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<p>PITTSTON &#8212; With its architectural reference to early 1900&#8217;s Pittston store fronts and its open-air patio to accompany an elevated tavern menu and a bar that has something for everyone, Tomato Bar &amp; Bistro has been a destination for Wyoming Valley residents since it opened in 2013.</p><p>Now, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/features/589772/hot-spot-wilkes-barres-frog-pond-is-known-more-for-its-pizza-than-its-lily-pads" target="_blank">the restaurant</a>, located at 7 Tomato Fest Drive, has a new chef who is trying to infuse the menu with an air of the city in which it sits. The revised menu sticks to some of the favorites customers have come to appreciate, but, going forward, it also features nightly dinner specials and some Italian-American flare.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re in a transition period,&#8221; chef Ken Golanoski said. &#8220;Being in Pittston, there wasn&#8217;t enough Italian-American flavor on the menu. The core menu is going to stay the same, but it&#8217;ll be an upscale bar menu teetering on offering more dinner features.&#8221;</p><p>Some of the mainstays, Golanoski said, will be the popular sandwiches and mac and cheese dishes. The menu offers eight sandwich options, featuring burgers, chicken and steaks subs, and four different mac and cheese options including classic, exotic mushroom, spicy crab and bacon.</p><p><ins>&#8220;The menu revolves around those dishes,&#8221; Golanoski said. &#8220;They are the big sellers.&#8221;</ins></p><p>The chef has added buffalo bites and calamari, which he said are catching on quickly. Golanoski&#8217;s take on fried mozzarella features fresh cheese and in-house breading in an authentic marinara.</p><p><ins>&#8220;There hasn&#8217;t been an in-house marinara here in a while,&#8221; Golanoski said.</ins></p><p>His philosophy on dinner features is to serve classic dishes from a variety of cultures.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re rebuilding a clientele,&#8221; Golanoski said. &#8220;We want to bring them in with simple, good food.&#8221;</p><p>Prime steaks and pork chops, fish and chips and chicken francais are some of the featured entrees, but Golanoski also adds some of his personal style to the menu.</p><p>&#8220;I do a seared sesame encrusted tuna that customers have been enjoying,&#8221; Golanoski said. &#8220;I even made it special to a customer&#8217;s request one night, and he loved it. I can pretty much customize anything, and I like to get out to the tables to get feedback from people.&#8221;</p><p>The house bar features 24 beers on tap along with a wide selection of bottles, liquors and wines. It also has a $4 blowout bottle menu, which rotates periodically.</p><p>Bartender Gillian Bunaszek said customers appreciate the bar&#8217;s large selection of India pale ales on tap.</p><p>&#8220;A lot of people order from our custom cocktail menu,&#8221; Bunaszek said. &#8220;Allie Overman did a great job at taking classic cocktails and putting a twist on them.&#8221;</p><p>Customer James Stevens, of Lake Winola, said he enjoys the place because it has a little bit of everything.</p><p>&#8220;My wife and I came here for the first time two or three weeks ago, and we&#8217;ve been stopping by since,&#8221; Stevens said. &#8220;I like the tuna apps, and the burgers and mac and cheese are great and pair well with certain beers.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">James Stevens, of Lake Winola, enjoys his meal at Tomato Bar &amp; Bistro in Pittston. He said he likes the tuna appetizer, the burgers and the mac and cheese, paired with select beers the bar offers. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Tomato2_resized.jpg</photo0><caption0>James Stevens, of Lake Winola, enjoys his meal at Tomato Bar &amp; Bistro in Pittston. He said he likes the tuna appetizer, the burgers and the mac and cheese, paired with select beers the bar offers. </caption0><photoCredit0>Matt Mattei | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Tomato3_resized.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Tomato Bar &amp; Bistro is located on the Tomato Festival grounds in Pittston. Chef Ken Golanoski said he&#8217;s retooling the menu to offer classic takes on dinner specials. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_Tomato3_resized.jpg</photo1><caption1>Tomato Bar &amp; Bistro is located on the Tomato Festival grounds in Pittston. Chef Ken Golanoski said he&#8217;s retooling the menu to offer classic takes on dinner specials. </caption1><photoCredit1>Matt Mattei | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>New dinner features complement burgers, mac and cheese</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Matt Mattei</p><p>mmattei@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Matt Mattei at 570-991-6651 or Twitter @TLArts</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Hot Spot: Pittston’s Tomato Bar serves upscale bar food, new dinner feature