Southern Efficiency, Whiskey Bar in Shaw with Chef Andy Clark and Bar Manager JP Fetherston - Closed

[Mark Dedrick]

I can't seem to find anything on this place on here, which is probably due to my poor searching and/or reading skills. So apologies if this is a repeat thread.

We stopped by on Friday night with a group of four to check this place out, and left thoroughly impressed.  A few thoughts (and all from memory as they have no website so I can't cheat and look at things):

• It' much smaller than I expected. And much smaller than its two neighbors, Eat the Rich and Mockingbird Hill.  In that, the front rooms of Mockingbird Hill and Eat the Rich are the same size as the entirety of Southern Efficiency.  And unlike those two establishments, there are no tables here (or at least not now, there's a spot in the front window currently occupied by a Christmas tree that could easily house a couple of tables), only the bar, and a ledge opposite the bar on which to rest drinks and food. This configuration does mean that when it gets busy it's quite challenging to navigate from the bar to the restrooms. 
• Right now at least they feature three cocktails on their menu, although they're capable of making many more (not probably to the extent of the Passenger do to ingredients). The three on the menu on Friday were the Blackstrap and Switchel (Cruzan Blackstrap rum, switchel, which is apparently some sort of apple vinegar, water and spices, of which I know ginger is one but I don't know the rest); the Stone Fence (Whiskey, apple cider and bitters? I feel like I'm off on this one although I know those three ingredients were involved); and the White Whiskey and Smoked Cola (self explanatory). The first two are pre-made and served in jars, while the last one is on tap. All were quite tasty. Forced to pick I'd probably go with the Stone Fence, but I was happy with both that and the Blackstrap and Switchel. They also had a hot toddy listed on the wall as a special, but I have no ideas on the details of this drink.
• I think they had four beers on tap, all from Virginia and North Carolina I believe.
• They had two wines, both Virginia, and the red was a Cab Franc.
• Tons of whiskeys on their menu. I really appreciated that broke bourbons down into "high rye" and "high wheat" categories. Really helpful if you're dealing with a whiskey you've never had before.
• We ordered the whole menu, four appetizers, three mains, one dessert, and everything was at least good, and some of it was excellent. Our favorite items were all three entrees (Country Captain, BBQ Pork Sandwich and Fried Catfish), as well as the trout appetizer (smoked trout, and smoked trout deviled eggs with pickled vegetables). We enjoyed the other items as well (Peanut Soup, Chicken Liver and Gizzard Pate and Pimento Cheese). The dessert, bourbon balls, were probably our least favorite item).
• Seemed very reasonably priced to us. 
• The space makes it challenging to go for dinner with more than two people. We really lucked out and grabbed the corner of the bar right before it got slammed, which put us in a good position. We noticed others, however, perched in a huddle around the ledge behind us trying to eat peanut soup, and that can't have been the most pleasant dining experience.  

Anyhow, as expected it was good, and we'll be back.

[SeanMike]

I had the peanut soup and the pimento cheese and quite enjoyed both of them. I hadn't had peanut soup that good in ages (and I think that's mostly nostalgia for the Hardware Store's peanut soup down in Charlottesville).

As for the drinks, I thought the Blackstrap and Switchel was a really cool drink. I wouldn't want probably more than one in a night, but it was very revitalizing after a long day of drinking (I'd already been to Old Dominion Brewpub and Passenger, and was off to Dodge City afterwards, and it was a Sunday). I loved the fact that it was in a jar ready to go. The smoked Coke and white whiskey tap was probably the best white whiskey drink I've ever had.