The Lobby Bar and Cafe; Encore, Las Vegas

Tapestry: It's a Wall Hanging ... It's an Album ... It's an Appetizer???

The Lobby Bar is located, as you may have surmised, right around the corner from the Encore's guest registration area. It's open to the casino and lobby on all four sides and is decorated with plush red and gold sofas, lacquered tables for two, black floors inlaid with colorful mosaic tiles, and a huge golden statue of Daphne sprouting light bulbs and red lamp shades along with the requisite tree branches. Jay and I have since decided that the decor is a whimsical mix of baroque and late nineteenth century frontier bordello.

In the mornings this is the easiest place at the Encore to grab some fresh coffee and a quick breakfast snack; once the clock turns noon they open up the cafe and serve light appetizers, caviar, and a full range of specialty cocktails. To be honest, we would never have stopped here for anything other than coffee if it hadn't been for the strategically placed, oh-so-clever signs that caught my wandering eye one afternoon:

Tapas Tree - Three Appetizer Selections for $21.

A pun?

And an appetizer sampler?

What's not to like?

To tree or not to tree ... that is the question.


For our appetizers we chose Beef Carpaccio with Parmesan Cheese and Capers; Ham and Swiss Cheese Paninis; and Chicken and Amarillo Pepper Empanadas. There were about a dozen different items to choose from with the tapas tree, and there were also salads and sandwiches available for guests who wanted something a bit more substantial. Jay and I assumed that we were paying primarily for the presentation, which was pretty freaking cool - a miniature Daphne-tree was delivered to the table with three small, glass plates of food nestled in the branches. It was one of the most charming and whimsical things we tried during our trip and once we realized that the food was actually quite good we were very pleased with our decision to stop here for a snack.

Tapas Tree


Tapas Tree - again


The carpaccio was very good - several thinly sliced pieces of beef with lots of shaved parmesan cheese; I ended up eating most of this selection, although I did share a bit with the hubba! Our other two choices were also very tasty - yummy little grilled ham and cheese finger sandwiches and plump empanadas bursting with chicken and spicy cheese. It was the perfect mid-afternoon snack for the two of us to share!

Beef Carpaccio & Accessories


Empanada and Panini

To accompany our finger food Jay and I each ordered the Lobby Bar's specialty cocktail: The Earl Grey Martini. The drink was a blend of Earl Grey infused Plymouth Gin, Limoncello, Sweet and Sour, and Agave Nectar and it was, in a word, amazing!! It tasted of lemon-infused herbal tea and was so well mixed and so subtle that there wasn't a hint of alcohol ... until we stood up to leave!

Earl Grey Martini

We enjoyed the atmosphere, food, and drinks at the Lobby Bar so much that we came back late one night with Catherine and tried to order another tree and some drinks only to be told that the kitchen closed at 10PM - that just didn't make good sense to us since the establishment stays open until 4AM and is located right off the casino floor; to be candid this was the biggest, and only, flaw we could really find with the place. Jay and I would definitely spend more time here on our next trip and suggest you do the same if a Vegas visit is looming on your horizon!

Laguna Champagne Bar; The Palazzo, Las Vegas

Tiny Bubbles in the Wine ... Make Us Happy ... Make Us Feel Fine!

Thank goodness former Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens was wrong when he declared, "The internet is not something that you just dump something on. It's not a big truck. It's a series of tubes!"

We all know the internet is, in fact, a vast sea of dumped information, churning with flotsam and jetsam ... kind of like this blog ... but also full of highly useful tidbits of knowledge that can lead an intrepid foodie vacation planner to amazing taste treats and delicious drinks, especially in Las Vegas. In my quest for new and interesting stuff to try I stumbled across an article late in March about a new full-service champagne and cocktail bar that the Palazzo had opened right on the casino floor. And what really caught my eye was something their staff had created called Champagne Boom Boom Shooters - bubbly shooters served up ready for guests to tap two times "boom boom"; the champagne then foams the drink giving the palate a tingling sensation.

Fizzy lifting drinks ... available 24-7??? Sign me up, baybee!

