THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Shoo-Fly Diner

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Shoo-Fly Diner Restaurant Review:

Second acts can be tricky, and Spike and Amy Gjerde’s follow-up to the uber-popular Woodberry Kitchen and Artifact Coffee has suffered from wildly inflated expectations. Is it as good? Well, no. And if you’re hoping for diner-style bountiful portions you’ll be disappointed. But if you jettison those expectations you can have a good meal, and a lot of fun, at Shoo-Fly Diner. The food is farm-to-table, a la Woodberry, and they are serious about local and seasonal ingredients. However, Shoo-Fly’s mood is breezy and playful. The building, the former Hess shoe store that also housed Taste and Crush, has Midcentury Modern lines, to which the Gjerdes have added a dose of Mayberry: weathered barnwood, shelves of homemade preserves, a big American flag over the bar. Patrick Crooks’ menu is similarly cozy, stocked with fresh takes on such grandma classics as meatloaf with mashed potatoes, fried chicken with cornbread, and shoo-fly pie. Do bring the kids; they get their own menu and downstairs playroom, and the little ones will enjoy a trip on the famous Hess slide.