History meets present day in Pine Grove Mills at Pine Grove Hall and Flour & Stone. The two restaurants are located in the heart of the small village along Route 45. The restaurants offer diners unique dishes in distinct spaces: the more-established Pine Grove Hall has a new casual menu, while recently opened Flour & Stone now is home to PGH’s former farm-to-table menu.
Those who drive by see a historic exterior but miss the eclectic interior if they don’t stop. The Pine Grove Hall building was constructed and run as an Odd Fellows Hall in the early 1900s. It later became the Old Oak Tavern before renovations and a name change when current owner Liz Grove bought it in 2019 and opened in 2020.
Front-of-house manager Angela Harshbarger says Pine Grove Hall’s initial focus was as a music venue with drinks, but the concept was adapted with food due to Pennsylvania liquor laws.
“At Pine Grove Hall, we have more of a casual menu with live music or live shows,” Harshbarger says. They’ve hosted manuscript readings, interactive theater, and films, in addition to live singers and bands.
The exterior of Pine Grove Hall cloaks the internal dark, classic jazz club atmosphere. A chandelier hangs over the bar, while curated pieces like literary classics and candles fill the walls. Diners’ eyes gravitate toward the stage, which hosts a variety of acts.
“When you walk into it, you don’t feel like you’re in State College anymore,” Harshbarger says.
Behind a large door is a set of wallpapered stairs, where diners can find their way to the upper floor and a brighter space with additional tables, a stage area, and great acoustics for more musical performances.
The menu at Pine Grove Hall previously focused on an upscale farm-to-table menu but, with the opening of its sister restaurant, the staff has created a new casual menu.
Chef Brittney Pereda says the new menu includes sandwiches, sharing plates, pizzas, and more.
“People really love our food, and we try to keep it fresh, local, different, and exciting,” Pereda says. “The focus is still high on music. We have a show almost every day that we’re open.”
The current menu still offers “Pine Grove Hall Favorites” like the Pear Salad, which features local greens, crisp pears, locally made Goot Essa blue cheese, medjool dates, mint, and a champagne vinaigrette.
Pereda says it’s been one of the most popular items on the menu since day one.
“When we first put it on the menu, it was so popular that we just kept it on. Even though we often changed the menu, we never took that off,” she says.
The elevated farm-to-table menu has moved next door to Flour & Stone, which opened in September. Its Mediterranean-influenced menu features sharing plates, pasta, entrees, and pizzettas.
“It’s a pretty good spread,” Pereda says of diners’ current menu favorites. “Normally, every restaurant has something that is really, really popular, but here it’s very much spread out.”
Pereda highlights the Short Rib Gnocchi, which features six-hour-braised short rib tossed with locally made ricotta gnocchi, local mushrooms, horseradish, and truffled parmesan. The accompanying sauce includes the braising liquid and enhances the flavor of the dish.
While the kitchen aims to create an unforgettable culinary experience, Harshbarger says the service team is ready to ensure a memorable and positive night out. The physical space offers different rooms with varying modern atmospheres, including the garden room, red room, main dining room, and outdoor patio.
“The whole team has thought about every single inch of the restaurant,” she says.
Diners celebrating special occasions, foodies looking for a great meal, or those heading out for a date night are filling the dining room.
“They want to come in and treat themselves to this great experience because it’s not just coming to a restaurant,” Harshbarger says. “We want to lead you through a nice experience from the minute you walk into the restaurant to the minute you leave.”
The team at Flour & Stone plans to add espresso coffees and an offering of grab-and-go breakfast and lunch sandwiches. T&G
Hannah Pollock is a freelance writer in State College.
