Mount Hill Tavern
BY CHELSEA HESS-MORE, PHOTO BY JADRIAN KLINGER
Looking for a casual restaurant with fine dining – a place that you can wear jeans, eat good food and hang out with friends on the patio while having a few drinks? This is all possible at Mount Hill Tavern. Located in Lower Paxton Township, Mount Hill Tavern is known for its neighborhood feel, great food and welcoming atmosphere.
You can rarely expect to see the same menu for too long here, thanks to Executive Chef Thomas Eckert. He mixes influences such as Thai, Japanese and Mediterranean to make a context for a “New-American seasonal” cuisine. He has a passion for seafood, which can be found on the appetizers and entrées lists. His top priority: keeping the food simple and fresh.
The chef’s recommended ideal meal combination starts off with a Tomato and Cucumber Gazpacho soup, followed by the Oysters on the Half Shell with mignonette sauce as the appetizer. He recommends two options for the entrée: the Seared Yellowfin Tuna with chili and ginger soy or the Pan-Seared Diver Scallops. And don’t worry about desert because there is plenty to choose from, including a seasonal cobbler or the Espresso Cheesecake Mousse with a bittersweet chocolate bowl, which is all made from scratch at the restaurant.
But don’t let the fine cuisine make you feel like it’s too fancy to come and relax while having a meal. “I just want people to feel comfortable coming here in jeans,” says Eckert. “It’s about the food; it’s not about dressing up. It’s about drinking a glass of wine and eating good food, and that’s where we’re coming from.”
As General Manager Molly Hughes says, “It’s definitley a place where you can come hungry for a burger and drink a $400 bottle of wine.” The tavern has a wine cellar, which is the focal point in the front entrance. It consists of over 250 bottles of wine. But don’t let this underestimate the importance of the beer selection here. There are nearly 60 choices of beer from eight different countries.
In 2006, owners Douglas and Nadine Neidich embarked on a two-year reconstruction project to transform the used-to-be design studio into what is now Mount Hill Tavern. The owners plan to continue improving the different features of the tavern. An additional bar will be added to the older colonial section of the building, which is expected to have more of a pub feeling. The second addition to the building will be a chocolate shop run by a personal chocolatier.
Recently, the tavern started a Sunday Brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Breakfast food lovers can enjoy the popular Mount Hill Tavern Eggs Benedict or even belgian waffles for the kids. For those not too fond of breakfast, they also offer select paninis and salads, giving you the best of both worlds. Also come out for a night of music that the tavern offers twice a month. You will get the chance to hear a small band play a wide range of music – from jazz to country – while you relax with friends on the patio.
Whether you are dining with the family inside, having a drink at the bar or hanging out with some friends on the outside patios, Mount Hill Tavern is a place that is welcoming to all. HBG
