Relish the Thought of Another New Restaurant

There is a restaurant at the corner of Main Street and Pulaski Road in beautiful downtown Kings Park. The building has housed many restaurants throughout the years. 

It has been a "smokey diner",  in the days when smoking was allowed, to most recently, Mrs.Brown's. I knew Mrs. Brown's was not in this for the long haul as they never installed a permanent sign. In the late summer, word spread that it was changing once again. My daughter had been calling it "random", as it seemed to be open at random hours.

After hearing that there was a new menu, we once again decided to check it out. Our first visit was two weeks ago. The Mrs. Brown's banner was still flying, but the staff had on Relish shirts and the menu was new.Our server was enthusiastic about the new menu, and knowledgeable of the food.

We heard the table behind us raving about the pickles. The chef came out to tell them that they were house made from his uncle's recipe. There were only two other tables the time.  It would have been a nice touch to offer some pickles to the other guests.

When we decided on orders, I had the chicken and chorizo tacos served with green chile, queso fresco, avocado crema and an ear of roasted corn. It was all surprisingly fresh and delicious. The corn may have been the best I have had in a restaurant. The dish at $16.95 was a bit overpriced. My wife enjoyed her classic Greek salad served the traditional way with a lemon olive oil dressing, with an emphasis on the lemon. My son had the fried shrimp basket that was a special for the evening. It was served with hand cut fries. The shrimp and fries were crispy and delicious. We were told that the place would be totally transformed to "Relish" over the Labor day weekend.

We decided on a second visit. The Relish sign is up and in a permanent fashion. I love the new slogan " a pleasurable appreciation of....food, family & life". The still enthusiastic waiter served us again. We mentioned the previous week's pickle conversation and this time he returned from the kitchen with a sampling. They were delicious with a hint of juniper berries. The chef was glad we liked them. It was my second visit, chatted briefly with the chef and he still has not introduced himself. A restaurant is as much it's personality as it's food.

Anyway, we decided it was hamburger night. I ordered the chile verde burger, served with avocado, green chile peppers, ancho ketchup, and hand cut fries. The burgers were juicy and served as ordered. They are on a brioche roll. My wife ordered the classic burger minus the American cheese. It was served without the cheese but also without the lettuce, tomatoes , onions, and pickles. They were brought after we pointed out the error. The service seemed a bit disorganized tonight as the restaurant filled.

The food is fresh and good. It is a good local restaurant worth another try. Hint to unnamed chef-- the name of place is Relish, a few pickles on the table when guests arrive would be a great welcome as well as exciting to the palate.