I was on a bad date the last time I ate at the Iron Horse Inn. He seemed normal when we arranged the date, but by the time the salads arrived, it felt like midnight. It was painfully difficult to stay awake, and the food (as well as my date’s name and face) long ago vaporized from my memory.
Built as a saloon in 1853, the Iron Horse Inn became a cafe during Prohibition, albeit one with slot machines and liquor concealed in the foundation walls of the back room. Its history includes back-room gin, a soda fountain offering soup and sandwiches at lunch and, ultimately, a restaurant. In 1994, the four Sawyer brothers began a three-year renovation to totally transform the old inn.
The Iron Horse Inn is tucked into the quaint business district of Glendale, where the Sawyer brothers have done an admirable job in creating a new/old dining experience. There’s little left of the original historic building, but like a phoenix, what rose from the remnants, is bigger, brighter and better.
When making reservations, you’ll be asked to choose upstairs or downstairs dining. The quiet, white-cloth tables of the first floor are a dramatic contrast to the poppy-red walls.
We chose to be seated upstairs in a large pine-paneled room under a gabled ceiling. With dark hunter-green walls, plaid carpeting and a mix of honey-maple and dark cherry woods, the room has the feeling of a club, but without smoke (the entire building is smoke-free). The L-shaped bar wraps around a well-stocked center with a wide selection of award-winning wines.
There’s been a Jazz tradition at the Iron Horse since the 1980s, and we found the piano accompaniment to our meal a nice addition. The pianist helped mask a few train crossings during and was joined by a bass player around 9 p.m. Jazz is played on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings.
We were presented with a plate of sliced breads (cranberry, white and onion/egg) made on the premises and accompanied with a roasted garlic vinaigrette. We were pleased with the Grilled Jumbo Shrimp ($7.95), wrapped in smoky bacon, coated with a ginger-sesame barbecue sauce and placed over crisp, shredded red cabbage slaw. The Duck Sausage and Portobello Mushrooms ($7.15) partnered the egg-shaped sausage with sweet, meaty portobellos sautéed in a cabernet sauce over mixed greens with a balsamic vinaigrette. This sophisticated appetizer also came with a bit of comfort food: grilled French bread with a scrumptious red pepper cream cheese.
The small Caesar Salad ($4.22) offered full romaine leaves, dressed and stacked with a creamy, rich cheese and garlic flavors sprinkled with more parmesan. Mixed field greens paired with red onions and fresh croutons were spiced with a slight citrus bite with the Tamarind vinaigrette in the House Salad ($2.50 with entrée). When my partner complained that we were not offered the standard large pepper grinder, I handed him the wooden red apple pepper mill which matched the wooden green pear salt shaker.
The chef’s features included Lobster and Bay Scallop Jambalaya ($18.95), which drew my attention. Tender, tiny bay scallops and moist chunks of lobster are tumbled with smoked ham in a caramel-colored roux that had a lip-numbing effect. While this was not the dark chocolate color of a traditional jambalaya, it was an appropriate companion to the seafood, which was coupled with short-grain, pecan fried rice, smoky green beans and, in the center of the bowl, a large square of honey-crusted, caramelized onion cornbread. The New York Strip Steak ($20.95) was cooked to a perfect medium rare and paired with a black pepper and red wine sauce. This “manly” meal included onion mashed potatoes and nicely sautéed summer vegetables.
Overall, the numerous staff were pleasant and efficient, although our plates were left in front of us far too long. Other upstairs patrons included dates, families and clutches of women friends and mixed groups, giving a sense of an upscale local hangout. The Iron Horse Inn is a pleasant setting for a meal, although sometimes it’s a bit loud, punctuated with the occasional passage of a train visible from our window setting.
We’d certainly eaten enough, but we were coaxed to order the Crème Brûlée ($3.95) to share. The cool, creamy custard was presented in an oval ramekin and, unfortunately, had been browned too long, burning the sugar crust.
Oh, by the way, my date and my meal were far more pleasing and memorable than my last visit to the Iron Horse Inn. I don’t think I’ll wait so long to come back. ©
Iron Horse Inn
Go: 40 Village Square, Glendale
Call: 771-4787
Hours: Lunch: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. Dinner: 5-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 5-11 p.m. Friday; 4:30-11 p.m. Saturday; 4:30-9 p.m. Sunday. Brunch: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday.
Prices: Reasonable to expensive.
Payment: All major credit cards and cash.
Vegetarian Friendliness: Several options and specialties are available.
This article appears in Aug 4-10, 1999.
