Resurrection Ale House

It has been almost a week and a half since we went, but I am still thinking about our appetizer. Mmmmmm . .

This is the newest incarnation of the space most recently held by Yello'Bar. Which we liked. In theory. When they first opened. But they couldn't compete against Sidecar. And then their food quality started to decline. And now it is Resurrection Ale House from the people who own Memphis Taproom which we have never been to but have always heard great things about. I will say, I am impressed. The decor hasn't changed much, but the menu and beer list are about as different as you can get from Yello'Bar and still even think about being considered a neighborhood bar. They specialize in lambics and if you are beer person (which I am not) the beer list is simply to die for. I was much more interested in the food, and they certainly did not disappoint in quality. They do not yet have a brunch menu however they do have brunch specials during brunch hours and the brunch menu we hear is coming. We decided to stick to their published menu since that is where they have spent so much time and effort. We started with the Pan con Tomate ($7, Grilled homemade bread with tomato, manchego and sweet chorizo, pictured to left). Oh my god! This is something I will certainly get cravings for. Everything about it was perfect. The manchego was by far the best I have ever had. The chorizo was perfect. The olive oil was so fruity. Really, it was awesome. Just fantastic. I ordered the Monte Cristo ($9, Traditional ham, turkey and Swiss on brioche, served with hand cut fries). And it was also something cravable. The ham was so thin and the turkey so thick and delicious. And the bread was delightful. The best I have had in the city (though both Nodding Head and National Mechanics make damn good ones). This had the perfect amount of sweetness and savoriness and the bread had the perfect amount of soggniess. The syrup was awesome. It was like the absolute essence of maple. Mmm . . . and the fries. Oh the fries. I cant even describe them. They were just perfectly fried potato. Nothing more, nothing less, but really perfectly cooked. Matty had the Hamburger ($9, Challah bun, pickled red onion, served with hand cut fries... Add Swiss cheese for $1, pictured to left). The waitress told us that the chef dedicated himself for an extended period of time perfecting this burger. And it shows. It just melted in your mouth and the beefiness was perfect. Due to the perfectionist tendencies of the chef, he will only allow it to be served with Swiss or no cheese. Which we thought a little strange, but I can understand obsessiveness about food. And the Swiss really was perfect on it.

All in all we are glad they have come to the neighborhood. They will certainly not replace Sidecar for us. The menu tends towards a bit fancy-pants for our regular taste. But we will be back. Matty is still talking about that burger. And I could have a plate of the Pan con Tomate pretty much everyday. And we have yet to even look over the entire beer list, which Matty is certainly interested in.