I tried this upgrade of Dexter's in Hannibal Square today for lunch. It is located on Lee Rd and 17-92 in the spot that was that gastro pub from Tony Roma's (next to Miller's Ale House). They shut down the most recent locale and went a little higher end here. They have been open for six months. The interior seemed similar to the last tenant. I'll bet they did an overhaul. But, you can't really tell. The band area in the back is new. Maybe the patio? The color scheme is like Morgan Freeman's stubbly face (without the moles). Brown, gray and white. It's kind of farmy steam punk. It looks good. They even have a live succulent centerpiece on each white table clothed table.
The food was excellent and seemed to be taken seriously. They print the menus daily, so, I won't go into too much detail about what they serve. It probably changes a lot. The insta-celeb of the moment seemed to be tilefish. Therefore, I had to try some version of it. This took me away from my desired choice, so, I had that to go. The tile character I settled on was the cornmeal fried oyster and tilefish po boy at $12. It was served open face on a respectable bottom half of a baguette. Not overly lengthy. The oysters and the tilefish were done perfectly. No grease. Moist. Crunchy. Superb. They drizzled a little remoulade on top and the micro greens, slaw and tomato were very fresh. It was assembled with care as well. Probably tonged. It came with fries. They managed to crisp up some skin on numbers. Usually beyond the skill of most gastronauts. And the folks at El Vic's should come and see how to incorporate the paper in a fry arrangement. And actually how to run a restaurant in general. I digress. The to go show starred their pulled duck sandwich. Dexter's does one of my absolute favorites. This is not that. I would submit that this one is not as good. It is still good, but, it's too healthy. It's just duck (not very unctuous) and slaw and cranberry something or other on a brioche. Not very manly. It cost $13. It was pretty good. The po boy was better. Everybody say Po Po! Do you think someone should do a "po po" po boy? It would have to be made with pork, wouldn't it? So many possibilities.
The pricing, in general, isn't that onerous. A soda did not top $2.50. And it came with a fancy bamboo straw (it was paper, plastic police) in a nifty looking glass. And they brought an entirely new glass in lieu of a top up. I would have bet you lunch that the soda would have been $3 or $4. Finally a place with a conscience. Service was uniformed, informed and attentive. Answered all my questions. Like "what is terses major". An inner shoulder cut that looks like a tenderloin. They even came over and served me a slice. That is on the lunch menu. Mostly sandwiches and appetizers. The dinner menu has a few more things like rib eye (kind of expensive at $39 I think), pork chops (slighty better at high twenties), chicken (low twenties) and some vegany stuff (oddly expensive). It's a very manageable menu. The kitchen is on the left side walking in and is open. Bar and patio an the right. Seats about one hundred. Around three tables full at one pm.
I'll most likely put them on the favorite's list. It may take one more tasting. This will be the last post for a little while, so, reread the previous ones if you get withdrawals. I felt I had to squeeze this one in because they deserve the pub. This will sit on top of the queue for a little while. That should benefit them.
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