Jay and I found the Laguna Champagne Bar about thirty minutes before our Wolfgang Puck luncheon was scheduled to begin. Luckily the bar was quite close to the Puck's restaurant so we had enough time to text Catherine to meet us and we settled down to order some shooters and celebrate not being at work. Our server was quick to bring us water (and diet coke which I believe is Catherine's non-alcoholic drink of choice) as well as some snackables that Jay and Catherine were happy to share: wasabi peanuts and fat, glistening olives.

Laguna offers full champagne service and champagne cocktails as well as the shooters that I was so keen to try. The shooters were $8 each and we had four options to choose from:

Imperial: Grey Goose Orange, TY KU Citrus Liqueur, and Moet & Chandon Imperial

La Poire: Hangar One, Pear Coulis, and Moet & Chandon Imperial

Sparkling Cafe: Navan Patron, XO Cafe', and Moet & Chandon "Nectar" Imperial

Orangina: Belvedere Citrus, Grand Marnier, Orange Juice, and Moet & Chandon Imperial

See the sign? You're in the right place!


This bar looks like grandma's living room


Wasabi Peanuts and Writhing Olives


Now, here's where the trouble starts. For one thing, neither Jay nor I can remember exactly which shooter we ordered, although he's pretty sure I ordered the Imperial and he ordered the Sparkling Cafe. We definitely agree that Catherine ordered The Pear, so if we're wrong I fully expect her to correct us here in cyber-space. While the drinks tasted pretty good, no amount of glass pounding on the table would make our shooters "foam up" as the menu claimed. I've found myself wondering since our trip if the bartender used flat champagne or if he just didn't know what he was doing or if this whole idea of champagne shooters was just another Vegas gimmick to get out-of-town pigeons like me to drop money on a whole lotta nothing special.

Jay's shooter ... I recognize his hand!


This must be my non-foaming shooter!


The Pear!!


Our final decision is a no-decision. Laguna was intriguing enough to deserve another chance, but Jay and I think that we would be best served next time by nabbing a chair at the bar and ordering our specialty champagne drinks one-on-one from the creator of liquid joy. We also suspect that this is a place that comes alive later in the day and throughout the evening and would like to plan our next stop there accordingly. If you get to Laguna before Jason and I return to Vegas, please stop here and let us know what you think about your experience!

Bradley Ogden; Vegas Uncorked Masters Series Dinner

Welcome to Ogdenville, Home of the Spoon Push!! Population: Confused.

Let's get right to it. We booked this dinner because it was the least expensive of the four Master's Series Dinners being offered through Vegas Uncorked and the menu promised to be the least likely to set off an intestinal temper tantrum in yours truly. Jay and I didn't know squat about Bradley Ogden aside from the fact that friends of ours said he offered a tasty cheese plate at a reasonable price and his Maytag Blue Cheese Souffle was da' bomb. Well, that was good enough for us to move forward and book an expensive event dinner with a chef we knew nothing about at a restaurant we'd never dined in!

Happiness and Hungriness


Jay and I took the path of least resistance to get from the Encore to Caesar's Palace, where Bradley Ogden is located, and waited in the taxi line like good little do-bees; when we clean up purty the last thing we want is to sweat through the nice and flowery before we even get to where we're going. Unfortunately our driver was really annoyed with the heavy traffic, which made me wonder why he was driving a cab on the Vegas strip in the first place. Although we had asked him to drop us at the casino entrance he forgot and dropped us at the Forum Shops. And to be quite honest, Jay and I were too fuzzy brained from the long travel day to realize what had happened until we were standing outside the hotel in the absolutely wrong place.

Perhaps in some Vegas hotels this wouldn't have been such a pickle, but Caesar's is a huge resort - 85 acres to be exact - and it can be a very confusing place to navigate even when you aren't starving for your dinner and haven't been awake for 18 hours straight. There are restaurants and shops hidden all over the Caesar's Palace complex and we have thrown up our hands in frustrated exasperation in the past trying to locate some of them. Thankfully we were familiar enough with Caesar's to know that the restaurant was in the casino near Mesa Grill so we trudged past valet and through the parking lot, getting sweaty and windblown while dodging taxis and limos dropping their fortunate passengers at the casino entrance. So much for looking and smelling presentable!

