The Wicked Hen: Midtown’s dining destination keeps getting better
In some ways, not much has changed—except for a beautifully remodeled dining room, new menu options and live music, Wicked Hen (1350 13th Street, Columbus) remains, as it was last year when we first wrote about it, Midtown’s premier destination restaurant. But that’s why Wicked Hen still sets the bar, and a high bar at that: from atmosphere to delectable fare, The Wicked Hen team, unwilling to rest on past success, is always looking to make great even greater.
The dining room renovation, which began during Spring Break and lasted for nearly two months, has been transformational. A full bar serves the 80-seat space, a space reinvented with new flooring and commodious banquette seating. The centerpiece of the renovation, of course, is the long communal table, a concrete-top span perfect for parties of all kinds that commands the center of the room under three new large lamps. The effect in full is open, a light mingling of cool grays and soft browns, a space perfectly suited to group lunches and intimate dinners.
A beautiful new dining room isn’t the only evidence of Wicked Hen pushing the envelope. Regular patrons will notice some menu changes, too. The dinner menu, perfectly priced for any night of the week, features a wide variety of fresh-caught seafood; to get fresher, you’ll have to visit the Gulf and catch it yourself. One of the new fresh seafood offerings is a pumpkin seed dusted rainbow trout, served with herb roasted Yukon potatoes, beurre blanc and seasonal vegetables. A wild mushroom chicken marsala features Springer Mountain Farms chicken breast—after all, Wicked Hen has been serving local and regional farm products since day one—with wild mushrooms dressed in a marsala wine pan sauce, whipped potatoes and baby spinach.
The lunch menu will continue to feature some of our favorites, including the tomato basil soup, a to-die-for Cuban sandwich and shrimp pasta campri, but new, exciting options are on the way. We are particularly excited about the pulled beef bulgogi; regulars will recognize the dish as a recurring special now coming to the menu full time. Summertime means fresh vegetables, and Wicked Hen will make ample use of local produce in new vegan and vegetarian options.
For all the exciting developments downstairs, don’t sleep on the great goings-on upstairs. An already wide selection of Georgia-brewed beers will be bolstered each month when Omaha Brewing (265 Brew Street, Omaha, Ga.) brings one of their latest brews for a release party. In May they brought Viberations, the St. EOM-inspired saison perfect for summer and one of this magazine’s favorites (seriously, we keep Viberations and Hannahatchee in the refrigerator at all times), and we can’t wait to try their next creation. The Viberations party coincided with live music, which will reoccur every Thursday night.
For all the ongoing innovation, Wicked Hen also preserves those foundational elements of success for which the restaurant has been so highly praised since opening. In the kitchen, in their Golden Cast Iron Cookers, you’ll find only the freshest ingredients from as local farms and suppliers as can be found. When the expert and exceptionally courteous wait staff bring you the best in farm-to-table American dining, you’ll know you’re at Wicked Hen.