RESTAURANTS

Review: Silver Dollar brunch is 'the good life'

Nancy Miller
Special to the Courier-Journal
  • 3 1/2 stars out of 4
  • Address: 1761 Frankfort Avenue Telephone: (502) 259-9540 Web: whiskeybythedrink.com Cuisine: American South/1950s Southern California
  • Alcohol: Full bar Vegetarian: Yes Price range: Inexpensive Reservations: Yes Credit cards: AE, V, MC, D Children's menu: Several items are kid-friendly Smoking: On patio after 10 p.m.
  • Access: The restaurant appears to be fully accessible for people using wheelchairs without assistance. Hours: Monday – Sunday, 5 p.m.-2 a.m; kitchen closes at midnight. Brunch: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

The Silver Dollar intersperses traditional Southern fare with Mexican-influenced dishes reminiscent of Southern California in the mid-20th century. The menu is well-stocked with culinary memorabilia that Chef Tyler Powell enlivens with his own twists that rant and rave with deep flavors and leave delicacy at the door.

Music playing in the background (well, not so much the background as all around) is a bonus to the authenticity of honky-tonks and the Bakersfield Sound of the '50s. The bar beckons with an outstanding bourbon selection and cocktails such as the Old Rough & Ready, Long Train Blues and The Preacher's Wife.

Kids, hipsters, a couple of seniors and a bevy of in-betweens filled the place with a happy buzz (the natural kind, not the libation-induced kind) during a recent brunch. No one looked as if they would rather have been anywhere else than in the former 1890s firehouse turned restaurant, where original brick walls and a fire pole are uncontrived reminders of the space's history. There's plenty of inside seating in booths and at tables, and the patio is a persuasive draw in nice weather.

Servers are so affable and fun that Alex and I wanted them to join us. But that would have been awkward since our table was overflowing with way too much food we had ordered with way too much enthusiasm.

A beer caddy of four sauces delivered to each table is a friendly greeting that ranges from slightly spunky to hot enough to melt your hair.

The SD Dog ($6) is a hot-diggity starter. A smoked breakfast sausage is wrapped in a cornbread pancake, then fried to a chestnut-brown color and a crispy texture that's you'll want to dip, if not drench, in maple syrup.

Crunchy and plump fried oysters ($11) would have been excellent on their own, but ancho aioli booted them up several notches.

For a lighter beginning, there's the BLT salad ($7) or the roasted beet and pear salad, with candied pecans, bleu cheese and truffled sherry vinaigrette.

Roasted poblano sauce doesn't do all the talking for flank & eggs ($14) but it has an assertive voice that won't be ignored, even by the coffee and spice rub on the steak. Served with two over easy eggs, the dish is a high-protein bonanza of taste.

Queso Cotija, a subtle, crumbly Mexican cheese was well-balanced with salsa verde in the Chilaquiles Verdes ($9), paired with over-easy eggs. Shredded chicken may be added for a $2 up-charge.

Powell adds bacon and mushrooms to shrimp and grits ($14). Diners at the adjacent table were relishing his take on the conventional dish, causing jealousy to raise its ugly head at our table.

The Plates offerings also feature huevos rancheros, biscuit and gravy, chili cheese hash brown (Texas-style or vegetarian), pancakes, a waffle, and smoked chicken enfrijoladas (a corn tortilla, queso fresco and black beans), all priced between $9 and $14.

Sandwiches ($8 to $11) include brisket, fried oysters, a veggie burger, bean bolillo (three beans and three cheeses), Sloppy Sloppy Joe (served with an egg), a double cheeseburger and Texas toast stack (bacon, cheddar, fried green tomato, fried eggs and caramelized onions). All sandwiches are served with house-made chips. Or, fries may be substituted if you want to up the tab by $2.

A side of hash browns ($4) was predictably good as fried shredded potatoes and onions are inclined to be, but would have been better if they had been a little less greasy. Spuds lovers may also choose potato fries ($4) or sweet potato fries ($5).

Granola and maple yogurt ($4) and multigrain toast with jam ($2) are side nods to health-conscious diets.

Banana pudding is about as homespun as desserts come. Or so we thought. The Silver Dollar's banana pudding ($8) is a large serving of lusciously caramelized bananas under an inch or more of golden meringue.

Brunch at The Silver Dollar is an upbeat end to the week — or the beginning of a new week, depending on how you look at the calendar. The restaurant is open every night of the week, serving soups and chili, fried catfish, chicken livers, pork chops, ribs and, as is too often said, and more. In this case, it's true. There's lots more. The Silver Dollar brings to Frankfort Avenue food that's miles away from a cliché and drinks that will set you straight about why living in Bourbon Country is living the good life.

You can email freelance restaurant critic Nancy Miller at millermadison@aol.com. Follow @WhatNancyThinks on Twitter.

THE SILVER DOLLAR

3 1/2 stars out of four

Address: 1761 Frankfort Avenue

Telephone: (502) 259-9540

Web: whiskeybythedrink.com

Cuisine: American South/1950s Southern California

Alcohol: Full bar

Vegetarian: Yes

Price range: Inexpensive

Reservations: Yes

Credit cards: AE, V, MC, D

Children's menu: Several items are kid-friendly

Smoking: On patio after 10 p.m.

Access: The restaurant appears to be fully accessible for people using wheelchairs without assistance.

Hours: Monday – Sunday, 5 p.m.-2 a.m; kitchen closes at midnight. Brunch: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

★★★★ outstanding

★★★½ excellent

★★★☆ very good

★★½☆ good

★★☆☆ fair

★☆☆☆ poor