C.A.W.

Jonathan here…

Last night some coworkers and I went to 411 West Franklin, for what we like to call Cocktails After Work (C.A.W.). It has been a while since I have eaten there; however I used to go all the time when I lived around the corner. I felt a tinge of nostalgia when we walked thru the doors. We sat at the bar and as is often the case, I was having a hard time deciding what I wanted. So I looked at the cocktail menu. I am not a huge fan of cocktail menus b/c the drinks often end up reading a lot better than they taste, and they are almost always too sweet. I ordered a Sparkling Cosmo. It was Belvedere vodka, cranberry juice and champagne with a lemon twist. It was great, but after a long day at the office I definitely needed something more stiff, I could’ve put away 10 of those, and at 9 bucks a piece I could’ve bankrupted myself. But it was definitely the perfect brunch drink.

After the Sparkling Cosmo I decided to up the ante a little bit, and to my surprise and pleasure I discovered that they had Hendricks Gin. More and more bars are starting to carry it, and I couldn’t be happier. Hendricks in my favorite gin in the world, and maybe my favorite liquor. I had a cucumber martini, which my also be my all time favorite drink. It is simply Hendricks Gin in a glass that has been coated with Vermouth but without any actual Vermouth and a cucumber garnish. I think my favorite is when there is pickled cucumber chopped and sitting in the bottom of the glass and a slice of cucumber on the rim. Last night the bartender made it with 4 slices of cucumber, which is great because by the time you are done you get to eat the gin soaked cucumbers. Many people do not prefer gin, but I have found that gin is similar to tequila in that there is a huge gap between top and bottom shelf. That is obviously true for all liquors, but it is especially true for gin and tequila. I feel as if cheap tequila and gin can’t even be considered the same type of beverage as Hendricks and Patron. Hendricks is cucumber and rose petal infused gin that will make you think of gin in a completely different way. I guarantee it.

After a few cocktails we realized we should probably eat dinner or else work would be horrible the next day, so I ordered the Grilled Swordfish with olive and tomato tapenade. It came served over herbed mashed potatoes and broccoli raab (rapini or whatever else you wanna call it). The mashed potatoes were great, it was the first time in a long time that I have had light mashed potatoes. They were not overly buttered or seasoned (not that there is anything wrong with butter in your mashed potatoes) but it was a nice deviation from the standard. The broccoli raab was great, as it always is and Swordfish is definitely a fish that can stand up to an olive tapenade. I enjoyed the dish immensely, even though the fish was a little overcooked, as Swordfish is also adept at that as well.

If you are someone who wants to learn how to cook fish or to start eating it, Swordfish is a great one to start with. It is always sold in steaks and has a very firm texture, which makes it easy to handle. It is more difficult than other fish to overcook and if you do overcook it, it is not completely ruined. Just cover with olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs and throw it on the grill. Keep the skin on to lock in the moisture but remove it before serving. No one loves fish skin, or any skin for that matter, more than me, but Swordfish skin is not very appetizing.

I’ll post later this week, but until then hope for a post from Andi!