It was just our anniversary! We’ve had some pretty awesome years thus far and to celebrate we had some dinner and went to see a show a show last week: Hamilton! It was pretty epic. Even so, this week was our actual anniversary, and it was only right to have a little time together on the actual day. Wife came up with a brilliant idea to go camping on the beach. Romantic! We slept in, got around and hit the road. First things first, however: we need some tasty food to start our little adventure. Wife had a business lunch last week at a spot just up the way from her office. She liked it and thought we should give it a better go; one with drinks. We mount up and head out for The Union Kitchen.

Play That Funky Music

We pull into a shared parking lot and up to a sleek looking building over on Ella, right next to the train tracks. They were bumping Play That Funky Music White Boy over the speaker system. This could be a good thing. We walk in and are greeted by a smiling and, honestly, mildly flirtatious waiter. He happily sits us outside in the shade and gets us started with drinks. I have the Mexican Manhattan, which is interesting but good. He has to make a couple trips to the bar to get the list of beers for Wife but does, and she orders a Sour.

We peruse the menu for a bit while waiting for our drinks. It’s massive. Like almost too much. After a harsh internal struggle and a coin toss, I land on the Shrimp and Grits while Wife orders the Union Burger. We also order the Parmesan Truffle Fries. The waiter, who really seems to like Wife, takes our order and delivers a simple plate of fresh cut baguette topped with parm and Italian style seasonings. It’s pretty tasty, though I would have preferred a bit of olive oil for dipping.

Towers Of Food!

We chat about our impending adventure, our past years and the fact that we’ve only packed clothes and no actual camping gear. Like I said: Adventure! We land on a plan to stop at a department store on our way out of town just as our food show up. The presentation of Wife’s burger is impressive. It’s stacked high and the onion rings are the size of donuts. The batter on the onion rings is pretty over salted but, other than that, everything was terrific. The texture was absolutely on-point. They were soft and chewy on the inside and perfectly crisp on to outside. The super sweet onion paired perfectly with the spicy aioli. The burger is also perfectly cooked, something surprisingly challenging to get in some places. It’s topped with cool, crisp veggies and wonderfully crispy bacon; nice and smoky.

Grits And Gout

The fries match as well. Initially a little under seasoned but, once I made it the center of the cone-shaped display, I couldn’t stop. Double fried, crispy on the outside; the pungent parmesan cheese and sharp parsley worked as extras enhancing the flavor and not just decoration. The sauce served alongside was a bit bland, but they didn’t need it anyhow.

I moved onto my Shrimp and Grits and had to focus all my attention on not cussing someone out! It was amazing! I swear the grits were half grits and half butter! During my first bite, I was a little concerned about Gout but immediately dismissed my own wellbeing in favor of the fantastic flavors and textures. The shrimp were perfectly cooked, and the peppers and onions were nice and sweet. The entire dish was covered in a spicy, salty, buttery pan sauce. The real triumph, however, came from the balance. The smooth, rich grits paired perfectly with the sharp, spicy shrimp and peppers. I wolfed the entire serving and used my finger to clean what I couldn’t reach with my fork then sat back and enjoyed the beautiful day.

Poor Chef

Wife and I left and embarked on another successful journey. We had a great time on the beach, but it wouldn’t have mattered. After our fabulous lunch, the trip could have been abysmal and I wouldn’t have cared. As for the Chef, I think we all know how this is going to play out. On a scale from tip-the-hat (low) to shank-the-chef (high) The Union Kitchen should dust off the Help Wanted sign, ‘cause he’s gonna disappear. His death will be violent and justified. Well done, folk. I’ll be back to continue thinning out the herd later.

Chef Shanker

Keeping the world in balance.
Have you ever eaten something so delicious it made you angry?