This month we lucked out. Stock In Trade had an amazing Gilt City deal: a bottle of house wine, 1 small plate, 2 apps, and 2 entrees for $55. Seriously, it was such a steal.
I really wish I had thought to take a picture of the entrance. There was one sign that pointed us towards the main entrance, but said entrance was tucked behind a small awning, and if you didn’t know what you were looking for, you could very easily miss it. I loved it. It felt like we were walking into our own secret restaurant known only by members of the secret restaurant club.
The interior had an old time speakeasy feel to it: dim lighting and a moody color scheme. It was fairly quiet when we got to our table at 8 (we went on a Saturday) but by the time we left (around 10) the bar area was packed. Our server was terrific – she explained how the deal worked and the few restrictions on the deal (we couldn’t order shrimp and grits or the seared Ahi salad; totally fair), and let us know that we were in for a pretty big meal. The appetizer menu (soup, salad, “shareables”) was huge, and I was having a hard time deciding what to get. Our server recommended the heirloom and burrata salad, and the fried chicken sliders; she told us the salad was a hot seasonal item, and that they were known for the fried chicken sliders.
We decided to have the fried pickles as our snack – I actually wished we’d chosen the fries with aioli or the popcorn, because I didn’t love the pickles themselves. 
Next up was the heirloom and burrata salad. I’ve been hearing about burrata but hadn’t had the opportunity to try it until this salad. It’s amazing. It’s a fresh Italian cheese, and is basically a softer, creamier mozzarella. It has a delicate flavor and went perfectly with the heirloom tomatoes and arugula. The dish was drizzled with a basil oil and balsamic vinegar; the use of basil oil as opposed to the traditional chopped fresh basil provided a subtle hint of earthiness but really allowed the arugula to take the stage. This was my favorite dish of the entire dinner, and one I look forward to recreating at home.
The fried chicken sliders were good – the chicken itself was perfectly crisped, and the sweet hawaiian rolls were soft and very complementary to the crispiness of the chicken. To be honest, I just didn’t care about these. I was way too busy devouring my salad. The order came with 3, but I kind of forgot to snap a pic before grabbing one from the board… so… that’s why there’s only 2 shown here.
Last but not least was the pan-seared halibut (also recommended by our server). The crust on the halibut was reminiscent of the crispness of the fried chicken; I was impressed. My photo doesn’t do this dish justice. The halibut was served on a bed of perfectly dressed soba noodles – it was easily the best cold soba salad I’ve ever had. The dressing was perfectly balanced, and the noodles were tender and slurpable. The dish overall was light and fresh.
We wrapped up the meal with a warm chocolate cake and some Patron XO… but after a bottle of wine and a long conversation with the bachelorette party at the next table, I kind of forgot that I was supposed to be documenting everything. All in all, it was a great dining experience; while we certainly had a ton of food, it didn’t weigh me down. I will definitely be back!