The Whiskey Project: Boozy Brunching

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 2/23/20

Not too far from the heart of downtown Roswell is The Whiskey Project, a cozy restaurant offering lunch, dinner, and traditional and unique brunch selections. From the dynamite décor, delicious and inviting cocktails, to the delightful brunch food, The Whiskey Project does Whiskey AND everything else right. The Sunday afternoon was relatively full so we sat at the bar and tried Maple-Bacon Old Fashioned (!), Brunch Bomb, as well as Kalettes, Tartine, French Toast, and Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit served with fries. When it comes to food adventures, you’re in for an egg-celent brunch. Let’s go.

When we think of Old Fashioned, it’s just a bourbon staple drink that some of our other guy friends or their father’s drink. This will make you rethink the assumption, the Maple Bacon Old Fashioned is a miracle cocktail marring bourbon, maple, lemon, and candied bacon on top. They take a drink torch and char the bacon in front of you. But you have to eat the bacon first and sip the cocktail at the same time, so the bacon grease doesn’t set into the drink itself. Insert fire emoji here. It was EN FUEGO with sweet and light char up front with a savory, maple, and boozy bourbon back end. Love, true love.

On the lighter side, the Brunch Bomb is a cool, easy sipper with Rekorerling Strawberry Lime cider, soda, and a choice of flavor: lavender, rosemary, and thyme. We chose rosemary to give it some earthiness and it mellowed out the sweet of the cider. Just imagine being on the beaches of Hawaii with a pretty flower in your hair, sipping on a light drink. That’s the feeling you get with the Brunch Bomb.

In thinking about brunch, what immediately comes to mind? Chicken and waffles? Eggs and bacon? French Toast? Yes, The Whiskey Project has some of these staple brunch dishes, but they also have some fun and unique brunch variations that makes this place one you can go back to and have a totally different experience. This is how we felt about the Tartine and the Kalettes. Both were something unexpected and rare that we’d never had at brunch before. The Kalettes were our absolute favorite with charred kale mixed with pomegranate balsamic glaze and pulled pork belly. It was almost like getting a brussel sprout appetizer but with a twist. The charred kale started out smoky and savory of the pulled pork belly, but the tart of the pomegranate and sweetness of the glaze balanced it out. It wasn’t over saturated with the glaze so you could get all the flavors together in the bite. Make sure to include the little peppers on the top for a slight spice on the back end. Divine. We also enjoyed the Tartine with the crunch of the toast, the sweet of the glaze, cream and tart of the goat cheese, and savory of the prosciutto. We liked putting the toast together and making a sandwich with all the elements in between. Plus, did you see how pretty these dishes comes out? PS: Sometime, we’re coming back to try those deviled eggs. Pumpkin Yolk? Yes, please.

From there we went with a traditional French Toast and Egg, Cheese, and Bacon Biscuit. We wanted something over-the-top breakfast-y and something sweet. To us, French Toast like traditional pancakes is just having dessert for breakfast. We’re all in. Nothing goes better with coffee, or who are we kidding, a cocktail, then something a little sweet? Surprise, this French toast wasn’t traditional. From the egg-drenched sweetness of the bread to the bourbon apple compote which made this dish unforgettable to the whipped cream and smokier maple syrup, we couldn’t get enough of this pretty dish. Get all the dish elements in one bite. You’ll thank us. Now, all we needed was a rich cup of hot coffee and a bigger stomach. On to the Egg, Cheese, and Bacon Biscuit, which had something for everyone. From the red pepper baked into the biscuit to the crisp bacon, savory egg, and cheese, it was a great all-around bite that even the pickiest eater would love. Our suggestion: pack the fries inside the biscuit. This gives the biscuit crunch and even deeper flavor. What fun!

With that a long, Sunday afternoon nap was in order. Can you blame us with all this good food and drink? Who wants to join us for some deviled eggs and a maple-bacon old fashioned at The Whiskey Project soon?