Out to Lunch at Whiskey Cake

The best thing about changing seasons has to be seasonal menus. As cooler winds blow, restaurant chefs are turning, one and all, to winter favorites, giving us all new reasons to visit again. And again. And again.

Whiskey Cake is no exception. Chef Alex Sandowsky has added winter dishes, new handcrafted, scratch-made menu items are perfect for the season.

The Local Board, of course, is always fun and kept mysterious; it’s just good stuff that they like for that season such as an extremely soft and flavorful pimento cheese with the sparkling addition of salmon, a round rock of honeycomb, made-in-house beef jerky, Jalapeno smoked sausage, Pecan horseradish white cheddar, Van Sormon (a cheese in the swiss family from the Brazos Valley), pepper jelly, wholegrain made-in-house mustard and pickled vegetables as a garish. Combinations are endless and delicious so be creative as you enjoy.

Mesquite Arrosto Misto is another new kid on the block. Whole fire-roasted shishito peppers, okra, baby carrots and cauliflower meet on the plate, brushed with red miso butter, sea salt, lemon zest and decadent cashews. It’s smoky, a little spicey and the live mesquite wood it is roasted on makes all the difference.

whiskey-cake-baker-plano — Mesquite Arrosto Misto

For the meat lovers on the other hand, Turducken Meatballs make a particularly rewarding debut. Israeli chickpea puree, and fresh tomatoes cucumbers are tossed with local feta fatoush. The finishing touch is parsley plucked fresh from Whiskey Cake’s garden. Warm, fresh, savory, it’s got a lot going for it.

On that note, each member on staff has a plant in the garden which is theirs to look after. Our waiter’s plant was marjoram.

Have I mentioned the cocktail menu yet? Because it also shifts with the seasons. A Royal Shandy with New Amsterdam gin, Deschutes fresh-squeezed IPA, grapefruit bitte and elderflower feels appropriate basically all the time, which changes like a sunset, getting sweeter and sweeter the nearer to the bottom of the glass you get. Or, the Free Falling’s whimsical swirl of Absolut Elyx vodka, Laird’s apple brandy, cranberry, local honey, lemon and nutmeg refreshes and brightens a meal, particularly a long, leisurely lunch.

As for entrees, Grilled Texas Black Snapper with sorrel and avocado broccoli slaw, local herbs and buttermilk green goddess tastes like it arrived straight from the gulf. There’s a hint of jalapeño and the wholesome addition of radishes in the slaw for a nice crunch.

Or, Live Wood-Grilled Scottish Salmon arrives on roasted baby carrots, broccolini, celery root puree and kale and sunflower seed pistou. Just a bit sweet and savory, it’s utterly satisfying, charred just so with a tender and flaky texture.

Everything is different, fresh and layered with flavor on flavor on flavor. Dessert is no exception. The Beeramisu is the dessert of the day, very light in look but deep and dark in taste. The customary ladyfingers have been soaked in 512 Pecan Porter and the entire thing is crowned with fresh fruit and powdered sugar. It even measures up to Whiskey Cake’s signature dessert, a toffee torte with a bourbon anglaise, spiced pecans and whipped cream.

Overall, Whiskey Cake, once again, has proven to be one of the best places you could hope to find yourself hungry.