Uptown Midtown

Midtown Eats, which just opened in August, has taken over Süp’s old location on South Virginia Street, meaning space is tight. The décor is rustic but in an upscale way, with a lot of distressed wood, tin and glass that reminds me of a fancy old saloon. My favorite part is the old liquor bottles hanging from the ceiling over Edison-style bulbs. The water glasses are Mason jars, plus a bottle of water and a small cactus in a glass jar on each table which adds some charm.

While I waited for my friend Megan to arrive, I chose a cocktail from the extensive specialty drink menu and went with the Stone Smash ($10), which comes with bourbon, peach, nectarine and mint. I will drink bourbon with damned near anything, but had never thought to try it with peach. Thankfully, Midtown had the smarts to do so because this drink is amazing. The Stone Smash is lightly syrupy, and the bourbon peeks out under the peach, nectarine and mint. I wanted to drink about five of them, but since Megan was picking up the tab, that seemed rude.

When Megan arrived, we started with some tacos ($2), one snapper and one tri-tip. The tacos were fantastic, with a double layer of thin, fresh corn tortillas and tender meat piled inside with a spicy guacamole/tomato combination on top. Megan ordered a bowl of mushroom soup ($6). The soup was like frothy mushroom heaven, with undertones of pepper and olive oil with a few large delicious mushrooms floating on top. Megan was kind enough to get me a spoon before I just picked the bowl up and drank from it.

For entrées, I ordered the crispy pork belly ($18), which came with a side of Granny Smith apple gratin. The pork belly was good, although the middle was a little fatty, but the ends were super crispy and dissolved easily in my mouth. The apple gratin was an interesting combination of potatoes and apples, with an apple cider vinegar glaze that gave it a tang. This was all over some purple cabbage, which went well with the apple cider. Megan ordered the lamb burger ($12), which came with a side some of the best sweet potato fries I’ve ever had. They were slightly sweet and perfectly crispy. The lamb burger was cooked well and had hints of pepper and mint. A slice of grilled eggplant topped the burger. However, the olive spread overwhelmed the burger and completely masked the eggplant.

The clientele was an interesting mix ranging from hipsters to seniors. I have to give props to the service because despite being busy and having only one bartender and one wait staff, the service was quick and friendly. The only issue I had was the noise, which seemed to reverberate off the wood walls and floors. Midway through the meal, the staff turned on the music at a volume that seemed excessive and I had to lean in over the table to yell at Megan through the rest of the meal. However, the bottom line here is Midtown Eats has great décor and amazing food and drinks that makes me want to come back to try nearly everything on the menu.