Place: One Red Door
Quick Blurb:
I first met One Red Door during the Taste of Hudson this past October; Macaroni & Cheese topped with Smoked Brisket. I thought the brisket was delicious (the mac & cheese wasn’t bad either). Regardless, it still has taken some time for me to make my way for a sit-down meal - I’m glad that I finally was able to.
Review:
Appearance:
You won’t have trouble finding the place – akin to its name, there is one, large red door for the entrance. Inside, brick walls, exposed beams with big bolts and nice hardwood floors outlined the place. A long, J-shaped bar is to your right with some booths and to your left is an elevated seating area. In front of you, some more tables and an open view of the kitchen. Small halogen lights provide ample lighting and promoted a modern, lounge-like atmosphere.
Staff:
We were greeted at the door by the hostess and seated promptly – after having the option of choosing which available table to sit. Our waiter was very friendly and upbeat, speaking clearly and giving us plenty of time to look through the menu. Finally, the waitress who seemed to take over (as our original waiter got a table of 8 to look after), was equally friendly, ensuring that we had everything we needed. I’d like to point out that at no time did we even think a different server was necessary, but they took it upon themselves to determine that we would be better served with someone else looking after us.
Meal:
Appetizer:
Their appetizers are tapas style. We chose to start off with a double order of the chicken wings (3 wings x 2):
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| Crispy confit of all natural chicken wings / smoked chili hot sauce / yogurt blue cheese / celery hearts |
I’ll begin by saying that the wings were bare and that I have never had a plain chicken wing taste so good; crispy, juicy and fresh. The sauce was underneath the wings, spread across the plate; the yogurt blue cheese was drizzled within the chili sauce. There wasn’t a lot, so you had to work a bit in order to get some on the wing, but the smoked chili hot sauce was very delicious - just the right bite, a light smoky flavor and a hint of mustard. The blue cheese must have been overpowered by the chili sauce – even when I dipped the wing right in the blue cheese, most of what I tasted was the smoky chili sauce.
While tasty, as as a sauce lover, I'll opt for something else as it is a bit of a fight to have some on the wing.
Entrée:
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| Chef’s burger / Ohio grass fed beef / crispy shallots / melted brie cheese / date, apple wood bacon aioli / house chips |
I really enjoyed this burger. The meat was cooked perfectly; the bun was fresh and slightly toasted; the house chips light and crispy. I was enjoying just looking at everything. I saw the aioli, put some on the bun and took a bite…yum! The crispy shallots really added a good crunch and onion flavor, the brie was subtle yet noticeable, and the bacon bits in the aioli were just amazing.
Bite by bite, I savored the juicy burger and the combination of flavors; in-between I helped myself to the house chips. They didn’t bring ketchup out with the plate, but I didn’t need it - the aioli more than sufficed for both the burger and chips.
Desserts:
It was a late lunch and we had dinner plans with friends, so we opted out of having something sweet (a shock, I know, as my wife always has dessert).
Drinks:
Celebration for the holiday season, I went for a vodka martini despite it being 2pm. My wife had the infamous Great Lakes Christmas ale on draft – both excellent selections.
Prices:
The chicken wings were 3 for $4.50 and the hamburger was $10. Now-a-days, $10 burgers are not un-common, but you want to make sure you’re getting $10 worth – I’ll argue that you are here. I feel that the wings were slightly on the pricey side and, as mentioned before, while I enjoyed them, I'd prefer more sauce to pair with the wings - so I'll pass next time.
Overall Experience:
Opened by the owners of Downtown 140, One Red Door had some clout coming in and I was especially excited to try it after the Taste of Hudson. For lunch, it didn’t disappoint. While the tapas appetizer menu is similar to Downtown 140, the regular menu items are unique when considering the other options at First and Main. Next door, they plan on opening up a burger joint, “Flip Side”. It still was under construction, but if their burgers are anywhere near as good as the one I had, it will be take some convincing to make the trek to The B-Spot.
I’ll see how One Red Door fares for dinner next time, but based upon the lunch, I recommend paying them a visit.
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