Couldn't come up with a better name?


The Vegas Uncorked crew had a table outside the restaurant where they were collecting tickets and crossing attendees names off the master list; once we checked in we were instructed to head to the back of the restaurant. It looked like we might have missed a cocktail party but it was really hard to tell. There were people milling about with drinks in hand and there were long tables set up that looked as though they may have supported some snackables, but that was our only evidence. We were able to snag a specialty drink about five minutes before everyone was seated - it was called the Repo Man and tasted like a cross between a margarita and sangria. It was a very good, refreshing drink that packed quite a wallop!

Before I dive into the dinner, which overall was pretty good, I do want to mention that one of our biggest issues with Vegas Uncorked as an event was the lack of communication with guests. If you visit their website, information for all of their signature dinners and lunches indicate a specific start time with no mention of cocktails or receptions. Yet something was obviously taking place at Ogden that we knew nothing about and the following day we stumbled into a reception at Wolfgang Puck's that we once again knew nothing about. Uncorked had phone numbers as well as physical and email addresses for all attendees - if the cocktail parties for these events were added at the last minute they still had means to contact everyone but all I know is that we never received any communication from them at all. For the amount that they charged for these experiences there was no excuse to have guests in the dark about the event extras that were included with the price of admission.

I will take it one step further and make the comment that aside from Andrew Knowlton, who co-hosted the lunch at Wolfgang Puck's the following day, the Vegas Uncorked VIPs at the other events we attended did not appear to be very friendly. They didn't mingle with the hungry masses and didn't seem very interested in event feedback - aside from introducing the chef for each event, the "hosts" were non-existent which struck us as very ungracious.

This event had assigned seating and Jay and I found ourselves sharing a table in the middle of the dining room with two other couples - one from Arkansas and the other from San Diego. They were all very nice and sharing dinner with them made for an enjoyable evening - we spent a lot of time talking about different Vegas restaurants we'd all dined at and the San Diego couple gave us some great insight about past Uncorked events they'd attended. The evening was even more fun when we discovered we all have a food porn habit!!

Chef Ogden made an appearance before the dinner to talk with everyone about his approach to cooking and the menu he'd prepared and then it was time to eat ... finally!

Bradley Ogden preaches to the foodie faithful


The Repo Man!


Dinner started with the Amuse Bouche: Osetra Caviar, Potato Cake, and Citrus Creme Fraiche served with Iron Horse Bradley Ogden, Cuvee, Sonoma 2004. This was really a lovely beginning to the meal - a fluffy, crispy little potato pillow sprinkled with caviar resting on a dollop of refreshingly tart creme fraiche. We thought it was a fun interpretation of a more traditional caviar presentation which usually includes blini (potato pancakes), hard boiled eggs, chive, and plain creme fraiche. Everyone at our table seemed to enjoy the amuse; the only thing I heard was that people wished there was a second serving because it was so tasty!

Oh, happy mouth!


First Course: Charred Yellow Tail with Scallion Puree, Caramelized Hearts of Palm, and Rice Cracker served with Illumination, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley 2008. From a chef who promotes simple foods prepared simply this presentation threw me because it was really busy. The tuna was wonderful and fresh, although not a bit charred from where I sat. The rest of the stuff on my plate was pushed to the side - I really felt that there were too many flavors warring for attention rather than serving to compliment the fish as they should.

Tuna minus char?


Second Course: Butter Lettuce Salad with Walnut Crusted Goat Cheese, Shaved Fennel, and Herb Vinaigrette served with Flowers, Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast 2007. Welcome to what we like to call the throw-away offering! We don't bear any ill will towards salad in general, but it did seem like something that didn't require much effort on the part of the kitchen staff. The goat cheese that was included with the salad was fabulous, though, and the staff were very kind to me: at the start of the meal they'd inquired about allergies and food restrictions and when I mentioned my issue with nuts they brought me a little plate of nut-free goat balls (hee hee hee) along with my salad.

You don't win friends with salad!


