Harmar eatery offers home-cooked Italian food in an actual home

It’s out with the old and in with the new at a longtime eatery in Harmar.

Garlic Grille opened in June in the former Emilia’s Garden, serving Italian American home-style cuisine.

“We just wanted to break away from Emilia’s Garden and start something new and fresh,” says co-owner and executive chef Doug Brannock.

Roberta Taylor opened Emilia’s Garden almost 30 years ago and resides on the property.

The lower level of her home is a casually decorated dining room that can seat about 70 people for dinner. Everything — from the salad dressings to the bread — is made in-house.

It’s a family-owned and operated endeavor. Brannock is joined by his wife, Kim, who handles the baking, and his cousin, Chris Cuda, as server and cook.

“We changed a lot of the items on the menu to bring our own flair to Garlic Grille and create something new from Emilia’s Garden, although we do use some of the old items and recipes my family has come up with throughout the years,” said Brannock, a Pittsburgh native and Riverview High School graduate.

Brannock says the chicken Parmesan remains a staple and customer favorite.

“We love cheese and it’s heavily cheesed,” Brannock says of the hand-breaded dish that uses freshly made bread crumbs from their homemade Tuscan flatbread.

“The chicken Parm is just something the family has been preparing forever. Maybe it’s the most popular item because we make our own marinara and drizzle fresh Alfredo sauce over top? It’s just a good, hearty dish,” Kim Brannock says.

Veal, lamb, seafood, steak, pork and chicken headline various classic Italian entrees with specialty dishes such as Cajun Crab Alfredo, Zuppa (with mussels, scallops and shrimp) and New Orleans Chicken keeping dishes creative.

The unusual “residence restaurant” has developed a loyal following over the decades, including longtime customers Mike and Chris Crespy of Penn Hills.

The couple first visited Emilia’s seven years ago and now continue their weekly Friday night dinner tradition at Garlic Grille.

“When my wife says it’s my night to cook dinner, I take her to Garlic Grille,” Mike Crespy says. “We would have been disappointed if Emilia’s would have closed up, so it’s good it’s open and with a new name. They make you feel like you’re at home.”

Garlic is a go-to spice here, and guests can’t get enough of the Tuscan flatbread baked with garlic, Parmesan and kosher salt.

“People go nuts over it,” Kim Brannock says. “Frankly, we put garlic in damn near everything.”

Homemade desserts include Cherry Cream Cheese Pie, Apple Crisp a la Mode and Peanut Butter Crème Pie.

Garlic Grille is available for catering and private events such as birthday parties and group dinners.

It’s BYOB, so bring your favorite libation and Garlic Grille will provide the glasses — without a corking fee.