By David Jones

One of the best parts of going out on your birthday is getting to pick the place you want to eat.  Since my birthday fell on a Monday this year there were some limits to the choices.  I also wanted to pick a place I hadn’t reviewed in the past 3 years.  With that criteria in mind I chose Twelves Grill in West Grove.

A good friend from Atglen told me I should write about Twelves last year because he and his wife liked it so much.

Getting to Twelves takes a little more than 20 minutes from Parkesburg, but it’s a nice drive on the back roads I use.

Once again we had 3 in our party.  I am so lucky on my 65th to be able to celebrate with my Mom and wife.

If you read my articles in the past you will remember that I really like BYOB style.  It keeps the price down and you can enjoy your favorite drop and not have to take what’s offered at three times the retail price.

Twelves is a BYOB, though they charge a modest $5 corkage fee.  I often hear friends complain about corkage fees, but I tell them to remember that the restaurant is using their own glass wear and they have to clean it when you’re done.

Twelves provides very nice glasses, just right for a special occasion.

On a Monday at 5 p.m. there were no worries about reservations.  During our dinner only 2 other tables were in use.  More diners were coming as we were leaving around 6:30 p.m.

Twelves is a comfortable fairly quiet atmosphere.  It sits in the middle of town and is in what used to be a bank.  I really like when a business closes, but the building is repurposed for another use.

The decorations are what I would call minimalist.  We had a nice candle lit on the table and Lin commented right away about how nice it was to have a ‘real’ candle for a change.  So many places have gone to battery lights and lots of others have the small oil lanterns that can put off a bad smell at the table.

Mom had the coconut encrusted shrimp appetizer.  This is 3 jumbo pieces and they were done just right.  There was a nice sweet and sour sauce on the side.  The shrimp comes served on a plank that gave a nice little oomph to the presentation.  It goes for $12.

Lin had the burger and fries.  Burgers seem to be even trendier than ever this year.  All of the places we go to seem to have them on the menu and many of these establishments are charging entrée prices for what is after all a patty of ground beef.

The menu describes the burger as “Grilled Cochranville raised grass fed, aged cheddar, and local bacon”.  Twelves “local” burger goes for $13.

This isn’t a criticism of Twelves per se, they are just part of the trend of explaining the extraordinary prices for burgers.  In my travels this year $10.95 seems to be the average, though I’ve seen burgers for $8.95 and as high as $20.95.

This burger was done very nice.  I know because I had to finish it for Lin, whose appetite has dropped off significantly in the past year or so.  The bun was grilled and soft, which is my preference.

I had the sweet and sour pork tenderloin ($21).  This came with bacon braised red beans and broccoli.  This dish was very good and I would recommend it without hesitation.

Now, comes my only significant complaint about Twelves.  I chose this restaurant for my birthday dinner because I read the menu on line and was really looking forward to ordering the short ribs.

You can imagine how disappointed I was to find out they were out of them.  It’s not only the fact that they were out of them, but I wasn’t told until after the waiter took the order back to the kitchen and then returned to the table. Any good restaurant chef preps his staff before they open and tells them what items are not available.

I’ve said it in the past, but it bears repeating, when the waiter is telling you the specials of the day they should also tell you before you order if certain items are unavailable.

There, I got that off my chest!  In spite of my short rib disappointment I recommend Twelves Grill.  I’ve been there on several special occasions and their food is consistently good.

Our total bill was $66, including tax and a 20% tip.

Now, those of you who know me might say, Hey Dave, no dessert?  Well, Lin had made a Chocolate Stout cake and a few friends and family stopped by when we got home so we passed on dessert at Twelves.

Next time!

Twelves Grill & Cafe, Exchange Pl, West Grove, PA 19390

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A native of Chester County and a 1968 graduate of Octorara Area High School, David Jones earned a Masters Degree in Medical Ethics from from Villanova University. Mr. Jones served as CEO of both Mayview and Wernersville State Hospitals and later worked directly with then Governor Rendell to modernize and right-size Pennsylvania’s entire state hospital system. Jones and his wife Lynn make their home in Parkesburg and dine out frequently across Chester County and the Delaware Valley.

Top image courtesy of The Town Dish.