The Writing Room: A New Neighborhood Gem

It's official.  We have found our new go-to local spot to bring any and all visitors.  The Writing Room is so fabulous it's hard to know where to even begin describing it.

We were intrigued by this place before it even opened because everyone in the neighborhood was watching as it was built.  (It's located right in front of a major bus stop, so anyone standing there would try to peer in the fogged windows to see what this mysterious new place might have in store.)  Once you go in, you're greeted by an extremely friendly and attentive staff who immediately offer to take your coat and escort you to your table.  Before you even settle into a chair, the decor creates quite the mood.  You can tell they put a lot of thought into each and every detail to enhance the theme of a "writing room."  The brick walls are adorned with vintage photographs (strategically hung to look neatly haphazard), including some pictures of typewriter keys. 

 

The dim lighting and cozy black leather booths mixed with wooden tables evoke the feeling of being in someone's private study.  And lo and behold, after you walk by a wall lined by card catalog drawers (genius!)...

 

the back room is indeed decorated to look like a private study - complete with vintage typewriters on the mantel and built-in bookshelves brimming with tomes.

Once The Writing Room envelopes you, you know you're in for a wonderful dining experience.  And the food did not disappoint.

Spinach Salad 

(placed on top of flatbread spread with bacon jam, this salad kicks spinach up a notch)

Baby Back Ribs

(delightfully smokey with an excellent apple bbq sauce on the side)

Roasted Winter Vegetable Salad

(beautiful way to showcase what can sometimes be the more boring vegetables on a menu; perfect combination of root veggies, sweet leafy greens, and a refreshingly light dressing)

Fried Chicken with a biscuit

(the meat was incredibly juicy and the batter tasty, though it could have use a bit more salt)

Grilled Skuna Bay Salmon

(delicious; not a morsel left on the plate)

And to add to the charm even more, the bill arrives in a case lined with the image of a typewriter.  Clever way to leave a lasting impression!

Over the course of one dinner, every element of our experience at The Writing Room made it quickly rise to the top of our list for local restaurants.  Too often restaurants will take a theme and do everything in such a grandiose manner that it quickly goes from quaint to Disney World cheesy.  The Writing Room does a brilliant job of riding that fine line and doing everything in an understated, classy way to make the theme feel welcoming rather than annoying.  Cheers to them for creating a new home away from home for everyone in Yorkville!

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A few weeks after our initial visit to The Writing Room, we returned for a very special visit.  Mrs. B's best friend, Mrs. Blaney, was in town for just a few days and wanted to catch up with everyone and meet DJ.  So we scored brunch reservations and enjoyed a delightful meal in the great booth by the window.

Mrs. B and Mrs. Blaney had the Roasted Chicken Salad (both raved about how well the chicken was prepared)...



Mr. B and Mel went for the Grilled Skuna Bay Salmon (paired beautifully with fingerling potatoes and greens in a creamy sauce)...



and DJ tried the Spaghetti and Meatballs (could have used a bit more salt, but the hand-cut pasta and meatballs were amazingly fresh).


We couldn't leave without having a bit of sweet, so we ordered a couple of desserts to share:

Huckleberry Cheesecake Cobbler (so indulgent - everything a dessert should be!)...


and Doughnuts (still warm from the oven with an AWESOME vanilla dipping sauce).

The Writing Room: thanks for being a perfect place to spend time with family and friends!