Restaurant Review: Foolish Craig’s

Conveniently located on Pearl St., Foolish Craig’s provides a warm, family-friendly environment. With brick walls and close quarters, it makes for a very intimate and personal setting. The walls are outfitted with eccentric paintings and witty sayings to keep you amused all evening in the event that conversation goes south.C

Open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Find more online at foolishcraigs.com.

The wait staff was friendly knowledgeable and quick witted, outfitted with a smile. After choosing one of their craft beers on tap, I proceeded to browse the menu. The selection is simple, yet diverse, with an option for most. I had some family in town so I was able to sample an array of their dishes.

The Butternut Squash Latkes were the starter of choice, and as a connoisseur of all things Jewish, I was unimpressed. You cannot take a thinly sliced piece of butternut squash, batter, and fry it and call it a Latke. Latkes are traditionally crispy and composed of a starchy vegetable. I found these to be quite soggy and just barely fork tender. Paired with sour cream and pear apple marmalade, which was a hit I must ad and does make an appearance in many of the dishes, it makes for a mediocre starter overall.

The four entrées that we were able to order were the Almond Crusted Brie Stuffed Salmon, Slow Braised Pulled Pork Shoulder, Spinach and Toasted Walnut Salad, and the Bacon Cucumber Bleu Cheese Burger.

The Almond Crusted Brie Stuffed Salmon is a mouthful to say and hearty on the plate. Cooked to an appropriate doneness, the almond crust wasn’t very crisp, but the brie and salmon blend nicely together for a creamy and decadent bite. The dish is served with a side of steamed brussel sprouts and vegetable medley, under seasoned but well cooked, and an overly potent yet bland spiced butternut squash mash. If you are looking to eat clean with a lower salt intake, then I would recommend this plate. Otherwise the dish didn’t stand out in any particular way.

The Slow Braised Pulled Pork Shoulder was fork tender, moist and full of flavor. Topped with the pear apple marmalade, it makes for a great contrast between sweet, salty and savory. When you get down to place you find the butternut squash latkes and fried green beans that have been saturated with the juices from the pork. Overall the dish was a pleasure to consume and was a treat to try.

If you are looking for a hearty salad to hold you over for the night without packing down the calories, the Spinach and Toasted Walnut Salad is a great choice. With a large helping of spinach greens and fix-ins to match, this salad offers an array of flavor profiles. From the salty smokiness of the bacon to the sweet-tart dried cranberries, topped with a champagne vinaigrette, Foolish Craig’s delivers on all ends.

Last but not least, I ordered the Bacon Cucumber Bleu Cheese Burger. With a healthy ½ pound beef patty and thick cut smoky bacon, this burger starts out right. Paired with a basic honey Dijon mustard smear on the bun and bleu cheese to bite through the sweetness, the combo makes for a moist flavor explosion in your mouth. As you finish through on each bite you are treated to palate cleansing cucumber to prepare you for your next mouthful. I was craving a burger and this hit the spot.

Overall I would recommend Foolish Craig’s to friends in the future and look forward to trying some of their other menu items.