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A new review of an old favorite.
The loaded tots and a strawberry fizz cocktail at Bar Louie.
Photo by Michael A. Foley/Rycus Assoc.
The Bar Louie at Easton Town Center is basically a moderately stylish pickup place; I figured it out after my daughter pointed out a number of youngish women encircled by a number of youngish men at the bar.
As for the food, I was disappointed; it has slipped since our first review a few years back.
There was quite an assortment of appetizers, which were listed as small plates. The Farmer’s Market Pizza featured nicely cooked vegetables on a thin floppy crust, with a marinara sauce that tasted like cleaning product. Spinach and artichoke dip offered lots of thin cheesy sauce and chips—and an off flavor, as if some ingredient (maybe the artichoke) was too old.
Tempura shrimp came inside a twisted paper cone in a metal contraption built to accommodate it. They were fresh enough, but too heavily battered. Three sauces in pots attached to the structure were vivid, perhaps too much so. Calamari arrived in the same contraption, but it was a small serving thanks to lots of lettuce in the bottom of the cone. In addition, the pieces were small and tough.
My two favorite small plates were Loaded Tots—you know, Tater Tots, like your mom used to heat up. They were crisp and dense with lots of cheese, bacon and scallions. What’s not to like? The slightly greasy wings had a good hot Buffalo treatment. An offering of hummus, tabbouleh and tzatziki came prettily laid out; the dips tasted OK, but there was a brown crust on the edge of the hummus, as if carelessly stored.
The chicken melt sandwich was built around what my daughter derisively called “flurkey,” short for fluffy turkey. The one bite I got tasted fine, but the texture did seem processed. I tried Bar Louie’s Ultimate Cheeseburger twice, partly because I liked the idea of a pimento cheese topping and also to make sure the beef was lacking in savor and texture as much as the first one. Alas.
Blue Moon Fish & Chips, an entree, served several battered and fried fish fillets on a bed of French fries. The fries tasted better than the fish.
As for the bar, there was nothing remarkable, except I managed to wheedle a sip of my child’s Strawberry Fizz and found it quite fresh and tasty. And sweet.
Service was excellent. The staff was personable and helpful, refilling water glasses when empty, graciously correcting orders and bringing doggie bags promptly, even changing the channel so we could follow a baseball game in progress.
If you’re youngish and cruising, this may be the place. There are better choices for food.
Bar Louie
3970 Easton Station
475-4800
Price range: Small plates $2.99-$10.99; salads $7.49-$8.99; burgers $9.49-$10.49; sandwiches $7.99-$10.99; large plates $9.99-$16.99; brunch $7.99-$14.99.
Hours: 11 am to 2 am daily.
Reservations: Not accepted.
Rating: ** 1⁄2
