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Message
Social Southern Table and Bar (My Review)
Posted on 1/30/13 at 7:25 pm
Posted on 1/30/13 at 7:25 pm
So I wanted to write my own review of this place. Let me state I'm a 25 year old male and have been waiting for a place like this to open in Lafayette for a while. I was very excited to go eat here.
Knowing that the place has been pretty busy since opening, I decided to show up around 5:30 to make sure my friends and I could get a table. It was a total of 3 of us so I knew reservations weren't an option as they only reserve tables for parties of 8+ right now.
First Impression/Atmosphere
Upon arriving I was greeted at the door by 3 hostesses, one of which saw me walking in from the parking lot and opened the door for me. I wanted to wait for my friends so I went sit at the bar until they arrived.
Once inside, you have dining areas to the right and left of you and a big bar in front. The bar is a large U shape that can easily accommodate 30 people. Behind the bar was an open view into the kitchen.
Inside is very modern/rustic feel. Dark colors, wood beams, stone and granite floors and walls, copper piping flowing throughout. It was very different than any other place in Lafayette. Not long after I sat at the bar however, my friends arrived, so we moved to a table.
Dining
Immediately after sitting we opened the menu to decide on drinks. The menu design is very unique, along with most things about this place. It is a manila folder with different parts of the menu being broken down into different pages in the folder.
We were greeted by a team of 3. One who seemed to be our main waitress and the other two to be more of drink re fillers/bus boys.
------ Drinks ------
Each of my friends and I had 4 drinks. 2 mixed and 2 beers. I will only describe mine as I can't speak for them, however I did taste some of theirs and liked everything.
I started with the Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade. I don't usually go after sweet drinks but this looked different and good. And it was. You could definitely taste the bourbon on the front and back end, but never had the bourbon burn. Instead you had a cool, sweet, and refreshing feeling with each sip.
Next was the Social Animal. Their version of a Bloody Mary. I love bloody mary's and this one was pretty good. Spicy and lots of flavor. It is cracklin infused and you can really tell. I drank this the fastest. If it wasn't for me wanting to try more items, I would've ordered this all night.
I finished with two beers I have never had before. Clown Shoes Clementine, and Young's Double Chocolate Stout. Both were very good. The Clown shoes reminded me of a Blue Moon while the Stout was a... well a double chocolate stout. Would easily order them again.
I do want to note my friend ordered the Gulf Coast Manhattan which I took a sip of. Both he and I agreed it was probably our favorite of the night.
------ Food ------
We started off by ordering 5 different "Social" meals as our waitress explained. 3 from the Speakeateries section (apps) and 2 from the Pickins section (bar plates?).
They were the Krab Nachos, Pork Belly Sliders, Boudin "Kolache", Fried Pickled Okra, and Deviled Eggs.
I am no food expert by no means. And I'm typically pretty easy to please. So my opinion may be totally different from anyone elses. But I must say every we had was great. The sliders and kolache's being the top by far. Everything seemed to be well cooked with great flavor. Not once was I disappointed.
Finally the main course. I ordered the Guiness Braised Cochon. If I wasn't already in love with this place, which I was, this easily sealed the deal. Served in a large bowl with polenta coating the bottom of the bowl and the pork on top. I'm not a huge fan of grits or polenta but if I wasn't so full already I would have cleaned the bowl spotless. The pork was extremely tender, juicy, and well seasoned. The polenta had a great cheesy flavor to it. I didn't want to stop eating but my body was forcing me to. The leftovers made a great dinner for tonight!
Along with our meal, we all split an order of Mac and Cheese which is listed as a Social Fixin, which serves two. Although it could have easily been enough for 4. It was a different mac and cheese but very tasty. I could have used more cheese but I'm not complaining.
Overall
By the time we were done eating and drinking I had been there for over 3 hours. But not once did I realize I was there for that amount of time. Appetizers, beer, and food arrived very very quickly. Our first appetizers were at the table withing 10 minutes of ordering. Possibly less. The mixed drinks took a little while, but with a large bar and a very packed place, it was expected. We learned to combat that by ordering our next drink before we were finished with the first. Our waitress and her "helpers" were very tentative. Not once did we have to go looking for her to flag her down. Even as the night went on and the restaurant grew busier I never noticed the place being "too loud" to talk to my friends as another poster has said. Yes it did get noisy, but with an entirely open atmosphere and a lot of people in a location, it's expected.
I loved everything about this place and it is easily my new favorite location to eat/drink in Lafayette.
**Again, I am no expert. My review is merely my opinion that I wanted to share with everyone**
(Pictures Below)
Knowing that the place has been pretty busy since opening, I decided to show up around 5:30 to make sure my friends and I could get a table. It was a total of 3 of us so I knew reservations weren't an option as they only reserve tables for parties of 8+ right now.
First Impression/Atmosphere
Upon arriving I was greeted at the door by 3 hostesses, one of which saw me walking in from the parking lot and opened the door for me. I wanted to wait for my friends so I went sit at the bar until they arrived.
Once inside, you have dining areas to the right and left of you and a big bar in front. The bar is a large U shape that can easily accommodate 30 people. Behind the bar was an open view into the kitchen.
Inside is very modern/rustic feel. Dark colors, wood beams, stone and granite floors and walls, copper piping flowing throughout. It was very different than any other place in Lafayette. Not long after I sat at the bar however, my friends arrived, so we moved to a table.
Dining
Immediately after sitting we opened the menu to decide on drinks. The menu design is very unique, along with most things about this place. It is a manila folder with different parts of the menu being broken down into different pages in the folder.
We were greeted by a team of 3. One who seemed to be our main waitress and the other two to be more of drink re fillers/bus boys.
