UNION STRAW — Restaurant in Foxborough

An instant favorite on our first visit there last fall. A kicking drink menu, solid beer list and inventive menu make it one of the best joints to go south of Boston. There’s a vibrant atmosphere in a well designed space

There’s much to rave about - including the warm, happy staff - but rarely do places nail everything perfectly. Here's an honest assessment of 2 visits. October Jumbo Chicken Wings ($12)- House Hot Sauce & Blue Cheese. Ordered extra-crispy. Could be the most perfect wings ever had. Sauce had a killer balance of sweet/salt/savory. Texture was spot on - crunchy skin & succulent inside. Duck Grilled cheese ($17) - Duck Confit, Cranberry Bread, Bourbon Apple Butter, Caramelized onions, Blue Cheese Mustard, Fontina cheese. She requested the mustard on the side and quickly declared that it was a mistake. It really punched up the flavor so she put it back in it’s rightful place inside the sandwich. Elsie: Didn’t dig the cranberry walnut bread. Loved the blue cheese reunited with the duck. Me: One of the best grilled cheeses around and huge reason to keep going back.

Kama Jama Chicken Sandwich ($15) - Fried (There’s a grilled option for weirdos who fear fried chicken). Cheddar Cheese, Spicy Slaw, Chipolte Ranch Dressing. My 16 year old son didn’t put it down until it was gone. His commentary was mainly happy grunts thumbs up gestures. The guy is a fried chicken connoisseur, so we can judge a sandwich’s merits by the speed at which it disappears down his gullet. This one gets an A rating.

Flatbread ($14) - Fig Jam, Baby Arugula, Prosciutto. Scattered shreds of unlisted cheese, possibly fontina. Crisp base, tender top. Prosciutto balanced by fig spread and tangy sweet of balsamic glaze.

Candied Pork Belly ($12)- Secret Dry Rub, Pineapple Habanero Glaze. Had immense potential: Loved the flavor but seemed to lack salt. So meaty & lean you’d think it came from a hog with 6-Pack abs. Arrived on the medium-cooked side. Could really benefit from a fattier strip and a low, long cook before a final, high heat crisping to order

2nd Visit, Dec 2019

Jumbo Chicken Wings ($12) - Forgot to order extra crisp as before. Sauce was still banging but the skin was just ok. Note: always ask for well done wings anywhere you go.

Shrimp Po’ Boy ($15) - Cajun-Dusted Popcorn Shrimp, Cajun Remoulade, Spicy Pickled Vegetables. It looked really, really nice! My son ingested it before anyone could sample. Refer to Kama Jama Chicken Sandwich review above…

The Ragin’ Cajun ($21) -Shrimp, Andouille, Mussels, Okra, Roasted Corn. Definitely needed more cayenne kick to be Ragin’ but more importantly it needed salt.* But there was still something impressive - all the components were perfectly cooked. Pretty common for restaurants to stew everything together like somebody’s ancient bayou granny, yielding shriveled, tough seafood and andouille exhausted of its tenderizing fat. Here the shrimp were still plump and snappy, the sausage juicy with it’s flavor shining through and the vegetables just soft enough. Pump up the seasoning and this dish goes from OK to awesome.

*Most items at Union Straw are well seasoned though there are some misses.

Chicken & Waffles ($18) Honey Hot Sauce, Honey Butter, Bourbon Apple Butter & Bourbon Aged Maple Syrup. Here’s an interesting one. The sauces at Union Straw generally kick ass, the Honey Hot Sauce, Honey Butter, Bourbon Apple Butter and Bourbon Aged Maple Syrup are no exceptions. And the waffles are dynamite - yeasty, hearty and a pearl sugar crunch like the best ski resort waffle slope side treats.

The problem is the fantastic fried chicken is the only savory foil in the dish - covered in the honey hot sauce it a struggles in the all out sugar assault of everything else. It needs is a succulent gravy or some umami packed sauce to bring the sweetness to equilibrium.

With mainly a couple of seasoning hiccups, this is still one of the best restaurants in the region. I keep ordering Duck Grilled Cheese take-out to savor...

The food was amazing and nearly cooked to perfection. The Eggs Benny actually was perfect. The steak was slightly overcooked, and the eggs were slightly undercooked, for the Steak and Eggs. The steak was ordered rare and served medium-rare. The eggs were ordered over-easy. However, the whites inside were pretty runny - not just the yolk... That being stated, we're not picky enough for either of these qualities to deter us from digging in, and enjoying the tasty goodness for what it was!

Service was friendly and as fast as could be expected considering how busy it was when we dined. We made a reservation ahead of time, so we didn't have to wait to be seated.

We ordered the virgin option of their signature Bloody Mary, and were not disappointed. It hit the spot both in flavor and tang. A perfect breakfast enhancement.

Truly my only bit of constructive feedback or 'criticism' would be that there seems to be a marked imbalance of alcohol-free options to enhance the dining experience. I didn't see any offered on the main menu, nor was there a section on the substantial beer/wine/specialty beverage menu. I expected to see some sort of specialty coffee/espresso machine somewhere along the vast length of the bar, but didn't, nor were there any juices or carbonated beverages offered. It would be nice to be able to see what else is available at breakfast time aside from alcohol or a simple coffee.

All in all it's just feedback, and not worth reducing the overall score down from 5 stars. I'd definitely eat there again and would refer others there as well....

I was not at all happy with my experience at Union Straw last night. The atmosphere, their look is great, as was the staff and the menu seems amazing. But when it came down to eating and drinking I was left wanting in all courses.

1. drinks were all filler and no alcohol. I tasted only the muddled oranges in my old fashioned, tasted only basil and mint in my basil gin smash.
2. We had the muscles, fish cakes and cauliflower apps. The muscles seemed meatless, the overpriced pair of fishcakes tasted like the fish came out of a can, and the BBQ cauliflower was not cooked inside but the deep fried breading was soggy and falling off.
3. for the meals we had the duck grilled cheese which I'm told was pretty good. The impossible burger was advertised as coming with a fired corn salsa on top but arrived with canned corn and tomatoes that were not combined in anyway. And the pulled pork I had was a small portion and SO DRY despite swimming in a 'carolina' mustard sauce! A cardinal sin for such a meat.
4. the dessert and dessert cocktails were a mixed bag. The mint Sundae cocktail was fine, the chocolate cake was good, but our salted caramel Martini was actually as much salt as caramel, that our friend had to spit it out when his tongue touched the rim. Thankfully his blueberry cobbler was good, to help us feel the evening wasn't a total loss. Overall, despite giving it a good try, I am fully disappointed by the quality of food at Union Straw and do not recommend...