Last night, I visited the Bothy for the second time. While there, I ate haggis for the first time.
Both experiences were excellent.
Top Notch Nosh
I’ve been to the Bothy once before, as I said, with the sole intention of trying a bunch of different scotches. But, when I saw that they also had a small dinner menu, my friends and I decided to have a meal there, as well.
I’m glad we did.
While the Bothy’s focus is on serving excellent wine and whisky (they’re a bar, not a restaurant, as I was reminded during a conversation with one of the owners last night), they’ve got an amazing chef in their kitchen who has created some of the best meat pies around.
On my first visit to the Bothy, I tasted the chicken and leek pie with a side of salad greens ($15). I can say, without hyperbole, that it was the best meat pie I have ever tasted. My table mates enjoyed the other two meat pie options—steak and mushroom ($16), and vegetable provencal ($14)—and indicated that they were both damn good.
Wonderful Wines
As for the drink menu, they have about 15-20 types of wine-by-the-glass, served up using their fancy Enomatic wine system, as well as a much larger selection of wine from the cellar that is available by the bottle (and, occasionally, by the glass, as well). I haven’t tasted any of the wine offerings, but Sara and my friend Amanda both had a few different types last night, and seemed pleased with all of them.
Either they’ve got terribly unrefined palates, or the Bothy has a great wine menu.
Splendid Scotch (and Other Whiskies)
The scotch selection is even larger than the wine selection, with something like 140 bottles available, including some very rare selections that may not be available anywhere else in the city. Prices range from about $6.50 all the way up to $60-something per glass, with a few of the rarer choices also being available by the bottle (assuming that a full bottle is available, which isn’t always the case).
A brief discussion with one of the owners suggested that the scotch menu isn’t finalized, with at least one more kind to be added in the near future.
In addition to scotch, the Bothy offers whiskies (both single malts and blends) from Canada, Japan, Wales, the United States, Ireland and India. Many of these are “scotch-style” single malts/blends, but there’s also a small selection of rye and bourbon if you’re so inclined.
There is, of course, a full range of other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, if you’re not a fan of whisky or wine. I paused briefly over the beer menu and, while not particularly lengthy, it includes such solid choices as Innis & Gunn.
Heavenly Haggis
Wikipedia defines haggis as: “a dish containing sheep’s ‘pluck’ (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally simmered in the animal’s stomach for approximately three hours.”
Yes, it sounds disgusting. Yes, it’s often considered a gastronomical punchline among non-Scots. And, to some people, it’s probably both of those things.
I am not one of those people.
As I said at the beginning of this post, I tried haggis for the first time last night. I liked it. I really, really liked it. All day I’ve been thinking about the next time I’ll be able to have it. (Chris Falconer from Eating is the Hard Part suggested that I get a haggis from Old Country Meats & Deli.)
The haggis at the Bothy has—like all haggis, I assume—a great savoury, slightly nutty flavour. The texture is more akin to a pate or a meatloaf than to that of a sausage. I’ve heard that it’s supposed to taste fairly peppery, but the Bothy’s haggis seemed quite mild. I can’t say if the Bothy’s haggis recipe is typical or not, because it’s the only kind I’ve ever tasted.
Regardless of whether it’s typical or not, the Bothy’s haggis ($18) is a great dish, especially with a dram of scotch to wash it down. I’ll definitely be back to the Bothy, and I’ll be certain to order the haggis again.