Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano

4010 West Jefferson Boulevard
Fort Wayne, IN 46804-6814
(260) 459-6700
www.biaggis.com

The 3 Elles gathered to celebrate the eve of NYE in style (or rather, we celebrated not having to work the next day), so we chose an Italian fare by returning to Biaggi's. We have always enjoyed our visits so we felt confident we would have a good time.

ATMOSPHERE:
To say this place was packed is an understatement - thankfully, we had made reservations. The restaurant still had it's Christmas decorations up - tacky and cheap. It resembled the halls of nursing homes - every hanging picture was covered with gift wrap. I didn't have as much problem with this as the other Elles. My issue was that was where the decorating ended. Would putting a bow on the "fake" presents been a budget buster? It would have really spruced up an otherwise boring display. Additionally, there were minimal evergreen garlands swagged around the large pendant lights in the middle of the restaurant. Here, the scale was off. The lights were HUGE - maybe 4' in diameter, but the garland was small and barely noticeable. I digress, we weren't there to view the holiday decorations (and it shouldn't be your reason for going either . . . skip this place for your next holiday gathering).
When the restaurant is crowded, which it has been each of the 3 times we have gone there - it gets VERY loud and VERY hot. It is very difficult to carry on a conversation. There were many times that we had to repeat ourselves. As we stayed longer and the crowd diminished, it was much more pleasant. This was reflected in a noticeable decibel drop, but also in a more regulated temperature. I highly recommend dressing in layers (more people = hot!; less people = perfect)

MARTINIS:
While our outing to J.K. O'Donnells was fun, it was missing one of our favorite features of the 3 Elles gatherings . . . Martinis. Yeah - for Martinis.

Adams L opened the evening with an extremely delicious Romeo & Juliet. This raspberry-chocolate contrivance was very rich - perhaps a better dessert martini than paired as an opening drink. It was garnished with rolled chocolate shaving that doubled as a straw. I think we all agree - this is a definite MUST ORDER!!!!!

After dinner, many people opt for a cup of coffee, but that is just not the 3 Elles style. Adams L opted for a Cafe Amore martini - like a cup of coffee, but with ice and some adulteration. Although this is a poor photo, sorry, both Adams L & Allen L found it to be a delicious finish to dinner. The hint of coffee flavor combined with the overall lightness of the drink made it a wonderful closing choice. It is worth noting - this drink is served with a piece of biscotti . . . floating on top. That was really odd and was a little off putting. As a garnish on the rim, the biscotti may have worked, as a floating raft, it failed.

Allen L and I started things off with a Raspberry Sweet Tart. This gives some of my fav martinis a run for their money. This is smooth and packs a bit of a punch. The graduated coloring is quite attractive. Allen L and I both agree that WE LOVED IT! Because of the smoothness, it is definitely a great choice for rookie martini drinkers or those who do not like a strong alcohol taste (that's the 3 Elles). I'll be back for more of these for sure!


APPETIZER:
Allen L selected the Crab and Lobster Dip for us to try. It's a typical artichoke dip combined with some crab and lobster pieces. The creamy dip was served with a gigantic spoon in a shallow dish. This dish is served with triangle pieces of toasted flat bread. The pieces along the right side of the picture were perfect for dipping - notice they are flat which resulted in optimal scoop-ability. Those 2 lighter colored ones in front have large pockets of air and make dipping impossible. Not realizing this ahead of time, these are the two I grabbed - I was forced to use my fork to scoop the appetizer from my plate onto my flat bread - too cumbersome.


A note about the bread . . .
The bread basket arrived promptly containing 2 varieties. My personal favorite is a the more spongy and thicker kind. I believe on our last visit we were told it was made from garlic mashed potatoes, but I might be incorrect about that. The other type of bread is more of a sliced French Loaf. Both are good for use with the olive oil, parm cheese, and fresh ground pepper dipping concoction.

