‘Bar food’ elevated at Cask Republic

Trying to always keep an eye on my budget, I have begun to enjoy the plethora of bar foods and happy hours in our area. Long ago bar food was a chafing dish filled with mini egg rolls and saggy jalapeno poppers. Unless you arrived first, opening the mostly empty silver chafing dish was a depressing sight. After a drink or two it almost didn’t matter, it was “free food.”

Bar food has become one of the main reasons people now dine out. With entrees even at middling restaurants skyrocketing toward $30 or more, a decent-sized appetizer or “small plate” is a guilt-free alternative.

I will be reporting on some of the best affordable bar food I have found. Cask Republic is the first.

Cask Republic has three locations, two are in our area: Norwalk and Stamford. Like the original New Haven location they are visually welcoming and tasteful. The wooden tables are generous, the bar well stocked and sparkling, the staff friendly and yes the food ... very nice. Cask Republic has a menu filled with an array of “small plates” and the ones I sampled were worth the trip.

Like many hip restaurants, Cask Republic has a selection of craft cocktails. Bartender-invented creations of oddball liquors, exotic bitters and strange fruits. Honestly, I have yet to meet a craft cocktail I liked. Please give me a Tanqueray and tonic, or a decent whiskey sour with a bright red cherry and I am happy. I do not want to play “guess the ingredients” with a glassful of booze that may be inventive but tastes dreadful.

So I ordered a mojito, not the one with strawberries and rhubarb in it, but just a regular old mojito. It was very good, fresh mint, good rum, lots of ice. I had arrived at Cask Republic in a rather foul mood; it was pouring rain outside and I just paid my taxes, but halfway through the mojito the world took on a rosy glow.

My appetite sparked, I surveyed the menu. Cask Republic offers 15 small plates, a broad selection designed to please most palates. The waitress suggested I order what I wanted and she would orchestrate when the courses were ready to be served. There was no rush to eat and leave, and this type of timed serving put a big load on the kitchen. I was impressed by the offer. This is not an “eat it and beat it” place; Cask Republic encourages you to dine and drink at your leisure.

The first small plate I ordered was shrimp and grits. It was not the traditional South Carolina version, but had two large tiger shrimp, a mound of Mexican cotija cheese grits and an andouille sausage vinaigrette. I was prepared to not like the sausage vinaigrette, which seemed unnecessarily “inventive,” and something you might put on a salad, but it was wonderful, providing a tangy and spicy bump needed to the bland cheese grits. Granted, two large shrimp seems rather sparse, but the whole dish once assembled was quite luxurious.

Then came two large blackened fish tacos dressed with cilantro crema and classic pico de dallo salsa. The fish was indeed “blackened” and was surprisingly spicy. I would only suggest ordering the tacos if you like a real kick in the tastebuds and a need for a jump-start.

There was no rhyme or reason to the dishes I ordered. I just ate what looked intriguing. The truffled gorgonzola fondue with homemade potato chips first struck me as skimpy, but then I remembered it was a “small plate” and in this context seemed perfect. At least two handfuls of homemade potato chips were served next to a coffee cup-sized cheese fondue. It was perfect food for getting soused, easy to eat, not a lot of chewing involved, relying on hands rather then utensils.

One dish that took me by surprise was the dull sounding Roasted Vegetable Flatbread. In my book vegetables are OK, flatbread, meh, but this version was one that would convert a skeptic. It was brash and punchy topped with caramelized onions, “12-hour” roasted tomato, a goat cheese cauliflower puree and salsa verde. It was perfect with the mojito and was healthy, well-proportioned and filling.

Cask Republic has a vast selection of interesting beer and what is more perfect with a beer than a Bavarian soft pretzel sided with cave-aged Amish cheddar and grain mustard ale sauce. Not too long ago I was stuck at the Frankfurt Airport in Germany waiting for a connection. I was happy for the free time bestowed on me because it gave me time to scout out the big soft pretzels I saw for sale as I rushed to my gate. To my dismay the pretzels were tasteless and terrible. I can’t explain why the pretzel in Norwalk was better than the pretzel in Germany, but it was. Maybe all airport food is awful, but big soft pretzels should be an easy offering.

I ended my feast with a very decadent plate of crisp pork belly bites. It was made with grilled apples, pickled jalapenos and a sweet barbecue glaze. It required a second mojito, after which I stumbled out on the rain-soaked streets of Norwalk. My bad mood had lifted; taxes and inclement weather is a given, but good bar food is a find.

Jane Stern, a Ridgefield resident, coauthored the popular “Roadfood” guidebook series with Michael Stern. Join her each week as she travels Fairfield County finding a great meal in unexpected places for $20 or less.