Drunk and Full

Ahhhh…Amy and I hit Fire on Saturday night to Celebrate Mike and Rosie Ford’s 10th Anniversary with them. With random down pours and threatening clouds, the idea of a nice summer Saturday night on Shaker Square was deteriorating fast. We dropped the top and headed down Shaker watching the clouds move. Amy proved how annoying Satellite radio really is as we proved that even with 500 channels there is really nothing good on and I wondered why nobody has invented the convertible umbrella.
The Square is doing a good job on Saturday nights. There was a band out playing and people were braving the threat of rain to get their custard and enjoy the break in the weather. The tables were out on the deck and the white table cloths looked so clean and inviting that we decided to challenge the sky and eat outside. Enough on the weather, it held up and turned into a great night.
We started with a bottle of 2005 Golden Eye, the pinot from the mad scientists at Duck Horn. It was smooth as always and even Amy was raising her glass once or twice. The Clay Bread with parmesian and garlic arrived quickly as did the Sauteed Olives. The Clay bread was gone before I could ask if it was good, and Mussels arrived in a tomato based broth. I was content eating my olives despite the slurping and clinking of empty shells hitting the bowl. These animals were hungry, but the Mussels were also very well received. Rosie vocalized more than once that she wished there was more toasted bread with the dish. If this was the only complaint, it was simply solved with the bag of bread sitting on the table…yes the broth was bread dippin good. The olives were excellent, particluarly the small Kalamata like olives, I found the onions and garlic sauteed perfectly being soft and delicious without any of the kick that normally comes with them. If I was eating bread I would have been dippin as well.
My seasonal soup was a Viscious Swa (hah chilled potato leek with a dolop of creme fresc in the middle). It was light and smooth without any of the chalky residue that normally bothers me with the cream based soups. For the record this did not have cream and despite Mike’s areguments, there were no fish heads either. As I zouped the soup the salads arrived and we started pouring the 2nd bottle of wine.
Mike and Rosie got “Karen’s Cesar.” The presentation was unique and fun with little spoons holding capers, bacon bits, salmon bits and some other bits. The lettuce was waiting for the spoons and the salad looked delicious and fun to eat. I got the normal spring greens salad and it was light and highlighted with thin sliced radishes. Dollops of dressing shaped like the radishes let me turn up the volume and live a little crazy. The wine was ready to drink.
Ten for Ten we dug into the 1998 Guado La Tasso from wine make extrodinaire Marchesi Antinori. Comprised of 60% Cab, 30% Merlot, and 10% Syrah and produced just outside of Florence near Bolgheri is an excellent way to move into your main course. A bit fuller and rounder it begged for a delicious steak to open it up with. For better or worse, I looked down at the Arctic Char and wondered when I would get over my issues and start eating beef again. The Fish was light and cooked well, the olive tapenade made the fish enjoyable to eat. I assume the rissoto and asparagus was good becuase I do not remember eating it and when I looked down it was gone.
Mike got the Grilled scallops with Shrimp and snap peas in the middle. The presentation was good and my allergies were glad I was sitting across the table from him. The tension rose briefly as Amy and Rosie dug into their rib eyes and freaked out that they were over cooked. Digging further they found the pink and relaxed as they tasted the meat and seemed to think it was delicious. Doug stopped by and told them they get more steaks sent back due the lighting outside and the appearance of the meat then they actual cooking. Feeling slightly reassured they started eating and Mike and I got to converse again as the women were silently stuffing their faces for the next 15 minutes. I tasted the mashed potatos which were excellent and Amy’s Gorgozola Butter that she did not want on her Rib Eye. The butter was out of this world and a new favorite of mine for sure. Amy is not a fan of Chard and I would up with a generous helping on my plate. It was perfectly cooked and not soaking in olive oil.
We ordered dessert and did breathing exercises to clear a little room. The fruit rhubarb with house made Ginger ice-cream was excellent and ideal for summer. Amy was happy the chocolate souffle was ooey and gooey with a crispy outside. The coffee was ok and priced appropriately. Mental note to convince Doug he needs to start rolling out French Presses…Overall the bill was high, hello we ordered a lot. The service was excellent, the presentation was great, overall it was a pleasure to have fine dining on Shaker Square. We are putting our reservations in for Thai night coming up in August. If it is anything like Goat night (ok Indian), it will be a great opportunity for me to expand my horizons and experience something new. Clearly, I did not weigh myself Sunday morning.