Tuesday, July 22, 2014

1910 Public House

Who knew Sprig had a semi hipster sister resto way out in nowhere where the children of the corn dwell? Come to think of it, Malachai and Isaac are fucking hipsters in disguise! It kinda reminded me a bit of Nashville but without the hipsters and fake beards. The crowd is more local yocals because seriously, how many people do you know who lives up in Lilburn are cool, trendy and hip? Your cousins don't count. But this town is literally a single block, one stop sign and you're outside town limits... And this resto/market takes up half the block. Let's go see what's cooking in Amish country and please god let me get the fuck outta here in one piece.

Fried Green Tomato. Good effort, nice crispy cornmeal crust but the entire thing needed seasoning aka salt and pepper. The chipotle aioli gave it some pop for flavor but without it, it was kinda bland. It's not bad, I think it tasted better than it really was because I was really hungry.

Country Fried Steak. Nice heaping of fattening goodness. I totally blank out for a second and thought it was fried cheekan on first sight until the first bite. Surprise chickenhead, it was tenderized cubed steak inside. It was a nice piece of fried steak but the saw mill gravy was the star of the show, they should really serve this with a big fluffy biscuit on the side. The mash taters were mash taters, the green beans were standard issue and spot on. A tasty southern dish done right.

Smoked Pork Chop. Thick cut bone in pork chop cooked spot on medium minus with a touch of pink. And unlike some BBQ joints that claims their meats are smoked, this really had the smell and taste of a smoked chop. The peas and carrots at first glanced seemed like it came from the Kroger frozen aisle but this was the real deal made from scratch. It was fresh as can be with that inherent crunch that can not be found in the common household freezer bag combo. The mash taters were mash taters. Another well executed southernish dish that delivers without all the extra bling we find in all the other modern southern restos these days.

1910 PH Burger. Sometimes all you really want is a juicy burger cooked to temp... And this didn't disappoint. It was cooked spot on at mid- rare but the bun really needed a quick brush of butter and toasting. That extra crunch of a toasted bun makes a big different in taste and also helps to capture the juices and not turn the bun into mush with all the other condiments applied on to said bun. I have been becoming more of a burger purist in that a great burger need not any cheese, I think it takes away from the natural flavor of the meat, but that's just me, today. Overall this was a pretty good burger. Sundays they have a burger and draft for $10, fries are $2 extra. Skip the starch and just get another cocktail instead.

Goat Cheese & Prosciutto Flatbread. Pretty much an after school special snack with caramelized onions, mushrooms, goat cheese & prosciutto on grilled naan bread. This was part of their resto week special which is why it looked like it came from the kiddie menu. Not bad, decent flavor, they coulda melted the goat cheese a lil, though. If this came outta an Easy Bake, then I'll be impressed.

Smothered Chicken. Also, part of their resto week menu but just a smaller portion than the regular menu's. A semi thin grilled chicken breast topped with carmelized onion ,bourbon peaches, vegetable medley & rice. It was an ok dish that anyone could make in a wok but the rice tasted weird to me... A taste I haven't tasted since the days of yore when I was a poor college kid making instant rice in the microwave. Any rice that has been rehydrated always looked broken or cracked and unusually bland... Not saying it was instant rice because they pride themselves on fresh local ingredients but it had all the characteristics of one. It's funny because Cafe Alsace promised fresh haricot vert but I was once served olive drab canned green beans that weren't even frenched... What a crock of frogshit. But we all know there is no real French food in this town. Anyhoo, this dish sounded better on paper than on a plate.

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos. Who doesn't have tacos on their menu these days in the land of fusion confusion, it doesn't even matter what type of cuisine the resto is, tacos has to be on it. Eskimo whale blubber tacos are to die for. This was a chipotle seasoned shrimp topped with fire roasted corn salsa on a corn torilla. Came out looking pretty impressive until I looked at the single ply of corn tortilla... Everyone knows that a reputable taco should have 2 ply like a reputable toilet paper because they break apart from all the sweat from the sauce, salsa, protein juices.. Imagine what the corn tortillas has to deal with. At least grilled them off a lil to give them more tensile strength. The flavors were decent, the shrimp had a lil spicy kick to it but definitely not spicy on any level that's worthy. Overall, a tasty lil filler at the bar when pounding cocks and chasing tails.

Chocolate Cheesecake. Chocolate and cheesecake... That's all she wrote. Oh, and some chocolate drizzle like some kid went to town with some crayons. One bite was more than enough for me.

I like the place, friendly staff, decent and consistent grub, ok cocktails and beers, cute out in nowhere location... Works for me but don't know when I'll be back again because I feel like a tourist out in the woods. Might have to revisit Sprig soon... Closer to civilization.

107 Main St.
Lilburn, GA
(770) 564-6911
http://1910publichouse.com/

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