Have you been to Halcyon yet? It’s a quick drive up 400 in Alpharetta off McFarland Parkway. In warmer weather, people flock to the Big Creek Greenway trailhead situated at Halcyon and enjoy the open-air shopping and dining. In addition to a food hall that has a Gu’s, there are many restaurants for any mood or taste. I’ve been wanting to try Cattle Shed for the last 6 months and we finally made it. The first thing I love about Cattle Shed is that it is kind of a chameleon. You could have a casual happy hour with a curated drink menu at the bar. You could have a rambunctious large group or party in a private room. Or you can have an intimate date night or a “fancy” family dinner, which is what we did.
Cattle Shed’s website touts, “An upscale restaurant featuring a collection of seasonal, chef-driven dishes, including premium steak cuts, small plates, and charcuterie boards, along with an immense selection of wines” and that all checks out. My husband and I started with a smoked MAPLE OLD-FASHIONED, TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD (El Jimador Tequila, Foro Sweet Vermouth, Woodford Chocolate Bitter, Orange Bitters) and tempura fried okra, which was a chef’s special. I shouldn’t go on about the okra since it was a special, but it should be added to the menu. It was super light and crispy and even won over one of our children. Three of us ordered steak and asparagus as a family-style side and my 8-year-old ordered the bolognese with house-made tagliatelle. The wine list at Cattle Shed is great, but the reserved list is top-notch. To accompany our steaks, we ordered a bottle of Martinelli 2018 Zinfindel. Oh. My. GAWD. Definitely one of my new favorites. I need to find this wine in retail. The steaks were flavorful and perfectly temped and the pasta was a hit. You would think that we would be full, and we were, but we managed to stuff in dessert. Between the four of us, we shared a slice of gluten-free chocolate cake and a slice of tiramisu cake and then argued over which was better.
Cattle Shed certainly exceeded our expectations in food, drink, and service. I would 100% recommend that you make it your next date night. Check out Halcyon’s event calendar to plan your next visit.
Lauren Townsend for The AHA Connection