This restaurant opened in the ‘Interim,’ now in 2nd decade
Interim is the restaurant that was never meant to be, a place the former owner opened just to keep a bit of cash flowing between the closing of Wally Joe and the opening of whatever was to come next.
Turns out Interim was what came next, and 12 years after the doors opened, the temporary restaurant is flourishing. Let’s take a brisk walk down memory lane.
The space at 5040 Sanderlin opened as Wally Joe in 2002, named after the chef in the kitchen who now owns Acre roughly a mile away. The kitchen was as impressive as the co-owner/chef, as the other owner, Fred Carl, also owned Viking, and no expense was spared in outfitting the open kitchen. It was quite an investment but one that has stood the test of time.
The relationship soured; there was a split, Joe was gone, and Carl opened Interim with Jackson Kramer in the kitchen. Kramer, like Josh Belenchia, who followed him, and even Nick Scott, at the end of the road we’re on, worked at Wally Joe.
The menu changed dramatically from Joe’s signature emphasis on fish, subtle sauces, unexpected touches and sparse presentation to heartier fare: mac and cheese with country ham, the Interim burger, a pork shank with greens. You know the food and were in fact eating it up until a few months ago, because while so much has changed at Interim behind the scenes, the menu has seen only tweaks and no overhaul until early this year.
Fast forward, because I promised a brisk walk and admit to strolling. Kramer left, Belenchia came back; he left, Kramer came back, left again, and in came Sam Miller, then Jason Dallas. Dallas hired Dave Krog, who took over when Dallas moved out of town in 2016, staying in the kitchen until January. In February, Jordan Buchanan became executive chef.
But there were ownership changes, too: Ben Brock, Bill Latham and Al Roberts (Latham and Roberts own Eat Here Brands, parent company of Babalu) became Carl’s partners, and later Brock and Carl sold to Latham and Roberts. In 2017, they sold to Nick Scott, Tony Westmoreland and Brittany and Ed Cabigao.
And while chefs tried in the past, the restaurant owners stuck to their “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” guns and the menu received only small tweaks here and there. Now it’s the reverse: a few old favorites, but mostly all new.
Interim today
Before we get to the food, shout-out to Drew Wooten behind the bar. He’s one of the city’s best and he’s having fun playing with the booze and coming up with new drinks.
Lunch, dinner and brunch menus have been largely rewritten. A few standards such as shrimp and grits, fried oysters, and mac and cheese remain, as does the $17 Claybrook Farm burger. (Want to spend $20 for a burger? Add an egg for $3 and done.) I could be missing a holdout or two, and the ones that remain are tweaked a bit. Whatever; it’s almost like a new restaurant when the menu changes that much, and with the other changes at Interim, it’s as new as it can be and still be the same place.
At lunch, we split a forgettable salad but enjoyed two excellent entrees. The crabcakes were well prepared, fried until just crisp, made with a bit of filler but good stuff, and served with a stellar salad of shaved fennel, Granny Smith apples and radishes in a remoulade sauce. It was elegant in its simplicity — utterly satisfying without being heavy.
The blackened catfish was its peer in quality but of an entirely different nature with bold flavors through the fish, the orzo and the andouille cream sauce. It was portioned like a dinner dish, so if you go hungry, go with this.
Appetizers I tried at dinner and brunch include the calamari, smoked salmon terrine, beef carpaccio and the charcuterie board, with meats from City Block, the butcher shop inside Porcellino’s owned by Scott and Westmoreland with partner/ butcher Brad McCarly.
Eat any of them; they’re all good. But I
was most taken by the very simple salmon. Of a heavy mousse texture, the terrine was finished with a layer of crème fraiche, a sprinkle of chives and a dot of caviar, served with simple greens and crisp crostini. The beef carpaccio was different than most, topped with tiny dollops of aioli, crisp fried potatoes, arugula, capers, grana padano and olive oil.
The duck breast carbonara was my favorite entree, though the pompano (fish of the day when I was there) and the very generous double-bone pork chop were excellent. The pasta is made in house, and we were warned not to expect a standard carbonara. What came was indeed a departure. Rare duck breast was fanned over a pool of a slightly sweet and tangy brown sauce, with a tangle of noodles to the side. On top: a poached egg. I slid my knife through it, releasing the yolk on the pasta, then we ate every bite.
Interim is blessed with a world-class pastry chef in Franck Oysel; this is not where you want to skip dessert. The opera cake is my favorite on the standard menu, though you never know what you might find Oysel baking from day to day. Have no question about whether it will be spectacularly created; just order according to what you like.
At brunch, all winners again, and I ate with a large group, sampling from most of the plates. The huevos rancheros were the hit — a crunchy tortilla topped with black beans, chorizo, avocado, cheese, sour cream and a soft fried
Change can be good. Despite some setbacks — losing Krog had to hurt — Interim is full on, from the food to the bar to the service to the atmosphere (that big open kitchen is still dinner theater). I asked for a wine recommendation for my pompano, and my server brought me three small pours and asked me to pick my favorite. I ruled out one and went back and forth over the other two; he said he’d just bring a half pour of each.
I admit I was worried about Interim after the sale. Latham and Roberts are experienced restaurateurs; Scott is new to the ownership game, though with plenty of experience in the kitchen and in the front of the house. It was for naught; there is good going on there.
Is it better than ever? It’s hard to say that, as chefs from Kramer to Krog all did a good job at Interim. But it’s certainly as good as it’s ever been. And better yet, it’s new, even a bit exciting.