Admittedly, if it weren’t for Rorschach Brewing Co.’s ability to accommodate large tables and its proximity to History, a music venue on Queen Street, I’d be an unlikely customer of the brew pub. Beer is a beverage I’m still trying to expand my palette to enjoy, and getting gassy before a night of dancing was something I was trying to avoid. Accordingly, I was one of those annoying customers that went to a brewery to not drink beer.

Luckily, Rorschach offers two cocktails from a can, an espresso martini and margarita (both $15) that our server warned isn’t made fresh. Got it, I lowered my expectations and found both drinkable but diluted the margarita to combat its excessive sugariness.  

If anything, their menu was the perfect hearty base before a night of drinking. Having shared two of their sandwiches, the smashed burger ($21) was a hit. The potato bun was topped with two generous sized beef patties that are a little thick for a smashed burger but still had a nice crust. I liked that there was plenty of fixings including lettuce, tomato, cheese, caramelized onion, pickles, and a house sauce to give it interest. This was a tasty burger.

Meanwhile, the potato bun disintegrated with the Korean fried chicken sando ($21) making it difficult to eat. Still, the chicken breast was hot and juicy with plenty of breading to give it a crunchy bite. But despite the liberal smear of gochujang mayo, it wasn’t overly spicy and needed more heat. Adding some lettuce with the pickles may also help create a barrier between the bun and sauce to ensure the bread can hold up better.

Maybe Rorschach’s supplier gave them a bushel of the tiny potatoes, but their fries were cut so small… it’s like eating Hickory sticks in fry form. You’d think a smaller fry means more crispy edges, but we just found they were really dried out.

Rorschach Brewing Co’s dining room is surprisingly spacious with picnic tables scattered throughout to accommodate varying sized tables. They were understaffed for a Friday, but the two servers did their best and made sure our large table was served and out in time for the concert. Perhaps they even breathed a sigh of relief once we vacated. So long loud ladies, we can go back to swigging beers.