On June 6, 2015, The Goat had its grand opening in Murfreesboro. This up and coming restaurant has food lovers talking. With its Hogwarts exterior and bright rustic interior, this restaurant has a mood that is new to the boro. The relaxed bar ambiance mixes well with the young crowd they seem to be attracting. The alternative music playing through out the day and live music at night uplifts the disposition for the patrons. On Tuesdays, they have trivia nights at eight o’clock. Happy hour also occurs Monday through Friday from three to seven.
When it came to the service aspect I was not pleased in comparison to similar restaurants. The lack of attention from the server was disappointing especially when it came to refilling our drinks. My friend had to ask the waiter for a refill. The waiter blamed the delay on the fact that they were training two new employees, but the restaurant wasn’t even that busy to begin with. He seemed very anxious and it transferred over into our experience.
For our first course we ordered two different appetizers. First we got the tots; they are one of their signature items as stated on their menu. They are shredded ranch-seasoned potatoes cooked to a dark golden crisp on the outside with a beer cheese dip on the side. The ranch seasonings didn’t really stand out, but my favorite part about this appetizer was the beer cheese sauce that comes with it. It tasted like my favorite beer cheese soup.
The black and blue russet potato chips really delicious. The chips were well cooked and had a decent crisp. The beer cheese that was poured the chips was good. The beer cheese sauce that was served overpowered the other ingredients. The spicy pork belly really brought the dish together. It was the sweet and smoky flavor that made this appetizer complete. The crumbled blue cheese on top was more of a garnish than an added flavor effect. The title, ‘Black and Bleu’, leads me to believe that the focus was on the bleu cheese when actually the beer cheese was the one that stood out the most.
For my entrée I got the Chicken and Goat cheese sandwich. It is a grilled chicken breast topped with roasted red peppers, goat cheese and pesto aioli on a Kaiser roll. I expected a balance of a goat cheese and red bell peppers, but surprisingly I got an abundance of creamy cheese.
One of my friends got the mahi tacos, which are spicy from the chipotle sauce, but sweet from the pineapple salsa. And my two other friends both got the smokehouse cheddar burger. It comes topped with bacon, cheddar, onion straws and barbecue sauce. When I asked what they thought of the burger they both said that the toppings were flavorful, but the meat was under-seasoned. For two appetizers and a sandwich I paid about 25 dollars.
I would rate my overall experience a three out of five stars. I would not suggest this restaurant to my friends. This restaurant is a little expensive for the quality of the food you receive. The atmosphere was the best part of my experience at the Goat. The food takes second and service is last. It will be a while before I go back to the Goat. Hopefully next time I go there, the experience will be more enjoyable.
