Solid! My son J and I ate here for lunch today, after sending my wife to NY for a business trip.
As we walked in, I noticed this place has the ambience of a great American burger bar, with a Frankenstein poster on one wall, some Nascar remnants and a top of a beer making vat on the wall, and JBL speakers blasting some fine music at just the right level. A couple of muted monitors over the bar ran ESPN2 and some sports equipment infomercials.
Sitting down, we noticed the menu is varied enough to satisfy anyone. The beer list is great, the mixed drink list is intriguing, and I'd love to come here with a group of adults in search of a good time.
The smiling, artfully tattooed and nose-ringed waitress brought me a fresh cup of really fine coffee. My son had a Dr. Brown's Root Beer.
We shared a small order of fried dill pickles before our sandwiches arrived. They were piping hot, lightly breaded, and served with a cool ranch dip. I ate so many I had a stomach ache later. They were better than I remembered them from the old Penguin.
I had the Ding Dong Chicken Sandwich, a Thai-inspired concoction of grilled chicken, peanuts, lettuce, tomato, mayo, Sriracha, and other goodies on a sandwich bun. It was hot, tasty, and satisfying.
J. had a Kinda Fried Turkey Sandwich. He was stuffed and happy, having washed it down with his root beer.
The restaurant is a remodeled service station that was obviously around for a long, long, time, but it has been tastefully rebuilt, attractively furnished, and turned into a really cool, if small bar/restaurant. It was packed at noon this Sunday, with a mix of tattooed biker types, preppies, fashionable couples, and family types like us.
We'll be back with the rest of the family to sample other things on the menu. I noticed enough vegetarian-friendly food on the menu to satisfy my daughter, a very picky eater with high expectations.