Industry Public House - North Fayette

Last weekend we decided to give Industry Public House in North Fayette another try. It had been 14 months since we last tried to go and had a not-good experience that ended in us not eating there (No Wait said come on in but when we did, we were told there was a 45 minute wait plus they had the curb cuts blocked off and SP had to get me up the high curb). This time, No Wait said come on in, but SP went in first to check before getting me out & in the wheelchair. Happily, they could seat us right away. Sadly, while the curb cuts were not blocked, they stink. I'm not even sure they're completely ADA compliant. There's no way I can go forward over the uneven bumps/levels of concrete to get to the curb cut itself, so SP had to take me backwards, and at the top of the one curb cut, there is no space for the wheelchair to be level because the outdoor dining railing comes all the way out to the top of the curb cut slope. So then I have to be turned sideways on a slope and pushed while tilted to the side to get to the flat part. Sigh. No idea why there is not a curb cut right in front of the restaurant entrance.

Anyway, Industry inside doesn't look like the Don Pablo Mexican Restaurant it used to be. As the name suggests, there is an industrial feel (wood/brick). We were seated off to right of the entrance in an area near the outdoor dining area. There are lots of large windows, so lots of natural light. We both ordered fresh iced teas - points for fresh iced teas and not that fake fountain crap. SP ordered a cocktail: Smokestack, their signature cocktail (choose your favorite whiskey, drizzle in some maple syrup & a few dashes of bitters, then torch some wood (cherry, mesquite, apple, hickory, maple, or pecan) to lightly infuse a fresh smoke to the bourbon).

He chose Buffalo Trace and cherry wood. He really liked it. I had a wee sip and rediscovered that I hate smoke flavor in a beverage.

We started with Deep Fried Pickles (house made pickles / beer batter / ranch dip). These were spears, not rounds, and were really hot. I burned the roof of my mouth. But they were yummy. I loved the breading.

For his meal, SP chose 9th Ward Salad (salmon / kale / blackberry / green apple / goat cheese / barley / ginger vinaigrette). It was a lot of kale. It looked way to rabbit-y for me but SP said it was delicious and he ate every last kale leaf.

I chose the Smoke Stack sandwich (shaved ribeye / aged white cheddar / arugula / horseradish / sourdough). This was yummy and I really liked it.

While I liked the sandwich, I didn't care for the fries. I'm not much of a fries person anyway and these weren't very crisp, just kind of soft/limp and tasteless. Disappointing. SP didn't even scarf them up.

I didn't really want dessert, but SP did, so I said OK. What really appealed to me was a Leona's ice cream sandwich, but I couldn't believe they were selling them at $8/sandwich. Everywhere else we've gotten them, it's been $5/sandwich. Same for the Stickler's popsicles - the truck sells them for $3 but here they were $5. I couldn't quite grasp the lemon sugar nacho concept and even after asking our server about them, I still couldn't get it, so I left it up to SP because I didn't much want dessert anyway. He chose the Fresh Fruit Cobbler.

It was disappointing. I don't like oats, and oats were in the crumble topping. SP likes that. I don't. The fruit was just one fruit, cherries, and they didn't look/taste fresh. They looked/tasted like canned cherry pie filling. Definitely won't be ordering the cobbler again.

It's nice to have a non-chain option in this area (Robinson/North Fayette). I liked the iced tea, pickles, and sandwich, but next time I'd ask about ordering a side besides fries and skip dessert. The crappy curb cut access still bugs me. Our server was fine. She seemed a little thrown by a couple questions I asked and didn't ask SP if he wanted a second cocktail, but she was pleasant and kept his iced tea filled (no small feat - I have no idea how he can drink so much!). We'll go back.