ENTREES:
I ordered my usual, Chicken Marsala. It was delicious, though not as good as in the past. It was rather bland and boring. The sauce tasted more like flour than like wine which was disappointing. After reading my last review on Biaggis (HERE) I had forgotten I could have asked for a different vegetable - this speaks to the level of service we did not receive during this visit. A good server would have said "That's served with cooked spinach, will that be alright?" Oh well, the spinach was actually very delicious.


Allen L ordered a half order of the Fettuccini with Lobster. The dark colored noodles really makes this dish both unique and odd. She says it was really flavorful - the homemade lobster cream sauce was a little tangy, but very delicious. The large pieces of lobster really made this dish noteworthy. She would definitely order it again especially since it can be ordered sans fungi.

Adams L selected a half order of Shrimp & Crab Cannelloni as her entree. She stated it was DELICIOUS! She noted it had a good balance of shrimp and crab. This is the same dish that Allen L chose on our previous visit. You can read that review HERE. Adams L felt the green pasta paired with an orangeish-redish colored sauce resulted in an attractive dish. Personally, I think the presentation of the dish below is far more appealing than on our previous visit. The part she found most palatable was the sauce which is a lobster-tomato cream sauce. The light sauce was a good choice to appropriately contrast the heavier elements of the dish.

DESSERT:
I ordered spumoni for us to share. It came tri-colored so I figured it was the most traditional strawberry, chocolate, and pistachio; however, it wasn't strawberry. It was cherry and came with dark chocolate chunks and real cherries - YUM!!! The green, may have been pistachio, but didn't pack enough flavor for me to tell. I thought the entire texture was a little gritty, but Adams L thought it was smooth. No matter what, it was a huge portion easily shared by the 3 of us and completed our meal on a cool, refreshing note.




SERVICE:
Allen L arrived a few minutes ahead of Adams L and I and was seated at a table and greeted by our server, Matt. When we arrived, Matt was jolly and nice. He had considerable sweat on his brow, but as I mentioned in the opening of this post, it's very hot in there when it is busy. Things started off pretty well - I got good vibes. He was attentive while in front of us, but frequently left in a flash and it felt as if he had forgotten about us. He did not seem to want to engage in our usual banter so I asked him how many tables he had. Although he said he was not very busy with only 4 tables, we certainly felt as if we were his lowest priority. He was extremely knowledgeable about food, the menu, and made wonderful recommendations though not obnoxiously. We even sensed some hostility toward the end. I'm sure he had hoped to turn our table more quickly, but a 50% tip dwindled to just 20% by his brush off.

Biaggi's could take some lessons from the their next door neighbor, Eddie Merlot's, about table etiquette. For starters, I was drinking water - what's a girl gotta do to get a full glass? Really, should I have to ask for more water . . . every single time???? Once, when my glass was refilled, Matt left before filling the other Elles whose glasses were empty as well - WHAT kind of service is that? Here are 3 of our recommendations to improve the overall service experience:

1. Each server should have his/her own assistant - to fill water, to drop off bread, to bus the table (the 2 empty martini glasses sat at the edge of the table for 2 hours - what's it take to get those moved), to remove the bread and oil (it was still sitting there even as we are eating dessert), and to just generally speak to customers so they do not feel isolated or forgotten about. It appeared that there were several people serving water throughout the restaurant, but none came to our table - table came to tables on every side of us, but never us.

2. Crumb comb - small thing which enhances the dining experience. Could be a great thing for the server's assistant to do.

3. Management face time - we love to have managers walk around and stop by asking how our service and food were. One of my favorite things to do is speak up about great service. I think more people need recognized for doing great work; however, on this night, we received neither a visit from management nor exceptional service.

Until the next bite -

New domain

Great news -

The 3 Elles blog is now even easier to access . . . simply go to:

3elles.com

Happy Reading!