Here is where the evening became a little discombobulated and it's all due to the wine pairings and the lack of variety we were provided. Beginning with the salad and continuing through the next two courses we were served chardonnay as our wine pairing. I don't care how good it is supposed to be, and we all agreed that these three wines were not to our tastes and didn't seem to pair well with the food, three chardonnays in a row is boring. And it was downright lazy on the part of the sommelier who must have forgotten that there is a wonderful world of white wine out there that would have worked really well with the food we were served.

Third Course: Roasted Zucchini Soup, Zucchini Pearl Salad, Zucchini Bread, and Sundried Tomato served with Flowers, Chardonnay, Andreen Gale 2006. Now this is what we wanted - simple and subtle and downright scrumptious! There were chunks of zucchini hiding at the bottom of the bowl and the soup itself had a creamy, almost rustic flavor that was really enhanced by the slice of fresh zucchini bread topped with sundried tomatoes.

Zoup!


Bread and 'maters


Fourth Course: Seared Atlantic Diver Scallops with Basil Puree, Pepper Relish, and Lemon Foam served with Flowers, Chardonnay, Camp Meeting Ridge 2006. The scallop was melt-in-yer-mouth wonderful with a lovely light sear; it was so tender I didn't even need a knife to cut it. Once again, however, I felt that there were too many sauces and flavors vying for my attention. I'm also not personally a fan of flavored foam that looks like someone hawked a mouthful of lung butter onto my plate - it does not do wonders for my appetite.

Scallop with the dreaded spoon push


Fifth Course: South Dakota Bison Tenderloin with Fava Bean Agnolotti, Spring Onions, and Ramp Vinaigrette served with Quintessa, Meritage, Napa Valley 2006. We were all surprised by the size of this serving, which was quite generous, and while we liked it everyone agreed that it needed some fat to lend it some flavor. Buffalo is so lean that it needs something to really make it sing ... I don't know exactly what that something is, but I definitely notice when it's missing! And while meritage might have been a great wine to pair with buffalo, making the jump from three chardonnays to a meritage was downright unpleasant. What happened to progression?

Bison or Buffalo?


Sixth Course: Hot and Cold Strawberry Shortcake with Mascarpone Cheese, Vanilla Ice Cream, and Field Rhubarb Sauce served with Flowers, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast 2007. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but when this dessert was placed before me I knew real disappointment. We each received a piece of strawberry waffle covered with gloopy strawberry halves and some vanilla bean ice cream on a strawberry meringue ... along with a double spoon push!

We were all wondering where the cheese portion of the dessert was, so I actually asked our server where the mascarpone cheese had disappeared to; she was nice enough to check with the kitchen staff and they supposedly baked the cheese into the waffle. What a tragic waste of mascarpone cheese. And as a side note: following a heavy wine like a meritage with a lighter, fruity wine like pinot noir, especially with dessert ... BLECH! It was a horrible pairing and the person who suggested it should be drummed out of their wine club for life and pummeled with stinky old corks.

I'm confused...


Once the tables were cleared, Jay and I waited about 15-20 minutes for Chef Ogden to make a final appearance and thank everyone for attending - we fully expected him to circle the dining room to greet guests and take pictures or autograph menus but he never re-emerged from the kitchen. And although we didn't need more food, we were also waiting for a plate of friandise to be presented to each table as an extra "thank you" for attending. We've been on the receiving end of small plates of yummies at other Vegas restaurants, as well as at restaurants in other cities, just for having a "normal" dinner so it didn't seem unreasonable to think something might be forthcoming at a more formal event.

But there was nothing: zilch; nada; bupkis.

No official "thanks for joining us this evening;" no wee, sweet plate o'love from the kitchen; no pictures or autographed menus; no turkey sandwiches; no turkey salad; no turkey gravy; turkey hash; turkey ala king; or gallons of turkey soup!!! It made for a very jarring and uncomfortable end to the meal and did not leave us with a favorable impression, especially when we would receive all of these courtesies and more the following day at a slightly less expensive luncheon event ... without turkey.

I've no doubt given the impression that we didn't enjoy the evening but nothing could be further from that. Jay and I had a very good time and the food was tasty, although it did seem like the kitchen was trying too hard to impress with certain courses; the service was also very good and our team in particular was quite attentive. But there is no denying that certain aspects of the evening were, for lack of a better word, off. The wine pairings in particular were not enjoyable and there just wasn't an excuse for the lack of formal conclusion / thanks at the meal's end. Jay and I ranked the Bradley Ogden dinner solidly in the middle of the three Uncorked events that we attended during the weekend - not great and not awful; it was decent, but not impressive enough for us to consider booking a second Master's Dinner at this restaurant.

