The Engine Room, Mystic
Engine Room, Mystic
The folks behind one of my favorite restaurants, The Oyster Club in Mystic, just opened their second restaurant, The Engine Room. My husband and I rushed right over for Saturday lunch to give the burgers, beer and bourbon-centric menu a go. Housed in the original home of the JW Lathrop Marine Engine Company, the space is airy, modern/industrial and decidedly cool. Couples and multi-generational families filled the tables and hipsters and locals were hanging out at the bar, feasting on burgers and craft beer. The Engine Room sticks to their farm-to-table roots: the burgers are sourced locally from Beria Lewis Farm in North Stonington, pork is Soetl Farm and those glorious seeded buns are baked by Farm to Hearth. Our Hot Fire Burger, slathered with habanero cheddar sauce and salted onions came with a side of ridiculously addictive beef fat fries. (The tofu and felafel burgers are served with a vegetarian canola version). For the burger-averse there’s plenty to choose from: we loved the crispy buttermilk fried squid and roasted beet salad with a shmear of goat cheese. The “In Praise of Katz’s Deli” (housemade pastrami sandwich) was sold out, but I’ll definitely head back for it. Saturday lunch wasn’t too crazy, but I hear Happy Hour is packed. Reservations are a good idea. Kid friendly food, too.
Brunch at the Engine Room
It’s always reassuring to see a place bustling with people straight out of the gate at the start of service. Brunch starts at 10 at the Engine Room. Once seated, my pal and I got right to work on our “Custom Bloody Mary” paperwork and decided we might as well order the house down. We went with the deliciously sweet AND savory Hush Puppies with spicy jalapeno mayo, Kale Caeser Salad with perfect, tender, Spanish anchovies, and a teeny cast iron skillet with Baked Parmesan Eggs, lightly dressed greens and toast on the side. And, oh, we had to try the “Hangover Burger” and decided that had we been hung over, it would definitely be the cure (but please note; we were not) — topped with slow roasted bacon, a local egg, an onion ring, some crazy pickle, bbq aioli and of course, those insane fries. Thrice fried or something?
tags: bars, bourbon bar, burgers, craft beer, mystic
