Restaurant Week

I went out for Restaurant Week 3 times, and the theme was steak, steak, and more steak.

I had lunch at Bobby Van's Grill. The salad wasn't remarkable, but you don't go to Bobby Van's for the salad. The entree was a flank steak on top of a portabello mushroom topped with gorgonzola cheese and served with garlic mashed potatoes. I was a bit skeptical of the gorgonzola, because it's such a strong cheese. It was absolutely delicious; I want to marry that steak. Also, orange-cranberry cheesecake, which again, made me skeptical but was fantastic.

A couple of days later, I had dinner at Ruth's Chris. Petit filet with mashed potatoes: simple and completely awesome. Sadly, our waiter wasn't so great, but that's the only time I've experienced that at Ruth's Chris.

I ended the week with dinner at Cafe' Atlantico. I wasn't a big fan of the conch fritters; they were tasty, but I didn't enjoy the consistency. For my entree, I had yet another steak - this time a marinated skirt steak. I was less enthused about the accompanying mlanga puree and malanga chips, but overall it was really delicious.

So it was probably my best Restauant Week; I had 3 meals - 3 steaks - which were all fantastic. In the past, I've never been able to avoid at least one mediocre (if not bad) experience. But this year, I got 3 wins.

Success: Chicken & Dumplings

I made the chicken & dumplings recipe from the crockpot lady! It was easy & delicious. I wasn't thinking though, because I should have halved the recipe. I had chicken & dumplings for a week & a half before I had to throw the rest out. I wish I'd had space in my freezer to freeze half the batch. Also, for my taste, the ratio of chicken to dumplings was a little high. So I'll use a little less chicken next time.

For the record, I used cream of celery for the base & my frozen vegetables were a blend of peas, carrots, green beans & corn. I also added some garlic - because I put garlic in just about everything. Oh and I'll use a bit more salt & pepper next time also.

Success!