Went there tonight with DW and two teenage girls.

Overall, not impressed. The atmosphere was nice enough although seating is a bit close. Service was good. Food was meciocre for the price. DWs beef was charred, ( well done doesnt mean burnt ), mashed potatoes were fine, and the stuffed shrimp were just ok. Food temperature when delivered was not as hot as it should have been. Bartender needs to do something else for a living.

The price accurately reflects the atmosphere, but food quality and taste does not.

I will try it again, maybe breakfast. 

Went for there for Brunch today with DH and kids. So much to choose from! The service was great and the food was good but I'm with Bob, It wasn't as good as it should have been for the price. Will go again for dinner (to use up my Groupon). 

Thanks. Next time I'm down there I'll probably skip it if it's still open. 

Went Friday 4 ish. Nice and quiet, pretty fancy with linen table cloths, wine glasses - nice tablescape. Too many menu choices and OK food, but not outstanding. Better than many places around here. Price is comparable with Pappas Seafood.

I will go agin and try some other items. 

well done doesnt mean burnt

Anybody who orders something well done deserves to get bad food. After all, it's what you ordered. 

Burnt is not the same as well done! 

Anybody who orders something well done deserves to get bad food. After all, it's what you ordered. 

Not if you know how to cook. 

We went and loved it! I had the stuffed shrimp and hubby had steak. I'm my opinion it is not a place to take children. We went as a date night away from our little man and we were really disappointed on how many kids were there. Again, that us just my opinion. With the prices I was expecting there to be more adults and less little ones. The service was out of this world!!!!! We will be going back for sure. 

Well, what do you expect from some yankee place named "Union Kitchen?!" :D 

Well, what do you expect from some yankee place named "Union Kitchen?!" :

That sort of crossed my mind too, but in the spirit of healing, I was willing to give the yankees a chance. 

Ordering something well done is like telling the chef, "I'm an uncultured redneck who has no idea what he's doing in a proper restaurant, so give me your worst food since I can't tell the difference, and by the way, please burn my steak." 

A chef actually knows the difference, a cook may not. Well done is no pink in the middle, not charred. 

Most good chefs will not do well done. 

I can't stand a plate full of blood either, I order medium and I'm happy as usual with the moderate. Lol 

Most good chefs will not do well done. 

Thats a good joke, funny. 

Personally, I like it rare as rare can be, but DW likes her ground beef with no pink. 

Anyone that eats rare meat or even "pink" should be well aware of all the sickness that can be spread though ingesting meat that is not cooked properly. Also, there is the all around nasty factor of bloody meat but that's just my opinion. 

Thats how DW feels about it. 

I don't mind some pink if we do it at home. I freeze all our meat for a minimum of 48 hours but that kills all bacteria and parasites. I know how the meat is handled and that the kitchen is clean so I don't worry about it. If we eat out, I'm not big on anything pink. Salads work better. 

I'd much rather eat salad than meat. But I have to re-think things since reading Grain Brain.

Oy oy oy. 

I loved the place and the service. 

Btw, the red juice from rare meat isn't blood. It's muscle protein. 

FabFive I didn't think freezing food killed the bacteria, just keeps it from multiplying while frozen? 

I'm pretty sure it does if it is a hard freeze for more than 48 hours.

You should always cook to temp though, I don't eat anything rare.

Pork scares me the most, they are nasty animals and have many toxins. We don't eat much of it though because of that. 

I enjoyed my meal at Union Kitchen. I found their menu to be unique to the area.

Where else in the area are you going to find a Lobster Grilled Cheese (steamed lobster, avocado, brie, and sun dried tomatoes), a Seared Duck Breast Salad (baby spinach, mixed greens, with currants, almonds, and golden raisins topped with a kumquat dressing) and other dishes like that?

My first glance at the menu led me to want one of everything. My first dining experience there led me to want to keep going back because I enjoyed everything about it. 

I liked it also. But I have only done the Brunch thing.......

I am very picky about my steaks..........I want them rare......so rare that a good vet could save it....this is how I describe it to the waiters and usually I get it. If I go and get a bad one.....then hell hath no fury.........lol 

Freezing does not kill all bacteria. Only some both good and bad. It does not for instance kill salmonella 

Live a little and order the steak rare. It is the only way I eat my steak. Gooey in the middle, yum 

BTW, their brie cheese and mushroom pizza is fantastic! 

We loved the food there. It was made to order, different spices and combinations like no other. They were new at serving dinner at the time and the waitstaff had a few things to learn. But overall, it was good and we can't wait to go again. I was reading this thread to DH. He scoffed and said, "When should we go again?" -- If your steak is not right, your food not served at the right temperature, or something is not to your liking, send it back or order something different. Don't sulk about it or post on a public message board. Say something to the staff and give them the chance to make it right by you. Your repeat business is what they strive for! It's your own fault for accepting food not to your liking. 

"Anyone that eats rare meat or even "pink" should be well aware of all the sickness that can be spread though ingesting meat that is not cooked properly. Also, there is the all around nasty factor of bloody meat but that's just my opinion. "

BS. The bacteria is on the surface of the meat. As long as the surface is seared, it is fine. As with pork, trichinosis is a parasite that lives within the muscle of the meat, so thorough cooking is required. Trichinosis is extremely rare now so under cooked pork is not much of an issue.... once in a while 

To further validate what Donkey is referring to, Anthony Bourdain wrote in his book, Kitchen Confidential that when chefs see an order for a well done steak, they reach for that one steak that has been picked over and left behind due to being an inferior cut, lesser marbling, and those that are thinner since it's easier to cook thinner steaks well done. Cooking well done also hides the inferior nature of the cut.

When I was a kid I used to prefer well done for the same reasons some people above are claiming. It was the belief that I was getting less blood and was getting a safer cooking technique. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how wrong it was to believe that.

Cooking it more reduces the flavor. To kill bacteria, the food merely needs to reach 122 degrees. At that temperature, no bacteria that is harmful to humans can survive. Getting a steak cooked rare still results in the internal temperature being above the level needed to kill harmful bacteria and still ensures higher quality texture and flavor.

There are no good reasons to get a steak well done. The reasons given tend to reflect mental barriers. 

To further validate what Donkey is referring to, Anthony Bourdain wrote in his book, Kitchen Confidential that when chefs see an order for a well done steak, they reach for that one steak that has been picked over and left behind due to being an inferior cut, lesser marbling, and those that are thinner since it's easier to cook thinner steaks well done. Cooking well done also hides the inferior nature of the cut.


I remember that from his book too. Also the "don't order fish on a Monday" always stuck with me. I like my steak medium or medium rare. I dont see the point of ordering a good cut of meat well done. 

My only beef with the place is that they have the unenforceable No Gun sign. I carry anyway though :P 

Med rare for my steak. Now the burger needs to not be pink since is chopped beef and can have the bacteria.... 

My only beef with the place is that they have the unenforceable No Gun sign. I carry anyway though :P 

I noticed that too. It doesnt meet the state criteria. 

"I noticed that too. It doesnt meet the state criteria.
Yep, sucks for them 

Gotta love when people admit doing a worse job for some paying customers. Guess they really don't have pride in doing their best. 

Most good chefs will not do well done.

I have never head of that.

Personally, I like it rare as rare can be, but DW likes her ground beef with no pink.

No pink is well done, not chard.

I like mine med/well. Just a tiny pink. 

Gotta love when people admit doing a worse job for some paying customers. Guess they really don't have pride in doing their best.

Who admitted that on this topic?