Until the next bite -

J.K. O'Donnell's

121 West Wayne Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
(260) 420-5563
http://www.jkodonnells.com/

Tonight, the 3 Elles got together at J.K. O'Donnell's after having Fritzi strongly recommend it several times. Although this was a different venue than we typically choose, it was just great to be able to get together and celebrate friendship during this holiday season.

ATMOSPHERE:
JKO is an irish pub and as such - the ambiance oozes the pub feel. The restaurant is full of dark, beautiful wood - the walls, the floor, the short stools, the booths - everything. It is visually appealing, relaxing, which lends itself well for grabbing a beer after work with friends.

DRINKS:
JKO has an exhaustive list of beer - quite unlikely you'll find an eatery with more options. Adams L choose a blueberry beer (I truly dislike beer, but the sip I had was very good!). Allen L choose a Heinekin Light. I ordered a diet coke, but regretfully, it was never served to me (but I was billed for it at the end of the meal). I indulged in many goblets of water.


APPETIZER:
Allen L started with Artichoke Dip. Although this is a photo of it after it was 2/3 eaten, you can gather the gist of the dish.


It was chunkier then most other dips in it's class. It had the consistency of a stewed cabbage. The texture did not detract from the creamy goodness of the dish. The broiled cheese top layer made the dish. The dip was accompanied by small pieces of French bread. The other L's thought the bread should be toasted more. They felt the bread lacked the crispiness necessary to adequately offset the creamy chunky dip. Something such as Melba toast might have been just the ticket. The dip to bread ratio was a bit off - too much dip, not enough bread. For $9 it was of substantial proportion and easily shared among the 3 of us.

ENTREES:
For a 3 Elles first, we all ordered the SAME thing - Fish & Chips. We were told about 25% of all food orders at JKO is their famous Fish and Chips. We each chose the half size portion (4 oz vs. the 8 oz that comes with a full size meal). At only $11, it was a great value. Adams L changed her "Chips" to Sweet Potato Fries which she said were good, but not great. They weren't the most flavorful sweet potato fries she has ever had. Allen L and I chose the regular "chips" which were large potato wedge type accessories. They were pretty good. Each meal was served with a side of cold slaw which was rather unremarkable. Additionally, there were 2 special sauces you can chose to dip your fries. Both Adams L & Allen L chose a garlic aolie sauce while I chose the spicy whiskey sauce. I believe the sauces were primarily for your "chips" but I enjoy eating fish with hot sauce so I doused my fillet in the spicy whiskey sauce - YUM!!!! The entree was okay -it was a thick piece of fish and it was prepared well, but it just didn't pack any sort of meaningful flavor. It is a light flavored fish with a thinner, non-greasy breading. If you've eaten Fish & Chips at Paula's 0n Main, you'll be pretty disappointed in what JKO is serving up. It was an okay meal - nothing great, and far from terrible. I think I would have preferred the Irish Stew instead . . . maybe next time (and since Fritzi is there full time now - we'll be back!).


DESSERT:
I ordered the Triple Chocolate Layered Stout Cake. It was rich, but VERY delicious. The carmel drizzle danced on top of the generous piece of cake adorned with 3 clouds of whip cream. There was a surprise layer of a creamy filling in the middle of the cake - YUM!

Adams L ordered Banoffee which was served and tasted much like the "Pot of Gold" at Joseph Decuis (see this) except it was adorned with thinly sliced bananas and served atop a layer of shortbread. It was very rich but oh so visually appealing. You can make something similar at home by boiling a can of Eagle Brand (see recipe HERE).

Allen L ordered Fruit Crumble. Although she thought it was delicious, it would have been nice to have been told what fruit was being served in the dish - plums? apples? other? The dish was served in a hot-to-touch container which made sharing it rather difficult. She thought it was good and would get it again.


SERVICE:
It was GREAT to see Fritzi. We like him very much and because he treats us well, we'll likely find our way back to JKO at some point. Our server on this night was Mandy. Mandy was pleasant and very knowledgeable. If you're looking to be taken care of - ask to sit in Fritz's section and tell him the 3 Elles sent you.

