Strangelove's + Review

The other night's dinner at Strangelove's was pretty good. Even though this new brewery would make a great after-work hangout, its food were promising for a casual dinner with friends and family.



To start off, we ordered 2 appetizers. One of the appetizers was Fried Green Tomatoes.. I thought that it was all on a cracker, until the bottom started breaking apart. Careful, it's fragile. If you're thinking of giving yourself a treat, go ahead, because it's the creamier version of bruschetta!

You can tell this was more than a delight to eat... Both flavors and, colors just pop!

Above: Some chunks of crab, cucumbers, tomatoes drenched in dressing.

We also got a Russian kale salad, choke full of kale leaves, pecans, farro, beets, and soybeans-- all drenched in a sumac dressing. It was the best salad I've had to date, and I'd probably re-create it in the future. Overall, it was nutty--plenty of pecans and farro to give a texture that'd make you rethink salads.

On to entrees--I guess I must've been starving. I was eyeing the grilled chicken on the menu and just telling the waiter, "I'd like to have that medium-rare..." Of course, that alarmed everyone at my table, and as my cousin put it, 'I couldn't escape "burger mode".' I eventually got the Strangelove burger, which had goat cheese!

Later in the car, my brother was reminding me why Chef Ramsey wouldn't eat or serve raw chicken. In fact, one of the kids in Master Chef Junior didn't finish cooking the chicken (or was it duck?) and he failed the challenge. :( What a waste of cooking time--efforts and goods!

A closer look at the Strangelove burger shows a nice aioli on top of a deluxe shiny bun, with fried green tomato and a plump beef pattey. The bacon BBQ sauce and goat cheese was sandwiched somewhere but I never found it. Even though I thought anything goat was tangy and flavor-deteriorating, the flavors melded well together. In all, it was very satisfying and I'd definitely aim for these over any TGIF burger, any day!

If you're looking for a nice side, the mirliton coleslaw was a great addition! Refreshing, yet looking good, even without typical fries/yukon gold chips on the side. The chips were, btw, very thick and kettle-chip style. Restaurant-made chips were perfectly crunchy, although a bit golden.

Above left: Mirliton. Source: mirlitons.org 

Mirliton is actually a squash and tender enough that it works for the slaw. The mirliton coleslaw was tangy, with a tinge of lime, yet wasn't intimidating as I thought. With a typical coleslaw base (cabbage, carrot, etc) I probably would not have noticed the slaw was any different.

Overall, I'd definitely come back, as prices were reasonably cheap and had fun twists on traditional diner/bar style food. Would you omit having fried foods to savor a similar experience?