in heavy sauces. I really like that they use as much local, organic and/ or natural products as possible. They have a wonderful little cafe that has all house made baked goods- great for morning coffee and reading the paper. There are also salads to take if you are shourt on time. The buttermilk ranch dressing is by far the BEST dressing I have ever had (made in house)- and I don't normally like ranch dressing (they should bottle and sell it!). My only advice is to try to go on a week day for dinner- Friday and Saturday nights are hard to get in without a reservation!"

...and it turned out to be from one of the owners. I knew something was up when we showed up on a Friday and it was dead as far as being crowded. Honestly this whole thing with all of the "ghost posters" turned me off so much that I'd probably pass on returning.

[gfweb]

Between the food and the sleaze, I have no desire to return.

Have you checked out the Fair Hill Inn just across the line in MD? Seriously good food.

[Bluehensfan]

Between the food and the sleaze, I have no desire to return.

Have you checked out the Fair Hill Inn just across the line in MD? Seriously good food.

←

I have not even heard of it (maybe because it's in MD) but will check it out. Thanks for the tip!

[gfweb]

Their deal is a new seasonal menu monthly...as local as possible. Good wines. Great cheese selection. Website is pretty representative of what they do.