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| - I always used to walk by the empty store front on Butler that is now The Vandal, and hope that someone would turn it into something great. Once I started to see construction going on inside, I was really happy to find out that it was going to be another exciting food option on Butler; not just another restaurant, but somewhere that offered breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a counter-service format for eat-in or take-out. Nothing against the typical take-out options, but sometimes you want to eat interesting, high-quality food AND watch Netflix at the same time, you know?
The menu is small but the options are varied enough that it was no problem finding something that sounded appealing. My friend and I both decided to try the burger (with marrow, pickles, cheese, tomato mayo, and greens). The meat was juicy and packed with flavor; the toppings added additional interesting flavors and textures while still allowed the meat to be the star. I am a huge fan of the tomato mayo. I thought this was a really interesting (and delicious) alternative to the traditional slab of tomato on top. I love pickles and was glad to see them included, and these did not disappoint. They were super thin and had a potent vinegary punch. I wish I could get these by the jar and put them on all of my sandwiches.
The burger came with a side of thin, crispy fries which we also enjoyed. There was no sauce served for dipping, but this was perfectly fine for us as they were flavorful on their own. My friend ordered a side of the mac and cheese (which I stole a few bites of). This was really interesting as the cheese sauce was thinner than your average mac, and the noodles were actually al dente. Mac and cheese is often a gelatinous blob of thick sauce and mushy noodles, so I loved that there were texture differences. The flavor was slightly sweet but the sea salt and chives on the top really rounded this out. They could serve a larger portion as an entree option--I would be into that.
Overall I'm excited to go back. I've seen pictures of some pretty tasty-looking breakfast items that I am excited to try. Seems like another great addition to Lawrenceville!
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