Bukowski's Reopens

Oh happy Inman Square day!  Last Tuesday Bukowski's finally reopened.  JO and I had high hopes for the revamped bar.

The old Bukowski's was a bit of a dive bar with mediocre food and a loud atmosphere.  To be honest we hadn't gone to Bukowski's all that match in the past few years.  Sure, it was good in a pinch and we loved that it was usually open holiday nights for a quick snack.

While it's been closed though the neighborhood has definitely felt it's absence.  There's one less place for people to go and the other restaurants and bars got a bit more crowded.  We watched the renovations with excitement as the interior got a huge facelift.  Then, it was announced that the chef from the Rattlesnake was going to be working on the menu and our hopes grew.

Bukowski's finally opened last Tuesday and JO and I raced over there after work in hopes of getting in.  I really like what they have done with the interior.  It's much brighter, although a bit smaller.  It has a nice modern feel.  We were lucky enough to get a table against the back wall.  The renovations made the space feel a bit smaller but that didn't bother me.  The beer/drinks menu is just as good as it was before.

The quality of the food has definitely improved, but the menu is rather limited.  It consists of some appetizers, a few salads, and lots of burgers (like camel, elk, antelope, etc.)  I'm not a burger person so I wasn't thrilled with the lack of choices on the menu.  The did keep the white trash dip from the old menu, but the new incarnation is nothing like the old version.  The weird pita chip things got really soggy and the dip lacked the liquidy American cheese taste that the old one was famous for.

JO loved his antelope burger.  I got the plain burger and it was served a bit rarer than I would have liked.  I did like that I had the option of a salad instead of fries.  The salad was really good and was served with a salad dressing made from beer.  I wish you could get chicken or shrimp on the salad but I didn't see that as a option.

Overall, I was disappointed in the new Bukowski's but I'm glad it's open again.  And I can imagine sitting by the big, open garage doors in the summer.