photographs by justin fox burks
Drive west down Central long enough, and you’ll cross the gates of Midtown hipsterdom: Cooper Street. But stop a few buildings short, and you can pull into the parking lot of Railgarten Diner, part of an acre-and-a-half hangout with outdoor beach volleyball courts and indoor ping-pong tables. There’s plenty of seating, appropriately dim lighting, and didn’t your best friend date that waitress back in high school? That looks like her, but let’s not ask.
Instead, let’s focus on the mix of “world-league flavors and American cuisine,” as chef Aaron Gardner describes the menu, served since mid-April when the diner opened. The Korean Crispy Chicken Sandwich, a prime example of this marriage, includes a marinated chicken thigh, kale kimchi, and Sriracha ginger chili aioli with scrumptious fries alongside.
“We’ve taken the traditional kimchi and mixed it with a more Americanized version, so it would be kind of easier on the American palate,” Gardner says.
Typically, kimchi includes fermented shrimp, but Railgarten’s kimchi eliminates the shrimp and heads in a different direction. “We use the ginger, the hot sauces, the chili pepper, but ours is more sweet and savory instead of that punch you get from the fermented shrimp,” Gardner explains.
The result is a sweetness I mistake as the taste of honey.
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photographs by Justin Fox Burks
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Located at the corner of Central and Cooper, in the shadow of a railroad overpass, Railgarten is a sprawling playground for grownups with music, food, games, and drinks. Play ping-pong for free weekdays until 6 p.m., try a thick shake from the ice cream shop, or settle into the Railgarten Diner, where customer favorites include the Crispy Korean Chicken Sandwich (left), fish tacos, and a trio of Tiki cocktails, boozy and handcrafted.
Korean and other global flavors extend across Railgarten’s menu, a collection of upscale diner food that includes interesting burgers, breakfast omelets, a Diner Dog, and entrees like Short Rib Mac & Cheese and fish tacos topped with avocado. For appetizers, don’t skip the cheese curds, battered and deep-fried and served with a drizzle of hot sauce.
Jordan Walker, general manager, credits his own introduction to the creamy curds to his time living in Chicago when he often traveled to Milwaukee, where cheese curds are ubiquitous menu options.
“I’d never heard of cheese curds, and didn’t know what they were growing down in Memphis,” Walker says. “The first time I tried one, I was in love.”
Railgarten, 2166 Central Ave.(901) 231-5043, $-$$)