------ Drinks ------
Each of my friends and I had 4 drinks. 2 mixed and 2 beers. I will only describe mine as I can't speak for them, however I did taste some of theirs and liked everything.
I started with the Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade. I don't usually go after sweet drinks but this looked different and good. And it was. You could definitely taste the bourbon on the front and back end, but never had the bourbon burn. Instead you had a cool, sweet, and refreshing feeling with each sip.
Next was the Social Animal. Their version of a Bloody Mary. I love bloody mary's and this one was pretty good. Spicy and lots of flavor. It is cracklin infused and you can really tell. I drank this the fastest. If it wasn't for me wanting to try more items, I would've ordered this all night.
I finished with two beers I have never had before. Clown Shoes Clementine, and Young's Double Chocolate Stout. Both were very good. The Clown shoes reminded me of a Blue Moon while the Stout was a... well a double chocolate stout. Would easily order them again.
I do want to note my friend ordered the Gulf Coast Manhattan which I took a sip of. Both he and I agreed it was probably our favorite of the night.
------ Food ------
We started off by ordering 5 different "Social" meals as our waitress explained. 3 from the Speakeateries section (apps) and 2 from the Pickins section (bar plates?).
They were the Krab Nachos, Pork Belly Sliders, Boudin "Kolache", Fried Pickled Okra, and Deviled Eggs.
I am no food expert by no means. And I'm typically pretty easy to please. So my opinion may be totally different from anyone elses. But I must say every we had was great. The sliders and kolache's being the top by far. Everything seemed to be well cooked with great flavor. Not once was I disappointed.
Finally the main course. I ordered the Guiness Braised Cochon. If I wasn't already in love with this place, which I was, this easily sealed the deal. Served in a large bowl with polenta coating the bottom of the bowl and the pork on top. I'm not a huge fan of grits or polenta but if I wasn't so full already I would have cleaned the bowl spotless. The pork was extremely tender, juicy, and well seasoned. The polenta had a great cheesy flavor to it. I didn't want to stop eating but my body was forcing me to. The leftovers made a great dinner for tonight!
Along with our meal, we all split an order of Mac and Cheese which is listed as a Social Fixin, which serves two. Although it could have easily been enough for 4. It was a different mac and cheese but very tasty. I could have used more cheese but I'm not complaining.
Overall
By the time we were done eating and drinking I had been there for over 3 hours. But not once did I realize I was there for that amount of time. Appetizers, beer, and food arrived very very quickly. Our first appetizers were at the table withing 10 minutes of ordering. Possibly less. The mixed drinks took a little while, but with a large bar and a very packed place, it was expected. We learned to combat that by ordering our next drink before we were finished with the first. Our waitress and her "helpers" were very tentative. Not once did we have to go looking for her to flag her down. Even as the night went on and the restaurant grew busier I never noticed the place being "too loud" to talk to my friends as another poster has said. Yes it did get noisy, but with an entirely open atmosphere and a lot of people in a location, it's expected.
I loved everything about this place and it is easily my new favorite location to eat/drink in Lafayette.
**Again, I am no expert. My review is merely my opinion that I wanted to share with everyone**
(Pictures Below)
This post was edited on 1/30/13 at 7:26 pm
Posted on 1/30/13 at 7:26 pm to bbrou33
I am no expert photographer either. These were taken on my phone, with no flash, in somewhat dim lighting. Also some were taken after being slightly eaten/drank.
Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade
Social Animal
Boudin Kolache
Pork Belly Sliders
Krab Nachos
Young's Double Chocolate
Clown Shoe's Clementine
Mac N Cheese
Guiness Braised Cochon
Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade
Social Animal
Boudin Kolache
Pork Belly Sliders
Krab Nachos
Young's Double Chocolate
Clown Shoe's Clementine
Mac N Cheese
Guiness Braised Cochon
This post was edited on 1/30/13 at 7:34 pm
Posted on 1/30/13 at 7:30 pm to bbrou33
TL/still read.
can't wait to check this place out. Doubt it'll happen this weekend, but maybe next or over the mardi gras holiday.
can't wait to check this place out. Doubt it'll happen this weekend, but maybe next or over the mardi gras holiday.
Posted on 1/30/13 at 7:32 pm to bbrou33
Thanks for the review! I want to go!
Posted on 1/30/13 at 8:50 pm to bbrou33
Great review. I'm glad you tried some things the party I went with didn't get. I really wanted to try the Boudin kolache and the nachos. They look really good.
The Guinness braised Cochon is super delicious and probably the best thing they have that I have tried.
I'm curious. What day of the week did you go? I was really concerned on Saturday night but it could have been an extremely busy night which it is. Almost no standing room in the bar area.
The Guinness braised Cochon is super delicious and probably the best thing they have that I have tried.
I'm curious. What day of the week did you go? I was really concerned on Saturday night but it could have been an extremely busy night which it is. Almost no standing room in the bar area.
Posted on 1/30/13 at 10:03 pm to bbrou33
Thanks for the review now I really want to go.
Posted on 1/31/13 at 7:44 am to bbrou33
Excellent review.. To be young again and be able to drink those mixed drinks, follow up with beer and then dinner. Well played.
I appreciate the variety of things you experienced and think the polenta and pork look and sound awesome. Thanks for posting your review.
Posted on 1/31/13 at 12:31 pm to bbrou33
Great review. This place looks like they're putting out some solid stuff. Also I'd like to commend you on being only 25 and seeking out food and drinks like this place has. It's nice to see some men in the South mature early and get past their college days of fast food and Hamburger Helper. Keep at it.
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