A popular State College restaurant has a new name, new home and new menu
Harrison’s, previously located within the State College Hilton Garden Inn, recently moved to Centre Hall, where the new venue is accompanied by a new name and new menu. The Overlook Grill by Harrison’s opened Jan. 16 and features a spectacular mountaintop location and views of the valley below.
“Feedback on the setting (and) new dining room has been positive,” co-proprietor Kit Henshaw said. “People are pleased with the feel and look of the dining room. All tables have a view, even if not directly by the window and even after dark the room has a nice, intimate feel that is wonderful even without the view. It is nicely upscale-casual, with the dining area separated from the bar area, so it’s easy to be more casual if people like.”
The new menu retains much of the popular, original Harrison’s menu items, such as the butternut squash bisque, autumn beet salad and goat cheese fritters, but Henshaw says the culinary team has developed quite a few new items as well.
“We added hand-carved prime rib and we bought a smoker and are serving smoked brisket and smoked salmon in a few different dishes, like smoked brisket nachos and smoked salmon bucatini with a gorgonzola cream sauce. We have a new Hearty Fare section (on the menu) with potato skins and buffalo cauliflower, and buffalo wings, too,” he said.
One of the new items that’s already becoming a favorite, Henshaw said, is a a prime rib panini au jus — shaved prime rib and provolone, pressed in the panini grill and then dipped into a flavorful beef jus.
“For salad fans, we added a wedge salad, an old-school classic of an iceberg wedge with bleu cheese dressing and crispy local bacon with house-pickled onions,” he said. “Our chefs also have created something we call Top of the Mountain Chow Chow — a seasoned, pickled vegetable mixture that we use as a garnish on most of our dishes.”
The culinary team plans to add feature menus and a take-out menu in the coming months and restaurant hours will change to fit the season, with longer hours in the spring and summer.
“We’ve had a great response so far from our Harrison’s regulars, but we are also looking forward to getting to know our new neighborhood and (creating) some fresh ideas for our new location, so (we) need a little time to settle in and see,” Henshaw said.
The venue features its own event center. The previous Above the Valley Event Center is now renamed The Mt. Nittany Overlook Event Center. Already, Henshaw said, quite a few events have been booked for 2020, including weddings, business events and family celebrations. The event center is located on two floors beneath the restaurant, which sits on the top floor of the building. The event center sports the same fantastic views diners enjoy in the restaurant.
For those interested in the event space, Henshaw said, “We are happy to give tours and explain options to all who are interested.”
The Overlook Grill is open Tuesday, 4:30-9 p.m., and Wednesday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4:30-9 p.m. The restaurant is closed Sunday and Monday. Reservations are highly encouraged. Due to the restaurant’s location, severe winter weather can make driving conditions to the restaurant treacherous, so in the event of inclement weather, diners are encouraged to call ahead and ensure the restaurant is keeping regular hours.
This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 6:00 AM.