Update: Gouda Bar & Grill might have been very good, but as of Feb. 16, 2019, it is also very closed. Word spread on Facebook about the closing, and today a friend of Bobby’s posted on Facebook a picture of the restaurant with the front windows papered over. A lot of people searching for Gouda landed on this blog post because the place didn’t have a website, just a Facebook page. It was the second-most popular page on this website, behind Six Things You Need to do in Minerva.
Here is the original post:
My husband, Bobby, and I decided recently to play hooky from work on a Friday. We had toyed with the idea of traveling somewhere, but because we already had a trip planned for the following week, I wanted to stay close to home. We decided to go out for lunch in downtown Wooster. After discussing several good options, we realized Gouda Bar & Grill, a new restaurant in the old First Amendment Public House location, had just opened earlier in the week.
I didn’t know what to expect, but figured it would be a restaurant similar to Melt Bar and Grilled (you can read about our visit here). Although, I did think there was a possibility it could also have been a fondue restaurant. It did turn out to be like Melt. They have several sandwiches that sounded very interesting. In fact, I had almost decided to order the Asian pulled pork grilled cheese sandwich, but then I saw that they had certified Angus Beef burgers. How could I not get a burger? But, it worked out OK because they actually offered a burger topped with the Asian pulled pork!
Before we ordered our meal, my eyes fell on the appetizer area of the menu. I had never heard of jalapeño popper dip, but there it was on their menu. I enjoy jalapeño poppers, so I thought this would be a great way to start our meal. (You can read Bobby’s take on the dip here … and why we were playing hooky).
I was right. The appetizer was really, really good. It was also very hot/spicy. I can handle some spiciness, but not without a tall glass of water, which I did have … thankfully!
As I mentioned earlier, I ordered the burger with Asian pulled pork. It came with a pile of coleslaw that was flavor with Asian flavors as well. The sandwich was huge! It came with fresh cut fries, too, which were awesome. Bobby said they were the best fries he has ever had. The burger was good, too. It was juicy and flavorful and way too big to eat in one sitting.
Bobby went with a signature grilled cheese sandwich. He got a sandwich with macaroni and cheese that was toasted between two slices of bread and smoked gouda cheese. His sandwich was also very large. The sandwich was supposed to include bacon, but I think because they were newly opened, they must have left it off. I think had it been on it, the bacon would have enhanced the sandwich even more. I liked the smokey flavor of the gouda (which is odd, because I tend to not enjoy smoked food — except for bacon, of course!). Bobby thought the sandwich was very good. He enjoys macaroni and cheese a lot, so this sandwich was right up his alley.
As usual, we shared our meals. The plan had been to split our sandwiches in half so we could each taste both sandwiches. What happened is that we split the sandwiches in half and then in half again. We ate a quarter of each sandwich at the restaurant, which left each of us with a half of our sandwiches to take home. That meant we were able to enjoy our lunch at Gouda one more time.
Going to Gouda was a great decision for our day off. The food was great and the staff was friendly. I think it is definitely a good addition to the variety of restaurants located in downtown Wooster. I expect it will be around for awhile, so make sure to give it a try!
