Independent Brewing Company opened up in Squirrel Hill earlier this year to little fanfare. Yet, it has been on my list of places to visit for no reason other than that I love independent beer. Then, when I heard they had food to go with that beer I was sold. Then when I saw how little food was actually on the menu I was unsold. But then when I saw the menu would get expanded on Tuesdays I was sold again. It was a real roller coaster ride.
On Tuesdays they do a little something called Fat Tuesdays where they bring in some New Orleans-inspired specials. One of these was Gumbo and I went ahead an ordered it. Unfortunately, the other specials didn’t look like anything great to me, so I also ordered the Mo’ Fries, which came topped with feta, cumin and garlic.
The Gumbo was, well decent. It didn’t have too much flavor, but at least the sausages were tasty and carrots were the only vegetables to be found. On the other hand, it was well-worth the 5 bucks it cost. The Mo’ Fries, though, were damn good. There wasn’t as much cheese as I would have liked, because there really never is. But, they were fried to a good crisp and the combination of cumin and garlic added some nice flavor.
Undoubtedly, Independent Brewing Company is much more of a drinking place than a food place. This doesn’t mean the food is bad, just that it takes a backseat to the drinks and plays more of a support role than anything else. I’ll be back for the beers, and if that leads to munchies I could certainly do worse.
