Attic Kitchen Is Open! Get there!!!

One of the best options for a friendly beverage and a respectable, delicious bar meal on the East Side is The Attic. The lines out the door on Friday nights and some Wednesdays attest to the popularity of the food.  Well, if you've been by 41st and Sycamore in the last 30 days, or so, you may have noticed the kitchen has been closed due to the super cool expansion and remodeling going on there.

The kitchen is now together with about as much new, shiny stainless steel as the top of the Chrysler Building! And, with the kitchen open, there is now a new menu. Here's the low-down. 

Overall.  Kicked up. If you were loving something that rolled off a delivery truck in a processed pre-made, freezer ready form, you're going to be sorely disappointed. Goodbye big breaded "shroom" slices, waffle fries, and Nacho cheese the color of John Boehner's suntan. Hello whole chickens cut up in house, fresh steaks, and reformulated, house ground burger. Yeah, that new "Nacho" cheese? Creamy Manchego.  Impressive and tasty.  Chef Roger has totally revamped this. Some old classics like the club sandwich are gone, but there are some new contenders that will be hard to beat.

Burgers. Reformulated. House ground. The Attic always had a good, fresh burger, but if there was any complaint about them, it was that they could get a tad dry.  Now, it's a house ground blend with chuck and either short rib or brisket that delivers on the juicy flavor you want. And look at the menu pages below. A couple new contenders with a Pull Monty and a tricked out egg burger.  Probably more of a mess and a food coma than I am looking for, but I bet they get some attention.

Flatbreads.  Another nice addition. Anything pizza is usually pretty good. I had one last weekend and the buffalo chicken flatbread was really flavorful. And the presentation on a half sheet pan with some micro greens as garnish was very cool.  I'm looking forward to trying the Mediterranean version soon.

Way gourmet stuff.  A braised short rib glazed with plum demiglace? Sign me up.  And the half roasted chicken is phenomenal. That's a dish you'd expect to see at a place with starched white table linens. It almost begs for a wine list instead of an icy cold macrobrew. 

I dare say this is going to push bar food ahead just a tad here in River City. Give it a try!

Here's a bootleg look at the menu on the first full day of the new kitchen being open: