It was a big double date this past Tuesday w/ my special lady and LB squared. Tuesday is a tough night but we were committed! First stop was the newish Bistro de Margot. This used to be L'Amante and had become such a go to spot for a decent date or work dinner the new French iteration had some wood to chop. We were a little worried when we popped in as the place was pretty empty at 6:30pm. As the evening wore on they did fill up but unlike L'Amante it was an older crowd who gravitated to the dining room as opposed to the bar. The space was nice but we agreed they could stand to turn the lights down just a bit. The service was solid w/ the added touch of a table visit from the chef which always goes a long way. We were started w/ an Amuse Bouche of cold shrimp in a sauce of lobster, Pernod, and brandy. It was ok, not great. Sauce sounded good but was a little thin and the shrimp seemed a little old. The bread was plain old O Bread and was also nothing special. As we got into the meal things picked up. My Carrot ginger soup was silky and carried nice fresh garden flavor. My main course of seared duck breast was also delicious. The duck was medium rare indeed but the flavor was nice and the bird was quite tender. The reduction was also very flavorful and the side veggies were perfectly cooked. My lady had the sea trout which was also well cooked and very fresh and flavorful. The meal was good. It is definitely a bigger experience as there seemed to be apps or big plates w/ very few light dinner options. So it is a very nice date or somebody else is paying work dinner, maybe take your folks if they are in town kind of place. I did have a solid cocktail and the wine list was nothing special but the bottle we had was taken down in short order. 1.5 thumbs up.
After dinner we made a quick stop into Vin next door. They had a wine tasting class finishing up otherwise there was only 1 other patron while we were there. Not much else to say as we ordered straight forward stuff. Well stocked bar, with a nice wine list and not enough beers. It is a nice space but an off the run location which will be tough to maintain...
The concert was our last stop. LB sent me a review from a die hard fan and it was amusing. It should be noted that the concert was at the Flynn Theater. I enjoy seeing shows there but it is certainly more conducive to seeing a jazz or small acoustic set versus say a large arena rock show. You have a seat and while the nearly 100% white preppy middle aged crowd stood... there was not much dancing and it is not really encouraged by the staff. Beer is also cut off early and not allowed in the concert hall itself. That said, after a meandering tune up w/ the new album Star Wars the band got into its back catalog and really turned it up w/ such faves as Handshake Drugs, Heavy Metal Drummer, and I'm the Man Who Loves You. They did a far out encore of Spiders then went acoustic for a fun long second encore where the band was very tight and hit some high notes. The review we read said the energy seemed lacking and Tweedy may have been a bit irritated or something but other than maybe not being psyched about playing a couple heavily (on the web) requested slow songs I took his attitude to be more bemused than anything. I have seen these guys a few times and always enjoy the experience. This was no different. Fun time. http://wilcoworld.net/#!/
Overall 2 thumbs up (added points for getting out mid week)!
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