something old - something new

Well in the continuing saga, we tried a new place tonight - Pisolino (which means "nap" apparently LOL)

While not high end dining, it was good for what it was - a pizza and panini and pasta place, pretty close to home.  The service was five star and the corkage fee is reasonable... All and all we give it a thumbs up for sure as a lunch place and maybe only slightly less so for dinner.

and last night at the last minute we decided on the easy and nearby Ruyi (formerly Anna's Asian Grill) still good but I doubt it will be here next year we were literally two of three customers -

So we're still not starving LOL and we have a few days respite from extensive dining - as we watch the hurricane track move its way across the state of Florida towards our county - so we are glued to the forecasts to see how things go....

terrific dinner!

Just when you thought - they can't possibly go out again... we have done it.... tonight it was to a wine dinner sponsored by Flickinger Wines and featuring the wines of Andrea Sottimano from the Piemonte region of Italy. The four course meal was note perfect - and we had a really lovely time with the twenty other guests.

so here we go- the estate and then the family and then more photos of the winery-

a truly wonderful evening with terrific food and outstanding wines- and good company as well... we will definitely look for more wine dinners from Flickinger.... and even though it took us a long time to get there, The Bristol food and service team were worth trying out on a non wine dinner evening as well.  So let's see- the week slows down a tiny bit from being out the first three nights to girlfriend time - with lunch tomorrow and breakfast on Friday - then a Saturday night concert at WFMT before next week gets crazy busy again with company Tuesday through Friday and Friday onward we are heading out to Oregon for a visit with S & S - and a brief catching up with Cousin Michele... time is flying as Evelyn said last night "they really need to give summer a speeding ticket!"

not Don

So off we went to Quiote (pronounced like the Don but not spelled the same...LOL) - this would be a the term for the flower of the agave plant (dictionary definition LOL-  The edible peduncle of the agave plant, which supports its inflorescence.)

And that plant would be the one used to make Mezcal. Mezcal the featured drink and ingredient for tonight's Mondiale dinner at Quiote - I know it sounds like circular reasoning but it isn't - it is just all linked together - an evening of food, friends and facts about Mezcal.  We learned and tasted and learned....

The evening started with a glass of bubbly before heading to tables and hearing a bit about mezcal production and then tasting of two mezcales and then food with matching mezcal based cocktails and even wines.... so here is the menu and a few photos (I didn't get all the courses - nor did I get each of them in untouched condition LOL but I think you will get the idea...)

loved both the salad (above and the corn (below)

so sorry I missed the tres leches photo - it was very good - among my favorite courses-

a fun evening that we enjoyed tremendously and so did everyone else I think because they had to tell us to leave LOL- no one got up to go until then and it was quite the social event with table hopping by many folks so everyone could catch up with friends at this the kick off event of the 2017/2018 season of the Chaine des Rotisseurs.  We will be away in Oregon when the first Chaine dinner is held (Champagne and Caviar at Callihan's) and we will miss the National Chapitre meeting in October as well - boo hoo... but who knows what scrumptious venues over the season might tempt us....

tomorrow night we have a wine dinner at The Bristol which I will report back on after we have experienced the wines and food.... more to follow....