Cask & Larder is one of my favorites.  We don’t go so often that the glow is burnished away and I was able to indulge my whim to try their new lunch menu for Z’s birthday.  My parents joined us for this ultimate lunch treat which made it doubly nice.  We made a reservation – for a 12:30 pm Saturday lunch.  It wasn’t strictly necessary as it was by no means over crowded but I was happy to be seated right away and lost myself in the menu.

We started out with a ‘hillbilly basket’ of crunchy fried things-hushpuppies, really great fried okra, dill pickles and green tomatoes served with a Franks creamy dipping sauce.

I was pretty convinced by the first entree – Nashville Hot Chicken, a sandwich on brioche with Duke’s (seriously southern honey thick) mayo, bread and butter pickle and frisee.  This chicken was crispy, hot and sweet and dripping all at the same time.  Delicious.  (my new favorite word I’ve noticed.)  Sadly, a blop of mayo dropped on my plate and I later dropped my phone speaker directly on that spot and my phone is still worse for the wear.  But really-just really delicious.  A julep cup of barbequed (like chips) curly fries in a massive portion on the side.  My mom and dad went crazy with lunches and sides adding in a side of collards (No, thank you) served on ridiculously large grained fluffy grits.  How do people get their grits to do that???  And also a side of brisket-y bbq beans which were a bit to al dente for me.  The birthday boy had a monstrously large ribeye dog-that’s right-a hotdog made out of ribeye.  He ate it up!   I had a cocktail too – a little fruity Rosie O’Grady with Bluecoat Gin, Blood Orange liquer, cranberry and five spice bitters.  That girl likes her coctails strong!  My dad had a sip and his face skwintched up-which is fun memory to remember.  Cheers to another year for Z.

Sidenote:  If you haven’t tried Cask & Larder for the prices, lunch is a good option.  You could keep it at a reasonable price point while still eating like a Southern king.