Cheap Eats - I brake for bar food
The Brake Pad drums up business in College Park
From the people who brought you the Universal Joint in Oakhurst comes yet another retrofitted gas station cum restaurant with interesting bar food. The former Texaco station along Main Street in College Park sits in a strip of antique and tchotchke shops directly across from the train tracks. The patio faces a busy street but still attracts crowds. Garage doors can be raised to open the space and accommodate the human swells. The interior space lacks an adequate number of four-top tables. But once the weather warms, there won’t be any problem, since there’s plenty of patio space.
What we ate: It’s hard to pass up something as greasy good as the “BP” fries ($5.50). These steak fries are loaded with torn strips of applewood bacon, covered with white cheddar cheese and served with a side of ranch dressing. (For another buck, add jalapenos and scallions for an extra kick.) This is almost a meal in itself and is plenty for four to share. Quesadillas, salads, burgers and chicken sandwiches round out the rest of the menu. Try the Buffalo chicken quesadilla ($5.50) filled with spicy chicken strips soaked in Buffalo sauce. Burgers are more than a mouthful and can be topped with Swiss, American, cheddar or blue cheeses, bacon, and mushrooms ($6-$6.75). All sandwiches come with fries or, for an extra 50 cents, onion straws. The straws — short strips, battered and fried — are a great change of pace, though they lack the usual side of horseradish sauce. The restaurant’s chef is experimenting with new menu items daily, so you may catch specials like curry chicken wings or white sweet potatoes.
Service: At the moment, lunch is busier than dinner. Owner Mark Brennan often pulls double-duty, cooking in the kitchen and serving along with wait staff borrowed from his Oakhurst spot. Brennan says he’s been having a hard time finding reliable help, and on a recent weeknight we’d have to agree. We were shocked by the blatant surliness of our server, which hardly jibes with the friendly vibe or the locale.
Juking the joint: It seems the restaurant is vying for “best juke box” honors with its state-of-the-art “Touch Tunes” system that hangs on the wall. With digital tracks (making hundreds more songs available), you get Metallica alongside George Strait alongside Zeppelin. It even takes credit cards.
Who to take? Not a first date. With all the fatty, greasy bar food you’re liable to down, you won’t want to pucker up later. Stick to friends — hopefully they’ll still talk to you with blue cheese, onions and Buffalo sauce on your breath.??