Damien S.
Yelp
At some point in 2018, Mad Hatter moved from its wee and oft packed space on Main Street to an expansive dining room, complete with a bar and dinner hours, along Washington Street.
And thus, Mad Hatter Cafe became Mad Hatter Restaurant and Lounge.
Kudos to them for establishing a much deserved following, and carrying what made the spot such a local icon to its new facade, with a notable hat tip to the Breakfast for Dinner section on the standing supper menu.
As such, I HAD TO go with the hash and eggs ($12), while wife scanned past traditional Irish entrees for a plate of chicken fingers ($10) and a side of fries (spiral cut spuds). The kiddo went mac and cheese on their tot menu ($7, inc. side and a juice).
Tender corned beef needed a little seasoning, but otherwise a bountiful serving good for leftovers. The way overpoached eggs were DOA; bummer. Solid soda bread with Irish butter to round out a decent plate, but not reminiscent of the fine tuned output from their Main Street days.
I had to laugh at the plating of the chicken fingers. Artfully lined up on the bias along a rectangular dish, the app features five plain, modestly sized and almost too uniformly shaped cuts of poultry, meaning each was $2. Stand down, soldier, and at least consider coming with a side of fries at that price point. Kiddo's cheesy mac was a hearty portion - he dug it, as any kid eating mac and cheese would.
The owner was very involved in the floor happenings, and stopped by to say hello and thanks. Nice touch, but not enough to offset some of the kitchen's growing pains post-expansion.