Overall, a bland dish that I could have done without.  The bacon added a richness that the cheese was unable to, but the broccoli didn't seem to belong there at all.
The broccoli and bacon mac and cheese ($11) was a small portion, served in a cast iron skillet, and again, like the pasta above, lacked cheesiness. Mac and cheese lacked any flavor, cheesiness, cream (really, anything that makes it fattening and delicious), and the entire dish, an attempt at "southern", disappointed. Â The greens were sauteed in garlic and, though a bit oily, were a nice try at a southern dish. Â Looking at this plate, it's not what you'd expect when you ordered a "fried chicken dinner" because the chicken was not greasy, crunchy, crispy, or boned (is the opposite of de-boned boned? You get my point). The fried chicken came highly recommended - it was thickly-breaded chicken cutlet, deep fried to a crispy brown, and served with mac and cheese and greens. Â I wouldn't order them if I were you - save the $5 and put it towards a tastier app. Â Aside from the bacon crumbles on top, these tasted just like the ones I make at home, no twist or anything (for a twist, try the deviled eggs at Hungry Mother.they're insane). We had an order of deviled eggs but, a $5 for two eggs (halved), this seemed like a huge rip off. Â Fresh, salty, brine-y, and from PEI, these were as you'd expect from oysters.so I'm not sure a restaurant can get too much credit for that! Â
Pro 3, if you're wondering, is the fries, but we will get to that. Had I not already spent 2 entire weeks pounding brews on vacation, I could have tackled a few more, but drinker beware: some of these pack an ABV punch.
 Long, all-encompassing, and gleefully free of shit-beer, there is something for everyone here.  The poor guy had to deal with an eclectic table of odd food requests and questions, indecisive beer snobs, and the entire party smelling like wet dog from sitting in a puddle all day. SO, parents, in-laws, sisters, and sisters' significant others in tow, we rolled up, parked out back (free parking after 5 in the office lot behind the building), strolled in, were seated immediately, and proceeded to receive impeccable service start to finish.  However, a few things, they do absolutely perfectly.Īfter Atwood's was inexplicably closed for a random private afternoon party, we made a game-time decision to take my family and the in-laws (all in town for our graduation and to get drenched in a monsoon for 12 straight hours) to The Independent, partly because it was close by, partly because it had ample space to seat us (it was empty at 5:30pm on a Graduation Friday in a monsoon), partly because the food was "normal" (my stepdad mainly sticks to things he recognizes), but mostly because it was near the highway, and my family is eerily obsessed with self-positioning for a quick exit.
Not gonna lie - without a few key elements, The Independent is 2-stars for me.