May Good Dinner: Small Batch Whiskey and Fare

From the President:

I served as host this month and chose Small Batch Whiskey and Fare. It is a relatively new restaurant and is part of the Bailey's family of restaurants so I figured it would be good. I'm not sure at what point I figured out that it was "quietly vegetarian" but I did not immediately notice as there were quite a few things on the menu that sounded good.

The restaurant is located in mid-town but parking was really not an issue. I think there was plenty of street parking close by and no one had to walk very far. The restaurant is starkly decorated in black and white. It is warmed a little with the vintage pictures on the walls. As a diverse group, however, it was noted that there was no diversity in the people in the photographs which is always a little disappointing. Diners gave Small Batch an average of 4 spoons for good atmosphere.

I felt that for the most part the waitress was attentive and pleasant. I did feel that she became less attentive towards the end of the meal. A few diners had asked for their checks so I'm sure she thought we were leaving but the rest of us wanted to continue to drink and talk. She also brought the checks out before offering dessert which is always a miss. A few diners, however, felt the service was disappointing overall: slow and inattentive. Apparently the waitress had to be reminded to take some of the menus away and to refill the water glasses. Diners gave Small Batch 3 spoons for fair service.

I thought the food and drinks were excellent! Everything I had was delicious and full of flavor. The frito misto was great with the tempura batter and the accompanying sauces were tasty, especially the garlic aioli. My pasta was wonderful. I always love fresh pasta and the lemon sauce is right up my alley. My only complaint is that the chef seemed to be pretty heavy handed with the pepper. One diner ordered the curry potato soup and could not eat it because it was so spicy. I had to make a real effort to avoid all of the pepper over my pasta dish. Certainly there was some grumbling once everyone realized that the restaurant was vegetarian but I thought everyone enjoyed their food. Diners gave Small Batch 4 spoons for good food.

Overall, we certainly had a good time at Small Batch and I think the majority of us enjoyed our food but would have liked the addition of some meat to the menu. I enjoyed it so much that I have already been back. Diners gave Small Batch 3 1/2 spoons overall; a fairly good restaurant.