Sweet Offerings at Sweet Grass

Sweet Grass is a relatively new restaurant in town

and I have been anxious to try it out.

Sweet Grass is the baby of two Johnson and Wales

graduates who have brought their love for the

food from the Carolina's to B-town.

I am proficient in Internet lingo

and I have been keeping tabs on this restaurant.

I have noted the complaints that eight dollars was a lot to pay

for a hamburger.

But I also note that many of these same people

seem to feel that a certain restaurant

that features a clown as its mascot

is the baseline for all things culinary.

Now, I live by the motto that you pay what you get for.

And I certainly am willing to pay a bit more to get a bit more.

Sweet Grass Restaurant is housed in the space

that formerly held a neighborhood grocery store.

The Powers That Be in Bloomington

are terribly fond of the planned neighborhood concept,

wherein single-family homes,

condos,

apartments,

offices

and retail stores are all within walking distance.

The grocery store is just one example of a fail.

That doesn't stop TPTB from trying, though.

When I arrived just before noon,

only two tables were filled.



I was seated in the center of the room,

facing the bar.




The kitchen is open

and sits next to the entrance.



A trickling fountain dominates the entry.





A leather seating group and more tables

inhabit the bar area behind the wall.








I had already decided that I would be ordering

the Shrimp Po Boy.



Sources suggest that the Po Boy hails from New Orleans,

though accounts differ on the origin of the name.



The sandwich and freshly made potato chips arrived shortly.



The sandwich features fried shrimp,

breaded sweet peppers,

and Carolina slaw

served with herb ranch dressing

on a hoagie.



This sandwich was huge and I opted to cut it in half

in order to better eat it.



The slaw was slightly sweet and the peppers

were slightly tangy, while the shrimp were just tasty

and perfectly cooked.



Make no mistake:

this was a messy sandwich,

but it was so very good.



I would say that this was the best Shrimp Po Boy

I have ever had,

but it is also the only Shrimp Po Boy I have ever had.



The bar has been set.



I will be back to this nice restaurant.



Oh, and that nearly empty place I entered?

By the time I left,

nearly every table was filled.



That is always a good sign for the restaurant.