Review: Social Gastropub in Edwardsville

The first thing you notice about Social Gastropub is its vastness. The building, situated in the no-man’s-land of Illinois Route 157 between strip malls and downtown Edwardsville, is spacious enough to accommodate large birthday parties (her name was Amy), family gatherings and the combined overflow from area restaurants like Cleveland-Heath, Peel and 1818 Chophouse. Once home to the defunct Shenanigans Bar and Grill, it’s the second outpost for the suburban Toledo, Ohio-based restaurant by Metro East native Mike Graber and his business partner, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Bruce Gradkowski.

Social Gastropub fits the post-recession trend of combining the relaxed feel of a tavern with a decidedly gastronomic approach to food. It’s a recipe that’s as far from the likes of TGI Fridays and Applebee’s as potato skins are from roasted cauliflower, especially when the interstices of the cruciferous vegetable are studded with cracked pepper and it arrives whole on a whipped, puffy cloud of goat cheese, feta, lemon and olive oil. A big head of cauliflower for nearly $11 seems like an odd, expensive appetizer – impossible for two, even four, people to finish – but it represents the elevated pub grub on which self-described gastropubs have built reputations. Other small plates stood out as well, including Korean-influenced, DIY lettuce wraps with kimchi, bean sprouts, peanuts and braised pork spiced just deliciously hot enough to keep the table stuffing more butter lettuce leaves.

The menu changes every two months, so I don’t know what will be available when you visit, except count on the burger and build-your-own macaroni-and-cheese. A superb burger is de rigueur for any casual restaurant nowadays, gastropub or otherwise, and this half-pound beauty hits well above the mark with a luscious meat-to-fat ratio made from a blend of fresh chuck, brisket, short-rib and dry-aged prime rib procured from the famous Pat LaFrieda Meat Co. in New Jersey. (Plans are in the works to source the burger meats locally.) It’s put on a brioche bun, topped with arugula, tomato, thick-cut pickles, onion and drizzled with Graber’s signature “graby-baby sauce,” a mayo-brown mustard blend.

The burger comes with house-made chips, but I opted for a side of mac-n-cheese because, A) it’s proximately featured, and B) I don’t consider mac-n-cheese a meal in and of itself, no matter how many add-ons are added on. An unadorned order runs $8, but depending on how many food groups you want in one bowl, it’s easy to rack up quite the mac-n-cheese bill. Add-ons range from 50 cents each for corn, garlic, scallions and a few sauces, to $11 for lobster and meatloaf. That said, were I to ever eat mac-n-cheese as a meal, it would be here: corkscrew-shaped cavatappi coated in a smooth, velvety sauce, as if each noodle were hand-painted.

There were appealing plated meals, including pork tenderloin Marsala and a rib-eye steak. The pork tenderloin incorporated pancetta into a deeply flavored sauce of Marsala wine and crimini mushrooms and on the side, braised kale and polenta that was noteworthy for its not too creamy, not too cakey consistency. The steak – a decent 12-ounce cut rubbed with garlic, rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper – was seared medium-rare in garlic and brown butter and came with sauteed kale and smashed Yukon potatoes. Another example of good, uncomplicated cooking was the Campfire Ruby Red Trout special that actually could have come straight off a campfire, dusted in cornmeal with potatoes, onions and crisp sauteed green beans.

The beer list is, of course, extensive and printed as a receipt and placed in a bar glass on your table, like a check to be paid. So don’t be alarmed when you review the draft beer list – the table before you did not skip out on its tab. The wine list is decent, with prices set at $8 or $14 per glass. But the cocktails are what caught my eye. From Jake’s Redemption – a boozy, citrusy rye-based drink served up – to the classic gin-heavy Corpse Reviver No. 2, bartenders cranked out cocktails worthy enough to be called craft.

You won’t come to Social Gastropub for the music, unless it’s performed live on the side patio. Inside, the loud soundtrack during two visits was set to ’80s and ’90s frat rock; thankfully, no one was crooning along to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.” But if you want to watch a game or cooking show there are seven TVs, all set to ESPN or Food Network.

That shouldn’t be a deterrent because what it lacks in intimacy Social Gastropub makes up for in soul in the form of ambitious, unfussy fare. That alone can fill infinity.

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AT A GLANCE
Social Gastropub

Where
2 157 Center, Edwardsville, 618.692.5156, socialgastropub.com

Don’t Miss Dishes
Pork lettuce wrap, roasted cauliflower, pork tenderloin Marsala, burger

Vibe
Big, open, decorated space with tables suitable for any size party.

Entree Prices
Small plates: $8 to $12; large plates: $10 to $25

When
Sun. – 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Mon. to Thu. – 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. – 11 a.m. to midnight