Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous. The meal I had tonight at Oyster River was out of this world. I went out with DJ tonight fairly early. It was a little before 6. We were able to sit wherever we wanted which was nice. We sat by the windows with a beautiful view of Long Island Sound. The sun was setting at this time. (So happy that it is staying lighter outside later) We were given the regular menu along with two specials menus. My reason behind going to OR was to fill my month-long shrimp craving, but the specials available make me want to go back soon. Because tonight is a Thursday, the offer a prixe fix menu. It includes a three course meal- 1 appetizer, soup or salad, and an entree. They offered about 6 entree choices. Mostly fish, but there were a few non-fish options. Also, Thursday is $5 martini night! I was interested in trying the martini with the loopy vodka (fruit loop infused vodka). I almost ordered the martini but when I spotted the Zing zang Bloody Mary I stopped right there.
I am a sucker for Bloody Marys. And not only do I love a good bloody, but this bloody was served with 4 shrimp. This absolutely blew my mind. It combined two of my loves; shrimp and bloody Marys. It was delicious. The shrimp were divine and the drink was perfectly spiced. Tonight I ordered: chicken orzo soup (fabulous) and the shrimp Caesar salad wrap. The wrap was exactly what I had been craving. It wasn't just a wrap with shrimp and lettuce. First of all, it was loaded with shrimp. Whenever I took a bite, my mouth was filled with shrimp and other little pieces of shrimp were falling out of the back side of the wrap. It was very filling. I probably could have saved the other half and brought it for lunch tomorrow but I couldn't resist. I needed to eat that whole darn thing. The shrimp was seasoned, which is a huge plus. The shrimp was flavorful on its own but then when it was paired with the Caesar dressing, cheese, and lettuce- fantastic! The wrap was served with fries, coleslaw, and a pickle. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. The coleslaw was tasty, the fries were perfectly cooked, and the pickle just might as well have been the cherry on top of my happiness sundae. I had no room for dessert but as previously mentioned, I'm not much of a sweets girl. A fantastic meal! The food was delicious, the service was right on, and I can't wait to go back.
DJ ordered a burger. It was a nice size burger. I didn't try any of his food but he seemed to like it quite a bit. The burger was served on a hard roll with lettuce, tomato, onion, with fries and coleslaw on the side. I cannot get over how terrific this meal was. I highly recommend going, especially during the week. They have great specials and large portions. If you have a shrimp craving, go to Oyster River Tavern in West Haven. They do shrimp right. After dinner, I drove up the street to top the night off with a cinnamon coffee from Dunkin'. Perfect night. I'm not sure where I'll eat next but as always, I'll keep you posted. Until the next bite...
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Mom's Birthday
This week I made two delicious dishes. On Monday, I made a chicken dish. Not sure what you want to call it; Chicken saltimbocca or chicken rollatini have both been used. I took chicken cutlets and layered them with Parmesan cheese, prosciutto, provolone cheese, and spinach. Once they were layered, I rolled them up and put three toothpicks in it to hold the shape. In a skillet I put a little bit of extra virgin olive and vegetable oil and browned the chicken on all sides. After the chicken was browned, I added some chicken broth, lemon juice, and a little white wine to the pan. I let it come to a boil, covered it, and let it simmer while I made the side dishes. Very tasty. I just wish I didn't have to handle the chicken. The more chicken I cook, the less I want to eat it. Handling poultry is sickening. On a side note, I would love to hunt turkeys. With a bow and arrow. There are two animals that I absolutely hate- llamas and turkeys. I'll skip the llama and feast on the turkey. All went well with the meal. It's fairly healthy and was easy. On Tuesday, Fashion Police was on so we ordered Bao's. Yes, again. I had the boneless ribs and wonton soup. Fabulous. I could bathe in the bbq sauce they put on those ribs. There's no other Chinese restaurant that can duplicate those ribs. As a side note, I love Joan Rivers. She is absolutely hilarious! A comic idol. Ribs, wings, and Fashion Police is the perfect night. I wish they had a Fashion Bowl on Sunday for all the non-football fans.
