Cocktail Experts.

VIP: Lindsay and I were asked to be a part of a panel of cocktail experts (!!!) to evaluate the specialty cocktail menu for a new restaurant in Buckhead. I just knew the day would come when this particular skill set (which we have been diligently honing at various bars and restaurants for the last 10+ years!) would come in handy…

Varsity Team.

…and last night at Saskatoon was the night, my friends.

OK so the Q+DD on Saskatoon is this: It’s a wild game restaurant located in the Alexan on Pharr Road (in the space where ill-fated Spondivits and Harry Bisset’s once were…) Think hunter’s lodge: über masculine, warm and cozy. Soft jazz playing, fires roaring, lighting fixtures adorned with antlers, and deer heads on the wood paneled walls. The menu is chock full of wild boar, elk, ostrich and the like. I even tried my first fried alligator! (This thrilled Lindsay: “I’m so glad we can be a part of this!”)

And hey, we like antlers!

Anyway, our table consisted of the two of us, our +1s (Linds brought Steph Cheeseman and I had Doc Hollywood in tow) and our new best friend Alison Abby, a fabulous freelance writer whom we met last night.

They brought us several appetizers to sample, and I have to say – we all really enjoyed the food we tried. Of course, wild game was the main protein in each dish, and they were all very creative as well as delicious!

The real purpose of our visit last night was to provide feedback on their cocktail menu. We tasted everything from the Saskatoon Sling (a variation of the Singapore Sling) to the Espresso Martini (cinnamon-y and not too dessert-y! Our favorite by far.) For the most part, we all thought the specialty cocktails were a little sweet (and perhaps tropical?) for our taste BUT we were there to help them tweak, and I’m sure they will. (Also, in the interest of full disclosure, Lindsay and I are pretty straightforward in our cocktail preferences. Any more than 2 ingredients and we’re raising an eyebrow and I have never seen the Doc drink anything but scotch. Ever.) So if you’re a specialty cocktail type of person, you may totally disagree with our evaluation. IJS.

Additionally, the GM seems pretty passionate about having an impressive, yet affordable wine list and the wait staff was just lovely…and happy to pour me a vodka on the rocks after all was said and done. (With 3 nice, big, fat queen-sized olives. DK always told me you can judge a bar by the size of their olives...)

My verdict on Saskatoon is this: I think it’s a pretty interesting addition to Buckhead’s restaurant scene and if you enjoy that type of atmosphere, (or if you’re in the mood to envision yourself as a ski bunny taking a break from the slopes!) I would encourage you to try it for yourself.

Bonus: FYI, Saskatoon is a city located in central Saskatchewan, Canada and I find Saskatchewan really, REALLY fun to say.

Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan…Saskatchewan…

xx, L

PS. Thanks for the folks at Melissa Libby for the invite!

Saskatoon
(404) 891-1911
360 Pharr Road
Atlanta, GA 30305