The Degenerate

A Villa Heights Gastropub

June 26, 2020 Amateur Consumption

When I first read about the new gastropub in villa heights called the Degenerate I knew we had to check it out. The menu included interesting items that I love like perogies, gnocchi, calamari, and a bahn mi. An interesting mix of food and all sounding and looking from the pictures delicious.

Since this is the time of a pandemic, walking in we were pleased to see the tables nicely spread out. They had a handle allowing guests to enjoy the food while maintaining social distancing.

We got the opportunity to speak with the executive chef, Steven Gero. He explained that the owners intend for the Degenerate to be an international gastropub where people can enjoy food in one hand with beer in the other. Gero enjoys trying new things and plans to have unadvertised weekly specials. You'll just have to come in to find them out! One of the challenges Gero has faced during COVID is the ability to create dishes with consistent and limited ingredients. As we have all seen you may find radishes at the store one day, but not the next.

The goal with the Degenerate is was to have a community spot where word was spread through friends and locals. However, given the time period we are in, social media became a must. Gero told us that they are lucky have such a large space to easily allow for diners to social distance.

Between the 4 of us we tried quite a few dishes. First, we tried the Shrimp Katsu. We are suckers for anything asian inspired and this fit the bill. It had a nice crunch on the outside, but tender sweet shrimp in the middle. Even if you normally aren't a fan of fried seafood I would encourage you to give this a try.

Next, was the risotto. It was creamy and you could definitely taste the natural sweetness of the carrot puree. We personally could have gone for a little kick of spice or more acidity.

In addition, we had the grilled cheese and the chicken bahn mi. The grilled cheese was killer and the bahn mi, was simply amazing. We had 2 bahn mis between 4 of us (considering all the other food) and everyone was left wanting more of it. Go get this dish today!

We also had the calamari. With a description including lemon, garlic, capers, and chili flakes we knew we had to get this. The calamari was one of my favorite dishes. It reminded me of the grilled squid we have gotten in Spain, but with a bit more spice in the best way!

Finally, we got the pickles and the hummus. The pickles were a fantastic refreshing addition to the meal with nice acidity and crunch. It included more than just your typical pickled cucumbers, so there was a nice variety of texture.

Now, to the hummus. This was quite honestly the BEST hummus we have ever tasted. Chef Gero let us know that it was a Palestinian style where it gets whipped for a smoother and fluffier texture than your standard hummus from the grocery store. This is a must order for when you head to the Degenerate.

We drank mostly beer throughout the meal as they had a good variety of offerings both on draft as well as in bottles and cans. However, towards the end of the meal I did get the Spanish Valor cocktail, gin, cherry infused vermouth, lemon, sugar, and sparkling rose. It was perfectly balanced from sweetness to acidity to a bit of bitterness it would hold up at any high end cocktail bar.

We loved our time at the Degenerate and can't wait to head back. Chef Gero let us know he is working on a Greek Dolma dish that will use things like swiss chard instead of grape leaves. Check this place out and maybe you will uncover one of those killer specials we mentioned!