The Cedars Social

Last Saturday, I went for dinner at The Cedars Social for the first time. I was going to Underground, an art show at Southside on Lamar, and this was right across the street. Plus I've been wanting to go there for awhile now, it's just usually pretty packed. 

The Cedars Social 
1326 S Lamar St 
Dallas, TX 75215 
(214) 928-7700 
http://www.thecedarssocial.com/ 
Price: $$$ 

We made an early reservation at 6:30PM. The place was about half full at the time. The decor is artistic, urban and rustic at the same time. I liked the vibe of it. We were seated pretty quickly. I've heard good things about their bar, their bartender/mixologist is quite well known in Dallas. And I didn't realize the menu was created by Chef John Tesar (from Spoon)! Awesome! 

The drink menu is VERY extensive. It was quite overwhelming to decide on something. But the waitress was very helpful and actually recommended something for me. It was a variation of another cocktail, London Summer. I really like Hendrick's Gin, so she said they can use that instead of the Plymouth Gin. It also had lemon juice, orange juice, cane syrup, and cucumber. It was refreshing and yummy. :) 

My bf also got a couple cocktails, he enjoyed them all. Patsy (Jameson, Averell plum gin, lemon juice, cane syrup, Fever Tree ginger beer). 

(Annnnd... Heck yea!! Rocking the CHOMP! shirt!! hehe)
I'm not sure what the other one is called... All the cocktails were priced at $10+. 

Everything on the menu sounded fantastic but I had already looked at the menu online ahead of time and knew exactly what I wanted. 
Pork Belly (green garlic spaetzle, chipolini onion, corn, favas, quail egg) $14~ 

So the kitchen messed up and mixed my side order with my small plate order and put the pork belly on a bed of Brussels sprouts. I thought it was a bit weird when I got the dish that it was over Brussels sprouts, but I love Brussels sprouts so I didn't mind it. It was a nice slab of pork belly. Cooked perfectly, and just enough fat vs meat ratio. The quail egg on top was a nice touch. I scraped my plate clean!! 

Side of Orzo. 

Also, the waitress had told me earlier that they've replaced the spaetzle with orzo, so when I asked her about the orzo missing from my plate, she went and got me a side of it. More food!! Yay! I find most places typically overcook orzo, but the texture was great. It was a nice addition to the pork belly dish. 

Crispy Brussels Sprouts (bacon, shallots) $8~ I still got my side, so I had DOUBLE the amount of Brussels sprouts. AWESOME!!! It was delicious, great texture, lots of bacon. Mmmmmm. Goood! (I was so into eating I forgot a picture... haha) 

Lemon & Thyme Roasted Chicken (orzo, Jerusalem artichokes, sunburst squash, morel mushrooms, fennel) $23~ 

2 people ordered this. The plate was so pretty with the different colors and the chicken looked like it was seared nicely. The chicken was fine, but I liked all the sides much better. There were a lot of stuff there that I don't see very much, like the Fiddle Heads!! YUM! And whatever that beautiful orange colored sauce was was tasty. My bf liked it but said it was his least favorite out of all the other stuff he tried. I think my pork belly was definitely a winner. haha 

Pork Chop (roasted apples, basmati rice, spring vegetables) $24~ 

Another friend got this. It looked soooo good. And it was! The pork chop was tender and juicy, which is hard to do. The sides were good as well. 

He also got a cocktail recommended by the waitress. It was called #4 or something? Had cracked black pepper on top. Interesting! 

Iceberg Wedge (blue cheese, toasted walnuts, crispy bacon, marinated cherry tomatoes, chives) $10~ 

One of my friends also got a salad to start. It looked very pretty but she said it had a little too much dressing and blue cheese. Other than that, it was good. 

Hand Cut Parmesan Fries (with truffle oil) $8~ 

She also got some fries. I thought they were good. I would've preferred more truffle oil but I know that's an iffy ingredient. It's a love/hate thing with most people. She thought they were overcooked, but I like crispy fries and enjoyed it. 

I totally wanted dessert! When do I not? hahaha. 
Buttermilk Pie (added with vanilla ice cream) $9~ 

This was my choice. I would've preferred the pie to be thicker, height-wise. But it was very good. My bf and I fought for the last bite. haha. 

Bread Pudding (added pecan praline ice cream) $9~ 

I also got to try this. It was a tad small in my opinion. haha. But very good. Super moist. I loved the plump raisins in there. And paired very well with the ice cream. 

It was a great meal! There's not much I can complain about... I would've liked to have tasted the actual pork belly dish with the proper sides, but I didn't mind the mix up so oh well. I'm glad we went earlier because by 7:30pm the place was packed! Our waitress was very nice and great with recommendations. :) It wasn't a cheap meal by any means, but the food quality and taste were great, so that's all that really matters in the end right? hehe. I look forward to going back in the future. 

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~