Until the next bite -

Hiatus

I just wanted to let all of our loyal readers know that the 3 Elles will be taking a holiday hiatus. We'll return in January with our "regular" scheduled outings.

From the 3 of us, to all of you . . . Happy Holidays!!!!

Naked Tchopstix

8607 US Highway 24 W
Ft Wayne 46804
260.436.2211
nakedtchopstix.com

Atmosphere & Culture:
Prepare yourself for a culture shift of sorts once you open the door and walk into Naked Tchopstix. The decor, both outside and inside, definitely helps create an authentic Asian experience. That said, I highly recommend taking a deep breath and preparing your mind before entering. Prepare yourself for both what you know (American servers and pipped in American music) quickly colliding with Asian manners. Within the first 5 steps inside the restaurant, I was hit by a passing man. It was a hard hit and I decided that I was going to stop and look at the guy and non-verbally demand at least acknowledgment of his rudeness if not a full outright apology. It's the kind of bump-and-ignore that one would expect at a place like Applebees, but at this type of restaurant - no, this was suppose to be the elite of society. As I turned around and said "hey" - I was immediately SHOCKED. It was an Asian man (who is either an owner or someone important with the restaurant) who put his hands together, performed a small bow, and said "so sorry." Ummmmm - well, that might have been a bit more apology than I was looking for. Two steps later I got in a "you go, no you, no you, no you go, you first" back-and-forth with another Asian man who appeared to be the chef (judging from his attire). It was at that exact moment when I realized that I stepped out of Urban Fort Wayne and into a culturally Asian restaurant. Odd - though, since the servers, bartenders, and manager were Caucasian.

I strongly recommend making reservations as it was extremely busy - even though it was a non-holiday Monday night when we were there. We were seated in the bar which was quiet, dark, and calm. It is not an extremely large restaurant, but it does have several unique dining sections.

Martinis:
For our first round, Adams L chose a "Rising Sun". It was delicious. I would say it tasted a lot like wedding reception punch. The presentation of this martini was beautiful in that it had a definite red bottom layer topped with a white foamy layer.



Allen L chose a "Vanilla Zen" for her first drink. It was a beautiful blue color and finished with a pretty lime garnish. Each sip started off with a sour note followed quickly by a hint of vanilla. I thought it tasted exactly like that green cool whip dessert that has pineapple, marshmellows, cool whip, and pistachios in it (it can be served chilled or frozen - know what I'm talking about?).



To start off with, I choose a cherry "Taste of Rainbow" which features Skittels infused vodka. It tasted exactly like a pink sweet tart candy - very unique flavor.



I wanted to try the Asian Pear Mojito as my second drink. It was beautiful, but unfortunately, it was simply undrinkable. The description led me to believe there was a strong pear flavor - the menu stated it contained pear juice and pear puree; however, it was just bad. Our server, Amy, was a gem and returned it to the bar and had it removed from my bill.



Appetizers:
Allen L ordered "Crab Ragoon" for us to share. All you need to know about them is that they were THE BEST that I have ever eaten! You MUST order them during your visit. They are fried, but not greasy. Simply fantastic! I'm not sure they contained much crab, but it didn't seem as if it were missing anything - perfection in 5 medium triangles! Sorry the picture doesn't do them justice.



I'm a HUGE pot sticker fan, so I selected an order for us all to share. They could be fried or steamed (I actually thought the official way was to fry them first and then steam them, but . . . ) - I chose steamed (seemed healthier). They arrived cool - not quite cold, but definitely not hot or even warm. They were pretty disappointing actually. Save your money - skip the pot stickers and get two orders of the Crab Ragoon. Again, I apologize for the poor quality of the photo.



