The Upstairs
 Youngstown, Ohio        Date of Visit  01/06/12        http://www.theupstairsrestaurant.com/

Back in town to take in our first Youngtown Phantoms match against the woefully inadequate Muskegon Lumberjacks (if you get a chance be sure to check out Forward Pat Conte #71 who is a trouble seeking bruiser [my fav]) we were interested in clearing the muddy dreck from our palates following our Monteen’s adventure. We headed to Mahoning Ave in Austintown to The Upstairs Restaurant. Getting out of the car, Mahoning Ave. looked more desolate than Belmont Avenue.
 

Warm Italian Bread With Real Butter
 

Why is it called the Upstairs…uh…it’s upstairs. From the lunaresque landscape of Mahoning Ave we stepped into a pretty slick looking wine bar and headed up the steps to an equally slick looking restaurant.

We arrived between lunch and dinner services while the staff was changing over but our server was able to keep up with her side work and tend to our table pretty well, when the owner arrived he snapped the floor staff to attention to ensure they were noticing everything going on, kudos. Since the specials weren’t going to be available for another 30 minutes we ordered off the regular menu. An appetizer of crab cakes was preceded by warm bread and butter and followed  by scrod and broccoli, ribs and fries and a strip steak with rice pastina.

The bread was fresh and served with real butter which I ate entirely too much of which is why we didn’t get to dessert. Salads were fine and followed by crab cakes that could have used a few more lumps of crab but were greatly improved by the roasted garlic remoulade.
 

The steak was done well and the gorgonzola cream sauce was loaded with stinky cheese, well done. I ordered the ribs for comparison to our last Y-town outing and The Upstairs walked away a clear winner. The half rack might not have compared to some others who specialize in Q but for a broader menu they did well. It was also a rare throwback to be served a fingerbowl with a lemon wedge and extra napkins with the ribs for hygiene’s sake. The scrod was stupendous. Thin delicious crust enveloped a perfectly done moist filet of tiny cod and sat atop a subtle sherry lemon sauce.
 

Sides were more of a mixed bag. The rice was the most disappointing offering little in the way of taste or texture. My mom wasn’t overly fond of the broccoli due to the ratio of floret to stem leaning too far toward the stem end. I don’t mind the stalk as long as it is cleaned once it starts to get woody but apparently they didn’t manage the balance. The fries were pretty good and worked dipped into the BBQ sauce which the menu claims would be spicy but it was entirely more tangy than it was anywhere near spicy.

The Upstairs offers pretty consistently good dinners in a nicer than expected setting. The service was adequate and was quickly boosted with the arrival of the owner who seemed to notice everything and directed the staff to make some adjustments. I would definitely give them another visit.