Andy and I headed to the Redhead in the East Village (349 E. 13^th St. btw 1^st and 2^nd Aves.) for a casual summer date night on Saturday.  We had attempted to dine there during the winter, but the 2 hour wait forced our hungry stomachs to wander elsewhere (reservations are only taken for parties of 5 or more and only before 6:30 pm). We had heard the Southern style gastropub fare was the real deal (even the Brunster named two of its dishes as runners-up for the year’s best) and boy had we heard right. First of all, Andy chose a can of Dale’s Pale Ale and I had a Marlborough NZ sauvignon blanc while we perused the menu. We started off by sharing the one-eyed Caesar salad, which was certainly a treat.  The dressing had a nice citrus balance (not too creamy) and the fried egg with crisp capers and runny yolk took this salad from solid pub fare to a true foodie Caesar if I’ve ever seen one.  For my entrée, I had the southern fried catfish with a  green tomato marmalade, and Andy had the seared beef tenderloin with bing cherry mole, cashews, and polenta. My catfish couldn’t have been better. The batter was light and crispy (not overly oily or thick) and the fish was fresh and flaky. The marmalade kicked it up a notch, and it was full of bright flavors and was presented beautifully. The best fish dinner I’ve had in a while. Andy’s meat came out perfectly medium rare and the bing cherry mole was a nice twist on beef tenderloin. He also enjoyed a Shinn Estate table red with the tenderloin- a great way to go local.  We ordered a side of broccoli with creamy cheddar and crispy shallots.  It was perfectly cooked and gone in seconds. Overall, our dishes represented classic, really good home cooking taken to a whole new level with some special touches and some real creativity. 

We were stuffed at this point, so we decided to forego dessert. When we got our check, we were surprised to find two individually wrapped treats to take home. The Redhead is a real gastropub with a solid menu and a laid back vibe.  Why head to one of the new trendy gastropubs for mediocre food and steep prices when you’ve got the Redhead?

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