25 Best Restaurants: Crumb & Spigot

Karen Gorman is true to herself. After opening Crumb & Spigot in 2014 with business partner Ryan King, the chef didn’t chase trends (sorry avocado toast lovers) or pull any punches when it comes to crafting a tavern-style menu. By using simple ingredients, she turns them into craveable creations.

Dishes such as the sloppy Joe ($13) topped with aged cheddar on a house-made brioche bun feel authentically rooted in Gorman’s philosophy of cooking what she loves. “We can’t go out there and chase the glitter,” she says. “You’ve got to stick to what you were born on, what you were conceived in and do your plan,” she says.

That’s why you’ll find Gorman and King each and every morning rolling out dough for Crumb & Spigot’s wood-oven pizzas and its beloved pretzel ($7). Baked to golden perfection, the Bavarian-style treat comes served with a triple mustard — a combo of yellow, Dijon and whole-grain — and a zesty horseradish cheddar cheese dip. It’s so spot-on that a German woman bought out all 24 on a recent evening — proof that Gorman knows comfort food.

“It’s just what I want to eat,” she says. “I can’t be here 60 hours a week cooking things that aren’t near and dear to my heart. It won’t work. It will never work.”

Try This:
Sweet peas are infused with Tito’s Handmade Vodka to make the sweet pea gimlet ($11), a spring cocktail. “The peas are just really bright and refreshing,” says King.16783 Chillicothe Road, Bainbridge, 440-384-3035, crumbandspigot.com