Graham, Jonathan, and I headed to The Coffin Bar last night. After trying with Alex and another friend, Eileen, to go the day they opened on Friday, October 13th, and not getting in because the wait was horrendous, I was thrilled to see that the Coffin was on Resy.
First off, the vibe is just fun. It’s funky and irreverent. The attention to detail is almost at a Disney level. From the light fixtures that were almost identical to the ones used in the church I went to as a child to dead flowers on the table to the coffin rail along the bar, everywhere you look there’s something that carries the theme through from start to finish.
Next, service: Still a few small hiccups, which I’d expect at a restaurant open for less than a month, but the staff has such a fantastic attitude. Everyone working seemed to really enjoy being there.
And then, finally, what we go out to eat for – the food and drinks!
We started with Hell shots, after making sure that they didn’t contain any caffeine. I felt better about ordering drinks there after being told that the only drink with caffeine there is the espresso martini. There are no ingredients listed for the Heaven, Hell, or Death shots. The Hell shot was heavy with cinnamon for a bit of a mouth-burn. I’m still trying to place what the shot actually was, but it was a great way to start.
Our drinks were also really good. I love how even the virgin drinks were made to be special. Jonathan ordered Kiss From a Rose – the ice cube was a rose on top of the drink.
For starters, we went with SHBC Wings with Cajun seasoning, Fried Goat Cheese, and Mushroom Poutine. Definite winners, all of them. The poutine was my favorite – the cheddar curds were just squeaky enough and there was enough gravy on them without drowning the steak fries. The goat cheese came with a hot honey drizzle (and who doesn’t love goat cheese, anyhow?). The starter order of wings was also generous. We had a lot of food for just our starters.
For the main, I had wanted to order the Wild Boar, but it had been 86’d shortly before we arrived. I was in a meaty mood, though, so I changed over to the Ribeye. It was okay. I had expected a somewhat thicker cut and it was a little past the medium rare I’d asked for, but the black garlic compound butter added a nice flavor component. I added half of the butter to the duck fat potatoes to give them a bit more of a kick.
Jonathan had the chicken katsu and Graham ordered the Coffin burger. Both dishes looked really good and both plates were empty by the end of the evening, so no complaints there!
Dessert had me ordering the Pumpkin Cheesecake. I love pumpkin anything (not pumpkin spice – pumpkin!). The cheesecake wasn’t overly heavy and it definitely had that nice pumpkin flavor. Jonathan ordered the Death By Chocolate cheesecake. He was kind and shared with Graham.
I’m looking forward to going back – I want to try their wild boar! Highly recommended if you’re looking for something fun and relaxed with good food and service.
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