Cranky Chuckies

My wife and I recently heard about this place and it happened to be the first place that we ate since we decided to start this restaurant review blog. We were very pleasantly surprised.

Atmosphere: Second Story loft feel, chef and kitchen are visible from the eating area, as well as Timponogos. Very well set up. Ashleigh didn't like the pink drapes, but I though it added to the eclectic feel of the bistro with no clear theme, per se. Located just south of campus, on 800 East.

You could tell there was a method to the madness. My personal favorite touch were the beer water glasses. It's just a fact of life, glasses that were made for alcohol just look cooler than ordinary water glasses.

Food: 

I know its just bread ( I cant believe I said those words cause bread is amazing) but even the bread they brought out at the beginning was way good. Chewy Fococcia with Balsamic and Olive Oil, a meal made of only that would have satisfied me.

We started with cream cheese and crab wontons. They were browned well, crispy, and the sweet chili sauce was a great offset. I for one, love obscure mixtures of flavors. As one who loves wontons, these were pretty top notch. Few things beat good wontons.

As an Entree, I had the three cheese grilled cheese sandwhich. It was simply amazing. The cheese was great, with a few out of the ordinary flavors in there. I was blown away at the amount of cheese in that sandwich. The combination of heat and cheese was a monumental combination, and this sandwich proved it. It came with a soup (chicken gumbo) which was also fantastic. If anything, it was a little on the salty side, but flavor compensated it, and it was a really good mixture of ingredients. i.e., more that just chicken, rice and broth.

ITS SO CHEESY!!

Ash got the Cesar salad. Now I consider myself a Cesar salad connoisseur. The lettuce must be very crunchy (which can only properly come from romaine), the croûtons must be crunchy and almost flaky, but not so hard that they break your teeth, and the dressing must, MUST be tangy.

Nothing is more frustrating to me than tasting a mixture of sour cream and mayonnaise on what a restaurant calls “a Cesar salad”. Good Cesar dressing comes from a good combo of lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, white vinegar, garlic, and (believe it or not) anchovies. I couldn't tell if they were all there, but regardless, the dressing nailed it. It was great.

Pricing:

Very Reasonable.

I ate there again for lunch, main dishes were $6 - $8

Appetizers were $3 - $6

For Dinner:

Mains are $9 to $19 with most being about $15

Appetizers are $5 to $9

Over All:

Highly recommended.

Here's why. If you want predictability that the dish you get will the be same time every time you go, then places like Olive Garden, or Denny's are for you. The beauty of a place like this is that the menu is seasonal, using fresh ingredients, and the dish will never be quite the same. If you just want to eat, maybe you should go somewhere else. But, if you are looking to have a great food experience then I would go there.