The outdoor tablesand bar remain as popular as ever. This time the menu sticks to safe-betAmerican fare like onion strings, spinach salad, pan-seared salmon and burgers.The now-mandatory sliders appear, as do a few ethnic touches such as bruschettaand a Cuban sandwich.
One eye-catching starteris duck drummettes ($8.50), a plate of six fried duck legs served with fieldgreens and a plum sauce that has subtle hints of hot pepper. It’s a nicestarter that has some Asian style to it. The brat sliders ($8.50) is a servingof three small patties. The topping of Swiss cheese and sauerkraut helps, asdoes a side of stone-ground mustard, but this starter still fails to lift abovethe mundane. The andouille chicken chili ($4.50) arrives in a crock and showssome nice touches, including the addition of chive cream to the topping ofcheese. The red beans and small pieces of chicken and sausage are all sound,but the chili is as creamy as a New England clam chowder. It should be labeledas a soup.
The sandwichesinclude several burgers, an Italian meatball, a BLT, a salmon po’ boy, tingaand a Cuban. The tinga ($8) is a good bet, with pulled chicken in a mildbarbecue sauce seasoned with chipotle peppers. The Cuban almost hits the mark.The Italian bread is wrong, though it works as a substitute. The ham and slicedroast pork are suitable, though the pork could be better trimmed. The cheeseshould be Swiss, not provolone. The most questionable item, however, is thesweet pickle relish. Then again, The Eatery does not pretend to be an ethnicrestaurant. The sandwiches do offer good complimentary side choices: veggiechips, fresh fruit, a cup of soup or the very decent steak fries.
The filet au poivre($17) is reasonable for a steak these days. The tenderloin is cooked to order,not overdone. It arrives in slices in a brandy peppercorn sauce with a fewsliced mushrooms. More peppercorns, please! A large baked potato is includedalong with butter and sour creamnot bad for the price.
Pig in a pot offersmore surprises ($13.75). The pot itself is a very plain, unadorned clayflowerpot. The pig aspect is small pieces of pork tenderloin with mushrooms andMuenster cheese, and even more mushrooms that are minced in an herbed duxelles.The meal includes a baked potato and seasonal vegetables. In this case the vegetableswere broccoli cooked to a perfect point, not mushy. Though not especiallyphotogenic, this is the entrée to order.
The Eatery alsooffers a daily brunch until 3 p.m. The sausage is made with duck, though mostitems tend to revolve around eggs.
On a street wherethe restaurants range from Thai to Indian, Turkish, Mexican, Japanese and evenEthiopian, The Eatery is a novelty in its own righta casual place to order agood jumbo burger with steak fries.n
The Eatery onFarwell
2014 N. Farwell Ave.
(414) 220-1110
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Theeateryonfarwell.com
