When I first heard about Cook Weaver, I was admittedly skeptical. For one, they’d chosen to open in a space that can generously be described as a tough one for restaurants. A death trap would be more accurate. This little corner of the illustrious Loveless Building has been occupied by plenty of restaurants, dating back to the original Byzantion, and not one has seen long-term success. Furthermore, the menu was billed as “inauthentic Eurasian food,” which does not read like the type of coherent, focused mission statement a restaurant would need to survive in such hostile environs.
Having had the pleasure of dining at Cook Weaver several times now, I can say confidently that none of that skepticism remains. It is, by a long shot, my favorite new restaurant in 2017, and I would go so far as to say that it might be the one to finally break the curse that so many other worthy challengers have succumbed to.