Bristol Seafood Grill; OFallon, MO

Happy Anniversary - It Goes to Eleven! Now Let's Celebrate with Food and Booze!!!

We modified our dinner plans at the last minute and booked a table at Bristol, a local seafood restaurant which manages to provide Stinktown residents with fresh seafood prepared in creative and tasty fashion. For us there is an added attraction - Bristol has a location in OFallon that is less than ten minutes from our cozy, cat-hair covered cottage. It seemed like the perfect way to celebrate our wedding anniversary without the 50-60 mile round-trip drive we usually have when dining out in Stinktown.

Eleven years ... still going strong!


Along with their standard menu, Bristol offers a seasonal Chef's Tasting Menu which we've ordered previously with great success. Patrons may choose the three-course menu for $25 (wine pairings are an additional $12 per person), or the four-course menu for $32 (wine pairings are an additional $16 per person). Once we verified that Copper River Salmon was included with the tasting menu we were ready to place our order and added an extra snack with some cocktails for good measure!

Jay selected Bristol's Cucumber Dill Martini, made with Hendricks Gin, fresh cucumber, and fresh dill. We just tried this type of martini earlier in the month at Wolfgang Puck's signature lunch in Las Vegas and it was an amazing, refreshing drink. Jay and I knew there was no way this version could compare with the one we received from the Puck, but it was an acceptable alternative - the cucumber and dill were a little too faint to mask the strength of the gin so the drink could use some work, but overall we agreed that it was a good effort.

I decided to try a French 75 which was a blend of Caravella Limoncello, Cointreau, Hendricks Gin, and Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut Champagne. I really enjoyed this drink; it was a nice balance of sweet liqueurs and drier alcohol and I thought it was delicious.

For our self-chosen amuse Jay and I ordered a small plate of Ahi Tuna Rolls - five pieces of Ahi Tuna sushi rolled with cucumber and rice with just a hint of wasabi. We were a little surprised that the sushi was served warm, but it was still a great start to the evening - light and sweet - and it really whet our appetites for the meal to come.

Aaaaaaahhhhhhhi!


First course: Ham & Eggs - crispy prosciutto, poached egg, chickpea fries, grilled asparagus, and balsamic glaze paired with Nigi Gruener Veltliner (Austria). We weren't sure what to expect with this course but were delighted with both the presentation and taste. The egg was perfectly poached and generously sprinkled with crispy prosciutto which added a hint of salt as well as some wonderful texture. The real surprise and hands-down winner in this course was the chickpea fries, served underneath the asparagus and egg. The chickpeas were basically pulverized, rolled in breading, and flash fried for a yum factor of ten, especially when dipped in the balsamic glaze.

Ham and Eggs


Second Course: Char Crusted Tuna - baby greens, parmesan dill roasted potatoes, sesame cracker, and black olive vinaigrette paired with Trefethen Dry Riesling (Napa Valley). Once again the tuna was spectacular: so tender we could cut it with our forks and just bursting with sweet flavor. My sesame cracker was mysteriously sesame-free, not that this bothered me, and it tasted great with the tuna. The potatoes had nice flavor but they were served cold and that really detracted from our enjoyment of their taste.

Tuna, taters, and a random green bean!


Third Course: Grilled Wild Copper River Salmon - sweet pea risotto and truffled mint butter paired with Erath Estate Pinot Noir (Oregon). There's a story here and I have to share it, especially with those of you who are Disney freaks like us. Jay and I celebrated our anniversary in Walt Disney World about three years ago and for one night of our trip I booked a reservation at Artist Point primarily so that Jason could try this wonderful salmon that is only available annually between mid-May and mid-June. The entire evening at Artist Point was a bust, but the kicker was that they had just run out of their supply of Copper River Salmon and Jay couldn't order it. Wankers!