Tonight (Wednesday) I baked the lasagna I put together the other day. It was a hit! I was so proud of myself. It was the first lasagna I ever made. Of course I've seen my mother and aunt make them plenty of times before but this time, I made my own sauce, made the little meatballs, and put everything together. I am happy to carry on the tradition. I made little meatballs, opposed to scattering chopped meat. I don't like loose meat in my ronies. I put plenty of sauce and will only use Parmesan, mozzarella, and ricotta cheese. Whenever I see a chef making lasagna with cottage cheese or cheddar I want to throw up. I made the lasagna for my mom's birthday. I wanted to make her something that I knew she liked and lasagna is something she rarely makes. It was a nice surprise. We had dinner with my cousins Judy and Lindsey, and my brother. It was the new girls' night plus 1 guy. Lindsey made a lovely salad, even though I ruined it with red wine vinegar instead of balsamic. For dessert I bought pound cake, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and cool whip. It was a great night. In my opinion, there's nothing better than food and family. Tomorrow I think I'll go out for dinner. Of course I'll let you know how that goes. Until my next bite....
Tonight (Wednesday) I baked the lasagna I put together the other day. It was a hit! I was so proud of myself. It was the first lasagna I ever made. Of course I've seen my mother and aunt make them plenty of times before but this time, I made my own sauce, made the little meatballs, and put everything together. I am happy to carry on the tradition. I made little meatballs, opposed to scattering chopped meat. I don't like loose meat in my ronies. I put plenty of sauce and will only use Parmesan, mozzarella, and ricotta cheese. Whenever I see a chef making lasagna with cottage cheese or cheddar I want to throw up. I made the lasagna for my mom's birthday. I wanted to make her something that I knew she liked and lasagna is something she rarely makes. It was a nice surprise. We had dinner with my cousins Judy and Lindsey, and my brother. It was the new girls' night plus 1 guy. Lindsey made a lovely salad, even though I ruined it with red wine vinegar instead of balsamic. For dessert I bought pound cake, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and cool whip. It was a great night. In my opinion, there's nothing better than food and family. Tomorrow I think I'll go out for dinner. Of course I'll let you know how that goes. Until my next bite....
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Magical Weekend
This weekend has been extremely slow on the food front. Saturday I had to work for Eco and Sunday (today) I went to my cousin's son's birthday party. Even though there were few opportunities to indulge myself with a five-star meal, I did see two magic shows. I am 27 years old and this was the first weekend I have ever watched a magician. Not just one magician, but two. Magic Jim gave a presentation at Eco and Tony the Magic Man was at the party today. Of the two, I vote Tony. Both of these magic shows must have filled me up because I lost my appetite immediately following. I said that I would blog about anything I eat so I will give a quick synopsis of my eating weekend.
Friday night I went to Cracker Barrel with DJ. I know that doesn't sound like a flashy Friday night date night type of meal but I'm not really a flashy Friday night girl. Ever since I started working "for real" Friday night is a completely different thing. I remember when Friday was the best night. I would go out with friends and even if I had to work at night, it was so much fun going to the bar afterwards. Now, nothing makes me more happy than my sweats, take-out pizza or Chinese, and re-runs of the Golden Girls. I've always thought that I was an old lady trapped in a young person's body. I wonder what I'll be like when I actually am that old lady. I can't help it! It's a regular work day and resting without worry is unheard of in the middle of the week.
Anyways, we went to Cracker Barrel. I enjoy Cracker Barrel. The ambiance, the country store, the country music... I just love it! I've always felt that part of me was Southern. Our waitress was nice and attentive. I had a diet Dr. Pepper which is a huge plus. It bothers me that you can only get diet coke (or Pepsi) when you go out to eat. I love a good Sprite Zero or Diet Schwepps. (I'm not blogging about this today but for a little side note, the Coca-Cola Freestyle machine at Duchess is absolutely amazing!) For dinner I had the fried shrimp dinner with mac and cheese, green beans, and carrots. (you get to choose three sides) It was quite tasty. There was a large amount of shrimp and hush puppies scattered throughout. I am addicted to the mac and cheese at CB. I love when you get the crispy bits. Oh so good. The batter was quite flavorful. Now this leads me to an issue I have. Why do restaurants (not just CB- all restaurants) leave the shell on the tail of the shrimp? I know it serves as a little handle but personally, I'd rather have the shell off and just eat the whole shrimp in comfort. I'm always afraid I'm going to bite too far and get a chunk of shell in my mouth. No complaints of my meal. DJ had breakfast- one of the samplers. It came with tons of food- eggs, ham, bacon, sausage, grits, sawmill gravy, biscuits. The biscuits ended up being my dessert. I'm not much of a dessert person. I'll take salty over sweet anytime.
