• Walleye Tacos $9

It would be hard to be a restaurant in Uptown. There is so much competition. You really need to find your niche to make it. The Independent does well as a bar with some good appetizers I think, but beyond that I am not sure.

I really liked my drink called the bonecrusher. While I was able to stand afterwards, it was strong, but also very yummy. My walleye tacos were huge, three tacos with a whole plate full of sweet potato chips. If the tacos had been just the walleye strips and the mayo type sauce on it, I think I would have been more favorable, but they added this cabbage salad which I know is typical with fish tacos, but this was really over powering way too much vinegar. One thing I have found in my years of going to restaurants is that balance of flavors is difficult and only a few people have it. I am not going to say this dish was total failure, because if I took off the cabbage salad I was fine and actually enjoyed it, and they got the right idea, it is just not quite there yet.

Overall if you are in Uptown, you have so many other choices for dinner that I would have difficulty recommending this one, but if you just want a cool drink and an appetizer after shopping at Calhoun Square this may be an option.

• Sirloin $18
• Pumpkin Flan $5

The Independent is one of those places you leave with a sigh of relief and say to yourself, “That could have been really bad.” Mix in a trendy upscale décor with Uptown, Calhoun Square, bar scene, and somewhat uncomfortable signage,** and you think that there’s no way anyone had any time to think about a menu beyond bar appetizers, burgers, and chicken strips.

I went thinking that I wanted a steak that evening, so I was happy to see a sirloin on the menu. The steak was juicy and closer to rare than the medium rare I ordered. It was a good quality, fresh piece of meat. Overall, a good steak for the money in a place you wouldn’t expect to find good steak. The asparagus was fresh, delicious, and buttery, but not overly greasy. However, the sweet potato cheddar au gratin was a cheesy disaster. They layered a solid half inch of cheese on top of the sweet potatoes to make it greasy and fully mask the flavor of the vegetable. Hideous.

The pumpkin flan was pretty good. Again, the price was right. The pumpkin flavor shone through, and a flan was a surprisingly good vehicle to deliver the pumpkin.

Still, the space for The Independent was more bar and less restaurant. It was a noisy environment, especially with the bare floors, but not smoky, thanks to an air purifier. It’s the hustle and bustle of Uptown that may be good for drinks, but it’s not a great dining atmosphere. I hope they make it, but I don’t think we’ll be going back.

** Not as risqué as Fhima’s, but generally 40’s and 50’s style women in tight shirts and showing plenty of legs. Sexy, but over the top.