Entrees:
Adams L and I selected the "Pan Fried Noodles" for $9.99. I got it with both shrimp (add $4) and chicken (add $3) -I was thankful to have the variety. Adams L limited herself to only chicken. We both described it the same way, "good." Hmmm, good? Did it WOW us? No, but it was good. Would it be good enough for us to return to have it? No, but it was good. It was colorful and contained many fresh veggies. It tasted very fresh and the flavors blended well. It was yummy. We both recommend it.



Allen L chose a complicated entree called "Dolset Bibimbag" for $14.99. This is how their website describes the dish, "BiBimBap served in a hot stone pot. When mixed together, ingredients cook themselves inside the bowl with the heat from the stone– a kind of “make your own fried rice.”" It arrives with a side of very spicy sauce that our awesome server Amy mixed into the dish. Allen L warns the sauce is VERY spicy so a little was plenty. Allen L said the dish tasted very fresh and the flavors harmoniously danced together. The large portion size could easily be shared . . . or taken home for lunch the next day. Here are some photos of Amy in action and the delicious result.







Dessert:
This will be a quick section. They have only one dessert - a rice ice cream thing, but . . . on this night, they were out. They had no desserts to offer a restaurant full of customers. Hmmm, interesting business strategy.

Service:
A single word describes the service we experienced - exceptional! Amy was a very kind and knowledgeable server. Our food and drinks arrived very quickly which was very impressive. Amy was very responsive to our excessive water drinking. She was polite in allowing us to linger as the effects of the alcohol wore off a bit.

Other observations:
The restroom was clean and beautiful. The interesting sink hardware, full length wooden stall doors, and tile work were polished touches expected of a high end restaurant.
The restaurant's flooring was stunning. The stone work, pillars, fire place, and sushi bar were impressive.
I didn't find the seats to be overly comfortable, the portions overly large, or the menu exceedingly comprehensive resulting in what felt as if the eatery was designed to eat and go - not sit and linger. This "vibe" led to the shortest 3 Elles outing of all time. Bummer!

Until the next bite -

Eddie Merlot's Shout Out

A VERY spontaneous outing of the 3 Elles occurred tonight as we gathered at Eddie Merlot's in celebration of the week's end - hooray Friday (show of hands who loves Friday?)! With zero time to prepare for the rendezvous, there will be no discussion of the appetizers, salad, entrees, drinks, and desserts that we thoroughly enjoyed tonight. There will be no photos, no adjectives, and no blogging. Tonight, we simply want to give a shout out to the folks at EM's who made our night exceptional!

Our main server - Josh - You rock! Fist bump to you! - Thanks for the 411 on the "brass". Fantastic fire player - don't worry, it'll grow back! SMILE!

Note to Fritz (Fritzi as I like to call you after a martini or two) - just so you know you were missed, AND Josh had some smack to talk about you - just sayin'

Our back up server - Felicia - way to bring the customer service to the level of AWESOME! Your first day . . . or not, either way, you were great!

Our head water dude - Randy (a.k.a. Flounder) - thanks for making us your most important table :) SMILE

Our substitute water dudette - Vanessa - thanks for coming off the bench to help out

Hope I'm not leaving anyone out - you were all great! Thanks for making our outing a fantastically fun time! That's why we chose EM's tonight - we knew it would not disappoint!!!

Happy Friday everyone!

Next week, the 3 Elles take on Naked Tchopstix - check back for our thoughts on the new eatery.

Until the next bite -

Carino's (in Muncie)

In Muncie on serious business . . . BSU Homecoming, the 3 Elles had to stop at Carino's for some pre-game fuel. This rather spontaneous outing is exempt from our normal outing blogging format - it was just about the food and fun today.

For starters, Carino's is likely to be Adam's L's FAV restaurant. She was like a kid in the candy store - seriously, a woman on a mission. In one second, she had us hooked up with drinks and an appetizer.

