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reviewed on: October 9, 2009
Over the years we’ve encountered many restaurants with intriguing names. Names that gave no clue whatsoever of what lay in wait for you once you crossed the threshold. Sometimes a name can be quirky enough that you have to visit simply out of curiosity. And sometimes it can be so bizarre or so unmemorable, unpronounceable or unspellable that it dooms the restaurant from the first day the doors are opened.
The Interstate Kitchen & Bar, definitely falls into the former category, and if the first image that crosses your mind is one of a rest-stop alongside a highway somewhere in the heartland of America, you’re pretty close to on-target, yet you’ve missed it by a mile. Interstate took over the space abandoned by the Santa Fe Tequila Company at the corner of 10th and Santa Fe, but if you were ever in that restaurant you’re in for a surprise when you see the changes that have been made. Where the former restaurant was quite dark and close feeling, Interstate is bright and open. The tables are covered with white linens topped with butcher paper, and water is served in Mason jars. The feel is ultra-casual, relaxed and comfortable—about what you’d expect from a highway rest-stop but without the semis parked outside.
Of course, when you think of that rest-stop along the highway, you also imagine burgers, warming bowls of soup, and hefty sandwiches and, again, you’d be close but way off the mark trying to categorize Interstate that way. Yes, you can get a burger and fries for $8, or a Monte Cristo for $7, but, this sure isn’t mom’s cooking—at least it’s not what I grew up with. Here the meatloaf is made with buffalo and served with a side of grits, the lemon-stuffed trout comes with onion bread pudding, and an appetizer of baked clams comes with lemon and pork belly.
Sufficiently intrigued, we launched into the menu, accepting our waitress’ suggestion of the Braised Oxtail & Lima Beans appetizer. Oxtail is something you don’t often see on mainstream menus, and these were beautifully presented and amazingly good, with great flavor and texture. We also got to sample the Deviled Eggs, each topped with a tasty dollop of salty fish roe. For a main dish you can go one of three ways. There are the sandwiches and burgers that I mentioned, there are enormous entrée salads, and there are the “plates,” which include the trout and Buffalo Meatloaf along with Fried Chicken, and Braised Pork Ribs with Celery Three Ways, a generous portion of braised pork ribs in a zesty barbecue sauce, accompanied by a mixture of mashed potatoes and pureed celery root, braised celery stalks, and a garnish of chopped celery leaves. The Cobb salad was served with a hot bacon dressing, topped with shredded roasted chicken thighs. Both dishes were more than ample and, when one considers the price, represent excellent value.
And that, perhaps, is the best way to sum up what Interstate Kitchen & Bar is all about--upscale comfort food in large portions at affordable prices.
Interstate Kitchen & Bar is open from 4pm till 2 in the morning every day, and features well-lighted indoor parking directly behind the restaurant.
Interstate Kitchen & Bar
901 W. 10th Ave. (corner of 10th and Santa Fe)
720-479-8829
http://www.interstaterestaurant.com
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