Whiskey Warehouse and Wanderlust

Finally getting the chance to make plans with friends who recently went to Paris and wanting to get the low down. We decided we would meet at Whiskey Warehouse. This is a new restaurant located in the former home of Creation (R.I.P) on Plaza Rd in the Plaza-Midwood neighborhood. This was the second time for the Mrs. and myself. We were not particularly impressed the first go round but they had just opened and we thought we would give them the benefit of the doubt. We were not rewarded for our kindness.

The decor is exactly what you would expect from a place called Whiskey Warehouse, dark woods some leather couches and barrels. There are also cardboard boxes of cheap bourbon everywhere you look. Its done well, except for the fact that it is a relatively small space and all hard surfaces. It is a bit of an echo chamber and last night it was packed.

We did go a little early so they still had some of the after work crowd blowing off some steam.

Our friends got there first and had already gotten a table, so we sat immediately. Our server turned up fairly quickly to take our drink order but there was no drink menu to be found so she just grabbed the one from the closest table and gave it to us. I find this practice unacceptable, no one should have there meal interrupted because you didn't do your job. I know it is a casual restaurant but it still bothers me. The beer selection is sparse so I ordered a Highland Gaelic Ale and settled in for the details of a trip to Paris. Which were unfortunately brief since our friends had gotten sick immediately upon arrival. But hearing about dinner at the Eiffel Tower definitely began to feed my own wanderlust.

Our meal started with an order of Fried Green Tomatoes which were slightly under cooked but not bad. They had a nice tartness and the breading was well seasoned and hung to the tomato admirably. For the main I ordered fish and chips while the Mrs. had a burger. Our companions has a burger and a chicken sandwich. Our server made a couple of trips back to the table to confirm various details of our order, get a notepad. Between courses we continued to discuss their overseas adventure as well as our plans for our own. When dinner arrived a set of knowing glances shot around the table. This was a sad looking meal indeed. All of the sandwiches were served on weak white sandwich rolls and the burgers were thin frozen patties akin to those found in your local supermarkets freezer section with slices of Kraft cheese on top . The sweet potato fries that accompanied them were soft and flaccid with no discernible flavor of their own. My fish and chips looked more like fried catfish than a proper fish and chips. It was a cornmeal batter on a sad fillet of whitefish, the batter was not crisp and the whole thing was a bit limp. The fries were fine but fairly generic.

When the meal was finished the general consensus was that it was a fine place to meet and have a drink, maybe watch a game, but not to have a meal. With that we beat a hasty retreat and vowed to meet again soon.