A restaurant whose mantra is "Come Together." How bad can it be? The question for this place is how far from bad is it? I'm a fan now. What's more is I think I could be friends with the owner. Anyone who puts up pictures of Audrey Hepburn and Julia Child, two icons I've always respected, in the ladies' rooms is good peoples. The vibe here is very warm and welcoming. One of the owners greeted me at the door with "Get yourself out of the cold!" I liked how even though he was wearing a plaid shirt and casual pants, he wasn't taking away from the upscale vibe. The only thing he took away was pretentiousness.
Love the not too daunting menu. My gal pals and I split the country pate--made with ground chicken. It was very good but I liked the other things on the plate--cheese, pickles, sundried tomato and fried capers. Their brussel sprouts appetizer was very yummy. The sprouts were cooked just right.
I had the beef bourguignon shepherd's pie. Perfect with the nippy weather. Mashed potatoes of course were piped on top. You could taste some wine the sauce which really makes a difference--in a good way. Meat was tender enough. One friend had the chicken and dumplings which had a nice flavor. I'd go back to try that. My other friend had tender short rib with a red wine reduction. It was excellent--texture, taste of the reduction. Hope to go back to try that as my entree. My friend got a side of mac n'cheese with pancetta/bacon. It was decent. They don't use very sharp cheese for those that prefer cheddar. It wasn't quite as good as Bliss/Rebar mac n'cheese.
As for dessert, we had that picked out before the appetizers. Chocolate-dipped bacon 'smores were the crowning touch. Marshmallows were toasty and gooey. It came with some whipped peanut butter that was heaven with the graham cracker and marshmallow. The bacon and chocolate was really good together. Though the bacon was a little too salty. There were a few bites where I somehow tasted more bacon than chocolate and the saltiness was a bit overpowering. But everything together was just scrumptious. A woman at a table nearby was staring in awe. We told her it's a must to get.
Definitely happy to expand my restaurant radar. I feel like the last few times I've gone to eat, it's always been a FOX restaurant or something in the Ticoz-Fez-Switch trifecta. Glad to branch out!