Hamilton’s Grill Room

Nestled in quaint Lambertville, the cooking style here focuses on the fresh and simple basics, accented with Mediterranean flavors.

By: Antoinette Buckley
   The menu is prefaced by words of wisdom: "Love is as important as food, but it doesn’t nourish you." While it is up for discussion whether or not love nourishes in the philosophical sense of the word, there is no doubt that the food at Hamilton’s Grill Room nourishes both body and soul. After 19 years in business, Hamilton’s Grill Room is still true to itself and manages to fuse ethereal art with the unpretentious art of grilling. Pairing the basics with visual and edible accoutrements offers enough diversity to impart interest and enough simplicity to satisfy. It is this balance that contributes to the restaurant’s longevity, thriving against all odds as it is secretly tucked down an alley off a side street in Lambertville.

   The atmosphere is cozy and engaging. Hamilton’s Grill Room captures the essence of Lambertville, a quaint city situated along the river, noted for its antique shops and artistic culture. The restaurant’s warmth is embracing especially in the grill room where Executive Chef Mark Miller interacts with customers while at work over a weathered, open-flame grill and, at times, an adobe oven. This room alone has character enough to sustain the restaurant, but there is so much more to discover here. A romantic archway of candles overhead leads to the depths of the restaurant where local painter Illia Barger has reproduced some of history’s great works of art.
   There are five dining rooms, each with its own distinctive feature. In the Gallery (the back room that overlooks a gallery downstairs), a magnificent painting of a Madonna is done in the Italian Renaissance style and is inspired by Titian. It covers almost an entire wall. The Hicks Room is mostly used for private parties. A mural depicting a childlike representation of an idyllic landscape spans this room and pays homage to the painting’s originator, Bucks County painter Edward Hicks. The Bishop’s Room houses a reproduction of Manet’s "Luncheon on the Grass" and a Tiepolo-inspired painting on the ceiling "dances with cherubs," as owner Jim Hamilton puts it. Also in this room a gilded mirror is mounted on the ceiling, a most unlikely place for a mirror.
   Thinking outside the box has always led this restaurant to the point of distinction, and it is no different in the restaurant’s newest room, the Covered Porch. Elegance is found there in an upside down tree that is strung with white lights and hangs from the ceiling. In warm weather the walls open for an al fresco dining experience. Dim lighting sets the mood throughout the restaurant and the absence of music highlights the comforting backdrop of voices in conversation. Hamilton’s Grill Room is artistry at its best.
   The number of menu choices is admirably modest. Fish is a strength at the restaurant and tends to dominate the menu. But since grilling and meat go together like peanut butter and jelly, meat does not fall by the wayside. Mr. Miller uses hardwood charcoal under the grate for an earthy flavor that comes through in all the grilled meats and fish. The cooking style here focuses on the fresh and simple basics, accented with Mediterranean flavors. On Tuesdays, Mr. Miller fires up the adobe oven to make personal pizzas.
   Appetizers are petite, serving just to whet the appetite. Grilled shrimp with anchovy butter ($13) is a tease. Just three portly shrimp are kept in their shells, making them a messy delight. The buttery sauce and salty hit of melt-away anchovies are a perfect combination. Calamari ($11.50), another grilled appetizer, is served amid a lemon sauce topped with shaved Parmesan. The calamari is tender and cooked to a gentle doneness, but the charring muscles its way to the forefront, putting the level of perfection in contention.
   Hamilton’s Grill Room shows culinary savvy with selections that never touch the grill. Homemade ravioli ($9.50) is a commendable offering, especially for a grill room. The care taken is appreciated with every bite as a filling of braised oxtail, ricotta and Parmesan satiates the mouth in a way that pure grilling doesn’t. Al dente rims on the ravioli stand up well to the bold and robust red wine pan sauce that accompanies them.
   Arugula salad ($7.25) makes a perfect starter. It is dressed with a weighty, white balsamic dressing and built up with hearts of palm and the most succulent roasted tomatoes.
   Entrees fall between delivering excellence and a happy satisfaction. Seared salmon ($26) offers delightful flavors and textures. The béarnaise sauce that dresses the fish is freshened by plenty of herbs and the accompanying rice is embellished with black and white beans. Grilled tuna ($29.50) should be cooked to the chef’s cooking preference: medium rare. Going beyond that cooking level is certain failure. When Mr. Miller’s tuna is a pinkish medium rare, the zesty topping of artichoke and roasted red peppers can pump up the fish in the way it is intended.
   Grilled rib eye steak ($25), although a bit chewy, is nicely augmented with crispy leeks and Bordelaise sauce (a rich reduction of red wine and veal stock). Grilled rack of lamb ($33.75) is standard, but it’s the rosemary and roasted garlic cream sauce that really lights up this dish. And those incredible Brussels sprouts, a side that accompanied all the dishes that evening, redefined the unpopular vegetable.
   Pastry chef Debbie Croll has a wonderful way with desserts right down to the complimentary biscotti that cap the meal. The house’s signature chocolate espresso torte ($7) is melt-in-your-mouth divine. The cheesecake ($7), honored in "Best of Philly" 2002, is made irresistible by the flavoring of the week (pecans during our visit) and the crust that is made from homemade biscotti crumbs. How deliciously clever!
   Hospitality continues to be a priority at Hamilton’s Grill, although it is possible to encounter a lukewarm server on occasion. Mostly you’ll find receptive faces that aim to please. Owner and founder of the restaurant Mr. Hamilton couldn’t be more dedicated to his restaurant, his customers and his native Lambertville. Since opening the restaurant in 1988, he has relinquished much of the daily responsibilities of the restaurant to his competent staff. Yet he still hand writes the menus and, on Tuesdays, this 75-year-old man cooks a prix fix menu tableside just for the love of it.
   Mr. Hamilton has become something of an icon in the Lambertville/New Hope area. Set designer, decorator, chef, restaurateur, philanthropist, Mr. Hamilton is a man of many talents. Over the years, he has helped the area thrive by using these talents to support local restaurants and the arts, in both Lambertville and New Hope. A dynamic man, a distinguished restaurant… Hamilton’s Grill Room.