Saturday I didn't make anything special or go anywhere worth mentioning. I did go to the movies and although this is not a movie blog, we saw that silver lining book with Bradley Cooper and Katniss from The Hunger Games. It was fantastic. The best movie I've seen in a long time. Today I went to the birthday party. My mom made some stew. It was yummy. I'll only eat my mom's stew. I made a lasagna. My mom's birthday is Tuesday so I wanted to make her a little treat. I used the fresh lasagna sheets from Durante's in West Haven. I'll let you know how it tastes when we eat it. That's all for now. Until my next bite....
Friday night I went to Cracker Barrel with DJ. I know that doesn't sound like a flashy Friday night date night type of meal but I'm not really a flashy Friday night girl. Ever since I started working "for real" Friday night is a completely different thing. I remember when Friday was the best night. I would go out with friends and even if I had to work at night, it was so much fun going to the bar afterwards. Now, nothing makes me more happy than my sweats, take-out pizza or Chinese, and re-runs of the Golden Girls. I've always thought that I was an old lady trapped in a young person's body. I wonder what I'll be like when I actually am that old lady. I can't help it! It's a regular work day and resting without worry is unheard of in the middle of the week.
Anyways, we went to Cracker Barrel. I enjoy Cracker Barrel. The ambiance, the country store, the country music... I just love it! I've always felt that part of me was Southern. Our waitress was nice and attentive. I had a diet Dr. Pepper which is a huge plus. It bothers me that you can only get diet coke (or Pepsi) when you go out to eat. I love a good Sprite Zero or Diet Schwepps. (I'm not blogging about this today but for a little side note, the Coca-Cola Freestyle machine at Duchess is absolutely amazing!) For dinner I had the fried shrimp dinner with mac and cheese, green beans, and carrots. (you get to choose three sides) It was quite tasty. There was a large amount of shrimp and hush puppies scattered throughout. I am addicted to the mac and cheese at CB. I love when you get the crispy bits. Oh so good. The batter was quite flavorful. Now this leads me to an issue I have. Why do restaurants (not just CB- all restaurants) leave the shell on the tail of the shrimp? I know it serves as a little handle but personally, I'd rather have the shell off and just eat the whole shrimp in comfort. I'm always afraid I'm going to bite too far and get a chunk of shell in my mouth. No complaints of my meal. DJ had breakfast- one of the samplers. It came with tons of food- eggs, ham, bacon, sausage, grits, sawmill gravy, biscuits. The biscuits ended up being my dessert. I'm not much of a dessert person. I'll take salty over sweet anytime.
Saturday I didn't make anything special or go anywhere worth mentioning. I did go to the movies and although this is not a movie blog, we saw that silver lining book with Bradley Cooper and Katniss from The Hunger Games. It was fantastic. The best movie I've seen in a long time. Today I went to the birthday party. My mom made some stew. It was yummy. I'll only eat my mom's stew. I made a lasagna. My mom's birthday is Tuesday so I wanted to make her a little treat. I used the fresh lasagna sheets from Durante's in West Haven. I'll let you know how it tastes when we eat it. That's all for now. Until my next bite....
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Girl's Night
Before I go into tonight's description, I would like to give you a little background to the Wednesday night "girls' night." Quite a few years ago, when my Uncle Sal passed away, my cousin Judy, my Auntie Carm, my mom, and I used to get together once a week for a girls' night. These nights usually ended with flared tempers, tears, and a rule that mothers and daughters could not sit on the same side of the booth. Even with all of the bickering, we all loved our Wednesday nights. Together we shared wonderful memories. Since my Auntie Carm passed away our girls' nights haven't come as regularly, so when we do get together we try to make them special.