Here's what arrived (some photos in this post are from Carinos.com):

First to arrive, a pitcher of Bellini's. What's a Bellini you ask? Here's what Carinos.com describes them as "Frozen peach nectar, white wine, champagne and rum, swirled with our Italian Sangria"



We've heard Adams L talk about awesomeness of these Bellinis and sure enough . . . they were worthy of the hype . . . and gone in a flash (Thanks Allen L for being the DD!)



The appetizer arrived next and Allen L and I weren't adequately prepared for what arrived - 3 uniquely presented red tubes standing on end in an interesting metalic spiral funnel flanked by 2 attached dipping sauces. They are called "Fire Sticks" and are described by Carinos.com as Tomato-basil tortillas rolled with Italian sausage, chicken, bacon, tomatoes, jalapeños and Italian cheeses with spicy marinara and ranch. They tasted a lot like a combo of a piece of sausage pizza and Don Pablo's Prarie Fire Bean Dip.



For the meal, Adams L ordered Italian Nanchos. Described as Crispy pasta chips, Italian sausage and/or chicken, black olives, pepperoncinis, tomatoes, jalapeños, alfredo, mozzarella and parmesan by Carinos.com. Here is a picture from their website:



Allen L and I shared a 2 for $23.99 meal. We each got a choice of soup or salad, an entree, and a mini dessert.

For starters, I got the chicken & wild rice soup (YUM!) and Allen L got the house salad (very delicious). Sorry for the poor pix of the soup and no pix of the salad.




Allen L chose a new menu item that was a stuffed ravioli and artichoke with mushrooms. She enjoyed the ravioli, but not much of the "accessories" that came with it (mushrooms, artichokes, etc).



I selected the shrimp scampi. It was super delicious. I would definitely return to get it again. Below is a picture from Carinos.com:



Our 2 for $23.99 meal came with a mini dessert - Allen L and I both selected Turtle Cheesecake. It was absolutely fabulous. It was a GREAT lesson in portion control. First off, we were already stuffed! Second, it was served in a little parfait glass with a TINY spoon. The actual size of the dessert was probably 1.5 inches X 1.5 inches and maybe 2 inches tall; however, with such a small spoon, it was probably a good 15 bites. Had they served it with a regular spoon, it would have been 2 bites and over in a flash. This way - it was savored.



After lunch we went to see the Ball State Cardinals get smacked by Western Michigan University. Although the score was something like 16-45, we had a very nice time. The beautiful weather was sunny and a HOT 83 degrees. Here are some random photos from the game - enjoy!

Club Soda

235 East Superior Street
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802
260-426-3442
http://www.clubsodafortwayne.com/

Although this is our first post on Club Soda and it's our first visit there this year, we have been swept up by all that is Club Soda two other times. Dining Al fresco on their patio is a sure fire way to be transported away from life's daily grind! With the cooler temps, Club Soda's patio is as close to paradise as one can get while still being surrounded by the urbanscape.





UPON ENTERING:
I was asked if I had a reservation, and of course, I didn't. The man at the host stand could hardly be bothered with me, but thankfully the man who would become our server, Dan, stepped up and explained that patio seating was all reserved but that we could sit outside until 7:30 (thanks Dan!). He showed me to the corner patio table where I waited for the other Elles to join me. Let the good times begin.

ATMOSPHERE:
Apparently there is live music on Thursday & Friday evenings. On the night we were there, this guy was playing guitar and singing.


Allen L told me not to be too harsh and so I won't, but I utterly HATE background music. It's not personal to Guitar Guy, I HATE all music - this was no exception. The 3 Elles agreed we would have completely preferred enjoying the natural sounds, but that was not going to be the case on this night.

