At least it was yesterday. I had grand plans to make a magnificent seafood dinner but ran out of steam before I even made it to the grocery store. Instead, we went to Lamberts, based on a recommendation from my dear friend Ellen, and had a fantastic time. This was our menu:
Housemade Charcuteries and Local Artisan Cheeses For me, roasted chicken served over yukon potato and chorizo hash For babycakes, black angus filet with Béarnaise and steak tomato Family-style sides: Lambert’s Baked Mac and 3 Cheeses, Brussels Sprouts, Bacon, Brown Butter Grilled Asparagus with BéarnaiseWe both agreed on the 2 glorious highlights. First, the charcuterie and cheese plate. Dear lord, they had homemade fois gras pot de creme! It was To-Die-For. The cheeses were local and absolutely delicious. It was a perfect starter course.
Second, the grilled asparagus with Béarnaise. The asparagus was supremely al dente and oh my…. the Béarnaise was perfection.
My main dish of chicken with potato and chorizo hash was good, but it was a little overly complicated for my taste, there was a lot going on. I definitely enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t order it again. It’s possible that I have a problem with Chorizo, I’m still exploring this possibility…it can happen to the best of us.
Babycakes’ filet was everything it should be: excellent cut of meat, almost-cold-in-the-center rare, and of course, the Béarnaise killed.
The brussel sprouts were very good, but not as good as mine at home.
The shocker low-light of the evening was the 3 “cheese” mac and cheese. You’ll never guess what the 3rd cheese was…VELVEETA. Wha??!! The only thing I can come up with is that Velveeta is a nostalgic thing for some people. But, gross. Velveeta should be struck from the earth permanently and burned out of the collective memory of humanity.
Lamberts was really comfortable, romantic, well-lit, with great service and great cocktails. Their whole thing is “Fancy barbeque” and they nailed it. The upstairs has live music almost every day of the week, which can sometimes get a groan out of me, but I noticed that the Moonhangers, who I’m a big fan of, play there every Wednesday. “Rockin’ country and roadhouse swing,” says their MySpace page. They played at Matt and Hannah’s wedding, so they’ll always be endearing to me. Last night the upstairs was closed for a private party, but Ellen says that when you make a reservation, you should ask for the big corner booth upstairs, it makes for great people watching.
Lambert’s. Go there for the charcuterie and cheese plate. Don’t eat Velveeta.
Piggy Goes To Market 