Dinner tonite was amazing. I don't know what it was, but it was just great. It could have been the service plates (they use Villeroy and Boch "Wave" plates for just some of their plates) or the lesson on Riedel glassware (look at the shape of that glass... lordie that is gorgeous) that is part of the their service ware alone... that made dinner so good, the company, the tea, I don't know, it was pretty fantastic.

I would have made my Bro proud (and he and the little Mrs. were totally missed for the record... and Frasca wasn't open so I could not even go over to see what their summer menu was since the staff has 'gone italia') because I ordered completely out of my safety zone.

I am now completely sure that I am not so much the biggest fan of gorgonzola cheese but my dislike of it didn't take away from the gastronomic joy I was in.

I am going to say this though, the hostess seemed to make way too much work for herself when we came in, checking four little spots in the reservation book, making notes on a post it for whose section was being seated, pulling menus, and then taking us to the table, asking us our name like three times? Way too much work. Her front of house work needs a touch of class because in my opionion it took away from the beginning of the meal.

And yes, I am allowed to be critical. I have done that job. I know what a good hostess should be doing, and she seemed a little out of control for a restaurant that has maybe 25 tables, the place is getting ready for its first seating and we are the fourth customers in for that seating. I easily managed 85 tables with three or four service turns a night and it might not have been five star dining, I mean lets make it absolutely clear, it was a tofu joint, but I treated everyone like they were rock stars. That peanut made way too much work for herself. And for a five star dining experience, that shit don't fly. She needs a little help.

But the rest? Pretty great. I would go back tommorrow night if the food wasn't so incredibly rich just because there was a chicken entree that I really wanted to try. I went with the beef special, and it was great, even with the gorgonzola (but we have gone there already). Even the salad was out of my comfort zone, creamy dressing. It was great. The desert, vanilla profiteroles that were bite size and with a nut creme and chocolate anglaise with fresh berry (strawberry and raspberry I would guess) puree...divine. I want more of those and right now.

I didn't buy any "art" on the mall and really didn't take any pictures. There was this guy though that did completely outrageous and tasteless but pretty amazingly funny work. I am glad I made mental note of the website name, because I don't have room at all for a print, and he was kinda mean that I wasn't buying anything. But he sells note cards of all the prints, and that works so much better for me and he wasn't selling those today and would have made a sale had he been. He also had absolutely no personality (sorry dude, but you didn't) and for how funny the work was, didn't seem to have much of sence of humor. I will give him that it was about 100 degrees today, he was on his feet all day and selling art is hard, plus some people were not "getting" it at all, and he did have alot of impaled Jesus works out there which opens the door for great critisism. One lady was really offended. I thought it was funny, her being so angered by Jesus being impaled by a javilin at the (probably) first Olympics and the tag line... not a good day for the jews... (or something like that), She... did not and called me a heretic. Oh honey if you only knew.

I did though finally get my Bialetti pan that I have been patiently waiting for, for over a year to find, look at and decide about buying it. I also got some really lovely brightly colored pastas which will replace what I had to toss this morning when I busted a nice apothocary jar all over the kitchen floor into a big glassy mess.

Tonite after we got back into town went to Borders and bought a book that I have have wanted and yes.... 11 others... I am a sucker, I had a discount, two coupons and three of the books were free. There was a guy standing in line after me, one cashier and this guy behind me, was bummed that he was in line after me, I could so feel it. So before he had any more of a chance to stand there... sigh some more and have the internal bitchfest at me, I let him go and pay a head of me. It was like I gave him a gift, he was so happy. It was nice. I felt good.

The cashier had a pin with a liger on it and he didn't seem very amused when I said "I like your liger". I should have asked him if he had any tots. I didn't like that movie very much for the record. But I made the guy with the ginourmous bbq-tastic cookbook really happy so that counts for something.

And if anyone out there could remind me what the Stampede was before it was the 'Pede, that would be great. Really great.