Each year since I have made it my mission to get Jason to a restaurant that offers Copper River Salmon and each year we somehow manage to just miss it. It was delicious irony indeed to finally discover it at a Stinktown establishment less than ten miles from our house Saturday night. And I used the word delicious on purpose because this fish lived up to the hype and was off-the-chart delectable! That statement, coming from me, should really carry some weight because I am not a huge fan of salmon - it often has an overpowering, fishy taste that I do not like one bit. But this salmon was firm and rich and mild; in a word: amazing!!! Jason said it was quite tasty and was definitely worth the four-year wait.

Copper River Salmon ... finally


Third Course: Petite Filet Mignon & King Crab - whipped Yukon gold potatoes, grilled asparagus, and foyot sauce paired with Frei Brothers Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley). My entree choice was dull and boring compared with Jason's but I really wanted some meat and 'taters and since I'm not a salmon person this seemed like a safe choice. It was good - nothing to rave about - and I should have requested no sauce because the foyot sauce is just another version of Bearnaise and I don't like that. Long story short - Jason got to eat my crab along with his salmon because it was swimming in gacky sauce.

Meat and potatoes ...


Fourth Course: Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake - macadamia coconut caramel and pineapple-buttermilk sherbet paired with Fonseca 20-year Tawny Port (Portugal). Dessert was both good and not good, if that makes any sense. The truffle cake and the caramel sauce were amazing once I scraped away the nuts and coconut, especially with that 20-year port that Jay and I like so much. However, we both agreed that the pineapple-buttermilk sherbet just didn't make good sense with the caramel and chocolate. I did get a chuckle out of the dried pineapple ring that was used to garnish the sherbert - I kept waiting for a miniature Evel Knievel to appear on the table and jump his wee motorcycle right through the center of the pineapple.

Daredevil dessert?


And because sometimes I just don't know when to quit, I talked Jay into ordering Ernest Hemingway's "Death in the Afternoon." The menu claimed that the drink was absinthe and champagne poured together until it obtains the perfect opalescent milkiness. Jay warned me that it wouldn't be nearly as good as the absinthe that we tried in Vegas and I knew he was right ... nothing can top booze on fiyah mixed with root beer ... but I thought it might be a fun alternative. I was also charmed by the idea that there was actually a Stinktown establishment offering some form of absinthe service!

Never again.

This was vile. I know absinthe tastes of licorice but the strength of that taste depends on where and how the liqueur is made. Our drink was preceded by a cloud of stench that made me wonder if someone had poured Nyquil into a glass of bubbly by mistake. It did not taste any better than it smelled. We tried adding an ice cube in a futile attempt to dilute the licorice flavor and that worked about as well as building a dam out of spongecake. Then in my tipsy state I decided that the missing flavor-enhancing ingredient was sugar; I reached for a packet of refined white stuff and dumped it into the champagne flute only to have our drink foam up like Alka-Seltzer and spew all over the table.

We know when we're beat; we asked for check and went home, a little sadder but a lot wiser.

Next time, just say "no."


Absinthe service aside, we had a wonderful evening at Bristol. Jay and I thought the food was very good and we liked the bursts of creativity we saw with certain menu items. The seafood that we did have was excellent and I can say that even I am now a fan of Copper River Salmon, it's just that good!

Enoteca San Marco; The Venetian, Las Vegas

Why did Jay and Bendy Cross Las Vegas Boulevard? Formaggi ... Edam Up, Yum; They're Gouda!!!

It is no mean feat to plan a seven-day pilgrimage to a mecca of fine dining - it's a perilous high-wire balancing act that must take into consideration Jay's "I'll try anything once" adventurous palate along with my more cautious "I hope this doesn't make my colon explode" approach to dining. Add to that the singular necessity of visiting at least one establishment daily in order to satisfy my artisan cheese cravings and, well .... you begin to understand how daunting a task I had set for myself. And the first day of our trip wasn't going to allow many cheese chances, which is how I backed into a reservation at Enoteca San Marco, an Italian restaurant located on the Venetian's indoor piazza that is owned in partnership by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich.

