Photo by Sydney Cromwell.
SoHo Social, a family-friendly bar and grill, has set up shop in the PT’s of SoHo space near Rosewood Hall.
Dave Horn’s two Vestavia Hills restaurants, The Ridge and Mudtown Eat and Drink, have been described by regulars as “the ‘Cheers’ of their respective neighborhoods.” He wants to create a similar atmosphere at SoHo Social, which is opening in the former PT’s of SoHo space.
“I feel like Homewood’s missing that a little bit,” Horn said.
The driving force behind SoHo Social is Taylor Hughes, who has run the kitchens at Mudtown and The Ridge for the past three years and is partnering with Horn on this new venture.
“Creatively, he’s awesome. He’s certainly the creative influence behind this,” Horn said.
They envision a family-friendly bar and grill that is customer-oriented and a little bit flexible. Horn said he thinks the plan for the restaurant will be a good fit for Homewood, but they’re willing to change if they miss the mark.
“We may make a ton of changes in the first month. If we sort of miss our estimations in what people like and what people want, we may make changes immediately,” Horn said.
The menu is still in the works, but Horn said it will include bar snacks and appetizers, burgers, sandwiches and entrees, but “all will have a unique twist on them.”
One example is the chicken sandwich, tentatively named Southern King, which will have jalapeno bacon, green tomato jelly and jalapeno pimento cheese. Other menu options include an egg roll with Conecuh sausage, collard greens and pimento cheese or a sampler that would include house-made snack mixes and dips.
“I think the only thing we will purchase that we won’t make will be sweet potato French fries,” Horn said.
The prices will be around $5-$7 for appetizers, $10-$15 for sandwiches and $25 or less for entrees. The PT’s location also provides 24 draft beer taps for SoHo Social to put to use.
“We will likely fill most of them with local stuff because there’s so much good local stuff to choose from now,” Horn said.
Horn and Hughes are redecorating the restaurant with a gray-and-orange theme, including reclaimed wood and glass-and-iron partitions. Horn said they want to provide good service while staying laid-back and taking time to get to know their diners.
Along with regular dining tables, Horn said they are converting the PT’s pool table area to nontraditional seating, where customers can have a meal or a beer on couches and watch TV.
SoHo Social will serve lunch and dinner along with brunch on Sundays and possibly Saturdays as well. Their hours will be roughly 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, but if customers are having a good time, Horn said they won’t be in a rush to close.
“If we’re pouring, we’re open,” Horn said.
Horn said he hoped to open SoHo Social in early February at 1830 29th Ave. S. For more information, go to SoHo Social’s Facebook page.
