Northside Kitchenette

While on College Avenue, I, my husband and Corrin stopped by Northside Kitchenette for a quick lunch. This restaurant is owned by the same individuals who own the next door restaurant, the very popular Northside Social, open at night for dinner and drinks. We loved the interior and exterior of the breakfast/lunch "kitchenette". It is modern and reminscent of a Cafe Patachou and outside they have a romantic courtyard area complete with little white lights and pillows. We sat outside in the sultry weather and received excellent service by our waitress who responded to our need of a quick lunch. We ordered the Brisket Manhattan, the Munchie Supreme (pastrami, swiss cheese and Dijon remoulade on rye), and the Broiled Basa (broiled white fish with field greens, tomato, and lemon tartar on baguette), and their signature mushroom soup with cream and brandy. Corrin's sandwich was the best with the fish perfectly broiled and mild. She also enjoyed her ice tea - a citrus-flavored green tea. The Munchie was surprisingly flavorless; my husband thought that the pastrami was not peppery enough and too salty, and the remoulade was not apparent. In addition, he was not expecting fries to be filling up the inside of his sandwich. We all loved the homemade potato chips served with the sandwiches - a perfect thickness and flavor. Homemade pickles were another accompaniment, but not my favorite. The soup was quite good with a perfect blend of mushrooms, cream, and brandy, and a lovely Parmesan-coated crouton served beside it. My beef brisket Manhattan was disappointing in that the mashed potatoes seemed institutional in flavor as well as the gravy which was too salty. The beef, cooked in beer, was tasty and of good quality. The sourdough bread which I requested to be served on the side was nicely toasted. We all shared a banana cream pie dessert which was interestingly composed but the banana custard had an artificial banana flavor and was too thick. In summary, there were things we loved about the Kitchenette, the atmosphere and service. Some of the food was very good, but other food not so good. Prices were rather high for the hit-or-miss food.

Atmosphere - 8
Service - 8
Price - 6
Presentation - 8
Food - 6
Overall - 6.5