Savoring Delicious Dishes at Maris Grove

Residents at Maris Grove, an Erickson Senior Living community in the Brandywine Valley of Pennsylvania, have a handful of top-notch restaurants just steps from their apartment homes--all of which boast enticing menus. 

The Signature Dining program, which focuses on cooked-to-order entrees made with the finest ingredients, empowers Maris Grove's chefs to create new takes on classic dishes and innovative fare, all while accommodating dietary restrictions and catering to resident requests. 

For Tracy Ritchie and her husband James, mealtime is also an opportunity to savor great conversation with neighbors and new faces. The couple typically makes dinner plans with friends or tells the host to seat them with other residents. 

"We have met some really great people doing that. It's been a great way to enhance our circle of friends during dinner hour!" she says. 

Something for everyone

Dining choices at Maris Grove range from casual cafes to full-service restaurants, where specialties are impeccably prepared and plated.

Although menus are updated regularly to reflect feedback and seasonal availability, residents can always find side and entree salads, homemade soups, burgers, sandwiches, seafood, poultry, beef, pork, and vegetarian dishes.

For example, Blue Sky Restaurant recently featured grilled flank steak, honey walnut shrimp, chicken and mushroom crepe, and eggplant rollatini. Millstone Restaurant recently offered Thai curry vegetables over jasmine rice; grilled chicken with bacon, figs, and goat cheese; Creole steak medallions; and shrimp pomodoro. 

"There's a lot of menu variety, including a healthy choice section and vegetarian items," Tracy says. 

Grove Pub and Tavern 1789 offer full-service lunch Monday through Friday. The menus feature classic sandwiches, side and entree salads, homemade soups, grilled burgers, and pub fare like chicken tenders and personal cheese pizza.

Residents can grab breakfast, lunch, or dinner at Coebourn Cafe. For breakfast, think fresh, warm pancakes, French toast, made-to-order omelets, bagels and lox, or a bowl of hot, creamy oatmeal.

Markhams, Maris Grove's newest restaurant opening in November, introduces the small plates dinner concept. 

Powerful partnership

To ensure resident satisfaction at each of these unique eateries, Dining Services Director Dan Lessard and his team of expert chefs partner with the Resident Advisory Council's dining committee. 

"We give the residents--the people who trust us--what they ask for," says Lessard. 

"They listen to us and are very responsive," says Tracy, who serves as dining liaison to the Resident Advisory Council. "Our dining committee talks to [members of the community administration] about what is going on in dining--not only about concerns, but also what we're happy with. It is what people like, that drives the menus."

Lessard, restaurant managers, and chefs also conduct "table touches" by visiting tables in restaurants from time to time while residents are eating. 

"We are building relationships with our guests," explains Lessard. "Afterall, this is more than a restaurant; this is their home."

Residents can also provide feedback by completing surveys via QR codes that are posted at every table.

Healthy eating made easy

With so many delicious, healthy dishes to choose from, it's easy for residents to get all the nutrition they need. 

And with the My Nutrition feature in the My Erickson app, nutrition information you would find on grocery items--including ingredients, calories, and fat content--is accessible for every meal with just a few taps. Residents can also search for foods according to various specialty options, like allergies such as milk, wheat, shellfish, or nuts, as well as diabetic, heart-smart, vegetarian, and gluten-friendly selections.

"Using My Nutrition, you can find out what is in each dish. If you're allergic to something, you can look for that ingredient even before you go to dinner," says Tracy. 

My Erickson also enables residents to make dinner reservations and place orders for pick up. 

Dine in or out

Tracy loves the kitchen in their apartment home, but you can't beat the convenience and taste of a chef-prepared meal just steps from your door. 

Living at Maris Grove was especially convenient when she had surgery recently. 

"The convenience of being able to eat out or order in without having to leave campus or shop for groceries has been a delight," says Tracy. 

She continues, "When I had knee surgery and didn't leave the apartment for a month to go down to dinner, we invited some of our friends to come up to our place. We each picked up our dinners and enjoyed sharing dinner with folks here." 

To learn more about the benefits of moving to a maintenance-free community, request more information today.