Tonight my mom, Judy, my cousin Lindsey, and I went out to do some shopping. I received a bunch of buy one get one free Yankee Candle jar coupons in the mail and decided to buy some. Even though candles give off virtually no heat, I enjoy lighting a candle on a cold night. While we were there in the Christmas Tree Shops plaza in Orange we began to choose a place to eat. We ended up taking the long drive to Gabriele's. (I'm completely kidding. Gabriele's is in like the back parking lot of Yankee Candle.)
Overall, it was a good meal. I also have some leftovers which will save me from having to make lunch tomorrow and that's always a plus.
It was warm inside the restaurant. I don't know if it's just because it's so cold outside or what, but lately every restaurant I go to is freezing! Luckily it wasn't cold in Gabriele's. Our waitress was odd. I promised Lindsey I would blog about her suckiness so here goes- the waitress sucked. She rarely came back to our table and was slow with our food. Her entire delivery was terrible but that's enough about the service, let's talk food. I ordered the veal saltimbocca. Good choice. (It was a bit salty. And because I'm saying that, I'm sure most people would say that it was incredibly salty.) It came with a salad- I got the parmesan peppercorn dressing. Also good. The veal came in three pieces covered with prosciutto and mozzarella. In the center there was this little mound of spinach. The spinach stole the show. They must have sauteed it with prosciutto and onions because it was overflowing with flavor. If Popeye ever had this spinach he might just have no need for Olive Oil anymore.
It also came with a side of macaroni. I chose the spaghetti. Now the side of pasta, I just don't get it. You're at a good restaurant. The pasta entrees are delish. So why is it that that side of pasta tastes like crap? Do they just not care about the side of pasta? Do they have a jar of Prego to use for the side? Even the pasta itself tastes like it never touched a pot of boiling salted water. Salting the water does numbers. I'm surprised by the number of people that don't put salt in boiling water. I don't care what I'm boiling. I'm always going to add to my pot of water. It's water, folks. Water has no taste, therefore when cooking with water, it needs to be flavored. My fellow diners all some variation of Florentine. They all said that it was good.
I had a nice dinner tonight. It wasn't the same as the old girls' nights used to be, but it was an unexpected mid-week treat. I plan on cooking tomorrow so I'll be sure to let you know how that goes. Until the next bite...
Tonight my mom, Judy, my cousin Lindsey, and I went out to do some shopping. I received a bunch of buy one get one free Yankee Candle jar coupons in the mail and decided to buy some. Even though candles give off virtually no heat, I enjoy lighting a candle on a cold night. While we were there in the Christmas Tree Shops plaza in Orange we began to choose a place to eat. We ended up taking the long drive to Gabriele's. (I'm completely kidding. Gabriele's is in like the back parking lot of Yankee Candle.)
Overall, it was a good meal. I also have some leftovers which will save me from having to make lunch tomorrow and that's always a plus.
It was warm inside the restaurant. I don't know if it's just because it's so cold outside or what, but lately every restaurant I go to is freezing! Luckily it wasn't cold in Gabriele's. Our waitress was odd. I promised Lindsey I would blog about her suckiness so here goes- the waitress sucked. She rarely came back to our table and was slow with our food. Her entire delivery was terrible but that's enough about the service, let's talk food. I ordered the veal saltimbocca. Good choice. (It was a bit salty. And because I'm saying that, I'm sure most people would say that it was incredibly salty.) It came with a salad- I got the parmesan peppercorn dressing. Also good. The veal came in three pieces covered with prosciutto and mozzarella. In the center there was this little mound of spinach. The spinach stole the show. They must have sauteed it with prosciutto and onions because it was overflowing with flavor. If Popeye ever had this spinach he might just have no need for Olive Oil anymore.
