creanty ltue. so tltat tlte place l‘eels ligltter attd less caverttotts. 'l‘lte raised seating area ttearest tlte pavement ltas beett takett dovvn to ground level on a nevv parquet floor. vvitlt ntanager Attgtts Stevvart plttntping l‘or ntore gla/ittg to be added to tltose big street-side timber doors. A small bar tsatts bar stools) sits on a platform to the lel‘t. vvhile booths tip three steps litte the vvall to the rigltt. 'l‘he kitchen's a bit tttore visible. through ltatcltes behind a service counter at the back. Otherwise the listed marble interiors remain. as does the big clock lace (stuck at live past one). tttttclt as bel‘ore.
Ad l.ib's nod to the Atttericatt diner attd classic Yankee recipes ltas alvvays l‘elt l‘airly assured. vvhile ttot delving ittto the stereotypical deptlts ol' the mass-
ntarketed chains. (‘hel ('ltris ()rr
ltas returtted from some vvorld travels attd his menus shovv a continuing affection for the conl'ederate states. too. So it‘s
86 THE LIST s1 ‘t’, Jan 700/
ltuslt puppies (cornbread dumplings). as vvell as a 'soul food section vvith pan-tried red snapper. barbecue pork. attd even a savoury pumpkin pie. ['8 staples such as succotash (svveet cortt attd littta beans) salad or steak are complemented by blackened chicken skevvers. smoked haddock and clattt chovvder or 'l‘exan cltilli nachos.
Naturally. at the core of the menu. there are burgers. Actttally. the billing is 'gourmet burgers‘ attd no advertising standards appear to be violated vvith such a tag. Requested pink. the hand tttade patty is plump attd juicy. tticely cltarred on the outside. The dovvnl‘all ol‘ tttatty a gourmet burger catt be the butt. so substantial that ottly a person vvith an articulated javv could possible obtain decent purchase. Here the l‘loury bap is vvide rather than obscenely proud. liven vvithout any added toppings. the rich. vvell- seasoned Angus beet version is topped vvith an onion relislt. slice ol pickled glterkitt. totttato attd plenty ol‘ l'resh salad leaves. Skinny chips (yavvn) may ttot set the potato vvorld alight. bttt they are rather ittl‘ectiously inhaled.
'I)irty rice‘ is a spicy (‘ajun/(‘rcole inl‘luenced side dislt. otten tttade vvith chicken giblets. Here the moist grains ltave been turned with some chicken stock attd red beans. herbs and even sortie pork strands. The mouth- vvatering result is as satisl‘ying as New Orleans latttotts son lirnie K Doe's ttttte ‘Motlter itt l.avv.‘ (‘arlsberg is the featured lager. but Birra Poretti on draugltt provides a tttore relined option.
With nascettt enterprises. tlte linattcial pressure to open is ol‘tett such that premises throvv opett the doors to generate some tttuclt needed revettue - at titttes before they're truly ready. ltt Ad l.ib‘s inaugural vveek. one could find
small things still itt tteed ol
addressing (like tlte ‘li' attd ‘.\l‘ scravvled on paper stuck to the loo doors). But by the tittte you see tltis. vve‘d expect any of these minor vvrinkles to ltave been ironed out.
Fin smtqu 'mmimot has transformed tntoyAg: Limp;
EAT&DR|NK
Tinderbox tripping
Barry Shelby finds himself nearly eight miles high after downing a large latte at Glasgow’s new Tinderbox.
y notes read ‘eye poppittg mental gymnastics.‘ What this really means is a borderline ltallucittogenic experience. A legal one. I hasten to add. courtesy ol‘ the nevv 'l’inderbox at Ingram attd .\lontrose streets itt (ilasgovv‘s .‘ylercltant (‘ity.
(‘an col’l‘ee do that'.’ Not ttorntally. one supposes. But on a mostly etttpty stomach attd
introduced ittto the bloodstream ot
a person I) vvhose calleine itttake is a mere trickle cotttpared to its lormer rate and 2) vvho tell on the verge ol‘ succumbing to a Iovv- level virus. anything is presumably possible. So. about 45 minutes alter dovvning a large latte. ltavittg
THIS IS MORE OF A DESTINATION VENUE RATHER THAN ONE AT THE HEART OF THE COMMUNITY
completed a perfectly sensible conversation vvitlt ntanagentent. tltittgs began to go a bit vvonky tovvards the end of another initially level-headed discussion vvitlt Krista Blake. vvho runs the eclectic art sltop. llitlterto. at the rear of the recetttly opened progressive col‘l'ee ltottse.
'l'inderbox’s corporate ovvner. the independent (‘lydeside roaster .\latlte\v Algie. boasts a col'l'ee it calls Atomic : 'l'ull bodied l()()‘é Arabica espresso vvitlt ltittts of caramel attd chocolatef it says. ‘.-\ great espresso that’s particularly good itt long drinks like cappuccino or latte.’ Perhaps this radioactive beatt is responsible for launching ttte into a pseudo— psycltedelic reverie.
Below I lost the plot. however. I managed to deduce that ntuclt ol' vvhat ltas tttade the lirst 'l‘inderbox a success on Bytes Road in tlte West littd is apparent here as well. The gorgeotts. semi—retro design ol’ (iraven ltttages cotttplemettts the split—level space. vvitlt a lth/lttllltlc above the barista's station attd the