There's No Place Like Gnome
I have to say, the restaurant at 498 Selby has always been one of my favorite places. Whether it was Zelda's, the Chocolate Moose, or Engine House #5 when I was young, I loved going there with my mom (great desserts). I enjoyed the several iterations of Chang O'Hara's (remember the fondue? and the illegal upstairs?), and much as I jokingly called it the Flaccid Gnome instead of the Happy Gnome (due to the sign), I always loved it there as well. I remember great double dates there with Patrick and Eric and Christy, having out there one night in 2004 when I really needed it with Dan, and hanging out many a time with Chuck. So I was incredibly sad to see it close.
Luckily, my heroes Brian and Sarah Ingram, the nicest people to ever open a restaurant, saw what a loss it would be and consulted some with Justin Sutherland to open The Gnome. I don't seem to get the same soft opening invites I used to get in the Before Times, but we managed to get a reservation for the opening day yesterday.
And I think I have a new favorite restaurant; I'll meet you there any day. Or, as Beatrix says, "100 out of 10!"
Only outdoor seating is open right now which is good, because I'm not ready to go into a restaurant. The new deck, however, is huge and amazing, even if we did not try out the hammock chairs.
I had the brie/fig/apple grilled cheese, which was creamy and decadent and delicious. Beatrix had the appetizer pretzel, covered with raclette cheese. It's more like a HUGE challah ring with a center of pimento cheese that is southern perfection. Not as salty and German as a pretzel normally is, but delicious. You should split it between 10 people. Patrick had the Grandma's chicken sandwich — juicy, tender, and an incredibly crunchy battered outside (look out, Revival!). The fries were a fill-in I think; Patrick and I thought "meh" but Beatrix loved them.
Their beer list is reminiscent of the previous gnomedom, with over 50 taps (though fewer tasting notes.) There's the addition of tiki drinks, and I got to relive Trader Vic's fame with the Thai Gnome (which did, warning, kind of knock me on my a** for the rest of the night, which was ok, because Patrick got me a fantastic new book to read).
So yeah, for a place that opened yesterday, the Gnome hit a home run with relatively few opening night jitters (even the waitress who tripped off the edge of the deck managed to smile and style). Sooooo happy to have it in the neighborhood!
ETA: Looks like Patrick got a picture of the pretzel!
Luckily, my heroes Brian and Sarah Ingram, the nicest people to ever open a restaurant, saw what a loss it would be and consulted some with Justin Sutherland to open The Gnome. I don't seem to get the same soft opening invites I used to get in the Before Times, but we managed to get a reservation for the opening day yesterday.
And I think I have a new favorite restaurant; I'll meet you there any day. Or, as Beatrix says, "100 out of 10!"
Only outdoor seating is open right now which is good, because I'm not ready to go into a restaurant. The new deck, however, is huge and amazing, even if we did not try out the hammock chairs.
I had the brie/fig/apple grilled cheese, which was creamy and decadent and delicious. Beatrix had the appetizer pretzel, covered with raclette cheese. It's more like a HUGE challah ring with a center of pimento cheese that is southern perfection. Not as salty and German as a pretzel normally is, but delicious. You should split it between 10 people. Patrick had the Grandma's chicken sandwich — juicy, tender, and an incredibly crunchy battered outside (look out, Revival!). The fries were a fill-in I think; Patrick and I thought "meh" but Beatrix loved them.
Their beer list is reminiscent of the previous gnomedom, with over 50 taps (though fewer tasting notes.) There's the addition of tiki drinks, and I got to relive Trader Vic's fame with the Thai Gnome (which did, warning, kind of knock me on my a** for the rest of the night, which was ok, because Patrick got me a fantastic new book to read).
So yeah, for a place that opened yesterday, the Gnome hit a home run with relatively few opening night jitters (even the waitress who tripped off the edge of the deck managed to smile and style). Sooooo happy to have it in the neighborhood!
ETA: Looks like Patrick got a picture of the pretzel!
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