The Place
Friday date night was at Binkley's Kitchen and Bar this week. This place is close to our house, has outdoor seating AND we hadn't been there yet. I read some reviews on Urbanspoon and checked out the Binkley's website, as I often do before venturing to a new place. The menu looked pretty normal, steaks, pasta, burgers, fish, but it looked like they had a nice list of specials that put a little spin on the average.
This place is on the corner of Kessler and College and has been at this location since the 1920's when it used to be the community drug store serving up fountain drinks to the neighborhood kiddies until the 70's. What a cool little history, and now it's Binkley's Kitchen and Bar :) When we walked up, the patio was pretty bumpin'. It was around 8 PM, so that's a good sign. People looked like they were having fun eating and drinking. We went inside and it was a pretty cool place, dark and a nice atmosphere for a date or drinks with friends. We didn't sit on the patio because we were hungry and there was plenty of seating inside, although I am sure that would've been a treat.
The Food and Libations
It's was Friday, so we started with some beverages naturally. I guess I'm going to be on a martini kick, because that's where my eyes went first on the drink menu. I chose this tasty sounding Raspberry White Chocolate deliciousness. The waitress brought it and we all commented about how yummy it smelled and looked...you could smell it form pretty far away!!
For me, that as far as the goodness went, the taste was not as good as the smell. It was the instant heartburn you get from bottom shelf liquor. It was white and creamy from the creme de cocoa I'm guessing. It was mostly like a really harsh white russian, but not as good...but for $7.50, I drank it! Hubs had to help me a little or it might have taken me all night!
Rocky start, but the food fared better. I ordered one of the "Spring Seasonal Picks," chicken cannelloni and had the choice of soup or salad with my dinner. PS- I will always choose soup, particularly when the soup of the day is beer n' cheese soup....ummmm, yes I will take it!
I thought the description of the entree sounded amazing!
Chicken Cannelloni 15.99
House rolled cannellonis filled with roasted garlic, spinach, goat’s cheese, and chicken. Served with our house made marinara sauce, spicy andouille sausage, and a touch of parmesan.
It came out looking pretty amazing too! I was excited to dive into this treat. It was true, it tasted as good as it looked. Served with some nice, crunch and warm french bread, pretty dang good. Success with this menu item.
Hubs also ordered from the seasonal special menu, he chose the coffee crusted New York Strip after a little convincing from me to not order a burger. He always likes a burger when we go out, so I'm glad I convinced him otherwise.
Coffee Crusted New York Strip 18.99
A 12 ounce New York strip rolled in our secret coffee rub and grilled to perfection. Finished with a touch of brown sugar and caramelized sweet onion butter.
For his sides, he decided on the seasonal veggie, which was bourbon glazed carrots and garlic mashed potatoes (always a safe choice, especially with steak). I tasted his dinner, so I could blog about it, of course, and the steak was really good with a tasty hint of coffee flavor. It was not at all overwhelming and the taters were really creamy and garlicky...mmmmm.
Summin' it Up
In summary, this place was cool, we liked it. The seasonal menu makes things a little more interesting because the regular menu is not too out of the ordinary from other restaurants of this type. The food was good, they had a nice drink selection with a decent number of craft beers on tap, outdoor patio with people enjoying the nice night, good service. We ordered some pricey selections, but there is certainly stuff on the menu that can make this a more economical night out if you wanted. I'd go back and try some different things from the menu, but I definitely won't be having another Raspberry White Chocolate martini, no matter how yummy it sounds!
PS- I don't know why everything is underlined!! It must be important, so thanks for reading :) Have nice weekend...Mange, Mange!!
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