I have got to get better at taking a picture of my plate before I dive in!
Here's the quick breakdown on the new restaurant Hubby and I tried last night via a Groupon deal: $29 for dinner for two including two appetizers, entrees and desserts, The Speakeasy.
The restaurant which appeared to seat maybe 30-40 guests, with an addition ten to twenty at the bar, was... E M P T Y. Okay- not completely empty, but We were the only people seated at the tables with five people at the bar. It was 9 PM on a Thursday night, and I didn't expect it to be that quite. Nonetheless, there's always the benefit of fast seating right? Part of the enjoyment of eating out for me is the people watching but last night I didn't have much to watch.
We were seated near the front window by our kind and attentive waiter/bartender/host (a man with many hats). Our corner booth was comfy, although it was quite chilly. Enough about the temperature though-- on to the food! We dined on the fried calamari and cesar salad appetizers, both of which were delicious. My calamari was way more flavorful than the garden variety bland Italian or Thai restaurant style I've been finding lately. It had quite a bit of kick, which was awesome. The caesar salad was delicious, by Hubby's account. He gobbled it up before I could ask to try a bite. He is a tough critic who only eats what he knows and praises very few dishes. He praised that salad, which was shocking, coming from him. We both then enjoyed the steak with garlic mashed potatoes. The steak had good flavor and was cooked to a tender perfection. The mashed potatoes were buttery and creamy. We were both pleased with the taste but not the amount of fat that was left on the steak. We finished off our meal with the peach and blueberry cobbler. It left me wanting something more. Something about it screamed "massed produced", "previously frozen", and "possibly not made on-site". It didn't taste bad but I didn't think it matched the rest of the meal.
Overall, I enjoyed the meal. I would come back just for the calamari alone but I would get it to go. It was far two quiet in there for us to speak above a whisper without interrupting everyone else's conversations. Maybe I'll pass by on another night and see if its more lively.
BlueprintLuxe Score: 3/5 stars :-)
