The gluten-free quinoa made the cut. The Sriracha-covered chicken waffle did not.
That’s the initial report from the owners of Sweetwolf’s, the Park Slope restaurant that famously asked its soon-to-be-customers to draft the menu before it opens next week.
Yes, the people have spoken: the classic American restaurant on Sixth Avenue will feature 20 rotating customer-suggested items, and the 70-plus dish ideas that neighbors suggested will eventually appear on the menu — or at least as a special — with the exception of a few extra-kooky ones, said co-owner Tim Judge.
There will also be regular “chicken, saltwater fish and steak options” created by Judge and co-owner Eric Wolf.
“Most of the suggestions were really solid; people are interested in eating healthier here,” said Judge.
The final menu is “still a secret” — but Judge did share a few items, including lobster macaroni and cheese made with quinoa pasta; several seasonal veggie specials; and fries cooked in duck fat.
Maybe it’s a marketing gimmick, but it’s working. On Sweetwolf’s busy Facebook page, suggestions range from creative (“Vegan soul food!”) to critical (“Duck comfit is everywhere — but magret…”) and even kosher (How about matzo ball soup?)
The strangest suggestion — a fried chicken waffle with Sriracha sauce — was just a little too out-there to make the cut, Judge said.
The rustic-looking, “modestly priced” eatery will also boast brick walls, hardwood floors and environmentally responsible coffee from Forty Weight.
Neighbors who participated the menu’s inception will be invited to the “soft opening” — tentatively set for Oct. 18 — and Judge will post the menu on the restaurant’s soon-to-launch website a couple days before it opens.
It’s all meant to create a meeting point for regulars and homey feeling — from the menu down to the communal tables.
“We hope it tastes like something you’d make at your house — only better,” he said.
SweetWolf’s (492 Sixth Ave. at 12th Street in Park Slope, no phone yet). For info, visit www.sweetwolfs.com.
Reach reporter Natalie O'Neill at noneill@cnglocal.com or at (718) 260-4505.
