Honest American Food.

The Union Grill in Oakland does American comfort food with style.  The place is swamped on Friday afternoon lunch.  There were only two of us and we had to wait about 20 minutes, but the lunch was worth it (and it got me out of the office for a few hours!)

Their food is good, but be warned, there is not a ton of veggie-ness on the menu.  They have one veggie sandwich that has hummus, baked eggplant and a bunch of veggies.  I wasn’t in the mood for that today.  I just wanted some good, old-fashion comfort food- french fries and all.  So, I went for this:

Chicken Ciabatta Melt

“Our signature sandwich features succulent chargrilled chicken breast in a hot, grilled ciabatta roll with applewood-smoked bacon, spicy banana peppers, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions and your choice of gourmet cheeses.”

So, clearly I got this sans the chicken and bacon.  I wasn’t expecting much from it, but it was great!  It was warm, full of veggies and cheese.  They had three cheeses of the day: a hot pepper cheese, smoked mozzarella, and one other I can’t remember.  I went with the hot pepper cheese.  Paired with the sweet, caramelized onions and peppers, it was a great match. The roll was good- warm and toasty. And those waffle fries are as good as they look.  The portion was just right- not a tiny little thing but not so much that I felt sick after.  Clearly not the healthiest lunch, but just what the doctor had ordered for a Friday afternoon!

The sandwich with fries is priced on the menu at $10.99, but to my surprise, they only charged me $7.99.  Usually when I alter something to make it meat-free, I still have to pay the same price.  They made my day by taking $3 off.  Well played, Union Grill!

This place is place is a must for those who want some good, casual American eats and a cheap (but not crappy) bottle of wine. They have a decent beer list too.  I’m a fan.

Overall Grade for Union Grill: B+