The Library Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Highlands

The Library is that not so hidden gem in Sapphire Valley that you tell everyone you know that they HAVE to go to. It isn’t just the exceptional food (more on that later), oh so cozy atmosphere, or super friendly peeps at every turn. It is all of it plus the something extra of feeling like these folks love what they do and want to make sure you love it too.

I can call it the Cheers of Cashiers but make no mistake. This isn’t bar food or beers on tap. The food is the best in the area-elevated yet comfy. Craft cocktails with fresh ingredients like lavender and mint, or vanilla syrup compete with a brilliant wine list. This is “we came for dinner but stay for the company” -which are all the people you meet around you, in the kitchen or just passing through.

Food: we started with extra moist, crispy chili corn bread. Not spicy but just enough to make you realize this ain’t your mamas. Already stunned into overindulgence we approached the Buttermilk Fried Oysters. OMG! Yes, the oysters were perfectly served with the lightest batter surrounding a warm earthy, briny delight but the picked-hours-ago lettuce and red watercress dressed with Granadilla emulsion was equally star worthy. Since we shared we found ourselves fighting for the last bites …and still contemplating another order.

We followed with the lamb loin and finally, pistachio cheesecake with Dulce de Leche ice cream.

The lamb was expertly cooked and seasoned. You’ll feel like you jumped right into the leafy fall forest for a feast right off the fire. Here again, the vegetables forgot they were a side and fought hard for main attraction status. Charred Romanesco delicately placed on a swirl of Provençal sauce kept us battling what our next bite should be.

The cheesecake was this pillowy, lightly pistachio flavored bit of heaven. The cheesecake is on the bottom with a generous layer of whipped cream, the real stuff. And YET, the ice cream is what I’d drive a few extra miles to get. It is a sumptuous blend of caramel and cream condensed in a dreamy, creamy end to remember.

Thank you Cindy for all the recommendations, thank you Larry for our special treats , and thank you Liz for always being so accommodating and genuinely welcoming. Thank you to all the chefs that made yet another night and another meal at The Library a very...

Outstanding mixed cocktails, very good side dishes, and a "must-have" bread pudding dessert. Beautiful interior and patio dining. Gracious, fun, well trained staff. They usually have a house sangria - get it. Their specialty cocktails are creative, lovely, and delicious. Share a sip, or, if you can handle it, have a couple-three of them yourself. That Strawberry Fields drink? I'll be dreaming about it. Korean inspired BBQ meatballs were tender and the eggplant-cashew nut sauce they rested in was a bold risk that pays off. Please include it in your small plates mix. The fried cornbread was fun, but like the bruschetta, a little soft. I wish both were a crispier, thicker cut. Popcorn and bacon was a neat snack. I think it used to come in a taller cone, though. Black truffle mac & cheese was creamy and you definitely are not getting shorted on the truffle experience. Trout was trout - dependable, flavorful, and filling. Always a winner here. I was a tad disappointed with the chicken. The polenta base was amazing, while a tad heavy on the balsamic, it is a stout, satisfying player on the plate and could be a meal all its own. However, the chicken itself was not juicy, not packed with flavor, not fresh from the oven. A thin, rubbery, call back to high school lunch. Everything else was clearly created with a great amount of skill and passion. It made me upset to have the one thing the kitchen did not create end up being a sad, thin, unhappy component. I know chicken is experiencing a global shortage right now but at this price point (nearly $30 for the plate) I would expect to have traveled the extra mile with the manager to ensure the best pieces landed on my plate. Enough about the chicken, though. I bet the short ribs were outstanding. I know the bread pudding was. It was a work of art. Crispy, chocolatety, warm. Each bite conveyed an abundance of joy and satisfaction. My elbows were primed to fight off my table mates. My spoon was slick with sweet buttery goodness that carried me into the night. It was so beautiful, I might have to stroll over again tonight just to buy it...

Most of the experience was decent but some issues with service and a couple food dishes were not up to par for the class of restaurant this place advertises to be. 15 of us came here at the end of a week long vacation to have a good meal together. The restaurant put us all in a side room but instead of having a large square or T-shaped table for us all to talk together at, they split us up into 2 tables with 2 different waiters. Not a good family meal situation, that was then made more annoying when both waiters decided to tell each table the specials at the same time in the isolated room. Both tables had more than one person order the lamb entree but the restaurant ran out of them. Instead of telling the whole group about the issue, the waiters decided to make one table replace their lamb dishes but not the other. It wasn’t fun having one half of the group rave about the lamb to the other half and not know that the others got blocked out from that dish. The grouper special was a horrible piece of fish, and if it actually was grouper, it was old and had been frozen perhaps a few times….not sure why this was even being sold as a special at a price tag of forty five dollars. They did come back and replace the dish with another one once hearing the complaint. Nine dollars for 2 small pieces of bread (really small) sprinkled with honey, goat cheese, and onions seemed a bit off too. Food came out to each table at different times too, so one table was done and the second table felt pressure to not order dessert because the first table wanted to go. Overall food was ok for most - and only the few that got lamb were ones that really thought their food was great. The few issues listed above were really the issues we experienced and I couldn’t see myself recommending this place to others because of poor service decisions and a really bad quality special (grouper) that was...