I waited months and months for J. Goughs to open. I basically acted like a crazy ex girlfriend driving slowly down Murray to see if it had opened and stalking the Facebook page weekly. I think this is why I'm so disheartened about my actual visit. The food and drinks were just okay. We tried the deviled eggs (nothing special, but alright), potato salad (the best dish I had and very flavorful), and mac and cheese (pretty bland). The decorating and ambiance were also not my favorite, and felt a little odd. I think I was expecting something different, but was a little confused with layout and seating within the place when I walked in. My overall experience was alright.
The only thing that was really good about J. Goughs was the service and the liquor selection. Our server was very responsive and great at her job. Another guy there (possibly a bartender, maybe an owner?) helped me order an old fashioned with bourbon after being a little underwhelmed with my vanilla mule (which mainly tasted like ginger beer). My friend did enjoy her mules and actually ordered multiple of them, but I wasn't that impressed. The cocktails were also a little pricey.
I'm really sad to say that although I left J. Goughs feeling pretty good about my visit, I'm not exactly in a hurry to go back. I might go back again, but I'm disappointed because this is the only nonsmoking bar within walking distance from my place and I think I expected too much from it. Womp womp.