Editorial Datebook Review: Raccoon River Brewing Company

The interior of Raccoon River Brewing Company. (Credit: Register file photo)

Too often, the search for the casual-but-committed Tuesday night meal leaves me stumped.

Frankly, I'm getting a little tired of spending bistro prices any time I want to veer off the pizza-burger-pasta path.

That's why I'm thrilled with Raccoon River Brewing Company right now. With a few new menu items alongside some longtime favorites - and a potentially perfect patio set to bloom as the weather warms - this place is set to be the go-to spot for the any-night meal this summer.

Atmosphere: The modern urban warehouse look lends an airy, open feel; on a recent visit, seasonal flowerpots were making their way to the pleasant patio, snugly wedged between historic buildings.

Recently, the brewery went entirely smoke-free - upstairs and down. Patrons love it. The joint was hopping on two weeknight visits.

Menu: Find a great variety of full-meal salads, meaty entres, fish, pasta, pizza and sandwiches. Many strike the perfect balance between inventive and restrained; that is, while mango may spike the barbecue sauce, no one's putting sushi on the pizza - thank heavens.

Great tastes: With such a huge menu, I wondered if we'd suffer through a few dishes that seemed made-in-advance and warmed over. Not at all. Most everything we tasted possessed the freshness and sparkle of just-cooked, prepared-on-the-spot food.

Top bites included the beautifully cooked, glistening fresh sesame-crusted yellow-fin tuna with its spring-green sides of asparagus and spinach. The moist, meaty and tender ribs traveled beyond the expected, thanks to the mango angle in the barbecue sauce. A half-rack is plenty for one. For diners who want to splurge (or split), the 16-ounce, bone-in rib-eye brings a lovely cut of meat, with a three-pepper butter providing a nice little edge.

Less than great: I wouldn't bother with the shrimp and crab cakes again, especially when so many other places do them so much better (Josephs, 801 and Bonefish Grill come to mind). These tasted mostly of breading.

The drippy coleslaw could use a little excitement. I was surprised that a place so committed to energetic food would serve such a tired version of the side.

SERVICE: As finely balanced as the kitchen - warm, welcoming, jovial, yet not the type to pull up a chair and join your table.

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