Freedom Beat
Bathtub Gin Daisy – Old Grove Gin, Orange Liquor & Lemon
Oreo Milkshake
Chicken Fried Bacon – Pork Belly & Chili Honey Vinaigrette
Flame Grilled Oysters – Garlic, Butter, Parmesan & Garlic Bread
House Made Tots – Cheddar, Scallion & House Ranch
Loaded Hand-cut Fries – Smoked Meats, BBQ & Cheese Sauce
Smoked Wings – Ale Syrup Spiced Glaze & Blue Cheese
Grilled Corn ‘Elote’ Style – Roasted Chiles, Lime & Cotija
Toad in the Well – Thick Brioche, Black Forrest Ham, Vermont Maple Syrup & Poached Egg
IPA Burger – Caramelized Onions, Fried Pickles, Cheese Sauce & Hand Cut Fries
The ‘Full Smoke’ Platter – Brisket, Pork Shoulder, Beans, Slaw, House Pickles, Hot Links, Hand Cut Sweet Potato Fries & Biscuits
Thigh High Fried Chicken Our Way – Chili Garlic, Honey Mustard, BBQ, Slaw & Hand Cut Fries
Ale Battered Walleye – Grilled Summer Corn, Slaw, Beans & Tartar Sauce
Skillet Apple Pie – Cheddar Cheese & Vanilla Ice Cream
S’Mores Donuts – Melted Chocolate & Toasted Marshmallow
Funnel Cake – Chocolate Drizzle & Powdered Sugar
Fried Twinkie – Berry Compote
Replacing Stewart & Ogden, S&O or whatever the restaurant was last called with its revolving door of Chefs, Downtown Grand opted to completely reinvent their 24/7 eatery into a concept built on American Classics and Live Music, the 34th Floor Hospitality restaurant featuring Wisconsin native Scott Commings recently opened under the name Freedom Beat.
Intended as both a restaurant and entertainment venue, acoustic music playing nightly with local and national names like Friday’s Jack Ingram show generating a lively crowd, Freedom Beat sits just off the gaming floor while still offering enough cover to give it the ‘feel’ of a locals spot with food and beverage better than it needs to be, the menu offering a wide range of styles stretching from Coast-to-Coast with some true Great Lakes influence in between.
Dining as a group of six, the Hell’s Kitchen Champion Chef friends of one in the party, it was with several plates ordered and a few sent out from the kitchen that the meal took place, a total of fifteen menu items tasted along with several beverages including the pink-yet-potent Bathtub Gin Daisy and a too-thick-for-a-straw Oreo Milkshake.
Not particularly a place for those counting calories, though a few Salads and small plates are available to cater to various dietary needs, round one of the Freedom Beat smorgasbord consisted of a half-dozen appetizers ranging from loaded Fries that some felt were too sweet on top of being quite hefty, the Cheese and Scallion Tots and Chicken Fried Bacon each far better despite being deep-fried – the former packing a whole lot of flavor into each crispy nugget while the latter took great care to make sure that the Pork Belly itself was well-cooked but still silky smooth beneath the herb-infused breading.
Deciding to smoke Chicken Wings and Drumsticks rather than fry them, the resulting bites amongst the best in the city with a piquant glaze that is not unnecessarily hot, flamed Oysters were a favorite amongst many at the table as the briny Bivalves found balance in Garlic Butter cooked thick with Cheese, the Mexican Street Corn another rave that allowed late season sweetness to dance hand-in-hand with gentle heat.
Told that the Barbeque represented neither Carolina nor Texas, but intrigued by the idea nonetheless, Chef Commings’ ‘Full Smoke’ Platter featuring Brisket, Pork Shoulder and Hot Links goes to show that given the right expectations roasted Meat is rarely a bad thing, no particular ‘style’ embodied except that of Freedom Beat and all the better for it, the Fried Chicken “Our Way” also representing a slightly different look at its concept with the well-brined bird itself quite flavorful, as was the batter, though one felt it was too thinly applied.
Not really exploring much of the Breakfast Menu, drop-Biscuits fluffy and rife with Butter while the Toad in the Well was an Instagram eye-catcher with a poached Egg nestled in a hollow carved out of French Toast wrapped around Black Forrest Ham with pure Maple Syrup on the side, all agreed that the ground base of an “IPA Burger” would benefit from more fat and flavor, though the toppings were quite tasty, a battered plank of Walleye taking both the Chef and more than one guest back to their childhoods with flaky fish and golden breading plus all the requisite sides.
Not looking to reinvent the wheel anywhere, particularly with desserts, Freedom Beat offers four options to those looking for something sweet to send them on their way, the fried Twinkies and Funnel Cake both Fair-Food favorites well done without being too oily while the S’Mores Donut saw glazed rings hemisected and toasted around Marshmallows and Chocolate with Graham Cracker Crumble, the Skillet Pie a la Mode definitely the most labor intensive and well-crafted option, particularly topped with a melted slice of Cheddar Cheese.
THREE AND A HALF STARS: Charging slightly lower prices than similar stops on The Strip, $12 Cocktails and a good Beer List a bonus for those choosing to imbibe, Freedom Beat puts its own spin on Americana with good food in an environment that could certainly be successful under the right circumstances, though challenges will undoubtedly be presented by a hotel that has yet to define it’s particular ‘type’ of client.
RECOMMENDED: Chicken Fried Bacon, Smoked Wings, Grilled Corn ‘Elote’ Style, Ale Battered Walleye, Toad in the Well, Skillet Apple Pie with Cheddar.
AVOID: IPA Burger, Loaded Hand-cut Fries.
TIP: Open 24/7 with the entertainment schedule posted online, Valet Parking free with a $10 receipt or validation at the Hostess Stand.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
http://www.downtowngrand.com/eat/freedom-beat/
