The Shop

3 Reviews on “The Shop”

• Juli

  OH MY GOODNESS THE VEGAN GYRO. Such a perfect gastropub, exposed brick kinda vibe. Already planning my next trip up to Troy, just for that brunch menu.

  May 20, 2020, 6:45 am

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• Sally

  Wow! What a pleasant surprise! Food was wonderful and large portions. Great ambiance in a vintage restored hardware store!

  September 1, 2015, 12:52 am

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• Roger K

  16 Dec, 2017 Is it false advertising? Is it bait and switch? What do you do if what you are served is not what you are expecting? If youre at The Shop, just sit back and enjoy it!Our server explained that the evenings special was a Russian Feast. The first course would be Borscht, the second was lamb and pork filled Pierogi, and the third course was Cake with Honey. Well, at least that was what I heard.From the ever impressive list of draft beers we chose pints of the Common Roots Coffee Cup Stout ($8) and the Boulder Chocolate Shake (nitro) Porter ($6) while we perused the menu. I told my wife I was interested in the Russian Feast ($59.40), but apparently didnt hear that it was a meal for two. Fortunately, my wife was willing to share it with me.The beers were excellent, especially the Chocolate Shake Porter with a creamy and velvety head. I thought I also tasted some notes of vanilla in it. But our first real surprise came when the borscht arrived and it had meat in it and didnt appear to be beet-red. There was a large portion of shredded beef in it. Whether it was my Mom, my grandmother, or my aunt, I dont think any of them ever added meat to their borscht. I do think that I probably did have beef in borscht at one time in the past, but it was still beet-red.This borscht was more like a beef soup. While not what I was expecting, it was delicious. It had a rich and robust flavor, the beef was tender and flavorful, and my wifes only complaint was that it could have been served at a hotter temperature. We finished off every drop in the large bowl and enjoyed dunking slices of pumpernickel bread in that rich broth. (I subsequently found out that the borscht was made with oxtail and mild candy striped beets.)Our next surprise was the Pierogi. This was NOT pierogi this was a calzone imposter! A large circle of bread dough had been folded over the filling and baked in an oven. It was then served with a gravy poured over it with sides of cabbage and shredded cucumber. There was no way the two of us were going to eat all of this disguised dish, so it just better be good enough to take some home.And it was. The filling was a nice blend of pork and a very mild flavored lamb. Mild enough that with the full-flavored gravy, even my reluctant lamb-eating wife was enjoying it. She especially liked how the sauerkraut cabbage blended with the calzone oops, pierogi. The cucumbers were a light and refreshing contrast to the rest of the dish. I was more than happy with the overall flavors I was enjoying in this Italian hacked Russian feast and even thought the crust on the bread dough had good texture and flavor. (Once again, I later learned that it was a Russian Pirozhok, essentially a meat pie and not the expected pierogi, that was prepared with a riced potato and yeast risen dough that was deep fried.)The only surprise in the third course of cake was that we didnt notice any predominance of expected honey flavor. The cake was a large slice of a six-layer, relatively dry, yellow cake. The frosting helped to provide the missing moisture and more of it between the layers would have been beneficial. The sections of orange and pomegranate arils accenting the plate also served, along with a dollop of chocolate dusted whipped cream, to lighten the bites of cake and add more flavor.Service continues to be friendly and efficient and management is more than happy to explain what you are served. Even if you dont get what you expected, expect to enjoy what you get. 27 Jul, 2016It appears that The Shop has added an additional stool at the bar since our last visit in November, 2014. I now see four of them. But that doesnt appear to be the only change.The draft beers continue to be a broad selection of craft brews that you are not likely to find at most other places. They are from breweries like Argus, Captain Lawrence, Dogfish Head, Common Roots, The Beer Diviner, Stone, Ninkasi, Good Nature, Jacks Abbey and others. The menu is much more broad than on our last visit when it featured a little more than sliders and hot dogs.We started with a Beer Diviner Original Pale ($7, less $2 during happy hour) for me and a special cocktail called When in Rome ($11) for my wife. That cocktail had strawberry, balsamic vinegar, dry and sweet vermouth, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and rimmed with ground pepper. As weird as it sounds, it was quite good almost savory. As an appetizer, we shared their Sherry Shrooms ($9) button top mushrooms sauted in butter, garlic and sherry, with a smoked paprika aioli, crumbled feta, and toasted baguettes. WOW, those were good. We wiped up every bit of sauce with those baguettes.We then moved on to our main dishes, the 44th Street Seitan ($10) for her and the evenings special, a Blackened Catfish Sandwich ($14) for me. The Seitan is house made, caramelized with fermented chili, scallion, sweet and savory sherry sauce, with Korean rice cakes. It was very flavorful with a good balance of sweet and savory, and a nice mix of textures.The Catfish sandwich was topped with a preserved lemon tartar sauce, lettuce and tomato, and it came with house frites and slaw. The fish was moist with a nice coating of the spices blackened on the grill. Even the grilled club roll was soft and tasty. The slaw was a nice blend of cabbage and carrot with just enough mayo. The fries were very plentiful, hot and delicious.Our server, Lynzee, was energetic, efficient, friendly and knowledgeable. There were numerous other items on the menu that are calling us back sooner than later.02 Nov, 2014 Duck Sliders Special. The rolls were very fresh, the duck was moist and flavorful, and the onions were perfectly caramelized.Excellent Craft Beer Selection!. It says HARDWARE on the door and you will find a lot of it repurposed throughout the pub. Just check out the draft beer handles at the bar. The dcor is minimalist brick walls, pine boards, and old metal stools and chairs. Sliding barnlike doors cover the entrances to the restrooms, but also prevent patrons from getting slammed as they pass through the hallway between the bar area and the back dining room.Eclectic craft beer selections continue to grow in popularity as more and more restaurants realize that there are customers out there who want to experience something truly different. The Shop doesnt disappoint. With offerings from such breweries as Uinta, Rushing Duck, Lake Front, Goose Island, Leffe, Left Hand, Ommegang, and New Buffalo, there are some really good tasty brews to enjoy.Drafts are generally offered in either 12 oz. or 16 oz. portions. They do not offer flights, but will give you a taste of any draft to help you decide. I started off with a 12 oz. Ommegang Valar Morghulis ($8; 8% abv) with the expectation that I would be having a second draft before leaving. This Ommegang from its Game of Thrones series is possibly the best Ommegang beer Ive ever enjoyed. My wife ordered the nitro version of the Left Hand Saw Tooth ($5/6; 5.3% abv), an ESB that becomes so nice and creamy with the nitro.When our sever told us about the Duck Sliders special ($12) for the evening, we knew right away we wanted to try it. We also ordered a Scotch Egg ($5) with the intent of sharing both the Sliders and the Scotch Egg as a light late night snack. The sliders were possibly the best Ive ever had. The three rolls were very fresh, the duck was moist and flavorful, and the onions were perfectly caramelized. A zig-zag of glaze on the plate was tasty by itself but did not seem to add anything to the already delicious flavor of the duck. The Scotch Egg was cooked perfectly with the yolk still soft and moist. The surrounding sausage was just OK, it could have used some additional flavoring or something to give it zing or pop even though it came with some honey mustard.We finished off with another Left Hand nitro and a Rushing Duck Beanhead ($5/6; 7% abv) coffee porter. The Beanhead was good, but after the Valar Morghulis it just seemed like the porter lacked in flavors.Service was friendly and efficient. If you plan on being served at the bar then plan on standing. There were only three stools, maybe they plan on adding more in the future. But there were plenty of seats at both high-top and regular tables, and a few booths by the front entrance.

  February 2, 2015, 5:55 am

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