Work & Class Shakes Up Its Menu — and Says Goodbye to a Few Favorites

Shrimp and grits are getting the boot, among a few other beloved staples on the Work & Class menu, as the restaurant reveals several new items today. The grits may not be gone forever, but for now, you’ll have to cope with the loss by diving into a plate of halibut ceviche or a green-papaya salad.

Other new menu items include a whole fried Idaho trout, two kinds of rotisserie chicken (mole and orange thyme), Mexican pot-roast barbacoa, and several new sides such as Spanish rice, fresh corn cumin salad, goat cheese with heirloom tomatoes, poblano grits, leek mashed potatoes, and roasted carrots, peas and mushrooms.

Don’t worry, the butterscotch pudding isn’t going anywhere, but new additions to the dessert menu include a Mexican citrus cake and the “I’m so fancy sundae” with an almost unreal combo of goat cheese ice cream, figs, honey and almonds.

Co-owner Delores Tronco offers insight as to why she and partner Tony Maciag and chef Dana Rodriguez, who is also a co-owner, are switching things up — and ditching a few customer favorites. Tronco explains that she is really excited for people to try new things and that a great deal of thought goes into a menu change to improve the customer experience. She admits that it’s bittersweet to see some things go, but says it was definitely time for a change.

Some of the new items may seem familiar; that's because they've all been tested on the specials board. Every new dish was served as a special at least twice before being considered as a permanent addition to the menu. The process gives the crew a chance to perfect new ideas — and also gives Tronco the opportunity to collect feedback from guests. She notes that even though some items are well loved, it’s good to change things up; otherwise, you’re eating the same thing over and over again.

The new roster is based on a collaboration between Tronco, Maciag and the kitchen, with heavy input from Rodriguez and her team, as they are responsible for turning out dishes on a nightly basis. Rodriguez — also known as "Loca" — and chef Vicente Sosa are both very excited for the papaya salad and the chicken mole. Tronco is looking forward to the orange thyme chicken and poblano grits — featuring the same grits as before, only now they come vegetarian, sans shrimp. We were also delighted to discover that the other side options are vegetarian, as well, making it easy for herbivores to construct a full meal while carnivores get their fill of the new chicken or trout. 

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