Social Kitchen and Bar

This is our third official trip to Social Kitchen and Bar in Birmingham.  I say "official" because I know Scottie's been here a couple of times without me, but I don't count those.  Actually, I was quite surprised that I forgot to write about these guys from our first visit last July and only just mention them in this blog.  Social actually came onto the scene last June, and at the time, was dubbed a place that you might find in a big city like Chicago or New York.  Even though we always give restaurants in this town one shot, that caught our attention quickly plus as you can see from the exterior, it had that city look and feel to it.  Maybe you can't tell, but there is an outdoor first floor patio plus rooftop bar/dining setting.  On the interior, they added to the city effect adding a little bit of industrial, startup feel with a lofted ceiling, exposed ducts and brick work.

Social is the brain-child of a mid-twenties Zack Sklar, who had his hands in every part of the business from picking out the table clothes, menu design, and cutlery to choosing the design of the bar, seating area, and kitchen. Every detail is perfectly chosen to make this restaurant really fit into Birmingham giving workers a nice happy hour "social" spot or locals like us a go-to restaurant!

Tonight, we ended up meeting Bubs, Angela, and Reimer for dinner as they were in the neighborhood. Part of what makes Social social is their menu as they have a great selection of appetizers and drinks, and their starter biscuits are hot and buttery!  Thus, we started with a mix of the Crispy Brussels Sprouts, Hot Dogs in Blankets, Slider Bites, and Cheese Spinach Dip.  The last two times, Scottie and I have also started by splitting one of their main menu items, which is the Naan Grilled Cheese with Tomato as well as the Mac 'N Cheese.  Both were fantastic and must eats!  I don't think anyone complained about these starters as we left little for our waitress to clean up.  Of the bunch, I still say go with the Naan Grilled Cheese and certainly for a little vegetable, the Brussels Sprouts will win you over.

The last time, Scottie and I jumped all over the Spaghetti with Wagyu Meatballs and the Sea Bass Skilled with crispy noodles, capers, olives, and spicy tomatoes.  While we enjoyed both, you can't really ruin spaghetti and meatballs, and this unique addition of wagyu beef added just the amount of uniqueness to make this worth not eating my own!  This time around, Scottie and I, on cue, ordered the same thing, which was the Falafel with homemade pita and feta-yogurt.  While I liked the touch of adding a mediterranean dish on the menu with some homemade recipes, this falafel couldn't stand up to say a place like Phoenicia (just down the road), but overall, we couldn't complain.

As we finished up, Scott was "talked" into ordering "The Cookie Jar" for dessert which was a jar of warm chocolate chip cookies and a big glass of milk.  Love it.  Love this place!