Room for improvement at Playmakers

Why: Playmakers Sports Bar & Grill recently opened up in Battle Ground right next to 38 Below, which is also affiliated with Playmakers. Playmakers’ craft cocktails, brews on tap and a full food menu bring a fresh, new, locally grown sports bar option to the city of Battle Ground.

What I tried: My dining companions and I tried the cheese curds, the jagar prawns and the bacon-wrapped prawns to start. I settled on the peanut butter burger with garlic fries for my entree, while they tried the inferno pasta. To drink, we tried a few cocktails. I tried two and found one spot on — the other was not.

The cheese curds were slightly less spongy in texture than most I have tried. They are served with a honey mustard dipping sauce. Overall, they were appetizing, but the dipping sauce was thin and runny. The jagar prawns are “jumbo” size (though jumbo is typically larger than these were) and served in a delicious jager cream sauce with mushrooms. They come with focaccia bread cubes for sopping up the tasty sauce. I found the mushrooms to be the element that punctuated this dish and joined the prawns and sauce together perfectly. The bacon-wrapped prawns are served in a tequila lime sauce with focaccia bread cubes, as well. These were equally appetizing.

The peanut butter burger is served on a very dense egg roll. A beef patty, peanut butter, bacon strips, bacon jam, bread and butter pickles, tomato, lettuce and cheese make up the burger. The bacon was thin, unlike most gourmet burgers, which have thick, substantial slices. The beef patty was dry and overcooked with the char extending past the exterior. I found the bacon jam tasted like burnt bacon crumbles. The cheese was a wimpy, single slice which went undetected on the palate. The peanut butter and the over-charred elements of the burger did not complement one another. Unfortunately, the bun was a bit too dense to make a reasonable burger base. The garlic fries that accompanied the burger were fried to a golden crisp, tossed in a garlic oil and topped with Asiago and green onion. I enjoyed these.

The inferno pasta is made with cavatappi pasta. Bits of sausage, bacon, and jalapeño are mixed in with the pasta and a super spicy, saucy cheese. This is a winner if you like spicy heat.

Menu highlights beyond what I tried: Playmakers is rolling out a new menu in the next couple of weeks, but some favorites will carry over to the new menu. Cajun-seasoned calamari with chipotle aioli will remain with the starter options. The Muscle Man pizza made with jalapeño cream cheese, cheese, sausage, pepperoni, bacon, roasted jalapeño and raspberry chipotle will stay as well. Salads will include the Black and Blue which is a steak salad combining blackened steak, caramelized onions, chopped romaine lettuce, blue cheese, tomato and blue cheese dressing.

Atmosphere: Corrugated aluminum is used throughout the space, giving an industrial edge to the bar and interior partitions. A dark color palette is subdued under low lighting with much of the light coming from 14 large-screen televisions. Arcade games, darts and pool tables provide additional entertainment.

Other observations: The wait staff was attentive and knowledgable of the menu items. The atmosphere is comfortable and makes it easy to linger. The food leaves some room for improvement, with cocktails not too far behind. Playmakers swag is available for purchase.

Cost: Appetizers are $4 to $15. Burgers are $9 to $14. Wings are $10 for 1 pound and $19 for  2 pounds. Fried, buffalo style cauliflower is $8. Other entree options are $10 to $21 and salads cost $7 to $12. Pizzas are $9 to $13. Macaroni and cheese dishes cost $10 to $13. Desserts are $7. Prices may vary with the menu change.