Union Public House

I've been to UPH several times at their old Reus location, where their pickle-brined fried chicken was the best I'd ever had. Their new Garden location is MUCH different - mostly not in a great way. First, the good: our server Caroline was EXCELLENT. If I could give her a sixth star, I would. She provided phenomenal service, especially helping our gluten-free diners navigate the menu without hesitation. The manager (whose name I didn't get) was very accommodating about the music volume confusion and even ran our forgotten to-go food out to us IN THE RAIN. Now the bad: it's LOUD. The cavernous open space has no sound-absorbing surfaces. The few decorative walls do nothing to break up the overwhelming noise from other diners and the kitchen. Their "normal" music level forced us to shout across our 4-top table. After we asked, they turned it down, then someone turned it way back up, then finally down to "still too loud but lower." This definitely affected our enjoyment of my birthday dinner. It was also expensive - 3 pieces of fried chicken plus 2 sides was $29. Charcuterie was $36 for five selections on a pretty small board. $20+ for an underwhelming salad and the same for just three individual sides. The food was pretty good overall. The fried chicken was still really good, though not quite matching my memory. The cornbread was excellent, as were the sweet potato fries. The charcuterie was enjoyable (try the Ski Queen Norwegian cheese!). The tater tots were good but nothing special. The beet/goat cheese salad was underwhelming - drowning in vinegar. The house salad was just okay. Ultimately, this is not the restaurant for us. Given the volume and pricing versus the quality of food, and despite the excellent staff, it's just not worth it.

A unique and elevated take on basic dishes. I love the intricacies of each dish and carefully crafted flavor profiles. I have a gluten sensitivity and staff are able to provide recommendations and modifications to accommodate this. Nice wine and drink selection. New location is beautiful, but can get noisy when crowded. Excellent service!