Southern Cuisine at the Whiskey Jar

Olivia Stevens, staff writer

On the downtown mall, right across from Main Street Arena ice skating rink, glowing mason jars light up a corner sign that reads The Whiskey Jar. When you walk into the softly lit restaurant, the dark red walls contribute to the atmosphere. On the walls are vintage animal artwork, even a few stuffed animal heads. a wall separates the bar from the other half of the restaurant.

The hostess stand is directly next to the door, so the traffic between people coming in and out causes people to slide between each other. As soon as we walked in the door, the hostess greeted us, and even though it was crowded that night I was seated only a minute after I had walked in. When the waitress greeted us, she filled our mason jars up with water. The menu was full of BBQ sandwiches, mac and cheese, fried chicken, burgers, and many other southern foods.

While waiting for the food to arrive, the waitress brought out peanuts and cucumbers to eat before the food was ready. The cucumbers had a tangy and sweet flavor which complimented the peanuts. Then she brought out fried chicken and collard greens with gravy on the side, which cost $15, and the Crunch Burger with potato wedges, fries and a salad which cost $15 as well.

The fried chicken tasted sharp and seasoned in the first bite, and the crunch of the chicken was a refreshing blend of seasoning. The collard greens I tried without the gravy at first, was a bit salty, but when I added the gravy they both complemented each other perfectly.

The Crunch Burger tasted phenomenal, on top of the burger was a sauce that tasted savory. Lastly, the fries were fresh, and I had the pleasure of trying them with their ranch that tasted so much better than store bought .

The Whiskey Jar is a great place to go when you are on the downtown mall and want a good place to get a sit down meal. The Whiskey Jar is open Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 12 a.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.