A Tribute to Wonderful Restaurant Staff

It's so nice to go into a favorite restaurant and be recognized, indeed, appreciated. I'm sure all of us search for that special place with good staff and good food. And good staff must come first! Last week we found ourselves patronizing two such places: Bouchon and Tastebuds American Bistro.

When we walked up to the bar at Bouchon Olivier immediately recognized us and knew that the last time we had sat down at Bouchon was during the InLight exhibition. How awe-inspiring! We ordered a nice Chinon (cabernet franc)

and then perused the bar menu finally deciding upon trout and chips

and the burger and frites.

The trout was light and topped with almonds, herbs, and a squeeze of lemon. A touch fishy, but I'm hyper-sensitive to fishiness, and still a nice dish for a nice price. The housemade chips were simply divine. My hubby raved over the burger (and the frites were, of course, wonderful). He kept remarking that the burger was not really seasoned, but surprisingly tasty. Olivier told us that the burger was a blend of ground brisket and ground skirt steak. And then another bar patron let us know that the meat is ground only after a burger is ordered. As we left the chef came out and asked if we enjoyed our meal. Folks, we have a winner!

And then a few nights later we wandered over to Tastebuds and caught the lull in between the early crowd and the late rush. Valentina warmly greeted us. Patty has waited on us the last few times we dined here and she served us once again. She knows we like to take our time and sip our cocktails before ordering. We also like talking to her about wines and cocktails both here and at other establishments. She has a wealth of knowledge and a refreshing down-to-earth attitude. A sidecar and Bordeaux martini graced our table this evening.

Delicious. I believe Tastebuds has some of the least expensive specialty cocktails in town.

For wine we noticed some new offerings and selected a Duckhorn Decoy. Incredible!

Dinner consisted of the tuna special

Mozzarella filled risotto cake with a spicy marinara

Sliced beef tenderloin with arugula and fava bean puree.

Can you say yummy? Imaginative and satisfying.

As we were finishing up Andrew came over to tell us about the December 6 sparkling wine dinner. 5 courses paired with different sparklers. $50 a person. Just to whet your appetite, the first course is: Sweet Corn Aged Cheddar Flan, Smithfield Ham, Micro Salad, Blackberry Vinaigrette with Wine Pairing: Fitzritter, Sparkling Riesling, Germany. Can you say yummy again? Make your reservations now...


And thank you Bouchon and Tastebuds for making our dining experiences special.