Original, as in unusual, not a copy or an imitation. As The Original passes its one-year mark, it continues to create superb food and unique craft cocktail pairings synonymous with its name.
The Original’s concept of pairings is both thoughtful and creative. If you are one of those diners that thinks about what you will drink based on what you eat, and vice versa, you will love how effortlessly this menu comes together and helps make those sometimes-difficult decisions a dream. The menu alone had me enamored with this restaurant, but the atmosphere is a plus. The historic 1800s building has warm lighting from the sparkle of the chandeliers over our booth, an art deco bar and a casual neighborhood vibe. And, yes, that menu: It can rival any “upscale” restaurant in the city. The Original’s contemporary take on American cuisine appeals to both timid and sophisticated palates.
The drink menu includes wines by the glass and bottle, sparkling by the split, an extensive spirits list, and the beer in both tap and bottle has a decent selection without being overly complicated. The cocktail menu is stellar, with all the classics from margaritas to a hot toddy ($8-$12). The menu for The Original’s own cocktails ($10) reads like a musical stanza, with techniques unique to each of their preparation and presentation.
Take, for instance, the Ruffled Feathers—smoked duck fat (duck fat seems to make an appearance on quite a few dishes), washed rye whiskey, egg whites and blackstrap bitters. I have a fondness for a “smoky-flavored” cocktail, and this one was over the top. The Eastside Wild Turkey cocktail included pecan-infused wild turkey bourbon, and the Fallen Cadillac is made with brown butter-washed Plantation pineapple rum. Among other ingredients in their long list of cocktails are Cinchona bark and lemon grass taking the place of tonic, a grilled pineapple syrup and acidified grapefruit. A cocktail called Love for Sale is made with butternut squash and a whole egg.
The dinner menu includes the usual salad and a soup du jour, but the line-up of starters ($8-$22) is so impressive we had to come back on a second occasion just to get to the entrée portion of the menu! Starters included a Crispy Pig Ear with Carolina gold aioli, a grilled octopus dish that had a pairing of pickled apple and a warm ’nduja (a spicy pork sausage made with Calabrian peppers) vinaigrette. The octopus was charred and tender, and the acid from the apple and onion balanced out the richness. The cheese and charcuterie had a few special additions on a recent night, which included pork belly rillettes and seafood mousse, as well as house-pickled veggies served up in a small mason jar—all paired well with the cheese and meat selection ($20). The brussels sprouts were studded with sweet dried apricots, Sriracha cider vinaigrette and the earthy flavor of Dunbarton blue cheese ($9).
The enticing entrées are paired with creative sides, along with fitting cocktail, beer or wine suggestions to bring all the flavors together like a symphony. The bone-in porkchop ($30) with sauerkraut cake was a supremely satisfying dish, and it replaced the pork belly dish that paired with the ruffled feather cocktail on my first visit. At first, the braised chicken seems like a standard dish, but when paired with the bacon-braised collards, parsnip puree and pan jus laced with duck fat “slicks” ($18), it rose close to the top of their noteworthy dishes. Other selections included a seasonal market catch (it was trout that evening), lamb loin ($34), New York strip ($42), a vegetarian mushroom ragout over crispy polenta ($18) and a scallop dish served with a Johnnycake and hot smoked maple syrup ($28).
The Original serves brunch on Saturday and Sunday, featuring house doughnuts that are a must ($6) and brunch items ($11-$18) as creatively prepared as the dinner menu, offering nostalgic American cuisine in the most “Original” way.
