AN EVENING OUT

Every cook deserves a night off and I do like to try the local fare. We rode over to the fair city of Monroe tonight and on a whim stopped and ate at Olive Garden. After exploring the menu----I chose the Parmesan Crusted Tilipia with sauteed veggies. I am a fish LOVER and select it a great deal of the time when dining out. The fish was quite good----not fishy--which is the beginning point of my requirements for a delicious dish. If I had been cooking this at home, I would have seasoned it a little heavier. The veggies were sauteed in EVOO creating an over-all light and healthy meal. I would have also seasoned this heavier, but I do understand a national chain is seasoning for the masses not for my individual palette.

BC had the winner of the evening-"Pear-Gorgonzola Ravioli with Shrimp". This ravioli was served in a creamy Parmesan sauce with a reduced balsamic glaze on it. RICH! I have thought about this dish since getting home and think I could come close to duplicating it. This dish had a nice contrast of tastes which is always very pleasing. I don't think I would have changed a thing about it!

The fresh salad and never ending bread were good, but I would prefer EVOO with maybe a little Parmesan to dip my bread into. We did not have dessert since I had a wonderful seasonal treat waiting at home that I will blog about tomorrow.

One of the most delightful parts of our evening was our waiter, Tyler. He was attentive without being intrusive---the true mark of a good waiter. This young man is a student working on his MBA at the local university. I always admire students who are also balancing work with a busy academic life. He told us about his girlfriend, Chelsea, and their wine and food preferences. As with most of the crowd this age, they eat out most of the time. There will be plenty of time to discover a love for the art of cooking!

Many do not like to eat at National Chains, BUT I like the fact that the food is always consistent and there are no bad surprises. I do love to explore local eateries also--but tonight I was drawn to Olive Garden by one of their television advertisements. It proved to be right on target and a nice evening.

The meal was quite pleasing but we gave Tyler the 5-stars.