WILBRAHAM – Frank and Laurie Bongiorni had an idea for a restaurant – why not open a comfortable and casual hometown pub that had a menu that was definitely a cut above what one might expect from such an establishment?

The result is the Route 20 Bar and Grille at 2341 Boston Road. The couple calls their new restaurant – it opened last fall – a “gastro pub.”

“It’s in-between fine dining and a very casual bar,” Frank told Reminder Publications. “We wanted to go right in the middle.”

Frank is a veteran restaurateur, who also owns Frankie B’s in Wilbraham.

Laurie said the Route 20 Grille doesn’t only have a “casual atmosphere and great pub food,” but features live music on Friday and Saturday nights as well as other entertainment.

Frank said there was a need in town for a place where a person could get an appetizer and a glass of wine.

There are specials to the extensive menu, with some features that repeat every week. On Mondays, they feature prime rib for $12 and have $12 steamers on Thursdays. On Sunday they offer a build your own Bloody Mary and a build your own omelet from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The Grille is open seven days – starting at 3 p.m. Monday through Wednesdays and at 11:30 Thursday through Sunday.

The menu features a “small taste” tapas-style selection of appetizers that cost $5 for one or three for $12. There is a separate appetizer menu as well. The restaurant features soups, salads, sandwiches and entrees.  

My wife and I decided to try a little of everything. We selected one item from the small tastes menu – roasted beets with blue cheese – and one selection from the appetizers list  – crab cake poppers served with a smoky tomato remoulade sauce.

Now in the spirit of full disclosure, neither my wife nor I are fans of beets. This dish sounded interesting, though, having had roasted beets once and having really liked them. The roasting brings out additional flavor and sweetness that is perfectly balanced with the bleu cheese.

Both of us will also try about any crab cake you put in front of us. These had a generous potion of crabmeat stuffed into half of a jalapeño pepper. The seeds had been removed from the peppers, which meant the heat was considerably diminished, which both of us thought was a wise move to make. The flavor of the pepper mixed well with the crab.

For our meals, my wife chose the roasted cod loin with bok choy, mushroom, soy and ginger mascarpone. She was delighted not only with the taste but with the presentation.  

My wife also liked the presentation of my selection. I deiced to try one of their specials – a blacked prime rib hoagie with peppers and onions. The prime rib was flavorful and I had onion strings as my side dish served in a miniature deep fat fryer basket.

We couldn’t resist the dessert special, which was their take on strawberry shortcake. Instead of biscuits, they used slice of freshly made pound cake and the result was delicious.

With the casual atmosphere and the fascinating menu, I know we will be making return trips to the Route 20 Bar & Grille.