Normally, I would not go to a new restaurant until at least one month after launch. Snax was opened on 10/15/2020 with much community anticipation. Since I have been impressed by the owner's other restaurants and since I need to treat a buddy to a thank you luncheon, we arrived for lunch, the day after it opened.
The fit-up has been thoughtfully designed and brought openness and an airy feeling to the atmosphere. There are two bars with ample seating. This is a bar that just happened to be a restaurant, not the other way around. But the food speaks volumes.
My cocktail of choice is an Old Fashioned. My very friendly bartender Ian openly admitted that while he is a whisky fan, he has never made an Old Fashioned before. Points for his honesty and points for his attempt. It was serviceable but nothing to write home about.
For food, we ordered the $4 burger, onion rings, Korean ribs and the steak skewer. Prices are very reasonable, but they are small plates, as advertised.
We dove into the onion rings piping hot. Th batter was light, well balanced and greasiness was kept to a minimum. I am very impressed. We confirmed that these are house made. In fact, almost everything is house made with the exception of curly fries, per Ian, our great bartender. As a comparison, the $7 onion rings at Pine of the Hanover Inn are frozen and not house made.
The Korean ribs (6) were well seasoned and falling off the bone. The seasoning was actually less sweet and savory than the traditional Korean seasoning - something that I appreciate and find more authentic. Nicely done.
The $4 burger might be a loss leader. I was expecting a tiny burger but nope, a regular sized burger that you might find in your backyard cook outs. Swiss, American or cheddar inclusive. It was definitely freshly made with a nice light charred flavor, cooked medium. For $4, I compared it that what you might find at fast food places who attempt to serve you something they called a burger. Alas, this is an incredible value.
The steak skewer was really tasty, with a bright lime seasoning. I just love, love the marinate! But here, the lower grade meat showed thru a little. I am not faulting them for using a lower grade beef - keep in mind that their prices are most reasonable. Just an observation, great marinade, lower quality beef.
All in all, I think Tony Barnett and his crew should be very proud of their third local restaurant. I have enjoyed my meal. read more