Black Cat Grill - Utica

Eat very well. not strange. mostly Italian, but also other things. homemade. So suppen fantastic. the waitress smiled, friendly, helpful. cute clean environment, but women bathroom could use a facelift

The food is nothing out of the ordinary, but it's sound and in ample portions. It's a good value. Beer selection tends toward the industrial but there are usually good regional craft and small-producer tap selections. But what makes the Cat stand out is the service. Best wait staff ever! Go to the dining room or go to the bar. The crowd skews older, the over-40 and up set. Hey, we need our hang outs too!

Completely pleased! How did we not have this on our regular cycle of places to visit!? It certainly is now. A reasonably creative menu, well prepared food, and appropriate pricing. The kicker? It has a natural, homey, local feel; good people that honestly seemed pleased to have you walk in the door.

It took me a very long time to decide on this rating. I work nearby, and most Fridays we order takeout in the form of Fish Fry. The fish fry is great, probably the best within a mile radius of Business Park Drive. The skin is crispy every time, and the price is reasonable at $13. It's not a beer batter if anyone is concerned. The reason for only three stars was a side order of soup--New England clam chowder to be exact. The soup was an absolute travesty; it was so horrid I sampled it twice before discarding the entire bowl. Your Fish Fry is great, but the soup could use some attention Black Cat--you can do better.

I had wanted to try this place for a while. The opportunity to do so came up last weekend. I ordered the pork chop. The pork chop itself was delicious. The mashed potatoes were dry and only warm. I asked for butter for my potatoes and was brought a small container of some sort of liquid yellow oil stuff, not butter. The broccoli was cold and overcooked. I won't be back.