Nosh & Swig
Nosh Crack Corn
Peas & Carrots – Sweet Carrot Rangoon, English Pea Puree
Beeten Apple – Warm Goat Cheese, Grilled Honey Toast, Micro Greens, Beet & Apple Sauce
Monte Cristo – Black Forest Ham, Gruyere Cheese, Fried Egg, Wild Berry Compote
Cocka-Waffle-Doo – Cornflake Crusted Chicken, Belgian Waffle, Blueberry Maple Reduction
Gimme Sa-More – Fried Chocolate, Brulee Marshmallow, Banana Puree
Churrnut Ala Mode – Churro-Style Doughnut topped with Oreo, Pistachio Ice Cream
Self described as ‘a food festival of funzies’ and offering an ‘express train to Flavortown’ I was admittedly a bit leery as I entered Nosh & Swig but with a menu that at least seemed willing to take some risks and myself already in the area I decided to take a peak – my meal as unwieldy as the options themselves in a room that seemed to suggest some sort of spiritualism beneath the blare of Top-40. Apparently part of some recent food-television contest, at least according to the only other diners present during the first half of my hour-long stay, and featuring the sort of service where patrons are frequently referred to a ‘buddy’ or ‘bro,’ it was just a few minutes prior to noon that I entered the sizable strip-mall space and seating myself after grabbing a menu it would not be long before ‘crack corn’ and water arrived – the former a relatively straightforward salty-sweet combo with that wasn’t particularly addictive, though a bit more interesting than boring bread-service to be sure. Clearly a kitchen where tongue-in-cheek and whimsy are part of the show it was in a duo of vegetables that my meal began and although the Peas and Carrots was decidedly delicious with plenty of vegetal sweetness amidst the crisp wontons, the “beeten apple” was mostly forgettable – a stacked pseudo-bruschetta compromised by lifeless bread with honey and apple mostly overwhelming both cheese and thinly cut beets. Moving next to options from the pork and chicken parts of the menu it was the Monte Cristo that arrived first and griddled rather than fried the sandwich was far lighter than usual, a fact furthered by far too little filling to go with just a drizzle of jam. Moving next to a clever presentation of Chicken and Waffles that proved to be the best savory of the meal as both the waffle and chicken showed well, it was here that my server inexplicably tried to end the afternoon by offering the check and acting as if I’d eaten ‘a lot’ despite each plates’ modest portions I assured him I would like to go on – a duo of desserts again representing a hit-and-miss proposition as the enormous Chinese-donut-come-churro was excellent on its own – and even moreso when crumbled into the ice cream – while S’mores were poorly executed with marshmallows not warmed through and the chocolate a dense chunk inside the oily outer shell.
TWO AND A HALF STARS: Probably a space better suited for large-group sharing, particularly if paired with enough drinking to make the ‘funzies’ seem more fantastic, Nosh & Swig almost seems to be trying to out-Fieri the Mayor of Flavortown himself – a half-hearted attempt that seemed to fall on deaf ears when I mentioned the flaws in execution on both the ‘bruschetta’ and the S’mores – the later actually garnering a “yeah yeah, I can see that, bro” when I pointed out what seemed to be a half-dissolved Hershey Kiss inside the remaining wonton I sent back to the kitchen untouched.
RECOMMENDED: Peas & Carrots, Cocka-Waffle-Doo, Churrnut Ala Mode.
AVOID: Gimme Sa-More, Beeten Apple.
TIP: Offering a daily happy hour with several menu selections offered at a fraction of the price those interested in checking out Nosh & Swig would be best served to go between 3:00-6:00pm, the ‘standard’ menu not exactly the deal it seems when you take into account the ingredient quality and portion sizes of the items I received.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://www.noshandswig.com/