DRINKS:
CS is known for one martini in particular . . .
The Timotini (as featured in the Journal Gazette)



Also on our sampling schedule, an Appletini



a Lemondrop (could also be mixed with raspberry or blueberry)



. . . and finally, slightly less posh, a Long Island Iced Tea



APPETIZERS:
For starters, Allen L ordered something completely new to us and unexpectedly delicious, Smoked Gouda Dip. She must have said, "I'm loving it! I really really like it" no less than 20 times. Adams L also enjoyed it tremendously. The mushrooms and spinach swimming in the gooey melted cheese was like finding treasures in the ocean. Indeed, it was something unique and delicious. We recommend you try it on your next visit. The dish is accompanied with several types of breads - some hold up to a running start better than others, but the variety added to the interest of the dish.


And of course, we ordered the crab cakes. These cakes are not packed with lump crab meat, but they pack a tremendous amount of flavor into their generous portion size. The cakes come atop a raft of lettuce floating in a sea of red pepper aioli - perfect compliment. These cakes have a lot of veggie filler which adds an amazing texture. These cakes never disappoint! As a plus, if you are a party of 3, the kitchen will make 3 smaller cakes instead of the traditional 2 for individual tasting enjoyment.



SALADS:
With our meals, we were offered a choice between the Caesar Salad or the Spinach Salad. we chose the Spinach Salad complimented with candied pecans, strawberries, mandarin oranges, and blue cheese crumbles. Although the salad looked as if someone grabbed a handful of spinach and then threw a scoop of the "toppings" onto the middle (the presentation lacked a little finesse), it was a melodious mixture of flavors and textures in our mouths. The salad was served with Raspberry Vinegrette . . . though, I chose Blue Cheese dressing to play off of the crumbles.





BREAD:
Long time readers know how much we enjoy great bread! Look no further than CS for a plain white bread that is crusty on the outside and tenderly soft on the inside. It's simple, unadulterated, and hardy. It's simplicity makes it a perfect meal accessory.



ENTREES & SIDES:
Allen L and Adams L shared the Surf & Turf which was a 14 ounce Ribeye and 5 shrimp served on a sugar cane. For $5 more, the kitchen cut the steak in half and split the shrimp. The extra $5 also allowed both gals to get their own full size salad and side. Allen L chose the silky smooth aged white cheddar mashed potatoes. Adams L chose the rosemary citrus rice. Both enjoyed their food and noted that the portion size was still generous despite it being split. Both Elles took home part of their meal to enjoy the next day. The $5 splitting option is an economical way to try different CS's dishes.



I have always selected the walleye when dining at CS (which is an absolute MUST try!), but this time I chose their number 2 recommendation and went with the 6 ounce Fillet Mignon and paired it with 5 shrimp served on a sugar cane skewer. I chose the white cheddar mashed potatoes (as they are a palate pleaser indeed!). All 3 of us received the veggie of the day which was a comprehensive collection of steamed vegetables (I think there were at least 7 different veggies in the mix). The steak literally melted in my mouth. It's at the top of the list for best all time steaks. I really enjoy the "Twins" at Baker Street, but this sure gives all other steaks a run for their money. You won't be disappointed, I promise!



DESSERT:
We were presented with the "dessert tray" (notice the tray is really a ceramic tile - they use the tiles to also serve group appetizers . . . certainly is an interesting presentation option).


Adams L shared the Chocolate Bourbon Cake with us (it was much better on this visit than in the past). To quote Rachel Ray, "De-lish!"



SERVICE:
Dan was the man!!!! He really took care of us. Despite being warned about the 7:30 table reservation that would have sent us indoors to the bar, Dan was able to allow us to remain outside at our table the entire evening (thanks Dan!). The kitchen prepared the food extremely quickly and everything was served at the peak of perfection (side note: food arrives at the table with a metal hospital-like plate covering . . . honestly, that's a little disturbing - your mind thinks "YUCK hospital food" first before it has a chance to think "YUM CS food"). Dan was both funny and charming. He was extremely knowledgeable and demonstrated a great deal of patience. I recommend you ask to sit in Dan's section - for sure, you'll be taken care of!

Need to get away for a few hours from life's bothersome burdens? The 3 Elles strongly recommend you take a load off at Club Soda's patio.

Until the next bite -