First Look: Good Company in the Grove

After a soft opening this past weekend, Good Company officially opened for business on April 30 at the former Layla space at 4317 Manchester Ave. in the Grove. The cocktail bar and restaurant is co-owned by Jordan Goodman and Kyle Gillespie, who also own Good Ice, a local company that specializes in boutique custom ice cubes and sculptures.

So, yes, there’s some impressive ice-trickery here. It’s hard to miss the ice sculpture, which changes nightly (naturally) and sits center stage behind the bar. And you’ll certainly appreciate the coolth of your drink, chilled by cubes of various sizes and etched with Good Company’s name and logo. One of those cubes is actually an elongated hexahedron (or slim brick, or “Collins cube”) meant, said sous-chef David Ericson, to stand upright in tall glasses.

A lot of work has been done to fashion Good Company’s interior, much of it by Goodman, Ericson, chef Jon Priestley and Goodman’s business partner Chris Huge. Aside from the handsome walnut bar, made and installed by David Stine Furniture of Dow, Illinois, the team refinished the concrete floors, hung shelves and wall-anchored bar tables, and ribboned the base of the bar in copper. There are seats for 55 in the main dining room, and another 30 in the adjacent room.

The season-influenced menu leans “gastropub.” The flagship menu item is the Good Burger, made from a blend of brisket and chuck from Creekstone Farms and topped with thick-cut bacon, Cooper white American cheese, pickle, a fried egg and the bar's "Good Sauce." Several other burgers are also available, and there are shareable small plates like marinated olives, or brie and tomato jam with a French baguette, as well as salads made with vegetables like kale and golden beets. “We’ll be constantly switching things out to bring the freshest ingredients,” Goodman said.

Diego Gonzales is the brain behind the cocktail menu, and it’s a very good brain – Gonzales spent some time at Attaboy in Manhattan. In a few short days – during Good Company’s soft opening and the bar’s first official day of business – he has certainly made an impression. “We had some people who came back each night for the same cocktail,” Goodman said, citing the El Santo (a “creamy Horchata flip with vanilla and coconut notes and a kick of spice”) and Weekend in Tulum (mezcal, cucumber, black pepper and lime peel). That name alone is enough to bring anyone back. 

Beginning May 6, Good Company will be open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Monday through Sunday. Until then, it will open nightly from 5 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.