Cooks & Soldiers - FINALLY

 Cooks & Soldiers has been a restaurant that I've been wanting to try for a very long time.  Covid hit, and all my restaurant wish list places got put on hold.  I am FINALLY venturing out and excited to try new places and actually eat in a real establishment vs my home kitchen!

C & S is located at the corner of 14th St and Howell Mill Road in the West End area of Atlanta.

691 14th St NW, Atlanta, GA 30318

Their website describes the place as, "Upscale restaurant serving Basque tapas & larger shareable portions cooked on a wood-burning grill." So, small plates are encouraged but you can certainly get a larger entree for one person if you prefer.  

My husband and I went the tapas route.

To access a sample menu click here.

We began with drinks!

We both got the Baptizing Esquelito, which was Reposato Tequila, Capeletti, Orgeat and Lime.  It was so so good that we ended up getting a 2nd each before the night was over.

They staggered the dishes, and all were small plates, so I'm describing them in no particular order. 

Pulpo à la gallega: Grilled Spanish Octopus, Pimento, Canary Island Potato, Piquillo Peppers, and Crispy Garlic

I LOVE octopus when it's done right.  This dish was incredible!  Just enough heat without being oppressive and such a fabulous combination of flavors.  I honestly wish we had gotten two orders of these! 

Ensalada Verde

We needed something light and healthy and this salad fit the bill.  Unfortunately I didn't snap a pic until there was only a few bites left, but I would definitely order this one again.  Delicious.

Local Mushrooms, Black Truffle Goat Cheese Creme Fraiche on Sourdough

This dish was so yummy and decadent.  We were fighting for the last bite.  It's rich thought so be aware but it was so so good!

White Asparagus with Cured Egg Yolk

A fabulous white asparagus dish served so differently.  We had white asparagus at just about every meal when we were in Paris, France a few years back.  They were "in season" at the time and every restaurant was putting them on the menu.  I've never had them prepared quite this way though, and they were really good!

Mountain Bread with Smoked Butter and Maldon Salt

OK, so we didn't NEED bread.  BUT this bread = OMG!  And as if the bread itself isn't fabulous enough, the Smoked Butter with flakey salt puts it over the top.  There were maybe 2 crumbs left.  Maybe...

Yellowtail Crudo

My favorite.  

I love yellowtail and this fresh crudo met all my expectations.  It was light, and I loved the radish crunch.  Just wonderful.

Happy Campers!

Ibérico Albondigas: Berkshire and Iberico Meatballs, tomato, pimenton, machego espuma

Finally these meatballs!  Again, we were devouring them so fast I forgot to snap a photo, but suffice to say, we loved them.  

We had an amazing time at Cooks & Soldiers! Date night extraordinaire for sure!  I can't wait to go back with friends so we can sample more dishes!

And our waiter, Max, was fantastic!  I'll be glad when servers aren't wearing masks because I felt bad having to ask him to repeat himself a few times since I couldn't hear through his mask but that's not his fault.  Excellent service by him, and the food came out in a regular clip.

Bravo Cooks & Soldiers! We'll be back...

Whiskey Bird

 Wow! It's been almost 2 years since I've blogged about dining out!  Something that I treasured and made plans for meticulously changed in March 2020!  Due to the pandemic, we've eaten a lot of take out, and I've cooked at home more than ever.  We are FINALLY mask free and vaccinated and ready to try new places!

Last weekend we chose to dine at WHISKEY BIRD.  It's long been our daughter and son-in-law's favorite spot in Atlanta, so we were way overdue trying it.  And we are so glad we did!

WHISKEY BIRD

1409 N Highland Ave | Atlanta, GA 30306

(404) 600-5797

A link to their menu is here: https://www.eatwhiskeybird.com/menus-atlanta-restaurant/

We got there early on a Saturday evening on a rainy night in Atlanta.  Fortunately we were able to snag a spot right in front of the restaurant, since N. Highland Avenue can get packed with people.

We were immediately greeted by the hostess and seated in an intimate corner table.

Our server, Addison (who was fantastic) took drink orders, and we settled in to peruse the menu.

My lime vodka gimlet was perfection:

And my husband's spicy Margarita was fabulous!

We began with one of their signature Starters, Yakitori.  We went with 4: sweet potato, sticky chicken, stuffed peppers and chimichurri shrimp

It was served with house made slaw and pickles.  This appetizer was so good!  The sweet potatoes were by far my favorite with a killer aioli on top.  And the amount was just right, so we could sample without getting totally filled up.

We ordered entrees and they arrived quickly.

I had their chopped salad with ahi tuna.

This salad was so so good!  Campari tomatoes and fresh avocado along with edamame and cranberries sprinkled with cojita cheese all came together perfectly.  The ahi tuna was fresh and delicious!

My husband went with the fried grouper sandwich:

They knocked this dish out of the park as well!  It came with a Napa coleslaw and great tartar sauce.  And those fries!  Absolutely divine.

A view from our seat of the casual atmosphere:

And we had zero room for dessert but with our bill we were presented with these delectable little treats: Pocky!  They are slim little chocolate covered pretzels.  These things were so good and just the right about of sweetness and crunch after a meal.  Just such a cool touch.

It felt so good trying out a new restaurant FINALLY, and we were so glad that Whiskey Bird didn't disappoint!  From the atmosphere (laid back, great music, fun vibe) to the service (Addison couldn't have been better) to the drinks and food:  all were A+++.  Can't wait to go back and try new items from the menu.  Such a fun evening!