A Yardhouse Adventure

Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is having a fantastic week so far!

Last night a few friends of mine and myself gathered at a restaurant in our area called “Yardhouse” for a bite and a drink. If you’re unfamiliar with the place, the establishment is quite large and has indoor/outdoor seating, a long bar inside, and plenty of TV’s to watch from almost every angle in those extremely oversized yet comfortable booths. It has something like 100 beers on draft (kegs are claimed to be held at a constant 33ºF), almost as many bottled beers, AND a fantastic selection of cocktails. The food on the menu has a few twists such as the “California Roll” and the “Spicy Tuna Roll”, which despite the traditional names are made not so traditionally! Alongside those dishes there are what seem to be like an unlimited amount of choices to choose from for lunch or dinner. Oh yeah, did I mention they also do either happy hour or late happy hour every day except Saturday? Pretty phenomenal if you ask me.

This time around we sat outside for our food and drinks.
It was still extremely hot outside so I asked myself, “what could I drink that would be refreshing?” There were a few tempting beers on the beer list but in the end I ordered a Hawaiian Mule which at Yardhouse is pineapple infused vodka and ginger beer. Having ordered this drink before, I knew it came with a mint leaf and a wedge of lime. Definitely a refreshing option in my mind, and let me tell you that it was just as refreshing the second it hit my lips. The pineapple taste was very present in each sip, while the subtlety of the ginger within the ginger beer gave it just the right amount of spice. Currently I am re-living the moment and craving one because of the deliciousness! One other thing I really enjoy every time I have a Hawaiian mule is the addition of the mint – talk about refreshing ingredient! Two thumbs up to the use of herbs in drinks.

Shortly after receiving my drink I ordered an appetizer: Shitake Garlic Noodles. Now, I am a huge fan of garlic so this obviously sounds delicious to me. If you’re not the biggest garlic person, then I suggest ordering something else. The flavor of garlic is dominant, and although the grated Parmesan on top does tone it down a bit, the dish is garlic galore. The mushroom portion of the dish was lacking, sadly. Not a good mushroom to pasta ratio – there were probably only a few slices of shitake mushrooms in the entire dish. Personally I would have loved to have a little bit of mushroom in every garlicky bite! It was still satisfying and filling though.

If you’re a garlic lover and have a Yardhouse in the area, give the Mule and the Noodles a try.