The Torch House

Word on the street is that this place has now closed.
I REALLY wanted to like it but the Torch House just didn’t do it for me and it fell so short of its predecessor MAE.
Everything was fried and greasy, disorganized, and I just got a weird feeling when I went in there. It just lacked any type of personality or a feeling like anyone who worked there cared what happened.
Maybe someday someone will open up something great in this location.

I have been to the Torch House twice. The food I had was super delicious (I went for the chicken Marsala) and the cocktails were 5 stars. The staff is very attentive and try really hard to make you feel great. I am so happy to have this place in this neighborhood. Just moved here and this place was much needed here. I hope the Torch House will stay a long long time…

This place has clearly moved in the wrong direction. I had high hopes for this spot. Very high. Hell, half the work was already done for the new owners… all they needed to do was polish the vibe and deliver on some great eats and drinks. Hoping it would once again be a shining light at the end of Communipaw. (I have to keep telling myself its not MAE anymore). The beginning of the end for this place was when they started leaving windshield fliers up and down the street. When I saw that I knew it was over.
Worth going to? Sadly this is not the case. It pains me oh so deeply to throw this place two stars but I feel I’m being generous with 2.
The food is not what I enjoy. It is hardly creative and tasty. Deep fry everything? THIS ISN’T THE SOUTH. They are trying to cater to people that pronounce jalapeños, juh-​lap-​enos. Calling out the fact you use Angus beef in your burger says NOTHING to me. I can buy that at the hood grocery store (ever heard of Pat LaFrieda meats?).
Advice: check out other restaurants that serve gastropub style food to get a good idea of the status quo.
Truth: Before MAE existed, the previous owner of that spot catered to the hood and had bouncers with metal detectors at the door. He is once again the owner and I see this place turning into a dark shady hole. I guess you can’t change if you don’t have a clue. This neighborhood is going to change with or without you.
So sad…

I hate being a person who puts one star! I really want to like this place I really
Do! I just moved into the neighborhood and want a local spot to hang, but I don’t know. Just had the Cobb salad and there was barely any chicken (if you can call it that, and for the few pieces of chicken it was mostly breading). We came here one other time and wasn’t impressed then either. The prices also need adjusting, I work downtown and our prices are less then here and we give you better quality and more food. Please please please make a few adjustments.

Great food. A modest, but respectable beer selection. VERY good cocktails. A solid spot for the area

They’ve closed. I’d been about six times and each time fewer people were inside. Sadly besides trying a dj night and a karaōke night they didn’t revisit the menu and/​or the drink prices to make them more neighborhood friendly.
Two visits for me. One for drinks and appetizers-​cocktails were a bit above average, although my caiphirinha was a touch sweet. G/​F had a Cosmo Cubano, but would have preferred a regular Cosmo, but enjoyed trying it. We split the meatball appetizer and the Torch House chips. Decent meatballs, they should put a slice or two of bread to help with dipping the sauce. Quite skimpy portion of chips, which was surprising, almost shocking. Dipping sauces were good. I went back for a Bloody Mary on Sunday alone and also had the sliced chorizo and the Torch House hash. Much more on point, the drink was really good, the chorizo a generous portion (2 links, split and griddled) and the hash tasty. Both were inexpensive, at $ 3 and $ 2, and for brunch the Bloody Mary is only $ 5.
Overall, I think they’ll need to bring the liquor prices more in charge with the neighborhood they’re in, and also drop the food prices (except for the brunch) as well. Right now they’re charging downtown prices ahead of their BeLa location. All said, I/we’ll go back and pick through the menu a bit and perhaps re-​review.

Live in the neighborhood and had to stop by as soon as I saw this location had a bar/​restaurant up and running. Torch House has virtually the same décor and layout of the previous tenant, but nothing wrong with that. Staff was friendly. The food was honestly way better than expected. Asparagus pastry puffs (with prosciutto/​bacon baked into it) and the chicken marsala hit the spot. Can’t wait to go back and sample the other offerings.

