Barcade - Beyond a Liquid Lunch!

I really like beer. I also really like sandwiches. So not too long ago, when Barcade made some changes to their menu and began running a lunch special of any sandwich, $6 beer, and pretzels for $10, I was pretty excited.

The options include both hot and cold sandwiches including a veggie burger and a couple of grilled cheeses that are vegetarian-friendly (nothing specifically vegan) and there are about ten options in all. One of the most extreme of these options is the waffle sandwich - your choice of either maple-mustard chicken or all-natural pork sausage (or both for a $2 supplement) with american cheese between two waffles which sounds intense but delicious. While I definitely considered getting it, I decided to keep things a little simpler and go for the Fancy Lad grilled cheese - and yes, I chose it because of the name. Also ordered were the regular grilled cheese and the Mac and Cheese with pulled pork (another intense but delicious one).


When the sandwiches were first brought out, I was a little dismayed to see the sizes of the grilled cheeses. While the pulled pork was decently-sized, the grilled cheeses were on different bread and at first, seemed like they would only offer up a couple of bites each. However, it turned out to be fine as they were overflowing with melty cheesiness and were quite filling.

Both of the grilled cheese sandwiches were made on pressed beer bread (in this case, it kind of seemed like a crusty french bread) and made with maitre d' butter (basically an herb compound butter). They were very well-grilled/toasted, rich and buttery as a good grilled cheese should be, but not overwhelmingly greasy. The regular was made with cheddar and swiss and was relatively mild but a really good grilled cheese. The Fancy Lad, made with Fontina and aged Gruyere, was a little funkier and indeed a little fancier, but still relatively mild. It had a touch of nutty flavor from the gruyere that was complemented by the herbs in the butter. The cheese was fantastically gooey and melted, so it was a bit messy but in a very delicious way.

The Mac and Cheese with pulled pork was served on ciabatta with watercress and there was way more pulled pork to this sandwich than mac and cheese. This is a good thing. The mac and cheese was not a stand-out version, but still good, working well with the juicy and flavorful pork, acting almost as glue to keep everything together. The ciabatta was also nicely toasted and had a good crispness and chewiness to it, adding some textural variety. This was definitely the heaviest of the sandwiches but it wasn't quite at gut-bomb level either.

All in All
Barcade (163 Newark Ave by Barrow St.) is a great place to hang out, especially during the somewhat quiet daytime hours and this lunch special is all the more reason to do so. The sandwiches all look good and are definitely above your typical bar food standards. The portions ended up working out well, and when combined with the (tasty) dill pickles and pretzels (plus the beer), it was a very fulfilling meal and a nice change of pace, although I don't know that I would have been as happy with the food if I'd had to pay full price for it. However, at lunch, it's really a great deal especially if you like a beer to break up the middle of your day. The special runs every day from 12pm - 5pm and I will absolutely be back for it again.