Ever since they moved in, I’ve been curious to check in on the 110 Grill, so far the one wait-service restaurant in tenancy at Fall River’s South Coast Marketplace. Almost two years ago, when Fall River’s 110 Grill was yet a gleam in the developer’s eye, I reviewed a location in Hopkinton to get a feel for what the upscale-casual chain is like. Now that its Fall River location is established as a fixture in the city’s dining landscape, I figured I’d drop by. Always polite to check in on new neighbors.
All the 110 Grill locations have outdoor patios with fire pits roaring during business hours. Our fire pit was ablaze during our recent visit, though nobody in their right mind would be enjoying it in the bone-deep chill of January, and so it mostly struck me as an absurd waste of earth’s precious finite resources, although it does give the exterior a pleasant glow, which I suppose counts for something. Antique Copper Kick Plate
Inside, the 110 Grill sticks to a copper and brown color scheme that’s especially comforting on such a cold night. It’s spacious and impressive, with a variety of seating options, like high-top tables, intimate booths, a copper-colored horseshoe bar in the center of the room, and tables by the vast windows, where I hope you’ll enjoy the periodic glare of headlights from the always-busy parking lot. The atmosphere overall projects class, but it’s not too stuffy, somewhere between a high-end steakhouse chain and a Friday’s. Probably tuck in your shirt.
Even on a Monday night there were quite a few people enjoying dinner, and my wife, daughter and I climbed into a booth near the bar with high seating — literally climbed; we’re short. We would notice throughout the meal that the tabletop seemed maybe an inch or two higher than normal. It seemed right under our chins, giving us the uncomfortable sensation of being in an infant’s high chair. I recalled the same issue in Hopkinton, and made a note that if we came back I’d ask to sit somewhere else next time. Maybe put a “you must be this tall” sign by the door for the hostess.
A few beers are available on tap or in bottles, mostly mainstream labels but with a few varieties from local breweries like Wormtown, Jack’s Abby and their own 110 Grill Copper Ale. Wines are available by the glass, carafe or bottle with plenty of choices for any palate or budget, and there are a slew of fancy cocktails each around $10, like the maple bacon Manhattan with bourbon, maple simple syrup and candied bacon rim ($11), mint chocolate chip martini ($10) and rosemary gin fizz ($10). For people like us, who don’t drink, the menu even lists a few non-alcoholic cocktails, a nice touch, but we stuck with iced tea and soda water.
There’s no one cuisine here — you’ll find gussied-up comfort foods, taking influences from a variety of cultures. Some of the starters that caught my eyes included the spinach artichoke dip bread bowl ($12.50), the Cajun rare yellowfin tuna with Asian slaw ($14.50) and crab Rangoon dip with Old Bay potato chips with warm naan ($14). We decided on the chorizo totchos, a ridiculous name for a good dish — fried tater tots topped with spicy sausage, nacho sauce and pico de gallo ($12).
We didn’t have to wait long before our friendly server brought the dish to our table, a mini skillet piled high with savory goodness. My wife and I began spooning them onto our plates, and I offered some to our kid.
“Eww. No thanks,” she said. Picky.
“Tater tots were specifically invented for children,” I said, putting one on her plate. “I promise you this will taste good.”
She raised the tot to her mouth with the care of someone defusing a time bomb and bit off a few molecules. Her eyes went wide. “It’s good,” she said.
“You don’t say.” I found her more tots not tainted by guacamole or cheese sauce and the three of us partook. The tots were crispy, and the fresh ripe guac, salsa and spicy chorizo combined beautifully. Before we knew it, all the tots were gone and we were sadly scavenging whatever scraps of flavor we could from the skillet bottom.
Lighter fare on the menu includes flatbreads around $12 with Buffalo chicken or short rib with pesto, onions and horseradish truffle cream, and soups and salads from $8 to $18. You’ll find a few sandwiches like the cure burger with bacon, egg, smashed tater tots and caramelized shallots ($15) or the Cuban sandwich with pulled pork, ham, Swiss cheese and fried pickles ($13.50). Larger plates that looked good included the cucumber and avocado tuna over jasmine rice with shaved honeydew melon and soy ginger dressing ($23), chicken piccata gnocchi ($19), and the meatloaf with beef, pork and veal ($17), or you can build your own entree with your choice of fish or cuts of steak from $18 to $32.
Our 6-year-old double-carbed it, to our chagrin, with mac and cheese and fries on the side ($8), while my wife chose the mushroom demi sirloin with mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts ($26). I chose the pulled pork mac and cheese ($16.50). All three dishes arrived before we knew it, and our server refilled my wife’s soda water (with Sprite by mistake).
My wife’s sirloin was tender, well cooked if a tad stringy, but nicely seared and flavorful. The fresh, crisp sprouts and creamy potatoes formed an ideal bed. It was overflowing with onions — half as many would’ve done the job, which I noticed on my dish too.
“Probably not great for a date night,” my wife said, tucking in anyway.
My dish featured a decent portion of sweet pulled pork buried in a mound of cavatappi and fried onions. It was drizzled with cheese, barbecue sauce and ranch dressing — a weird mix of flavors, if you stop to think about it, which I did after eating half the dish. It’s a bowl full of comfort flavors tossed together, and perhaps on top of deep-fried onion, the sweet, smoky tomato flavor of barbecue and pork, and savory cheese, the ranch was one flavor too many, adding a milky tang that set it a little off-balance.
I tried to steer my kid toward the Oreo brownie sundae, but she insisted on the gluten-free chocolate cake ($8) — what turned out to be a rich, dense but dry dessert smothered in berry compote. It was OK, but after a few bites she found herself wishing she’d gotten the Oreo sundae.
“We can get it next time,” I said.
I picked up the check — $75 before tax and tip — and said, “Sure. We’re not far.”
Address: 560 William S. Canning Blvd., Fall River
Hours: Sunday to Tuesday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Copper Metal Plate Dine Out's reviewer visits restaurants unannounced and at his or her discretion. The newspaper pays for the meals reviewed. The reviews merely reflect one diner's experience. Ratings range from 1 to 5 stars.