Date Dined: February 27, 2014
Rating: 3.5 Stars
I
had a business lunch to get to so we settled on the fairly new Gamlin Whiskey
House. I don’t venture into the Central West End, very often anymore, but a
Whiskey House is one reason for me to. With over 300 varities, it sounds like a
wonderful den of inebriation.
Unfortunately,
it being lunch and me having to meet clients that afternoon I didn’t get to
enjoy any of the libations, but I’ll be sure to return. This review will be
about my general feel of the place and the lunch special.
I
really liked the décor, lots of dark wood playing counterpoint to the large
windows. Upon entering a large bar stocked full of whiskey greets you. We were
immediately greeted and sat at our choice of tables. Strangely enough, it was
almost completely empty inside at noon (there were about 3 other tables of
people.
Behind
us, there were rows of pickled fruits and vegetables. Whether they were there
for decoration or being aged for drinks I don’t know, but it was nice in a
kitschy way. Their lunch menu is a decent size with about 20 different items on
it. In order to sample as much as I could I picked the lunch trio for $12.99
including soup or salad, half a sandwich, and a side.
I
began my meal with the grilled Caesar salad which is always my barometer for a
restaurant. I haven’t had an amazing Caesar salad since I went to Chanteclair’s
in Indianapolis and I’ve been forever searching for another one. Three leafs of
romaine greeted me, dressing swirled across the plate, with croutons on the
side, essentially a deconstructed salad. The grilling was barely perceptible,
there was a little bit of char on the lettuce. The dressing itself was
standard, but good. The crowning achievement of the dish were the baked polenta
croutons. Upon biting into them, I was greeted with a soft, flavorful cornmealy
center. It’s a shame that it only came with 3. My biggest disappointment was
the lettuce used. The romaine was a pale green color, like the kind you find in
lower end restaurants.
The
Black & Blue Flatiron followed with a side of fries and I was happy to see
that they don’t skimp on the fries. The flatiron looked delicious with three or
four quality pieces of ribeye cooked perfectly medium rare, sandwhiched between
a slice of red onion and spinach. A grouping of blue cheese finished the dish
lumped on one side of the bun.
Unfortunately,
a perfect sandwich was just out of my reach. The meat was soft, but not tender.
That is to say, when I went to take a bite I couldn’t tear it with my teeth. I
had to pick apart the sandwich and cut some of it before continuing. This leads
me to believe that the quality of the meat was superb, but that it wasn’t
sliced well.
Still
the flavoring was nice, with a salty, smoky taste to the char. The fries were
an enjoyable counterpart, not too salty and nicely crispy. I only wish there
was some specialty ketchup to accompany them.
For
$12.99 plus tip and tax it was quite a nice meal, but it fell just short of 4
stars for me. Definitely a place I would recommend that others try out, but
definitely, to use a culinary phrase “nummy”. Perhaps the dinner meals and
drink menu might elevate it, but that will have to be left for another day.
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