Cure for monotony

If they're still serving Tang in the space program, NASA ought to hold its next reception at Tonic Bar and Grill.

The Downtown restaurant's eclectic cocktail menu features the most creative application of those chemically engineered orange drink crystals since they were paired with bacon and eggs in a tube.

The Buzz Lightyear ($9), one of more than a dozen featured martinis on the drink menu, mixes strawberry Stolichnaya and triple sec with Tang. Not just in the glass, but stuck to the rim.

A better choice for non-astronauts is the Tonic Tonic ($8), a drink that owner Denise Gaynor dreamed up in her Friendship kitchen back when the restaurant was still drywall and exposed wiring, and the one that wound up becoming the place's namesake. The drink is vodka, tonic water, a squeeze of lime and a secret ingredient.

"I remember thinking a tonic is for what ails you," says Gaynor, who has worked in restaurants for 30 years, since she was a 12-year-old waiting tables in Bloomsburg so she could buy a leather jacket.

Besides fresh-squeezed juice cocktails, the restaurant's specialty is probably its wide array of small plates, although there are several good entrees and some delicious desserts made on the premises.

Many appetizers are creative twists on familiar bar foods, with fresh ingredients and preparations that give an upscale bent. Calamari ($6) is served with spicy citrus oil, for instance, while Tempura Chicken ($8) comes with a sweet chili sauce for dipping.

Gaynor loves spicy foods -- "My next restaurant, I would call it 'Spice,'" she says. Diners should be ready, because she's not kidding.

Jalapeno Mussels ($9) adds chopped fresh peppers to the traditional wine and garlic stock, and the shellfish are fiery hot. The pot comes with a plate of bruschetta on the side.

Three wedges of Fried Cheese ($8) are served with fra diavolo, i.e. "devil," marinara sauce with peppers. Its two kinds of cheese -- garlic ricotta wrapped in provolone -- were a bit difficult to discern over the thick breadcrumb crust, but fried cheese was never meant as a subtle dish, and the portion was generous.

Hummus ($7), with a cool twist of lime, will bring the thermostat back down. One of my dining companions lives in the Middle East, where they know their hummus, and she rated Tonic's highly. The pita was warm with just the right amount of char for flavor.

Small plates also include two kinds of sliders, a plate of three mini-burgers on puffy, fresh buttermilk biscuits. Angus Sliders ($8) are a variation on the standard, with salsa instead of ketchup. Rare Seared Tuna Sliders ($9) are a bit more interesting for the taste buds, with wasabi mayo and a dollop of seaweed salad.

Large plates also include a variety of familiar favorites slightly tweaked.

Chicken Parm ($18) uses grilled chicken, rather than breaded, combined with the fried cheese from the small plates and served over pasta.

Another pasta, Pappardelle ($13), bathes enormous egg noodles the size of hair ribbons in a creamy chipotle alfredo sauce that maintains the low burn from the mussels.

Diners who order the priciest dish, Prosciutto-wrapped Scallops ($24), need not fear that their dinner will leave them hungry afterward. The scallops are legitimate two-biters, there are six of them, and the middle of the plate is piled with a sticky truffle risotto with a bit of basil oil. Ours were thoroughly cooked, making the shellfish a bit firmer, and the ham a bit tougher, than ideal, but still very tasty and filling.

Tonic offers a decent selection of salads, sandwiches and soups, especially a hearty French Onion ($4) that does not skimp on the onions.

Ask the server to tell you what fresh Cheesecake ($6) is available. Usually, there is only one, but a lack of choices was no handicap for us. We lucked into Bailey's Irish Cream, which was rich, almost as thick as cookie dough, and delectable.

The kitchen also rotates its fresh Creme Brulee ($5). They do mango, peach vanilla and, in our case, cocoa, which was excellent thanks to a small hint of bittersweet that too many cloying chocolate desserts lack.

If you're looking for an extravaganza, there's the Sticky Bun Sundae ($6), a big helping of apple cinnamon vanilla ice cream between two fat pastries.

Espresso ($2) is a custom blend from local purveyor La Prima Espresso and, although unheralded in the menu, comes with a big complimentary piece of almond biscotti also made in the kitchen.

The space is spare, with a few paintings, mostly dominated by the bar and the large windows facing 10th Street, and '80s pop standards on the stereo. Upstairs is both bigger and more comfortable, with exposed brick on one wall.

Gaynor says she still misses the Liberty Tavern, a blue-collar sandwich place she ran just across the street from Tonic that was torn down to make way for the August Wilson Center for African American Culture.

"There's four times as many people; there's four times as many bills. The tavern just kind of ran itself," Gaynor says. "Tonic is much more complicated."

This fall, she opened a hot dog and kielbasa takeout next door, named The Big O after her son, Owen. But she's got no further expansion plans. Anything more would take away from time with him.

"I feel fulfilled with Tonic," she says.

Ticket restaurant reviewers visit restaurants anonymously. They pay in full for all food, wines and services. Interviews are done only after meals and services have been appraised.

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