So the other night, my friends and I decided we would forgo our usual haunts in favor of a new and exciting restaurant, much hyped, in the area. This was clearly our first mistake. Never give up on the tried-and-true in favor of trendy-yet-unproven. Alas, it happened, and here’s how it went down:

We were all pretty psyched to try Scratch Bar – and looking forward to an evening of “truly innovative culinary craftsmanship,”  Sadly, what we received was a strong smell of gas leaking out of the kitchen, an odd – yet not entirely unwelcome – array of music from classic rock to Snoop Dogg (because who doesn’t need a little snoop drizzle in their evening??) and a fairly standard upscale bar-fare menu. While Jonathan Gold and Hailey Duff may both be wildly impressed with the presentation and flavors of this menu, my dining party remained decided unexcited by the bar’s offerings.

Our server, though enthusiastic, managed to forget both my drink order and my one and only dietary restriction of no avocados (alas, I can never enjoy this deliciously abundant Californian treat!).  By the time our food actually arrived, however, we were high enough on gas fumes from the kitchen and singing along to Snoop Dogg that I’m not sure it really mattered. My girlfriend and I  comfortably shared two small plates, while our poor male companion ordered a number of dishes, and after ravenously devouring them, was left with a rumbling stomach and his GPS locked onto the nearest Chipotle.

We ordered the “box of vegetables,” which pretty much consisted of a couple slivers of snap peas, oil drenched oyster mushrooms, a ton of sweet corn, and a construction of fried potato strings (the “box”) surrounding the vegetables. It was fine, a bit too oily, and seemed  like a trick to getting your child to eat their vegetables. As an adult, I’ve come to enjoy my vegetables in all forms, even without sly trickery and potato chips on the side, so I felt this was an unnecessary addition to what could have been a pretty tasty appetizer.

Our main course was the salmon and kale salad. Though supposedly one of their best dishes, it arrived (for the second time – the first coming replete with delicious and dangerous avocados) drenched in dressing, with what can only be described as salmon’s version of a tuna salad thrown in. Alas, my Chop’t salad the other day was far tastier, and as a bonus, there was no gas smell. Though I wasn’t serenaded by Snoop Dogg, either, so maybe that was all a wash. All in all, a disappointing experience, and a wasted Taco Tuesday. Sigh. Back to margaritas and carnitas for me!