Who can resist the sound of a juicy steak or marinated poultry simmering to perfection over the aroma and simplicity of a wood fire grill?
Until a few weeks ago, this age-old way of cooking was an experience most of us could only take in at backyard cookouts or on camping trips.
Now, with its conversion to an all-wood cooking unit, DiSalvo's Restaurant, 341 E. Fourth St., recently has added this experience to an already distinguished array of choices to fulfill fine dining wishes.
Founding owner and executive chef Vincent DiSalvo believes the conversion to the wood grill is just another way the restaurant has been evolving since re-opening in 1997 at its present location.
"I've been open to new ideas and change from Day One," DiSalvo said. "We're always trying something new and innovative based upon what the customers are looking for."
To find a grill to match his needs, DiSalvo searched the internet until deciding on J&R Manufacturing, Mesquite, Texas.
With more than 33 years in the business, J&R Manufacturing has built a worldwide reputation for long-lasting, commercial live fuel fire products.
"It's not easy to find a good one, so I kept looking and looking until I found J&R," DiSalvo said. "With the premise that everything is a test of time, I looked into how they were manufacturing them as well as where they were placing them to see what the longevity of the piece would be."
Taking eight weeks from the time of purchase until delivery, the new Woodshow Broiler comes with an adjustable surface, which moves the food closer or farther from the fire for total control of the cooking rate while maximizing fuel efficiency.
The Woodshow gets its name from the spectacle it creates in an open-kitchen dining scenario, which is unique to DiSalvo's.
Equipped with the patented Chef Cool design to keep the heat inside the grill, the full-time chef is required to operate the broiler during business hours and can control the burn rate with an air-control damper.
"I'd been wanting a wood grill for over six years, because I like the flavor," said DiSalvo, who buys his wood from Loyalsock Firewood Inc. "We're known for our steaks and fish, which are butchered on site, and people are taking well to it."
With the addition of the new grill, DiSalvo has revamped his menu with domestic lamb, milk-fed veal and dry-aged steak.
Three months ago, DiSalvo and his chefs teamed up with the meat department at Penn State University's Agricultural Division for a day-long seminar and to evaluate DiSalvo's setup.
"As far as I know, nobody in the area is doing in-house dry-aged beefing like we are," said Tait Carnevale, restaurant manager. "Mix that with the smell of the new grill, our award-winning wine selection and the opening of the courtyard later in the evenings, and the atmosphere just welcomes good times."
For the past five years DiSalvo's, which handles more than 120 bottles of mostly imported Italian wine, has been recognized by Wine Spectator Magazine with its Award of Excellence.
Carnevale, who graduated from Pennsylvania College of Technology in 1997, has made the Friday Jazz nights a staple at the restaurant. Carnevale hopes to add a different twist to Saturday nights.
"We're looking to have some rock groups and cover bands in town to add something different for our customers," Carnevale said. "We've installed our own lighting around the restaurant and, with the purchase of nearby properties we can use for parking, we feel we can accommodate quite a diverse crowd on any given night."
With the ability to cater to more than 200 people in the reception and banquet room, Marissa DiSalvo, events manager, has maintained a solid reputation built on years of organizing events of all kinds.
"It's a different type of challenge with a lot of people in the door all at once and things have to be very exact and carefully planned," Carnevale said. "Marissa's been doing it for years and with her experience, really, there's not a lot out there that can compare to what we can do."
Humbled by success and the experience to know where to find it, the team at DiSalvo's has found that adapting to the competition and evolving to the customer's needs is no secret recipe.
But it is one they have added their own flavor to over the years.
"We've come a long way in the past 15 years, and there's been a lot of readjusting, growing and changing," Vincent DiSalvo said.
"I think it's very important that people keep an open mind to change while being consistent with who they are."
