Date Night doesn’t get to Brookhaven much, and after spending over an hour in the car to get here tonight, we know why. We leave early to beat the traffic, but tonight traffic wins, even though we took the back roads. Our destination is Kaleidoscope, which comes highly recommended by regular readers Ann and David. (Ann’s nephew Jared is the general manager.) We are joined tonight by our solo offspring, who works nearby.

Kaleidoscope is located in one of those mixed use buildings that are all the rage these days. It looks like they have been open about four years.

There’s a nice, bright indoor area, which features a busy bar and dining room.

There’s also a patio, which is where we dine tonight. Fall is in the air and it’s beautiful outside. It’s empty when we get here, but it’s full when we leave. Dog lovers take note, your dog is welcome on the patio, but not indoors. There are a few pooches on dates with their owners.

The dogs are drinking water, and we are drinking beer. Every couple of weeks there is a tap takeover, and tonight the Sixpoint Brewery from Brooklyn has taken over the Kaleidoscope taps.

We order an amber, the saison, and the lager. If you are happy when your beer is hoppy, then you will love the Sixpoint offerings. I thought the amber was a little too hoppy, as ambers tend to run malty. In fact, it was so hoppy that I thought they brought me an IPA, but I was assured that it was not. We should mention that there is a really nice list of other beers here. Kudos to the bar manager for the selection. I still think they brought me the wrong beer. There is an impressive wine list and a full bar for those of you who like your adult beverages without hops.

The menu leans to the south with lots of comfort food. Here’s a comforting southern food:

The pimiento cheese is perfect for three people to share. It comes on a crisp crostini with fresh apple slices. We enjoy this a lot, especially the texture of the crunchy crostini with the soft cheese.

Sticking with the comfort food theme, how about some buttermilk fried chicken?

It’s crispy on the outside and hot and moist on the inside. The sides are almost better than the chicken. There’s a lot of love in the macaroni and cheese. I like the springy noodles and the cheese is fantastic. The collards are a bit spicy not overcooked. It’s nice to be able to identify the collard leaves as opposed to a bowl of green mush like you get in some southern “meat and threes”.

Elliott goes with Italian comfort food:

The meatballs come atop polenta. I grab a taste of the polenta and it’s nice and creamy. He must enjoy the dish as he ate all of it.

Eve bucks the trend with the Thai fried rice.

It is advertised as spicy, and perhaps a little more spicy than Eve likes. She would have enjoyed it more if the heat index was a little lower. I didn’t think it was too bad until I started sweating.

We’ve been on the road and eating out a lot, so in the interest of calorie savings, we don’t even consider dessert.

The bottom line on Kaleidoscope: A neighborhood hotspot. If you live in Brookhaven, make sure you visit. If you live in elsewhere, go on a day when there’s no traffic. (Is there such a day in Atlanta?) There’s a good vibe here that we liked. Whether you are a family with a dog sitting outside or co-workers blowing off some stress inside, there’s a place for you in the Kaleidoscope.