For my 3rd Dine About Town experience - I really wanted to go to Bottle Cap. My favorite source for blog ideas - 7x7 - had recently recommended it as a great date spot. So, I decided it would be a great place to go on a girl date with my friend Sheena.
As soon as we got the menus, we knew we had made a good choice. After long work days, we were both quick to order a fun cocktail. We both got the Bondly named Dr. No which the waiter referred to as a fancy mai tai. It was delicious.
For appetizers, Sheena got a beef stew that was hearty and delicious. I got a smoked rainbow trout salad. Unfortunately, my dish wasn't quite what I imagined but still interesting and I managed to finish my plate. I had been torn between the trout and some some fried chicken thighs, and I sadly chose poorly.
We both chose the Wagyu steak for on entrees. Wagyu steak is a marbly type of beef that tends to be higher in flavor. It is similar to Kobe in a lot of ways. I've seen it appear on many a cooking show so I was excited to be able to order it at a reasonable price. The portions did not disappoint either - the restaurant gave us hefty portions as well as tasty sides of broccoli rabe, mushrooms, potato/squash gratin. A couple had just sat down next to us when we got our plates, and their eyes nearly popped out of their heads. "What is that??" "Is it good??" Yes, yes it is.
When our dessert courses came, our neighbors again asked what we'd gotten. Sheena got a chocolate brioche cake topped with torched whipped cream. I, only the other hand, have slowly been becoming less and less interested in super sweet desserts and was very happy that they had a fried goat cheese option.
As we enjoyed our dessert, we began striking up a conversation with our neighbors. They asked how many Dine About Town restaurants we had gone to. Then, they mentioned that they were only in town visiting from Chicago. For those of you who don't know, Chicago is very high on my list of cities to visit. It is an ultimate foodie town meriting both unique styles of food (ask any Chicagoan about hot dogs or pizza) and a variety of renowned chefs. I began asking them about all of the Chicago restaurants that I've wanted to go to, and they gave me their reviews. We talked about Restaurant Week (Chicago and NY's version of Dine About Town) and I shared my stories of the freebies I got on my trip to the Big Apple. The couple then said "Oh yes, we have a similar story.." and proceeded to tell us about how Wolfgang Puck sat down and had dessert with them when they were at Spago in Los Angeles. My jaw dropped - what an amazing story!
My favorite part of the night was when, mid-conversation, the wife stopped her sentence and said "Is the band playing Paparazzi?" Sure enough, the classic instrumental band was playing the hit Lady Gaga song.
I don't imagine that everyone will make such entertaining friends at Bottle Cap but the restaurant still had amazing food and a great atmosphere. The quaint decorating options give the feel of a French bistro while the classical ensemble playing pop music, gave a quirky, fun vibe to the meal. Bottle Cap is definitely going on my list of places to go to often.
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