It also came with a side of macaroni. I chose the spaghetti. Now the side of pasta, I just don't get it. You're at a good restaurant. The pasta entrees are delish. So why is it that that side of pasta tastes like crap? Do they just not care about the side of pasta? Do they have a jar of Prego to use for the side? Even the pasta itself tastes like it never touched a pot of boiling salted water. Salting the water does numbers. I'm surprised by the number of people that don't put salt in boiling water. I don't care what I'm boiling. I'm always going to add to my pot of water. It's water, folks. Water has no taste, therefore when cooking with water, it needs to be flavored. My fellow diners all some variation of Florentine. They all said that it was good.
I had a nice dinner tonight. It wasn't the same as the old girls' nights used to be, but it was an unexpected mid-week treat. I plan on cooking tomorrow so I'll be sure to let you know how that goes. Until the next bite...
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Frigid night delivery
I am going to share all of my eating adventures, regardless how obscure or grand they may be. Tonight was not one of my grand experiences. Considering that it was 20 degrees and pitch black when I came home from work tonight, and I had taken nothing out of the freezer, I decided it was a night for delivery. When choosing delivery in West Haven there a few options. Tonight I chose my old faithful- Bao's Kitchen.
I can't quite explain it with Bao's. It is certainly not the best Chinese food I've ever had but something about it makes it quite wonderful. I ordered wonton soup and chicken lo mein. Both choices were exceptionally good tonight. Maybe it was because the owner delivered my food. I think his name is Ming but I always call him "Mr. Bao." The soup was warm- not piping hot. I cured that with a little zap of the microwave. The lo mein was very good. I've had lo mein from several Chinese restaurants that I swear tastes of "pan." By pan I mean that metallic taste of the wok in which it was prepared. No complaints from me tonight. It hit the spot. In terms of delivery and convenience, Bao's is simply the best. Where do you order from? I love China Pavilion in Orange but that's only pick-up and much more pricey. I haven't found a delivery Chinese restaurant in West Haven that compares to Bao's. I would be happy to try any suggestions.
And because this is a boring post, I'll share a recipe I made Sunday night. I tried Ina Garten's beef barley soup. You can find it on foodnetwork's website or in Ina's cookbook, How Easy is That? It was easy to make but time consuming. I spent so much time just chopping up all of the vegetables. You would think that in today's world there would be a faster way to chop up your vegetables but really, no there isn't. I also didn't like that so much beef broth was added to the recipe. Now of course Ina would probably say it's best to use homemade beef broth but lets get real. Even if you had the time to make various broths and stocks where in the world would you store them? I probably should have cooked the barley a bit longer than she had suggested. Overall, it was a tasty and hearty soup to have on a cold winter night.
I am a soup lover. If I had to choose my favorite food I would way soup. It's so wonderful. It's warm, tasty, a one pot meal, meat and veggies all in one. A soup for dinner is very efficient. That reminds me of that episode of Seinfeld when Jerry is arguing with Banya about soup being a meal or not. I think soup counts as a meal. Just recently I went to Bear and Grill. The lentil soup was fabulous. The meal was terrible. I wish I just had ordered the soup and an appetizer or something. There are a few new soup recipes I plan to try soon. I want to make lentil soup and Ina's mussel bisque. Now that's a lovely combination; A mussel and a bisque. Can't go wrong. As I continue to post about the foods I eat, you'll quickly learn which words jump out at me on a menu. That's all I've got for tonight. Until my next bite...
I can't quite explain it with Bao's. It is certainly not the best Chinese food I've ever had but something about it makes it quite wonderful. I ordered wonton soup and chicken lo mein. Both choices were exceptionally good tonight. Maybe it was because the owner delivered my food. I think his name is Ming but I always call him "Mr. Bao." The soup was warm- not piping hot. I cured that with a little zap of the microwave. The lo mein was very good. I've had lo mein from several Chinese restaurants that I swear tastes of "pan." By pan I mean that metallic taste of the wok in which it was prepared. No complaints from me tonight. It hit the spot. In terms of delivery and convenience, Bao's is simply the best. Where do you order from? I love China Pavilion in Orange but that's only pick-up and much more pricey. I haven't found a delivery Chinese restaurant in West Haven that compares to Bao's. I would be happy to try any suggestions.
