By Tom Collins
I'm not a big fan of chain restaurants. In fact, I am often bewildered at the lines I see stretching out of the doors at some chain establishments in Springfield when there are so many wonderful “homegrown” options. So, it was with this background that I visited Bennigan's Grill and Tavern. Thankfully I kept an open mind as our visit to Bennigan's was nothing but pleasant.
Bennigan's is located in the downtown Hilton Hotel building on the first floor. Its façade underwent a serious transformation in anticipation of Bennigan's grand opening just a few months ago. The interior is bright and airy yet still has that tavern feel to it. The walls are decorated with a variety of art and knickknacks – including at least one dart board. Given that it was located dangerously close to a table, we weren't surprised that it wasn't in use.
There's an entrance off of Adams Street as well as from the hotel. You have to pass by the rather substantial bar no matter the entrance (go figure). Lunch seating appeared to be available at the bar or in any number of bar-height tables located there, as well as in more traditional tables spread out throughout Bennigan's rather large foot print.
My dining companions and I arrived shortly before 1:00 pm. Thanks to a rather large group that was waiting to be seated, we had to wait for a few minutes before being pleasantly greeted and shown to our table. The restaurant appeared to be about 2/3 full and filled mostly with what appeared to be the tourist/convention crowd.
Our server quickly appeared at the table, highlighted a few of the menu items, and took our drink orders. We opted to begin with the unlimited chips and salsa ($3.49). They were a pleasant surprise – the chips appeared to have been made fresh on premises and the salsa was a good balance between heat and flavor. And, compared to a downtown Mexican inspired restaurant that now charges for chips and salsa, the unlimited nature of this dish made it particularly attractive.
The menu itself is fairly broad and covers the full gamut from salads, sandwiches, pasta and steaks. There didn't appear to be separate lunch and dinner menus. We liked the idea of the “combo” lunch type options which consisted of a half sandwich with soup or soup and salad ($6.99 - $7.79). Notable lunch style items included the Buffalo Chicken Salad ($8.99 – boneless buffalo wings on greens with ranch, bleu cheese crumbles, green onions and pico), a large selection of burgers, including the “Guinness” glazed burger (brushed with a Guinness glaze) ($7.29 - $10.49 for the 1 lb. burger), and the Fried Chicken Minis ($7.49). Sandwiches are served with fries, but onion rings can be substituted for an additional $.99.
We decided on the Monte Cristo (ham, turkey, cheeses, and bread - battered and then fried, served with jelly - $8.49), the Grilled Chicken Club (grilled chicken, cheese, guacamole and mayo - $8.29), and the Country Chicken Salad (fried or grilled chicken over greens with the usual salad suspects - $8.99). Our special requests were all honored. Portions for all three items were on the large side. Given the slightly higher than usual prices, we would have been disappointed had they not been. The chicken in the salad and sandwich had been almost perfectly grilled and tasted great. The fries were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The Monte Cristo pleased my one dining companion who is on the picky side, which is high praise indeed.
Our service was friendly and efficient. The manager also stopped by to make sure our dining experience was acceptable. If anything, we got the sense that Bennigan's is over-staffed – something we aren't inclined to complain about! We hope it stays this way.
Bennigan's offers Springfield downtown diners a new lunch (and dinner) option which we are happy to have. We plan on returning.
