Date Night hits another restaurant with an ampersand in the name. You can read our ode to the ampersand here. Tonight, it’s dinner & a show at Cypress Street.
The show comes later, at the Fox Theater. We are here for pre-show libations & dinner with our friend Christian. That’s why you will see more food than normal in our pictures.

Cypress Street has a nice outdoor area that many after-work groups like to congregate. It’s a little too cold for us outside, so inside we go in search of a table.

There’s a big bar inside that’s surrounded by booths. We get a nice booth in the back, a good location for people watching. We’ve got some time to kill tonight before the show, and we take our time at dinner.

With a name like “Pint & Plate”, we expect a good beer list and Cypress Street delivers. They have some exotic draft beers on their list that we have not seen anywhere else. You can taste anything you want, which is a nice touch. Even better, the beer manager comes over to say hello and to talk beer with us. he’s a pro who knows his stuff. After a few tastes, Eve goes for a (big glass) of Ommegang Glimmerglass, an excellent saison. It’s lighter in alcohol and a good beer to drink now that warmer weather is finally here. I was going to order the same thing until I spied the Red Brick 3 Bagger, from right down the street on the west side of town. It’s a Belgian Tripel (little glass, 9% ABV) that’s aged in rum barrels. This is the best beer we have had from Red Brick. The rum finish is amazing. It’s only available for a limited time, so order one if you see it on a menu, or buy us some if you see it in the stores.

Our friend Nancy says we spend too much time on the beer on Date Night (she doesn’t like beer). We have seen the “pints”, now let’s check out what’s on the “plate” side of the menu. We start off with some “snacks”.

Nancy is a vegetarian, and she would like the black bean hummus. It’s a little spicy and it comes in a mason jar. We love stuff in jars. It’s a generous portion for the three of us. We spread it on the pita bread, celery, and cucumber. We even slather it on the jicama, and it’s just as good.

We get a second appetizer because apps are two-for-one during happy hours. The BBQ egg rolls catch our eye. It’s a great idea: take BBQ pork and collards and wrap them up in an egg roll. It’s a fun way to deliver the moist pulled pork and greens in a hand-sized package.

The menu can probably best be described as “gastropub”. There are burgers, sandwiches, salads, and the already-eaten snacks.

Fearing a bad food weekend, Eve goes light with the chopped Caesar salad. There’s not much going on here, but I am able to snag a chunk of fresh avocado. Maybe it’s a little dull, but the salad is just what she wants, and she is happy with her choice.

Christian orders the bison burger. His take: “I was expecting much better flavor between the bison, cabernet onions, and roasted garlic mayo. It was just okay.”

I choose what becomes (along with the egg rolls) the best dish of the night. The chicken pot pie wins on presentation alone. It comes in a hot skillet, which I am told not to touch or they will hear my screams in the kitchen. The crust is a biscuit flattened over the filling. The cream sauce is not too heavy and is an excellent complement to the chicken and vegetables inside.
As for the show, we walk down Cypress Street to see “American Idiot” at the Fox. They do a very nice job on the production. My favorite part is when the show starts and all of the older ladies who patronize the Fox get their ears blown out by the loud rock music. I have a feeling that they were not expecting what they got at the theater tonight.

The bottom line on Cypress Street: Go for the pints from an excellent beer list and while you are there, try some plates. It’s a good place to go on a double date to hang out with some friends while you have some beers and eat some snacks. You can make a meal from the snack section of the menu, and with dishes like fried truffle mushrooms, we have something to go back for.