When my best friend Catherine told me she'd be in town briefly but was able to meet for drinks and dinner, my sister Kimberly and I couldn't wait to spend some time with our favorite West Coaster (and honorary sister...though we were severely missing the third Cannon sister - Christine!). The place for our girls night? Good (yup that's what it's called), a sweet little place in the West Village. With seats at the bar, Catherine, Kimberly and I enjoyed happy hour glasses of wine and a few dishes to share.
Along with some 1/2 price (daily from 6-8pm!) Grenache/Syrah, we sampled some small plates. First up was a crostini with fresh ricotta, country ham and fig marmalade. It was like a gourmet version of my own gorgonzola fig crostini. It was sweet and salty with just the right amount of crispiness and creaminess!
We also shared a delicious, extremely thin-crusted pizza. This flatbread version was turned artisinal by featuring creme fraiche (an elusive ingredient that adds wonderful flavor and texture!), chopped bacon, baby arugula and sweet onions. It was smokey, savory and creamy. Yum! And what can I say? It was a pork-driven kind of evening (since Shaun doesn't eat pork, it was a rare yet welcome change for me!)
We also sampled the harvest salad, admittedly the item that was most anticipated for me. It boasted mixed greens, aged cheddar, roasted pears and pecans with an apple cider vinaigrette. Unfortunately this turned out to be the lowlight of the evening. The salad which sounded so autumnal, sweet, savory and hearty (essentially salad perfection!) on paper was in reality a small plate of greens with one pear, two cheese cubes and nary a pecan in sight. Oh and I'm not sure about my fellow diners, but I did not taste any dressing on this salad. At $12 a pop, I have to say, it was most disappointing.
Luckily the other dishes were tops, as were the desserts, of which we obviously felt necessary to sample not one, but two! First up was warm banana chocolate chip bread pudding, served complete with vanilla ice cream. Oh my, this was so mushy, full of bananas and chocolate. It was so decadent and wonderful! It was my pick for best dessert of the night!
We also ordered a devil's food chocolate cake, covered in ganache and served with a toasted marshmallow. While the cake was moist and delightfully chocolatey, we couldn't help but wish that this also came along side a scoop of vanilla ice cream or even some homemade whipped cream.
So there you have it. A little roundup of our impromptu girls night! The one thing missing from our smorgasbord? A Good Burger - a beef patty stuffed with pulled pork and smoked mozzerella - doesn't that just sound so fatty and delicious? It will certainly be on the list to order the next time I visit...and I plan to, during happy hour!
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