There's a choice of 190 whiskeys behind the bar at this convivial spot, but the satisfying food is another good reason to visit
The guiding concept of INC American Bar and Kitchen is simple and sensible.
"We don't want to be a special occasion restaurant," said Mark Farro, a principal of the operation whose name stands for ingredients and craft.
"We want you to have a place to go where you can have one or two good cocktails, a small bite and not break the wallet."
In New Brunswick, where there are several expensive restaurants nearby, "We found a little niche that hopefully we can live in for awhile," Farro said.
He is no stranger to assessing his dining public. Farro also is behind Uproot in Warren Township, which started out as a high-end place in 2009 and switched to more casual dining when it became obvious that the original idea was flagging.
Inc occupies the same building as the Heldrich Hotel, but has no connection with it. Interestingly, it's in a space where two pricey establishments tried to make it and failed.
Farro and his team thought New Brunswick would appreciate "a nice bar" with an emphasis on whiskey. In this case, that's more than 190 bottles behind the bar, ranging from bourbon through rye to Japanese whiskey. The impressive list makes interesting reading.
There is an impressive array of whiskey bottles behind the bar at INC. It's not the dull mumbo-jumbo that too often characterizes wine talk, but rather, descriptions of a whiskey's history and components. For instance, Federalist 12 "is a nod back to George Washington's original rye whiskey recipe." According to the documentation, corn is the secondary grain in the "mash bill," with rye taking center stage as "notes of honey explode from the glass" at first pour.
And speaking of reading, INC has a room with a library motif where it's possible to sink into a sofa or comfy chair to enjoy not only a drink, but also a good book and good food. The latter is produced by Ryan Anderson, formerly of Uproot, who did a stint as sous chef at the Bernards Inn in Bernardsville.
Manager Danny McGill, who is a partner with Farro, got it exactly right when he noted that Anderson is, "fantastic with layering flavors and doing things that are agreeable and unpretentious." I couldn't put it better.
The whiskey bar concept mirrors Anderson's cooking style, McGill said, noting "Whiskey being king of the everyman's spirit. There's such a boom right now, so many American whiskeys being produced." All of those at INC, he noted, are "hand-selected," rather than simply being ordered out of a catalogue.
If straight whiskey isn't your thing, there are plenty of creative cocktails in the $10-$12 range, as well as a big beer list. While this isn't a wine bar, there are sufficient choices for those who want to go that route.
An example of the nourishing yet lively style employed by Anderson came via a Polish chicken soup special ($7), with a dill-spiked organic chicken broth that included spaetzle, and plenty of chicken. Pieces of carrot and celery are cooked al dente, a refreshing change from the mushy veggies too often found in soup.
The menu is divided into convenient categories for easier reading and ordering. Start off with one of the "Bites," which are all over the map. Give made-to-order guacamole ($10) a try, then veer to voodoo shrimp ($13), a Louisiana-style dish that's just spicy enough, with a sage and honey cornbread to balance it. Vietnamese steamed buns ($8.50) feature pork belly, while down-home country ham ($13) from Murfreesboro, Tenn., is billed as "Tennessee prosciutto," accompanied by whipped ricotta and tapenade.
The "From the Soil" category will please vegetarians, who even in this enlightened era still aren't getting much of a choice in so many places. Eggplant "meatballs," really a bargain at $10.50, have the heft of their namesake, accented by a robust tomato sauce, whipped ricotta, mint (a nice touch) and garlic bread. If you don't like cauliflower, give the crispy kung pao version ($10) here a try; you'll become a convert.
Garganelli pasta with leek fondue, shaved potato, Parmesan and white wine is among the vegetarian offerings at INC. There are so many unusual possibilities, such as the coffee-roasted pork tacos ($17 for four) in the ranks of "From the Land," with traditional elements included in a raw tomatillo, chipotle and cilantro salsa accompanied by a non-traditional red cabbage and orange slaw.
Barbecue is represented by Texas beef brisket ($17), with another sauce that has a little bit of a kick in it, but doesn't knock you over. The brisket came in a big slab; I would have preferred slices that were easier to handle.
Slow-roasted Colorado lamb belly is served with shaved zucchini, lemon yogurt, pine nuts, mint and hibiscus. The country-fried cod ($18.50) in the "From the Water" grouping revisits Louisiana, with fantastic shrimp and rice fritters. Who needs fries? Creole tartar sauce and celery root remoulade add a refreshing note to the proceedings.
Most of the desserts, including ice cream, are made in-house, but the local Knead bakery's red velvet cheesecake ($8), a play on an old favorite, is more than worth a try. The lemon custard ($8) served with a scoop of bourbon (what else?) vanilla ice cream impressed with almond shortbread and fennel.
Our well-trained server was quite knowledgeable about both the food and the drink, which was helpful, since we navigated better with guidance. The food, atmosphere, price points and drinks all make INC extremely user-friendly for an evening that likely will convince you to return more than once.
INC American Bar and Kitchen
302 George St., New Brunswick.732-640-0553 increstaurant.com. Hours: 4-11 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, 5-11 p.m. Saturdays. Late night menu served 11 p.m.-1 a.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. Bar open until 2 a.m. Mondays-Saturdays. Closed Sundays. 1/2
Cody Kendall may be reached at CodyDine@aim.com. Follow Cody on Twitter@CodyDine. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.