I'm always interested in trying new restaurants, tasting new dishes, I wouldn't normally eat,…read moredrinking fun and flirty mocktails and soaking up the
vibes. All aspects of my previous statement point to a Girls Night Out!
Knowing our other halves wouldn't be interested in a vegan/vegetarian spot, my sister and I ventured over to Fellow Traveler before a show at the
Paramount - which proved to be a PRO with a few CONs!
PRO'S:
++ Location is PRIME - in the heart of downtown Englewood on Broadway.
++ The space itself is quaint, cozy and intimate - meets trendy, cool and new. The décor is simple, yet lush with plants and cool furniture with a killer view of the bar. The space exudes all things cool, like you're transported to another city, just the way we like it!
++ The service is great. Friendly, welcoming, provided great recommendations and was able to handle the influx of patrons that flooded in after us. This place is popular - so come early or have a friend hold you a spot!
++ MOCKTAIL menu! Being the sober girl that I am now, I'm always up for a fun mocktail and Fellow Traveler has one hell of a menu! An entire page is dedicated to all zero proof spirit cocktails, beers, sodas and teas.
Suchchoices! Their regular menu is dense too - so there is truly something for everyone! I opted to sip on Nectar of the Gods - grapefruit, lemon, pickle
brine, simple & soda, which was sweet, tart and so good! For a second round, I sampled the Peach Bellini, which was not as bubbly as I'd prefer, but
delicious nonetheless! My sister sipped on full strength beverages and happily enjoyed them!
++ The food menu is huge and ever-changing. I had looked at the menu in advance convinced I knew my order - but landed on a series of appetizers and
entrees to share. We started with the Ft Crunch Salad (gf) - cabbage, carrot, Brussels edamame, mandarin oranges, scallions, crispy rice w/ choice
of sesame ginger or nori ranch and the Tom Kha Cauliflower (gf) - coconut lemongrass marinade, sweet sriracha, herbs and OH MY GOD, I DREAM ABOUT THESE TWO ITEMS. The salad was crisp and refreshing, filled with insane flavor and the juicy ginger dressing was fantastic. The cauliflower was
INSANE in that it was perfectly fried, drizzled with the most delicious sauce and filling! SO good!
++ Pricing is reasonable in this economy and didn't break the bank!
CONS:
--- For our entrees, we decided on Garden of Olive Pasta - cavatappi noodles, white bean & toasted fennel puree, crispy Brussels, olive, herbs,
lemony soft cheeze and the Buffalo of the Sea Sandwich - buffalo marinated fried oyster mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, onion, dill pickled celery, remoulade served w/ fries. These two items we were a little less impressed with as the flavors of pasta blended, well, interestingly, almost smokey and
earthy with a weird blend of seasonings. It definitely left us with an awkward taste in our mouth, but when mixed together well with the cheeze, it
was a little better. The sandwich came out HUGE, almost impossible to get our mouths around, so we cut it in half and smushed it down to attempt the
largest bite ever. The mushrooms were very crispy in an over-fried kind of way, which wasn't our favorite. The fries were good though!
--- Parking can be a bit tough considering its primarily street parking, but when you see a spot, snag it.
As you can see, the pro's outweigh the con's, so I know I'll be back!