Not every meal out for me is a review. At least, that wasn’t the plan when my family and I headed downtown for dinner at Whiskey Bar Kitchen.
But as I dug into my crisp salad with its fresh miso ginger dressing, I thought, “I’ve got to review this.”
For those who don’t know, Whiskey Bar Kitchen is a longtime downtown Augusta favorite. It features the best of both worlds: inventive burgers plus Japanese fare. I’m also a huge fan of its look: oversized wood booths, gorgeous brick walls and the slightly aloof, but friendly wait staff.
I hadn’t been in years. But my daughter wanted to try someplace that was new for her. She bounced happily in the big booth as we ordered her usual Japanese dish, teriyaki chicken, while my husband decided to try the katsu curry. And I was curious: Would my perennial favorite, the Cali burger, be the same? For a twist, instead of my usual waffle or sweet potato fries, I decided to go full Cali by upgrading to a side salad.
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So why a review? For one, the side salad is enormous: a generous plate of multicolored greens, topped with halved tomatoes, slices of sweet cucumber, a generous pile of mushrooms (I chose to ignore those), shredded carrot, diced red onion and a generous sprinkling of white shredded cheese. The cheese doesn’t seem like it would be a typical ingredient for a Japanese-inspired salad, but somehow it worked incredibly well with the miso ginger dressing, which was flavored of course with ginger but also had a peanutty flavor that was irresistible. It was also super fresh; I could’ve enjoyed it as an entrée if it’d been topped with a protein like chicken.
The teriyaki chicken was an adult portion, but my daughter dove right in, eating piece after piece, giving it a thumbs up when she came up for air. The katsu, my husband reported, was different, with a deeper tangier sauce than when he’d had it last.
And my Cali? I’d forgotten to order it without the jalapenos, but I was glad the kitchen left them in large slices that could easily be removed. I’d also forgotten how tall Whiskey Bar’s burgers are! I sliced the burger in half — the easier to eat it — but hey, what great burger isn’t a little messy? This one made a disaster of my hands and plate, but I couldn’t get enough of every bite of that thick burger, the sweet mayonnaise dressing (O.K., aioli if you want to be fancy about it), the fresh avocado, smoky bacon, the crisp cucumber — all on a fat, buttery brioche bun.
It was just as good as I remembered. Then, just as we were getting ready to leave, my daughter snuggled up under my arm. As I looked down at her, she looked up at me with the sweetest smile and said, “Your breath smells … delicious.” And that just might be the best review of them all.
Whiskey Bar Kitchen
1048 Broad St.
Whiskeybarkitchen.com
Entrée cost: $11.95 to $15.95
