Sarah StockmanEnormous arched windows, airy indoor dining, a pooch-friendly outdoor patio and palate pleasing plates are a few reasons we fell for Down On Grayson—a foodie favorite near the Pearl Brewery nestled in Tobin Hill.
We started with the Shared Plates (trust us, you won’t want to share) and immediately it was a show down of the taste buds for Down On Grayson’s modern-American dishes. The house-made guacamole and jalapeño pimento cheese in the Double Dip started the meal off with a bang, but then the Avocado Toast and Shishito Peppers arrived at the table. Yum!
While the fresh avocado toast had a comforting flavor and texture, the star of the appetizer round were the fire-roasted peppers served with Sriracha mayo. They had the right amount of spice and were complimented by the light heat in the accompanying sauce, which we wanted to drizzle over every item on the menu from that point forward.
Even though we visited Down On Grayson at lunch time, it was five o’clock somewhere so we sipped on the Spicy Margarita. I’m convinced the folks behind the bar know how to do magic because nothing about this cocktail screamed, “Sarah, you have to try this!” just by reading the description on the menu. I’m usually not a fan of spicy beverages and I absolutely despise grapefruit juice, but this margarita had both and it was divine! The grapefruit flavor was traceless and the jalapeño married perfectly with the Espolòn Tequila and naranja liqueur.
The house-made Chicken Tortilla Soup and the Cobb Salad filled our bellies in the first-course, but it was the Fried Grouper Sandwich and the Fish Tacos that had us ignoring every other fish in the sea and craving more (even though we were unbelievably full).
We don’t always order dessert, but when we do, we go big! We ended our meal by ordering the restaurant’s iconic six-layer strawberry cake and the two-layer coconut cake. Whoever said, “Life’s short, eat cake” proved to be right at the end of this delicious meal. Needless to say, dessert (actually, everything on the menu) is a must at Down On Grayson.
Down On Grayson is open Sunday through Wednesday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.