Find yourself free on a Tuesday in North Hollywood? The Woodman has you covered.
Ever have those nights with your friends where you’re not in the mood to get dressed to the nines but you still want a fun night out with friends? Enter The Woodman. Walking in you encounter an average neighborhood bar, a few seats are taken at the bar, a couple of girlfriends sit in the booth across from mine splitting fries. One thing that definitely differentiates The Woodman from a dive bar is their list of craft cocktails. I settle on the Elderflower Nectar – simple yet effective. Paired with their Mexican street corn “lollipops” and roasted Brussel sprouts as appetizers would give anyone a happy beginning to a night out. Where I would absolutely order the Corn again (the chipotle lemon aioli would make any dish delicious alone), I prefer my Brussels on the crispier side, though I’m the first to call myself a Sprout Snob.
To be honest, I’d save yourself the calories and the stomach space from the appetizers and dive straight into the entrees! Your biggest issue will be settling on one option (so just get multiple). First out were the shrimp tacos. Not only flavorful, but they also had a wonderful complexity of texture when pairing the juicy shrimp with the crisp slaw as a topping!
But even they couldn’t compete with the chicken biscuit sliders, one word – WOW! Usually, I avoid chicken when I’m not on the job for multiple reasons, but especially because I find it overdone in most culinary settings. However, these sliders with the buttery, crumbly biscuits had me reflecting back to my southern roots in a way that has not happened in quite a while. One order of these would make your entire trip worth it. And don’t try to cut calories by skimping on the gravy or strawberry jam! Although the gravy could have been warmer, both sauces truly complete the dish.
And is dessert even dessert without chocolate? That was rhetorical because of course not! Unfortunately the Carmel Nut Brownie Sunday was better in thought than actual execution as it mirrors a dessert one would find in a number of chain establishment, and tasted as though it was premade earlier that day, however, my stomach was still happy from those sliders!
Apart from the nit-picking, I fall into after being blessed enough to take part in the Los Angeles culinary scene, the service was quick and polite, the menu gives options for everyone, and who doesn’t want that friendly neighborhood bar around the corner? Throw on your jeans and make sure to give yourself some breathing room on the belt (you can’t skip the gravy).
