This place has some great seating street-side but today was a little chilly and so K and I headed inside to meet with our friend, Sue and were greeted warmly by the owner. He brought us a menu and guided us through the Happy Hour options happily.
We went for the Fried Pickles which were amazing! Delicious dill spears perfectly breaded and deep fried. Served with a Horseradish aioli sauce and ranch. Both the owner (who was also our server) and the cook who brought out the pickles were careful to warn us to wait before we dove into our plate lest we burn the heck out of our mouths. Nothing kills a happy hour faster than a shot of scalding hot pickle juice down the back of your throat, and so we thank the staff at Gemini for keeping our welfare in mind. Now Sue, she's a straight shot sippin' kind of gal and was already into a double of Hornito's Anejo. K and I were feeling bold and well, happy and so we went for the Cocktail Creations. K ordered the Medusa; Kracken Rum, Bushwacher's Hard Cider, Cointreau and freshly squeazed OJ. Very pretty, very dangerous...I went for the Jenny Jen, which happened to be the drink special of the day, $5 all day. It was basically a grown up Shirley Temple, Prosecco and Pomegranate liquor and Pomegranate juice. Simply delicious.
As the name foreshadows, the specialty of the house is an amazing array of twin sliders. I, again, went with the Happy Hour special which follows the current Zodiac sign. The Taurus sliders are delicious little Painted Hills Beef burgers with Gouda cheese on a sweet, light brioche bun. K ordered the Sagitarius, a Bleu Cheese burger with carmelized onions and the standard dressing of pickles, lettuce and tomato. All fresh, mostly local (whenever possible) and just wonderful. Sue had the Pisces, Wasabi Ahi and a horseradish slaw that brings a happy tear to your eye. I seriously can't wait to get back and try out the rest of the Zodiac. There are some amazing vegetarian and vegan options.
All sliders are served with your choice of House salad, Spring Mix, Caesar salad, Truffle fries, House fries (yum), Cajun fries, absolutely crisp and delicious Sweet Potato Fries or a Tomato Gorgonzola soup that I vow to try next time. Amazing, right?
This is not your average bar food. Sure, if you broke it down to simple format...soups, burgers, sandwiches and salads, but the good folks at the Gemini do it better. K and I are excited to plan our return trip to this little diamond in the "rough" of SE Foster.
