With the announcement that The Cedars Social is under new ownership, I wanted to duck in to see what changes were happening at the craft cocktail den in The Cedars.  I was a fan of TCS when I worked in The Cedars but hadn’t heard too much about them recently.  Turns out, new owners Jeffrey Yarbrough and Chad Boyle seem to be keeping the essence of TCS intact–the decor is still as eclectic as ever, the food classic with a bit of a twist, and the cocktails … well, strong.

We started with a couple of their options from the seasonal cocktail menu–they offer seasonal options along with classics from both the pre-Prohibition era and some from the Prohibition era.  Their cocktails are made with high quality, fresh ingredients and some of the best liquor options around by incredibly skilled bartenders.  (I was glad to hear that the new owners were still partnering with original partner and bar manager, Michael Martensen.  He does good things.)  Our seasonal choices were the Berry Gin-erous (Seagrams, Blueberry mint syrup, lemon juice and ginger beer) and the Juliet & Romeo (Plymouth Gin, Lime Juice, Muddled Cucumbers, & Cane syrup, with Angostura bitters, and a mint leaf topped with rose water).

After getting warmed up with some drinks (as one does at brunch), we ordered their fresh fruit, truffle fries (duh), and deviled eggs.  I was bummed that they don’t offer their truffle grilled cheese anymore, but I figured the fries were a good substitute.  The Truffle Fries had a nice truffle essence without it being overpowering and they were perfectly crispy.  The Deviled Eggs were a good start to the meal thanks to their light filling.  While fruit is good for you and all (and TCS’ was quite delicious) … save it for home.

Our second round of drinks got a bit more adventurous.  I went for the I Do What I Want (that’s the real name of the cocktail) featuring Ketel One, aged balsamic, honey syrup, muddled strawberry, lemon juice, and egg white.  It was nicely mixed and the balsamic really gave it a punch and a bit of extra complexity.

As for the food, we ordered the Housemade Turkey Hash (herbs de Provence, scrambled eggs, and hollandaise sauce) and the Omelette Florentine (prosciutto, spinach, mushrooms, and goat cheese).  Both were accompainied by potatoes, and both were pretty damn good.  (I’d suggest getting the hollandaise on the side of the hash … I’m a big fan of self sauce-regulation.)

While I usually choose to spend my brunch calories on drinks, we were encouraged to get into some dessert action.  Once we heard that their cheesecakes are from Val’s Cheesecakes, we couldn’t not. And ice cream goes in a different stomach.  So yeah.

Since we were delightfully boozed up and stuffed, we decided that Sunday just wasn’t going to be a thing … at least not a productive one.  (Their drinks are pretty hefty, so try not to plan too much after a brunch at TCS other than a nap or more drinking.)  So we packed up our leftovers (of which there were plenty) and did our best to roll ourselves to the car.

Needless to say, after the reminder of the good things TCS does, I’ll be back before too long to hit them up for some of their dinner options–hello, Akashi Short Ribs, Kobe Meatballs, and Truffle Mac & Cheese.

THE CEDARS SOCIAL
www.thecedarssocial.com
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1326 S Lamar St, Dallas, TX 75215
(214) 928-7700

Open daily, 4-10pm
Brunch: Saturday & Sunday, 11am-3pm