732 Social

What a fabulous place! Louisville needs more upscale restaurants that you can enjoy a delicious meal at but also hangout afterwards or meet at the bar. The atmosphere was modern and openly attractive but also had some classic ambience(great music). Some of the wood from the ceiling came from a old horse barn in lexington and they try to use local ingredients for there somewhat modern french and american menu. Very attentive service and a clean fresh atmosphere. I have been back twice since the restaurant opened and it has been fantastic. I loved the mussels and the beef spare ribs in the pot were delicious and decadent. The cheese plates were delicious and the drinks that the bartenders constructed were quite impressive and artistic. The subtle details are what really sold me on how awesome Social is. everything from the silver wear to the fact that you get a bottle of water without ice set on your table was enough for me.

For a specialty cocktail guy like myself, all I can say is: I've been waiting for Social for a while. The boys know what they're doing.... Fantastic.

Anybody have a menu or website for them-? All I've seen so far is their Facebook page link and I'm not ( gasp!) on Facebook.

Deb

Anybody have a menu or website for them-? All I've seen so far is their Facebook page link and I'm not ( gasp!) on Facebook.

Deb

http://www.732social.com/menu/todaysmenu/

We made it to 732 a couple of times recently and were also very impressed. I recommend sitting at the bar to be able to watch the mixologists in action. Ice is pounded or cut by hand after each drink is ordered. Bitters are added using medicine droppers. I'm not sure if they make any bitters in house but when the finished product is this good who cares? They also have an extensive wine and beer list.

The food is just as good as the drinks. We had a selection of chacuterie which comes with Blue Dog bread and an addictive mostarda. Raw Oysters are topped with salmon roe and a mix of dried spices. Mussles are as fresh and plump as you would expect if you were in a restaurant on the coast. The chicken liver pate is also very tasty. The short rib is probably one of the best in town if you don't mind a sweet rich glaze. Reminded me of maple syrup and anise. Dessert was good but definitely overshadowed by everything else we had. It was billed as a creme brulee but looked more like creme caramel. Actually one of the best surprises was a decent espresso. We typically avoid espresso in restauraunts because it usually is not drinkable but since everything else was so good we had to try and we were pleasantly suprised. Not great but as good if not better than some coffee shops.

Had a wonderful Corpse Reviver #2 here the other night. My new late night cocktail spot! All the best and only the best will await you here...

Mostarda - love Mostarda. We keep a couple jars in the house to enjoy with our own Antipasto.

If you have a good recipe for mostarda please share. Also for the fans of elderberry (which I think came up on a previous post) 732 has St. Germain in stock.

Leah,
I haven't made it as yet - Lotsa Pasta was nice enough to get some in before the Christmas Holiday season. I found it on the shelves with the jams. There are several good recipes online and the one I'm going to give a try is this one: http://italianfood.about.com/od/saucesc ... lr0834.htm



Amy

Thanks for the tip. I'll look for it next time I go.

The wife and I tried out 732 Social last night, and very happily pleased. The space is great, albeit very small. Like someone above recommended, just sit at the bar if you can. We had a view of the kitchen.

The food was excellent--abundant taste, but simply prepared and presented. We split the roasted young beet salad (frisee, roasted yellow beets, small breaded goat cheese balls, pomegranate vinaigrette). The beets (well, maybe the fried goat cheese. . .) were the star, and the preparation let them shine through. The vinaigrette was just noticable enough to meld with earthy beets and bitter frisee.

The next course was a shared steak frites, which was perfect on the unseasonably dreary and cold April evening. The steak was amongst the best quality I've had in a long time, and was cooked to a perfect medium well. The fries were thin and crispy, and evething was drizzled with a butter/blue cheese sauce/jus. Our server kindly recommended that we split the fries on our separate plates, repeat with the steak, and then pour the sauce/jus all over everything--it was great advice. The portion was more than ample for two.

The mixed drinks were great-- Sazerac for me, champagne cocktail for T, and service was excellent. Jarrod (sp???) stopped by to chat for awhile, though we had various people helping us out during the evevning.

We arrived a little after 6, and left a little after 7, and the place was buzzing the entire time, and remember, this was a dreary Tuesday night. The only odd thing was that considering the size of the place(very small), it seemed as if there were as many people working as there were diners (not really, but the ratio was close).

Overall, 732 was excellent, and VERY unlike anything else in the city. Hopefully this place keeps it going and provides a good anchor for the East Market corridor to gain steam again. Remember, food service until midnight or later most nights, and drinks until 2am.

Wow! I had a bunch of stuff to say about Social and you all took the words out of my mouth!

When I go there, I am reminded of the Anthony Bourdain NYC episode where he joins Eric Ripert for veal bones at (was it the Spotted Pig?) He says 'this is where chefs go when they get off work. This is the food we like.' With regards to the cuisine and the cocktail program, Social nailed it. On my first visit, I counted no less than 6 different restaurants in attendance. Owners, GM's, etc... a huge showing of support!

Interestingly enough, I wore my undershirt from work. It is an old Planet Hollywood T-shirt. Although I was terribly under dressed and sporting corporate colors, I felt comfortable. Almost counterculture. To me, personally, that's the kind of aesthetic Social is trying for. On one hand, elegant enough for the 40+ crowd. On the other hand, edgy enough for the tattoo generation. It will be interesting to see what comes of the relationships began here.

Speaking of which, did anybody else find themselves drawn into conversations with the tables around them? But maybe that's just me...

Brad, I mirror your hopes regarding E Market. Indeed, it would seem that the creative ones haven't given up the fight. Personally, I would love to see a corridor connecting Bardstown, Frankfort and Downtown.