Underground Residency

Underground Residency is the latest venture from Underground Food Collective, the group led by famed local chef Johnny Hunter that oversees Forequarter, Underground Butcher, Underground Meats, and Underground Catering.

Underground Residency is located at 11 N. Allen St., nestled in the Regent neighborhood, just around the corner from the Co-Op and a block from West High School. Over the last several years, the space has housed the Froth House, Salted Root Coffee House, and most recently, a month-long pop-up “residency” by El Grito.

When my husband and I arrived at 5:30 on a Friday night in late January, just over two weeks after the grand opening, I was very surprised to find the restaurant mostly empty — just one other pair of diners, a father and young daughter.

The restaurant is separated by a wall into two spaces. One side includes the entry, stools at a window-side counter, a small kitchen and counter for ordering, and a large table with chalkboard menus and serve-yourself silverware, napkins, and glassware. The other side is mostly seating — two long tables for larger groups, three small tables, and a few stools pulled up to a counter at the window. There are also two doors at the back, both labeled “Resident” — presumably bathrooms.

The decor is understated and casual — painted black floors and wood work, a hanging plant or two, delicate white lights framing the front window, and mostly bare walls except for a large canvas painting of bacon frying in a cast iron skillet.

The menu includes six entrees, five sides and few additional items like chicken noodle soup and pierogi. We opted for two entrees (green chorizo and mushroom ragu) and two sides (roasted cabbage caesar and pierogi). All except the pierogi were delivered to our table at the same time, which left us wishing we would have specified the sequence and timing a bit more. I would have liked to enjoy the roasted cabbage caesar first, without worrying about the mushroom ragu getting cold.

Each of the dishes were mind-blowingly good. My partner took one bite of the green chorizo with salsa verde and said, “We’ll be coming back here again.” My favorites were the creamy mushroom ragu with Pleasant Ridge Reserve and polenta, and the roasted cabbage caesar with pecorino and croutons. There was so much complexity, I found myself savoring every bite (literally spooning up the juices from the green chorizo), and analyzing the ingredients and flavors.

The one hiccup we experienced is that our order of pierogi was forgotten and never delivered. When my husband eventually asked about it at the counter, instead of offering an immediate apology, the staff seemed more confused than anything. “What? It was never delivered?” Nevertheless, they said they’d bring it right out. Then a server accidentally delivered it to a different table, before the pierogi finally made it to our table with an apology. By that point, most of our plates had been cleared away, but we still took time to enjoy the squash and cheese pierogi with onion jam.

Needing to satisfy my sweet tooth, I ordered a chocolate chip cookie with sea salt, one of three desserts on the menu.

It’s hard to tell exactly how long Underground’s “residency” will last. While a Facebook post says “a limited time,” the woman at the counter who took our order said they’ll be there “indefinitely.” Only time will tell. I can only hope I’ll be back sooner rather than later.