One of the biggest adjustments for me as a stay at home parent is the lack of fine dining in my life.
Many of you know I love a good meal, more than just a good meal, I especially love food that doesn't cost me a ton of money. I love expensive good food too, but I really love a "find" -- food that is rewarding without exacting usury. When Bruce and I went to Paris, we didn't do Michelen three stars, instead I dragged him to stand in line to go to Joel Robuchon's L'Atelier restaurant that had the atmosphere of a sushi bar (but he is a genius and inspiration to chefs around the world!)
When we went to L.A., it was In-N-Out burger. San Diego, Taco Surf. New York was a series of pizza places and an occasional upscale Italian adventure. NY always included bagels and hot dogs, natch.
While it doesn't happen all of the time in the land of stay at home mom, I am occasionally rewarded with a delicious repast with friends or Bruce worth noting. One of those meals was this evening.
Friends and I went to Michel Richard's new venue, Central. Michel Richard is famous for his restaurants around the world. He was trained as a pastry chef and definitely has a sense of humor. It is loud, my water wasn't refilled without request, and my knife mysteriously disappeared never to be replaced about a third of the way through the meal, but the food was great. It was a pleasure to be eating food so well thought through - onion tart, salad, and yes a hamburger were all way above average. And the dessert, well, it was truly a pleasure.
For those of you who live in D.C., Central is worth a visit. There are other restaurants downtown I frequent more regularly, but Central was truly a treat. Way more classy than Taco Surf, but not beyond an average budget.
