To Munch, the names read like the Circles of Hell in Dante's "Divine Comedy": Red Robin. T.G.I. Friday's. P.F. Chang's. Damon's. LongHorn. Pizzeria Uno. Sing Sing. Bar Louie. Fuddruckers.
But, hey, sometimes you have to go to Costco, and there's only so many free samples of red pepper hummus or chicken sausage you can get while you're shopping for that 9-liter bottle of olive oil or 72-pair pack of toothpaste. All that conspicuous consumerism makes Munch hungry.
Needless to say Munch was overjoyed to find Blue Dust -- a new independent eatery that proclaims itself "Homestead's first gastropub." It sits on Amity Street, just before you cross the railroad tracks into the land of the Big Boxes.
Although the name sounds apt for a pool hall or a designer drug, "Blue Dust" is actually slang for a byproduct of the steel-making process and an homage to when those nearby smokestacks weren't just a decoration. The family-run establishment is the product of longtime bar and restaurant business veteran Jerry Miller, and the interior is a clean, funky spot to have a drink or nosh awhile.
The bar is made from a colorful tile mosaic, and sculptures of some African fellows stand watch behind it. A pair of cool prints of old steelworks adorn a back wall along with a huge magnetic poetry board, which, judging by some of the suggestive and weird combinations left by previous patrons (Drunk Woman Worship; Have You An Enormous Apparatus; Mother Lather Me To Death), provides hours of potential fun after the beers start flowing.
Speaking of beer, Blue Dust has 26 mostly micro and craft brews on tap. Munch and Roommate of Munch (ROM) swapped East End Big Hop and Victory Prima Pils over a pair of hefty starters: a giant plate of nachos covered in delicious house-made salsa and red bean dip, cheddar cheese, green onions and beef brisket ($9.95); and the Falafel Platter ($6.95), a plate of a dozen of the fried Middle Eastern chickpea spheres served with pita and Greek sauce.
Salads using locally grown greens are available ($7.95-$10.95), as are main entrees like Grilled Lamb Chops, Asian Stir Fry and Pasta Puttanesca ($7.95-$19.95), which are part of a dinner menu that will rotate about once a month.
Munch went with one of the tasty and filling signature sandwiches, the "Homestead Surf & Turf" -- a half crabmeat, half beef brisket ($9.95) while ROM tore apart the "Hot Italian" hoagie of capicola, sopressata, pepperoni, aged provolone and roasted red peppers ($7.95).
Desserts are made daily, but Munch recommends a digestif -- specifically some of the house-mixed flavored vodka. During our visit, Horseradish Vodka -- vodka amply flavored with horseradish root -- was on tap. Although it sounds like a bad dare, it was an excellent if not sinus-clearing nip that had a spicy wasabi aftertaste. On deck is the Thai Pepper & Chili Vodka, with future combinations in the works.
If the name Blue Dust comes from the byproduct of the industry that once dominated Homestead, then perhaps this Blue Dust comes as a byproduct of what exists there now: a public sick of the chains and dying for a friendly, locally owned spot to have a drink and a meal.
