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Sometimes you just got to go different. That’s what we got at the last Dining Divas. A “new-to-us” restaurant with an interesting menu, that was really different. I can’t say what they’re specialty is, but Hangar Kitchen & Bar is definitely unique.

Located on Manchester Road in Rock Hill, the restaurant prior to Hangar was the Slider House, and at one time, there used to be a Baskin-Robbins. It’s in the same plaza as Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria, another great choice in the neighborhood. When we walked into Hangar, we were immediately impressed with the very cool décor, the trendy garage-doors for windows, large whiskey barrel-like booths, and jet engine parts as wall art. The outdoor patio is covered, and the lush greenery is especially inviting on a nice spring day. We were told they have live music there too.

On a different occasion, Hangar’s specialty cocktail menu could have made for a really adventurous night. There were so many fun drinks to try out, but this group stuck mostly with the Champagne Supernova and the White Peach Sangria. Both were good, but as I write this, I’m really wishing I could have another one of the white peach sangrias. Seriously delicious. It tasted like summer.

Baby formula and breastfeeding was a topic of conversation, and many of the Experienced Divas expressed how different things are now from when they raised their kids. When discussing the baby formula shortage, one Diva said that she fed her son evaporated milk with a little Karo syrup mixed in. “And he’s still alive and well.”

We were envious of the Travelling Diva’s recent annual trip to a “residential” part of Florida and the Cultured Diva’s plans to go to Barcelona. We missed the Recovering Diva as she was still healing from a surgery two months prior, and we hoped that the pain she had been experiencing would subside.

And as we were discussing hiring in-home care for one of the Diva’s mothers, the conversation turned to the lack of potential candidates. Where are all of the out of work people? We’d still be sitting at that table debating if we tried to answer that.

A few of us tried out the Famous as Barr French Onion soup, thinking it would be just like the Famous Barr soup. Well, it wasn’t.

Half of us weren’t fans because we wanted it to taste like the famous soup we were familiar with, but the other half thought it was really good with a nice kick to it.

The Dirty Caesar salad came with shaved Brussel sprouts, and the consensus was it would have been nice to have more in it. The Asian salad tasted good but is spicy.

A few small plate items were shared. The Korean Cauliflower Bites with a tempura batter, avocado, sesame seeds, and a glaze were excellent as were the Deviled Eggs & Billionaire’s Bacon. Not sure who the billionaire was that the bacon came from, but it makes for an interesting conversation. Did the pig live on a luxurious farm where he was catered to with the best of the best pig feed; therefore, did this, in turn, transform him into luxurious bacon? Or has the price of bacon just gone up so much so that when you read it in the name of the menu item, you know to expect to pay more? Someone had to have had fun coming up with the names for some of the menu items.

Enjoying a rare evening out, the New Mama Diva thought the Da Goat appetizer of baked goat cheese with a spicy tomato sauce was delicious and the Philly Steak tacos too. Choosing not to read the description too closely, the Picky Diva tried the Chicken Amandine even though it included ingredients that she typically didn’t like. Stepping outside her comfort zone worked this time as she liked her meal.

For the record, Hangar isn’t cheap. Some of the food items and drinks are pricey when you think about what you could pay to make them at home. But that’s the case with most any place you go, especially these days. Hopefully, the experience is worth it to you. Hangar is one of those places. Unique and enjoyable, with outdoor dining as a bonus.

And who wants to cook at home all the time? I know I sure don’t!