Venkman's

Venkman's Restaurant Review:

With doctorates in psychology and parapsychology, the character Peter Venkman in the 1984 film "Ghostbusters" contributed his surname to this vibe-rich establishment. But there’s no need for the ghostbusting team to chase any paranormals. Just savor the environment, crafted out of a renovated soft drink factory, with a performance stage in the dining room. An adjacent patio provides quieter seating. Founding executive chef Nick Melvin has left the position to tend to his other enterprise, Doux South, which makes pickles and whole-grain mustards, leaving his sous chef, Keenan Boyles, in charge. Among the many dishes to recommend are the special pulled pork croquettes topped with a bit of chow chow, a Southern country cabbage-based relish, and the plate of roasted carrots with pea tendrils and random pickled embellishments. Brined and fried chicken (cast-iron cooked, of course) offered a crispy skin but spared us the thick coatings so many establishments purvey. Accompanying the whole chicken leg was another singular vegetable adornment, featuring fresh peas in the mix. For dessert, we "relished" the goat cheese cake pudding with crumbled freeze-dried strawberries on top, giving the creamy texture a crunchy contrast. The short wine list offers respectable selections, such as a good Grüner Veltliner. And then there's the music: Groups vary widely as to style and genre. It's free every Tuesday night, when customers sit in with both instrumentals and vocals in a jazz-focused concert.