Posts Tagged ‘American’

The Post

Sunday, October 15th, 2017

20170111_164012The remodeling of the Park Hotel (formerly Inn on the Park) included revamping its restaurant called Jerome’s into The Post. Looks can be deceiving, though, as the appealing space doesn’t have the food to match.

My first visit was early in the year, when I was told by a server that the menu was going to be completely redone. On my subsequent visits, however, the menu looks almost the same as before.

Formerly known as the Park Hotel, the now generically named pub steak sandwich has increased from $9 to $12. That’s a little overpriced considering the sandwich was small and the steak was under-seasoned, but it was helped by the caramelized onions and the au jus.

There are only five other sandwiches, including the George Post Burger ($9) and grilled chicken caesar wrap ($9). All are standard options for a hotel restaurant.

The Post also has seven, seemingly random dinner-only entrees–the Guinness short ribs and the fettuccini del mar are examples–but I figured the likelihood of any non-hotel guest eating dinner here when some of the city’s best restaurants are within a block was slim at best.

20171012_123815I did try a bunch of the appetizers, in case you’re stopping by for drinks after work at the huge bar that takes up half the space.

What caught my eye while perusing this portion of the menu was the bacon jam on the pulled pork sliders (three for $9). The bacon jam turned out to be milder in flavor than I expected, and the pork was pretty dry.

Much better was the empanada (two for $9), which has a flaky shell with moist, tender Argentinian beef inside. It’s got a lot of flavor and doesn’t require the super oily chimichurri sauce.

The final item I tried was the Corpus shrimp ($12). The really salty bacon in which it’s wrapped is fried to a crisp, and the shrimp was a little tough. The shriveled slice of jalapeno inside seemed out of place, and some kind of dipping sauce was needed.

The Post serves breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, plus brunch on the weekends.

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See more photos in our The Post Flickr album.

The Post Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

LJ’s Sports Tavern & Grill

Sunday, October 1st, 2017

20170927_122509The first menu LJ’s Sports Tavern & Grill published, March 1 on Facebook, seemed underwhelming. Three months later, the menu improved significantly, going beyond what’s found at your average bar and grill.

Inside the L-shaped restaurant on the corner of Paterson Street and E. Washington Avenue, you are looking directly into the main entrance of Breese Stevens Field, making LJ’s a convenient pre- and post-event hangout.

As a result, you’re going to find a lot of appetizers, from spinach artichoke dip ($9.95) to onion rings ($6.95). The pork wings ($8.95) are mini ribs, but with much more meat. I got mine with the sweet chili sauce, and this platter is filling enough to be its own meal.

I was hoping for spicy cheese bread as good as Paisan’s, but LJ’s version ($6.95) didn’t come close. It’s surprisingly bland, needing garlic for sure. The French bread also seemed off, like it was day old. Meanwhile, the spicy jalapeno cheese curds ($8.95) aren’t at all spicy but nonetheless pretty tasty.

The sandwich choices are a little different from what you would find at a sports bar. Examples include the chicken meatball sub ($11.95) and the grilled chicken caprese ($11.95).

20170929_122006From the burger selections, the only one that was unique was the JJ burger ($12.95). Other than the massive poppy and sesame seed bun, which made the bread ratio too high, I liked this concoction. The mashed potatoes weren’t too messy and added some creaminess. The beef patty (also available in veggie, chicken or turkey) itself was tender, and the pulled pork was as good as any BBQ joint’s.

Fish fry is available every day. The ocean perch ($10.95 or $13.95 for all-you-can-eat) had the right amount of cornmeal breading, adding just a slight crunch to the flaky fish inside. The potatoes au gratin (available only on Fridays) were served as wedges, and the potatoes were tender, though I prefer mine thin and slightly crispy. The cheddar sauce was bland and a bit soupy.

Wraps and salads comprise the remainder of the menu, which also features a daily special.

LJ’s Sports Tavern & Grill is open every day for lunch and dinner. You can find a few dedicated parking spots inside the Galaxie apartment building.

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See more photos in our LJ’s Flickr Album.

LJ's Sports Tavern & Grill Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Hail Mary Sports Grill

Sunday, August 27th, 2017

20170824_162406It remains to be seen if Hail Mary Sports Grill, which in May took over the church that Bellini had occupied, can attract enough customers to make it.

Whereas Bellini was cozy and inviting, Hail Mary is too spacious. With mostly high tops and a few tables that are only a step above a card table, Hail Mary resembles a townie bar instead of a sports bar. Plus, the TVs aren’t positioned well for easy viewing.

At least Hail Mary doesn’t have a cookie-cutter menu. For example, among the appetizers (listed as “invocation”), you can find fried green beans ($5.99). They are deep-fried and a decent snack good because you don’t actually taste any green beans, just the onion ring-like breading. The ranch sauce helps, too.

The steak sandwich ($12.99) is unique for having bleu cheese plus blueberry compote. You end up getting some savory and sweet in every bite. The flank steak comes in big chunks and was a little underseasoned, but that didn’t matter much with all the other ingredients.

Other sandwiches (“scripture”) include a spicy burger ($7.99) and a Wisconsin grilled cheese ($8.99), which for some reason is priced higher than both burgers and the veggie wrap.

20170825_120344The menu has flatbread (“sermon”), too. The deluxe ($9.99), which was loaded with pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, mushrooms and onions, would have been more palatable had the cracker-thin crust not been incredibly dry. Other variations include Greek ($9.99) and BBQ chicken ($9.99).

Friday means fish fry (“postlude”). I probably should have ordered the perch ($15.99) baked instead of deep-fried. That’s because the fish was over-fried, making each bite too crunchy instead of crispy and sucking out all the moisture from the perch. You also can order fried and baked cod.

Hail Mary Sports Grill is open every day for lunch and dinner.

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See more photos in our Hail Mary Sports Grill Flickr album.

Hail Mary Sports Grill Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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