Now, to be totally honest, I could give two squirts of the ol' cheese cloth that Mario Batali is in some way, shape, or form involved with this restaurant. He seems like a decent enough guy based on what I've seen of him on Iron Chef America, but he's always reminded me of a very hairy, large orange with legs and I don't like oranges. But from what I understand Mario doesn't really like food bloggers, so I guess we're even!

Anyhoo, this restaurant is located on the third floor of the Venetian hotel in the Canal shopping area. You'll know you've made it to the right place when you spot Enoteca's meat and cheese curing tower rising above everything else in the area. During lunch the restaurant primarily utilizes "outdoor" seating and then in the evenings they open up the more formal and very dark dining room. There is definitely some charm to eating out on the piazza, but I also think it gets really annoying really fast when every thirty minutes or so a wandering troupe of heavily made-up street performers delivers a shrieking operetta performance in Dolby stereo. Not only did my eardrums feel like they were going to start spouting blood, but the singing made conversation impossible during the ten minute show. And we were interested in conversation because we were sharing the meal with our friend Catherine and her parents, who I must say were just about the coolest parental unit we've come across in a long, long time!

It's like night and day!


You can banish me to the meat and cheese tower whenever you like!


An outdoor bar is better than no bar at all.


The first order of business after we were seated was to order some drinks. I don't recall the name of Catherine's drink but she picked the clear winner and seemed to enjoy it quite a bit.

Catherine's mystery martini


Now I do I remember the name of the drink I chose and I can also recall just how truly bad it tasted. I should have known better when I saw that grapefruit juice was part of the mix, but I thought the prosecco would offset it and I wanted to try some new drinks while on vacation. Sadly, I ended up with a very bitter, almost unpalatable drink and I'm going on record right now for those of you who may see it on the drink menu and be tempted like I was: DO NOT ORDER THE MASERATI!!

Even on my worst days I'm not this bitter ...


Jay, as is often the case, was the more intelligent of the two of us when it came to alcohol and he stuck with wine - a nice, hearty red that paired well with our cheese and meat platters.

The big draw for me was Enoteca's "build your own cheese plate" appetizer option: three cheeses for $14; five cheeses for $17; and seven cheeses for $21. It goes without saying that we selected the seven-cheese option and then had to choose from among the following: Burrata; Ricotta; Caprino; Mozzarella; Robiola Bosina; Scimudin; Asiago; Baita Friuli; Toma Brusca; Pecorino; and Parmigiano Reggiano. Once we'd placed our order the serving team came back with these little yummies to enhance our cheesie enjoyment - fresh honey, tart cherries in syrup, and pickled, peppered apricots.

Dip, or don't dip ... it's immaterial to me!


The bad thing about not having a receipt is that I'm not sure about all the cheeses we selected. A shameful lapse of foresight on our part, but there's nothing I can do about it now, so let's play a guessing game! In the picture below there is Robiola, Parmigiano, Pecorino, Asiago, Caprino, Burrata, and a mystery cheese that looked and felt like a wad of sticky silicone caulk. There wasn't much in the way of new cheesees for us other than the Caprino, which was a tangy, young goat cheese, and the silicone wad, which reminded me of a high school science experiment gone horribly wrong. My personal favorites were the parmigiano (needed some aged balsamic) and the robiola (needed some fresh bread).

Please cheese me!


Jay ordered a crock of mixed, marinated olives ... oh, the horror!! I don't eat olives but Jay liked them; he said they were "good and pitt-ey."

Bowl of bleh...


And to round things off, he also ordered the Grande Carne Tasting platter, which was a plate of five sliced, cured meats: Prosciutto di Parma, Mortadella, Cotto, Salumi, and Testa.

There is no cure!!


I wasn't crazy about most of these ... too salty for my taste, although the prosciutto was quite good. Jay said it was alright - about what you'd expect for cured meat and worth ordering once but not good enough for a repeat performance.

We'd like to pay Enoteca another visit some day and order some of their pasta dishes, which looked quite appealing. They also had some darn fine homemade gelato - Catherine ordered a dish of cinnamon oatmeal gelato and it was unbelievably tasty. Overall I was pleased with the restaurant; we received good service, the menu offered a nice variety of Italian dishes, and they provided a satisfying cheese plate that would hold up well against the parade of fromage to come during the rest of our vacation.