Yardbird Table & Bar

Despite the departure of Roanna and Eileen the night before, Jackie and I still had one more food adventure left on the schedule before our flight.  It happened to be Yardbird Table & Bar located in the Venetian.  I've been to their original Miami spot before and it was fantastic!  Loved their take on Southern comfort food!  However, given the inside location of this Yardbird, it had a much more elevated vibe due to the darker dining room and less bright sunny farm-themed decor.

To start, we had the Devilled Eggs with dill, chives and smoked trout roe.  These featured half eggs filled high with creamy and rich egg yolks.  There was definitely enough seasoning with the hint of mustard.  Loved the little pops of smoky brininess from the roe.  I also liked how the egg whites were delicate and not rubbery.  However, the thing that put the whole thing over-the-top was the drizzle of honey hot sauce.  That brought out sweet and spicy notes to go with the already delicious egg.

Yah, we couldn't do some Southern eats without doing the Skillet Cornbread with sharp cheddar, bacon, jalapeño and honey butter.  So from the description alone, this was obviously not your typical cornbread.  Well, the cornbread itself was excellent being fluffy and buttery with a crisp top.  With the added ingredients, we found a real savoury element with a salty cheesiness as well as spicy tang from the peppers.  Add in the honey butter, we had a good mix of flavors.

Going for all the greatest hits, we also had the Fried Green Tomato BLT with  house-smoked pork belly, pimento cheese, frisée, smoky tomato jam and lemon vinaigrette.  Yah, these were addictively good with a firm green tomato slice coated in a crunchy breading.  It didn't eat heavy though.  On top, the dollop of cheese did its salty cheesy thing while the slice of pork belly was soft and smoky.  Add in the freshness of the frisée with the tangy vinaigrette and we had a balanced 2-biter.

Their signature dish, Chicken & Waffles, is a must order for anyone dining at Yardbird.  So yah, we got that too.  This featured chilled spiced watermelon, Vermont sharp cheddar waffle, 1/2 fried chicken, honey hot sauce and bourbon maple syrup.  This did not disappoint where the waffle was super savoury and crispy.  Oh man, the fried chicken was off-the-hook.  All the meat (including the breast) was juicy while nicely brined.  The outside was uniformly crunchy and well-seasoned.  It was even better with some honey hot sauce.  To bring it all back down, the refreshing watermelon did just that.

Staying with fried chicken to a degree, we had their Nashville Hot Yardbird Sandwich.  This featured a big Carolina reaper-rubbed chicken thigh that was fried up perfectly.  The crunch gave way to a juicy thigh that had some real spice to it.  Although the slaw was there to cool things down a touch, it was also spicy, so it just kept the theme going.  Nice crunch on it though.  Loved the toasted brioche bun as it was crispy on the inside and nicely charred.

Our last dish was also a classic in the Shrimp & Grits with seared shrimp, roasted tomato, Virginia ham,red onion, Nora Mill grits and PBR jus.  Another winner here with creamy, yet robust grits soaked in a rich sauce that had some remnants of the beer while sporting the unmistakable flavor of Virginia ham.  The shrimp were perfectly cooked with a caramelizing sear and having enough seasoning.  Well, if you have been paying attention, this meal was fantastic and brought back great memories of the first time I dined at their Miami location.  Food is prepared properly and the flavors are just dynamite.  You also won't leave hungry either.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- On point eats

- That fried chicken!

- Large portions

The Bad:

- For this location at least, it is a bit dark