We have covered a lot of ground in the East Village, and, on the surface, The Redhead looks like one of those places that was left behind as the neighborhood gentrified. It’s a small, nondescript bar that is not (yet) on the hit list of the post-college East Village crowd. What they don’t know (yet) is that the food coming out of The Redhead’s kitchen is some of the best in the neighborhood. The off-the-hook fried chicken has been drawing a lot of press lately, and the rest of the menu is shockingly good – the absolute opposite of what you would expect to get from a dark little East Village bar. It will be interesting to see how the regulars deal with the inevitable increase in traffic. We definitely noticed some dates going down in the room, and it’s probably a good place for that. Just be aware that it’s a relatively quiet place, which will no doubt make those awkward silences extra painful.
Food Rundown:
Chips & Dip
Homemade chips are often greasy and chewy after a few minutes. Not this time. These are razor thin, crispy waffle chips with a “butter-braised onion dip”. So good.
House Made Soft Pretzels
Three small soft pretzels, they’re very good, but maybe a little boring. The beer cheese that comes with them is excellent and definitely saw some love from my waffle chips.
Molasses Glazed Pork Ribs
Pork ribs that fall of the bone, topped with mint, chervil, and a thin slice of pickled Bosc pear. This was excellent and elicited the first comment of “where the hell are we?”
Low Country Shrimp
A Carolina classic. These shrimp and grits and the fried chicken are apparently the most popular items on the menu, and we understand why. The Redhead does southern food right.
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Fried chicken is everywhere right now, and this is one of the best in town. Very crispy and incredibly juicy. The only downside is that there is a touch of that raw flour taste in the batter. Blue Ribbon is still our number one fried chicken provider.
Grilled Lamb T-Bones
Another example of why The Redhead is getting some attention right now. This is clearly not the kind of food you would expect to see on the menu in a place like this. These lamb t-bones are nice, and the black eyed peas and fried onions provide a tasty background.