I’ve been here a few times now and I REALLY want to love this place, but I still haven’t found what I’m looking for *Bono Messianic pose*. This is the new local watering hole in my hood, an area that’s been dying for a place to congregate since the former occupier of the space closed down. I could write a 10 page paper on my love for Modern American Eatery and their staff, but I’ll spare you. Let’s talk about The Torch House.
The décor still looks like MAE for the most part, which is a good thing. Lots of warm wood and the gorgeous long bar definitely gives it a cozy vibe. The staff is really nice too, which is always a plus. So far I’ve had the same server and bartender each time I’ve been and they’ve both done a really good job. Opening night was expectedly a shit show, but the wait times for food have thankfully improved since then. Glad to see that they caught their stride, though I’m sad to see some things I liked already off the menu (only one variety of meatballs now as opposed to the original three).
The menu here is pretty straight forward. So far most of the food has done the trick, but many of the dishes lack any kind of wow factor. Out of every thing I’ve tried so far, the closest thing they have to a home run is the torch burger. I’m hard to please when it comes to burgers, but this one is pretty damn good. A sizable patty topped with a thick slice of deep fried mozzarella cheese, roma tomato, and caramelized onions with a side of house chips. Really good stuff, I recommend you make that one of the first entrees you try.
All in all, this place is off to a pretty good start. I will definitely be back to update my review once they reach their full potential.

The Torch House opened last week, but my boyfriend and I haven’t had time to go for a proper meal till today.
We got there at 6 pm on Saturday night and the place looked nice, very much like it did when Mae (the previous restaurant in this location) was there.
Our friendly waitress seated us and took our drink orders and I ordered the «Meatloaf Stackers ($ 8) as an appetizer. She told us that Mary’s Meatballs (normally $ 8) were half price tonight so I ordered those as well.
The Meatloaf Stackers are three slices of meatloaf sitting on a bed of mashed potatoes served on a rectangular plate with ketchup lined up on both long sides of the dish. They were excellent! I hope that they add this meatloaf as an entrée and not just as a starter. Mary’s Meatball» were just OK. The pasta sauce they came in was good, but in comparison to the meatloaf, they were just alright.
For my entrée I ordered the Four Cheese Mac & Cheese ($ 11) which is made with gruyère, parmesan, jack and feta and topped with panko breadcrumbs, you can also have buffalo chicken added, which I did (for $ 2 more)
My boyfriend ordered the Chicken Marsala ($ 13).
I have never had Mac and Cheese that tasted like this. Maybe it’s because I am not a huge gruyère and feta cheese eater, but it had a sweetness that I am not used to in mac and cheese. It wasn’t bad, but I guess these were new cheese flavors that I wasn’t expecting. It was OK. I did finish it because I was really hungry.
My boyfriend really enjoyed his Chicken Marsala. Really good flavor, the risotto was cooked well and the carrots and beans were excellent.
There are still many items on the menu to try, so even though I don’t think I’ll have the mac and cheese again, I will give this place 3 stars based on our experience tonight.
We will definitely be back to try out more of their menu and hopefully they’ll be open for brunch soon.

I guess it’s time for me to hop on the 4-​star bandwagon.
This 4 star is definitely a vote of confidence for things to come, as at the soft opening there were definitely kinks to work out.
About a dozen spelling errors on the menu… lack of ventilation which made it stuffy and kind of smoky… over half the items on the drink menu not available yet… scattershot menu options… and I could keep going.
But underneath it all? I guess I see promise. A solid foundation which could lead to a very solid bar.
Good location in an area that needs more hangout spots… affordable drinks… PBR cans… decent appetizers (the frickles were awesome, and will eventually be house-made)…friendly staff… and big doors on the street which make it feel open and welcoming.
Look forward to coming here once they get their drink menu and taps up and running!