Lauren Peterson
Whiskey Cake offers its customers a plethora of farm-to-table dishes and cocktails out of their “from scratch only” kitchen and bar. Upon entering the restaurant you are struck with a rustic aesthetic that translates into their unique drinks and dishes. Situated with above the Shops at La Cantera you can enjoy a cocktail by the fire place, on the patio, or in comfy sofas.
We were lucky enough to dine at Whiskey Cake this past week. The first course showered us in appetizers, or as Whiskey Cake likes to call them, “snacks.” Our first snack was the local goat cheese fondu, delivered fresh to the kitchen every Wednesday. The creamy cheese spread perfectly on the grilled sourdough bread. We also got to enjoy the fried green tomatoes, edamame hummus, deviled eggs, and the 3 Little Pigs.
The story behind the 3 Little Pigs shows the creativity and meticulousness of the restaurant and kitchen. The dish features three pulled pork sliders that sit upon a brick. Why a brick, you ask? If you recall the story of the three little pigs it will all make sense… The brick represents the brick house, the crispy onions represent the straw house, and the wooden sticks that hold the sliders together represent the wood house. Now it’s our job as the hungry customer to represent the wolf and demolish all three sliders.
Some of the featured entrees were the live wood grilled salmon and the kale and pomegranate salad. The perfectly cooked salmon was paired with a escarole pesto cous cous risotto. Unlike all of the other dishes on the menu you may think the salad sounds average, but in fact it was everything except average. The presentation of the vibrant kale with hints of red pomegranates is nothing to over look. It comes with a deep-fried poached egg which still confuses me as to how that is possible. But I’ll leave that to the chef.
And let us not forget about the cocktails! A popular drink at Whiskey Cake and my personal favorite was The Great Escape: a guava and pineapple-y rum cocktail with hints of ginger and lime served in a cute, tiki mason jar. The garnish was a palm leaf from their garden on the front patio. In fact, all of Whiskey Cake’s garnishes are from its garden. Another creative, “farm-to-table” example of how Whiskey Cake stands out among the rest.
You can’t eat or drink at Whiskey Cake without tasting its famous Whiskey Cake! It is a marvelous (not so little) piece of toffee torte soaked in bourbon anglaise and topped with spiced pecans and home-made whipped cream. If you’re not into any of the snacks, cocktails, or elegant yet comforting couches, you must at least enjoy the Whiskey Cake (my mouth is watering just thinking about it).
Whiskey Cake offers happy hour Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. and reverse happy hour from 9 to 11 p.m. Did we mention you can get a slice of Whiskey Cake then, too?