And because this is a boring post, I'll share a recipe I made Sunday night. I tried Ina Garten's beef barley soup. You can find it on foodnetwork's website or in Ina's cookbook, How Easy is That? It was easy to make but time consuming. I spent so much time just chopping up all of the vegetables. You would think that in today's world there would be a faster way to chop up your vegetables but really, no there isn't. I also didn't like that so much beef broth was added to the recipe. Now of course Ina would probably say it's best to use homemade beef broth but lets get real. Even if you had the time to make various broths and stocks where in the world would you store them? I probably should have cooked the barley a bit longer than she had suggested. Overall, it was a tasty and hearty soup to have on a cold winter night.
I am a soup lover. If I had to choose my favorite food I would way soup. It's so wonderful. It's warm, tasty, a one pot meal, meat and veggies all in one. A soup for dinner is very efficient. That reminds me of that episode of Seinfeld when Jerry is arguing with Banya about soup being a meal or not. I think soup counts as a meal. Just recently I went to Bear and Grill. The lentil soup was fabulous. The meal was terrible. I wish I just had ordered the soup and an appetizer or something. There are a few new soup recipes I plan to try soon. I want to make lentil soup and Ina's mussel bisque. Now that's a lovely combination; A mussel and a bisque. Can't go wrong. As I continue to post about the foods I eat, you'll quickly learn which words jump out at me on a menu. That's all I've got for tonight. Until my next bite...
Monday, January 21, 2013
Ballou's
Saturday I went with my boyfriend (D.J.) and some friends to Ballou's Wine Bar in Guilford. A colleague of mine had recommended it to me about a year ago. I don't know where the time goes. I have this "bucket list" of places I want to try. I've made one every year and don't know why I never made it to this place. As much as I love trying new restaurants, I have some anxiety about going. I have to be in the mood and not feel pressured. I hate places that have a certain procedure or lingo you have to follow. Just make it easy for people to give you business! I hate being embarrassed, especially in a restaurant. Actually, I'm surprised I went to Ballou's with such little prior information.
Anyway, I went there on a Saturday night. We made reservations and when DJ called, he asked for 7 and the guy told him 7:15. Now I don't know if he was trying to be funny, but that's what he said. Looking back on it, I feel like the hostess chuckled when we told her about our reservation at 7:15. It was a small but nice place. I think it matches the picture that comes in your head when you say "wine bar." We were seated in the second room right near the bathroom. Usually I hate being seated near the bathroom because that horrible restaurant-hand soap-smell always seems to burst out of the restroom. (Or a terrible shit smell) On this occasion, it was okay. Ballou's reminded me of the inside of a house and the bathroom fit that description. There was only one bathroom as far as I could tell which, in my opinion, is a dangerous move to make in a restaurant that has an entire section of the menu devoted to cheese fondue.
Once we were seated our very friendly waiter came over and asked if we wanted to order our wine. We all opted to go on a "wine flight." I chose the rose, DJ a chardonnay, and our friends had a cabernet and a rose. The flight was a great move. Three glasses of wine (which is more than enough for me) all for $14. I felt like I got a glass of wine for free! The menu was decent. The had panini, flat bread pizza, wraps, salads, apps, fondue, and some pasta dishes. Out of all the marvelous choices on the menu I probably chose the dullest of them all. I've been on a shrimp kick lately. I really feel like I'm craving a shrimp caesar wrap from Oyster River but needless to say, I ordered the shrimp and gruyere panini as soon as I read the word "shrimp." I wish there had been more stuff on the panini because it was just like eating a boring French grilled cheese with some shrimp. It was good. But by the fourth bite the flavor had been played out. It was served with some greens that probably don't get eaten by most people but I ate every last one of them. On my fifth bite I scanned the other items on the table and after looking at each plate I said, "oo I should've gotten that," in my head. I commonly second guess my order after I see everyone's plate. Damn shrimp. I ate about 3/4 of the sandwich which helped to give the wine the little extra kick it needed. The waiter was nice and checked on us a few times.
