Datebook Diner: Star Bar still shines brightly

Diners at Star Bar. (Credit: Register file photo)

Revisited, not rated.

When I heard that chef Jeremy Morrow was selling his interest in Star Bar, the lively Ingersoll Avenue venue that serves casual-yet-better-than-bar-food cuisine, I was a bit worried. Would those creative-yet-grounded specials go away? Might the place become just another burger-and-fries/chicken-Caesar-salad joint?

Top-sellers at the place probably aren't the Niman Ranch specials that reviewers adore. Without a passionate chef in the kitchen, it would be easy to go more in the direction of serving rote stuff that brings in the most cash.

Judging by a recent visit, there is no need to worry. According to Michael Hutchinson, who opened Star Bar with Morrow three years ago, the specials will stay, and the menu will likely be nearly the same, though some new wines will be switched in.

The quality of the food shouldn't change much. Joe Tschetter, who has been doing most of the cooking, creates the specials and has been at these stoves since Star Bar opened during the summer of 2005.

Morrow can concentrate more fully on Azalea, said Hutchinson, who co-owns Azalea with Morrow.

Sounds like a win-win situation for the diner. We won big on a recent night when we ventured in for a crab-cakes special - rife with real crab and served on sprightly greens. We then moved on to a juicy burger and the restaurant's hallmark puffy-inside/ultra-crisp-outside fries.

This is exactly how Star Bar excels: Sometimes, I want a burger and fries; sometimes, I want something more refined. Sometimes, I want both.

Star Bar has seized this nice little niche like no other restaurant in town. It looks as if the restaurant is pushing forward in this very satisfying vein.