So I had the opportunity to attend one of the Cedars Social Supper Bowl dinners last night as a guest of a guest of Chef John Tesar. Cedars Social is a new cocktail lounge/restaurant that is located in the old Amuse space right near South Side on Lamar and Gilley's. Attending this dinner required me to travel from my house in Lakewood to the other side of Downtown after the Ice Storm of 2011. Roads were pretty clear and there was no traffic. Actually, the most treacherous part of my drive was turning into Cedars Social's parking lot, which was a sheet of ice.
The first thing I noticed as I walked into Cedars Social was how warm and toasty it was. They have a circular fireplace in the middle of the dining room which was making the place roasty toasty which was great since I needed to thaw out. I have no idea what they are going to do with that fireplace in the middle of August. Bubbles? Koi? Dry Ice? Who knows.
Other than the fireplace, the bar is the feature of the restaurant. It is a large bar covered with all types of cool mixers and such. Drinks are going to reign supreme at Cedars Social when it opens up next week. Michael Martensen is in charge of the bar menu so you know you'll be in for some fantastic old time cocktails, made right. We got to taste several concoctions. Some were better than others (try the Colonial Tea Time) but they were all made with fresh and homemade ingredients (these guys make their own grenadine, for goodness sakes). When it officially opens next week, expect to see punches which will be brought out in punch bowls to the tables.
My only disappointment with the bar was actually just an item for the pre-official opening punch list. I sat in a chair on the other side of the well and after a few minutes found my jeans were covered in cold water. They've got a leak! But I just moved over one seat, and all was well again. Also guys, you need to fix the locks in the ladies room and install some toilet paper holders too. But that's what pre-opening events are about, right?
Passed hors d'oerves included everything from lamb lollipops with goat cheese (which are delicious and will be on the regular menu) to pigs ears with guacamole (which won't be on the menu - shocker! - but were pretty tasty as long as you didn't think about what you were eating) to a crab gratin which was to die for (and would make an excellent crab dip for the menu, hint, hint).
We sat down for dinner and ended up picking our table wisely because we ended up sitting next to a table full of former Green Bay Packers and their wives. Cedars Social is owned by Brian Williams, a former player, and he invited some of his friends to the party. (They'll be doing a pep rally for the Pack on Saturday there as well. Should be quite a party). We also got to spend a lot of time talking to Brian about opening this place up and his vision for the future. Tesar's menu last night included crab legs in garlic foam from the Mansion days - Brian's special request, a roasted prawn as big as my arm - Santana Dotson was disappointed it wasn't as big as his ginormous arm, pasta bolognese- which was great will be on the regular menu, and sweetbreads in a truffle vinaigrette (which I've had before at another event). But it wasn't a sneak preview of what Cedars Social will serve. It will be all about small plates and comfort foods. And pies - sweet potato, buttermilk, pecan - yum.
In talking to Brian though, it seems as if he envisions this place as a great bar where you happen to get great food. I hope it works for him. He seems like a nice guy. South Side on Lamar hasn't been the attraction everyone thought it was going to be when it first opened. This was my first venture back in years. But it looks like they have a good product at Cedars Social and hopefully that will bring in some of the crowds this area needs. I plan on coming back once they have time to open up and work out the bugs which always occur in the first few weeks.
Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment