Union Local 613's culinary victory!. So last night I decided to meet my wife at her work and take her out to have a lovely dinner. We've been to Union Local 613 on a few occasions before but have never written a review, especially one that would adequately express our experience there. So here goes...
Last night, a misty yet completely unpleasant early evening, my wife and I tried to decide where to go for dinner. A part of us wanted to go someplace that was not the norm and a bit special. As we walked down Somerset Street East, we reflected on the pleasant meals we've had previously along the strip, especially at UNION Local 613. On a whim, we figured being the middle of the week, we'd try our luck and see if we can get a table for two.
We walked in and noticed the front door was open but the door to the restaurant itself was closed as the staff was readying for dinner service. We were greeted by none other than Ivan Gedz, one of the owners, who opened the door for us warmly - we weren't going anywhere anyway as we did not want to interrupt them as they were setting up. Ivan, sporting the casual southern comfort UNION LOCAL 613 attire and some pretty wicked "friendly mutton chops", asked if we wanted drinks or dining. After we shared we wanted to dine, he found us an opening and kindly advised that there was a reservation for 7:30PM but seeing as it's 5:30, he asked if we felt that would be fine, which was perfect in fact.
I asked if I can go through their shared library (90% culinary, 5% Douglas Adams, 5% misc.). He ecstatically proclaimed to please help ourselves, that's why they're there. He apologized to us as we were the first to arrive that we may hear a little swearing during the setup. I assured him it's all good because I tend to swear A LOT. Noticing a book on Marco Pierre White, although you can't deny the man's pasion, the fact he mentored Gordon Ramsay and set the tone of what would be considered "normal" Chef behaviour is a bit dated. Nice to see Chef White has mellowed considerably in recent years and he does have some amazing recipes. Nevertheless, we shared our mutual disdain of the trended ego verbal abusive media overplayed bipolar mentoring "encouragement" seen on food shows these days. He shared that such behavior may work but in the end will ONLY get you the most 70-80% true motivation. It's all about inspiring appreciation for the ingredients, the discipline of the culinary art itself and the enjoyment of the patrons. Couldn't agree more Ivan!!
As we sat and admired the beautiful rustic chic deco (the bottled light fixtures are gorgeous), we were soon greeted by our server Bernard, who is by far one of the best servers I've experienced lately. Not only was he well informed, but pleasant, informative, engaging and absolutely attentive. Not once was my wife's water empty as he graciously filled her glass without interrupting our conversation throughout the dinner and in a manner fitting of a trained sommelier. For myself, I simply ordered some good old fashion organic sweet tea, not too sweet, perfect amount of lemon and just refreshingly good.
Our server brought us their signature southern boiled peanuts which we enjoyed those tasty delights to our heart's content (do I detect ham hock?). We began with an appetizer. After viewing all the wanting delectables, Bernard suggested the duck hearts with puréed avocado and ancho sauce garnished with peanuts. The duck hearts were cooked to a perfect medium rare that when eaten, has a texture reminiscent of a perfectly cooked flank steak and wasn't gamey at all. The lime juice in the avocado purée and the sweet subtle heat from the ancho sauce along with the bite from the crushed peanuts heightened the dish.
For our mains, my wife ordered the ritz crusted Louisiana catfish, pecan purée, wilted frisee & lemon. The fish was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The pecan purée was buttery. The wilted frisee with lemon was a perfect compliment both in flavour and texture to the fish. For myself, I ordered my favorite, the coffee cured hog jowl, honeycrisp, pickled beet, mint, basil, benne, ginger-sorghum dressing. This dish is rich but incredibly tasty. The hog jowls were not only incredibly tender but the honey glazed fat has crisped the meat so perfectly leaving the fat to literally melt in your mouth underneath the deliciously seared outer crust. The granny smith apples with the pork helped cut out the fat with each bite and the beets were pickled to perfection. The fresh herbs added the variety needed for each flavourful fork morsel. I am reminded yet again why this is one of my favorite dishes there. Bernard earlier anticipated my indecision to go with this beloved fav and suggested to order one piece of the free-range & southern fried chicken with their housemade pepper vinegar which I was most curious to try. We ordered white meat to share and the chicken as not only tender but succulent, juicy and the crust was delicious. The peppered vinegar sprinkled over the breast meat elevated the dish without masking the chicken flavour, in fact, we both found that it helped to elevate it further.
For the sides, we ordered the cornbread in bourbon brown butter. I love the corn bread they make here. My wife, who doesn't like corn very much at all but actually enjoyed the cornbread very much. It was airy, tender but not crumbly, nicely pan crusted from the butter and savoury sweet. We also ordered a side of the warm fingerling and coprin mushroom salad with chicken liver vinaigrette. It was a perfect accompaniment to the mains and rightfully suggested by our server Bernard. I've had the hominy grits and pinto beans before, although incredibly delicious, they can be a bit filling. At this point, my gut was ready to burst.
During our gastronomic feast, Ivan came around to see if we enjoyed our meal. The only response I can best vocalize at the moment was "Simply awesome!". Bernard asked if we wanted desert and although my wife and I are both fond of their coconut lime tart, we just couldn't eat another bite.
Our bill came about 72$ without tip and the only drink ordered was my sweet tea. It was well worth it considering how much work and preparation goes into the components we were served. Although my wife and I are in no way close to winning Lotto Max anytime soon, dinner for two at that price was perfectly fine by us for two individuals who just wanted a pleasant dining experience and a really good meal after a long day in the office and after casually walking in from the rain.
As we were paying our bill, we both agreed that with the amazing service Bernard provided, there was no way to leave the bare minimum. So I rounded it off to $100 with the tip. Thanks UNION local 613 for a great dinner and some incredibly delicious comfort food to fill our bellies during the walk home. We'll be back soon enough!
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