Upscale, traditional and with a twist: Union Straw restaurant opens in downtown Taunton
TAUNTON — The New Year brought a new restaurant to downtown Taunton.
Union Straw had its official grand opening on Jan. 3, after two soft openings for dinner and brunch over the New Year's weekend.
Located at 16 Trescott St. in the spot previously occupied by the popular Liberty & Union Alehouse, this is the second Union Straw location. The other one, which opened five years ago, is in Foxboro.
“We consider ourselves to be an upscale American restaurant that really strives to create an overall experience,” said Craig Carreira, operations director for both Union Straw locations.
It’s simply a coincidence the two restaurants have "union" in their names. Union Straw is named after the Union Straw Works, one of the first major businesses in Foxboro, and the largest producer of straw hats in the world, at the time, according to the restaurant’s website. Liberty & Union, on the other hand, was a nod to Taunton's flag.
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A menu for doing double takes
Carreira said the restaurant highlights distinctive takes on traditional foods.
“We don’t tie ourselves to a certain cuisine. We take the traditional and give it a twist. These are unique dishes you wouldn’t see everywhere,” he said.
An example would be the restaurant's spin on a Canadian staple, poutine, with Union Straw’s duck poutine (you read that right), utilizing slow-roasted duck meat, along with gravy, cheese curds, pickled red onions, but substituting fries with tater tots.
Carreira is especially fond of the candied pork belly, which utilizes a dry rub and pineapple-habanero glaze. Other stand-out dishes include:
A crab rangoon flatbread dish, covered in crab filling, wontons and duck sauce
The Kama Jama chicken sandwich, which includes slaw, cheddar cheese and chipotle-ranch on top of the chicken breast
Seafood and chorizo risotto
Pork frites, which is a pork loin with sweet potato fries and a bourbon-apple chutney
Irish lamb stew
Union Straw’s take on chicken and waffles, which has become one of their most popular dishes
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Sunday brunch
Union Straw does brunch, once a week, every Sunday. The menu utilizes many of its lunch and dinner options, but there are numerous brunch-only items to make the mealtime special.
The baked muffin skillet includes a rotating muffin choice, topped with streusel crumble and vanilla icing.
The Breakfast Burrito includes scrambled eggs, sausage, cheddar cheese sauce and pico de gallo, with home fries on the side.
Other stand-out brunch entrees include biscuits and gravy, huevos rancheros, lobster Benny (aka eggs benedict with lobster), fresh brioche French toast with berries, and, of course, chicken and waffles.
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They got spirits...and more
The drink selection is another big attraction for Union Straw. In addition to an extensive craft and draft beer selection and wine options, the bar has some innovative specialty cocktails on the menu.
Carreira’s favorite is the smoked Mezcal old-fashioned, consisting of the popular tequila brand, bitters, syrup, some fruit and smoked to order.
Other stand-out cocktails include:
Vanilla maple Manhattan
Spicy blood orange margarita
Blackberry thyme gin and tonic
Spiced chai hot toddy, consisting of spiced rum, chai tea, honey, vanilla, milk and syrup
A cocktail take on apple pie a la mode, with Crown Royal Apple Whiskey as the base
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Welcoming atmosphere
Those who remember the interior of Liberty & Union Alehouse will see the design and feel hasn’t changed too much.
With Union Straw, they scaled back on some of the technology, such as some of the TVs along the walls and columns, and added a few rustic components to the dining area. This includes hand-finished wood tables, some new wall décor, and new coats of paint to some sections in order to align thematically with the Foxboro location.
Carreira said the place still has its urban contemporary feel, but you also have this “home-y barn feel that goes with the brick and rustic.”
What brought Union Straw to Taunton?
Carreira said the restaurant was already “looking around” for a second location, when they heard about the space on Trescott Street.
“We stepped foot into the building and thought it was a beautiful space,” he said.
Union Straws owners thought Taunton is far away enough from Foxboro that its vibe and menu offerings would feel different, he said.
Convenience was another factor. He said the restaurant space was already “built out pretty solid” and practically ready to go, with no new construction needed. It just needed some touch-ups and changes to the décor “to tie into our feel and environment.”
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Planning for the future
Currently, staff at Union Straw in Taunton consists of around 30 people. Carreira said they anticipate more hires as they get out of the slow winter season and into warmer weather.
The menu at Union Straw is something that is changed and freshened up seasonally, but also keeps popular staples.
“This allows our culinary team to have fun. It’s not just the same thing for years,” he said.
Union Straw's hours
Currently, dinner is offered seven nights a week. Lunch is only offered Thursday through Saturday. And brunch is only on Sundays.
Carreira said expanding lunch hours to other days depends on future demand from patrons.
Having more days for brunch, he said, is something they tried in the Foxboro location, but was stopped because “we learned it wasn’t increasing business. It was just pulling business from other days.”
Carrreira added it isn’t out of the realm of possibility to increase brunch days, but having it on only one day “elevates the whole environment, experience and specialness.”
Reservations for Union Straw are recommended for the weekend and can be made through phone or at https://www.unionstraw.com/visit-1.
This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Union Straw restaurant opens in old Liberty & Union spot in Taunton
