"Who says you can't turn a sow's ear into a silk purse?"
I invited a friend to dinner last night. The plan was to go to Saints, a little Irish Pub and Eatery down in the revitalized Plaza district. The place was recommended by a another friend, and I have never been there. Last night was an exercise in spontaneous food experimentation, And it was basically a flop. The place was too loud. We sat down, looked at each other and changed courses.
So my friend suggests another Irish place not far away. We drove over by St Anthony's hospital to a nice area of town that has also recently been overhauled. It used to be a dump. We step up to put our name on the waiting list (at around 7:30 on Wednesday night!). the wait time is a little over an hour. Huh? Again the look, again the mutual veto. Strike Two.
"Screw This," says my friend. "We're going to my favorite place."
I had the absolute best mushroom soup ever, some fried green beans, the Fillet, mashed potatoes, sauteed asparagus and a glass of wine. I was stuffed. My friend had the rib-eye and three glasses of wine, and then paid the bill. We both had a really fun, enjoyable evening. I very highly recommend the Paseo Grill. Home Run.
It was a great evening, for which I am very thankful.