W. J. S.
Yelp
We had our plans cancelled due to illness today so we decided to give The Old Goat a try. What a good decision! Pretty much everything was exceptional...so let me expound:
First, the atmosphere - very welcoming, not too bright and not too dark. A bit of noise, but nothing distracting. A good mix of high-tops, low tables, and bar seating. Very diverse customer base - lots of kids, lots of seniors. Nice, subtle decorating with low volume smooth jazz music for background. Nice!!
Next, the menu - we were there for happy hour, which runs from 3-6 Mon-Thu. We ordered Old Goat cocktails (their version of an old fashioned based on Rittenhouse rye whiskey) "easy on the simple syrup". Very tasty, so much so that one of us needed a second one. At $8 during happy hour a real bargain. We decided to only order entrees since our server said they were on the large side. I ordered the Jalapeño Shrimp Pasta and my wife ordered the Jambalaya. Mine was fantastic- large shrimp, a nice bite, and super tasty butter cream sauce. This is a new favorite - I will order again! My wife's jambalaya was also very tasty, but a lot of work. It comes with a pretty generous portion of snow crab legs, which take a little effort to "de-meat". This dish is also a bit spicy, but we were surprised that most of the spice came from the sauce. The andouille was very tasty and nice and chunky...but not very spicy in and of itself.
Finally, the service: Because we sat at a high-top in the bar area, we were served by the bartender, Bailey. She was terrific, offering suggestions and opinions on both food and drink. We've found that sitting in the bar sometimes leads to inferior service because the bartenders get so busy. This was not the case at all for us today - Bailey was very attentive.
Definitely one of the best "first time" experiences we've had in a while. We don't care that it's a bit of a drive for us - we'll be back!