After everyone finished their meal, we ordered dessert. We ordered this chocolate peanut butter fondue that came with bananas, strawberries, rice krispy treats, and pound cake. Delish. I wish I had ordered about three of those instead of the damn shrimp panini. Hopefully these blogs will also help me from repeating past mistakes. While we were there a guy was playing music. It was a nice atmosphere. Like a cozy local pub on a cold winter night. I would love to try this place again. If the food fails next time then I'll know to just go there for the chocolate and wine, which is reason enough. It seems as though they have a cool outdoor setup when warmer weather arrives. Before I went home I needed to make a quick stop because I was still a bit hungry. McNuggets are my savior. Whenever you need a quick pick me up- a nice 4 piece is always the way to go. I'm a purist. I don't get any sauce with my nuggs. It would be ideal to have Wendy's sweet and sour sauce with McNuggets but this was not the night for that. The nuggets were stunning. If ever I have a bad meal, I'll salvage it with a nugget run. I hope to return to Ballou's in the near future. If I do, I'll let you know. Until my next bite....
Anyway, I went there on a Saturday night. We made reservations and when DJ called, he asked for 7 and the guy told him 7:15. Now I don't know if he was trying to be funny, but that's what he said. Looking back on it, I feel like the hostess chuckled when we told her about our reservation at 7:15. It was a small but nice place. I think it matches the picture that comes in your head when you say "wine bar." We were seated in the second room right near the bathroom. Usually I hate being seated near the bathroom because that horrible restaurant-hand soap-smell always seems to burst out of the restroom. (Or a terrible shit smell) On this occasion, it was okay. Ballou's reminded me of the inside of a house and the bathroom fit that description. There was only one bathroom as far as I could tell which, in my opinion, is a dangerous move to make in a restaurant that has an entire section of the menu devoted to cheese fondue.
Once we were seated our very friendly waiter came over and asked if we wanted to order our wine. We all opted to go on a "wine flight." I chose the rose, DJ a chardonnay, and our friends had a cabernet and a rose. The flight was a great move. Three glasses of wine (which is more than enough for me) all for $14. I felt like I got a glass of wine for free! The menu was decent. The had panini, flat bread pizza, wraps, salads, apps, fondue, and some pasta dishes. Out of all the marvelous choices on the menu I probably chose the dullest of them all. I've been on a shrimp kick lately. I really feel like I'm craving a shrimp caesar wrap from Oyster River but needless to say, I ordered the shrimp and gruyere panini as soon as I read the word "shrimp." I wish there had been more stuff on the panini because it was just like eating a boring French grilled cheese with some shrimp. It was good. But by the fourth bite the flavor had been played out. It was served with some greens that probably don't get eaten by most people but I ate every last one of them. On my fifth bite I scanned the other items on the table and after looking at each plate I said, "oo I should've gotten that," in my head. I commonly second guess my order after I see everyone's plate. Damn shrimp. I ate about 3/4 of the sandwich which helped to give the wine the little extra kick it needed. The waiter was nice and checked on us a few times.
After everyone finished their meal, we ordered dessert. We ordered this chocolate peanut butter fondue that came with bananas, strawberries, rice krispy treats, and pound cake. Delish. I wish I had ordered about three of those instead of the damn shrimp panini. Hopefully these blogs will also help me from repeating past mistakes. While we were there a guy was playing music. It was a nice atmosphere. Like a cozy local pub on a cold winter night. I would love to try this place again. If the food fails next time then I'll know to just go there for the chocolate and wine, which is reason enough. It seems as though they have a cool outdoor setup when warmer weather arrives. Before I went home I needed to make a quick stop because I was still a bit hungry. McNuggets are my savior. Whenever you need a quick pick me up- a nice 4 piece is always the way to go. I'm a purist. I don't get any sauce with my nuggs. It would be ideal to have Wendy's sweet and sour sauce with McNuggets but this was not the night for that. The nuggets were stunning. If ever I have a bad meal, I'll salvage it with a nugget run. I hope to return to Ballou's in the near future. If I do, I'll let you know. Until my next bite....
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