Cornerstone Grill is preparing for the season with a new spring menu that reintroduces halibut and offers new recipes like the spring salad.
Hostess Ashleigh Turner"The halibut is back in season and it is a favorite," says Esat Sertcelik, operating partner. "We serve it grilled or sautéed. Some of our customers also request the halibut baked and we'll do that as well. Since we make everything from scratch and to order, we are flexible in how anything on our menu is prepared. I personally like the halibut sautéed with capers."
The halibut entrée is traditionally served with spaghetti squash, a low-calorie baked serving of squash topped with marinara sauce and cheese. Diners are welcome to choose from other sides such as the summer grilled vegetables, which are also a healthy choice and include hickory-grilled red onion, zucchini, squash and carrots.
Cornerstone's signature side dish is a wedge of grilled red cabbage. "We always try to get the freshest and most tasty product available," Sertcelik says. "Certain things this area doesn't have, but everything we can find from local markets we'll try to get it from there."
This spring, Cornerstone reintroduced one of its most popular appetizers, the fresh tomato and mozzarella Caprese drizzled with refreshing balsamic vinaigrette. Sertcelik says the kitchen has been hard at work creating some new dishes as well. The spring salad is a spring mix of arugula covered with red onions, mandarin oranges, sunflower seeds and a special house-made strawberry vinaigrette. A heavier entrée is the Surf and Turf with a lobster tail, three shrimp and a 4-ounce filet mignon served with a side of garlic mashed potatoes.
Cornerstone Grill
LOCATION: 2311 Chattanooga Road, Dalton, Ga.PHONE: 706-529-2500.HOURS: Monday through Saturday from 5-10 p.m. The bar opens at 4 p.m. and the close time varies depending on crowds.NICE TO KNOW: Harpist Beth Blackburn plays on Friday nights from 6:30-9 p.m.
"First of all, including Chattanooga, we have one of the best steaks in the area," Sertcelik says. "We have an 8-ounce filet and a 14-ounce rib-eye that is cooked to order, and the quality of the meat combined with the hickory grill we have is an excellent choice for people looking for a great steak dinner."
Even though Cornerstone doesn't request any dress code and welcomes guests who pull off from Interstate 75 during long trips, the dining room area is designed as a semiformal environment. Sertcelik says the environment doesn't really have anything to do with the guests, but is more about the ambiance.
"We just try to create partially that fairy-tale environment with a harpist playing on Friday nights and more dimmed lighting," Sertcelik says. "The booths that we have create a private environment and on top of those we have private dining rooms that we can use for any occasion, from birthdays to business meetings to engagement parties and rehearsal dinners."
For a less formal atmosphere, diners are welcome to eat, converse and enjoy entertainment at Rumor's Bar. Live entertainment is hosted Wednesday and Friday nights with soft background music on Wednesdays and livelier acts on Fridays.
Rumor's Bar is also available for private events such as birthday or anniversary parties. Overall, Cornerstone is the perfect place to host events, Sertcelik says, and to prove it he will host a wine tasting evening June 1. The event is limited in space, so guests must prepurchase the $20 tickets to enjoy fine wines and hors d'oeuvres that complement each of the selections.
"We always have some of the wines they taste that they can purchase as a closed bottle to take home," Sertcelik says. "We have a license to sell wine by the bottle."