I went to this restaurant with my husband on our wedding night. We had a gift certificate for $50, and let me tell you, without that incentive, we would have shelled out over $100 for the meal. Is this a bad thing? Not really, but when you are on a tight budget, every penny matters.
This restaurant, let me first say, is hidden in a plaza that would at first make you think you were on the wrong side of town. When we got there, motorcyclists were touring the lot, and two drunken men were outside yelling at each other about their respective girlfriends. Considering we had been told over the phone that the dress code was business casual, I think we both arched our eyebrows, but sucked up our concern and walked inside the very non-descript storefront. And with that, we entered a whole new world.
This is a VERY upscale place. A gas fireplace was burning on the side wall and a couple of plush leather sofas surrounded the scene with paintings of sailboats and flowers. The maitre d', dressed in a slinky black dress, escorted us to our table, and seated us with our leather-bound menus. It was very casual-formal, to use a weird term, but calm enough that my husband, who at the time was crabby and felt out-of-place in his jeans and a tshirt, sat down to peruse the fare.
Nothing is cheaper than $10 on the menu. Nothing. Bread is artisan-style, with herbs and very good quality butter served on heavy wooden platters. Menus are also very limited, with only 9 or so entree's to choose from. And everything has a hoity-toity flare. It wasn't mashed potatoes with the meal, it was mashed turnips. Something most people don't consider.
Now all of this probably sounds negative, and coming from me, the queen of jeans & tees, you would probably be right to assume I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder. When the waiter uses a specialized metal spoon-like contraption to wipe the crumbs from the table for you, unless you are used to that kind of service, you feel a bit awkward. But I still wanted to give this place a chance. And I am glad that I did.
I forget what my husband ordered (it was a beef dish), but I had the beef marsala. I figured with an upscale restaurant, it would be a teeny portion with weird dips and funky sidedishes. When the plate came, it was a goodly sized portion, and the meat was cooked SUPERB! It was medium, warm, tender, and the marsala sauce was perfect and rich. I even hate mushrooms and found myself salivating at the wonderful aroma! The green beans that came with the dish were basted in garlic butter, and were cooked crisp and crunchy. The taste was divine, a bit bitter, but it complemented the red meat so well it was easy to forgive. I finished every last bite. I find myself to this day drooling when I think about that dish. It was just soooo yummy.
If you take out the gift certificate, the total tab, including two sodas, a cheese plate appetizer, and the two entree's, the total would be around $117. The price is a lot, I will admit, and for us, it is definitely a restaurant we would visit as a save-up treat. However, if you want a bit of haute cuisine that is a bit different from the norm, this is the place to go.
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