Houston!!

The eagle has landed…so to speak.


I was brought back to earth last week after the glow of our lovely dining in Santa Fe at Terra and Bistro 315, and the crown jewel of Little Washington began to fade . I had agreed to meet some friends for a little lunch meeting regarding one of the local civic organizations, and they picked (drum roll…) the Olive Garden! Since everyone had agreed to time (and place) I decided not to get uppity and accepted my fate.  As the week turned out it provided a contrast between:

The Chain:

So, for the first time I drove into “restaurant row” and parked in front of the Tuscan Inn in the middle of Lexington Park/California, Maryland, USA.. Not knowing whether I was first or last to arrive, I went in and was “attacked” by a greeter with an armload of menus and a cheery “Good Afternoon, how many in your party?” I explained I was looking for somebody and was invited to search the place. Once inside, you could be in any city in America. Standard stucco walls with homey Italian prints, and several rooms giving some degree of privacy. First pass didn’t reveal any of my friends so I went back outside where another of our party was resting on the bench. Eventually we got a “where are you?” text, with the knowledge that indeed others were inside. We found them in a little cranny and joined them. Soon a pair of servers approached with the welcome news they would be taking care of us, and the fact that one was an intern, her first day on the job.

No sense in belaboring things, you know what the menu is, it hardly ever changes, which if you find something you like, most likely it will be churned out consistently. First Day on the Job was trying hard, and managed to get in about twelve “you guys” in the space of taking our orders for food and drink. We were all males, for whatever that’s worth, I suspect a coincidence.

I opted for a Panini and soup (choosing Gnocchi soup and Tuscan chicken sandwich). A friend ordered a side salad that morphed into a Caesar upon delivery but what the hell..

The food was okay, nothing wrong or nothing spectacular, and “are you guys doing okay?” was peppered at us but I suppose with good intent. And after the meal “us guys” didn’t save any room for dessert..

Prepackaged, processed, push it out, here’s your check, turn the table.


And The Independent:

I was able to contrast the “formula” lunch above with another later in the week over on the Solomon’s. Lotus is a restaurant run by a couple of talented local chefs, and is located in a quaint little house (nearby Carmen's Gallery) that probably started life as a summer home, so it in harmony with its surroundings (unlike plopping a "Tuscan Farmhouse" in a field). It has a kitchen in back, and tables in what were probably the living sand dining room. If the weather cooperates, you can also sit on the porch and watch the world go by. They offer a selection of fresh sandwiches, daily soups, salads, flatbread pizzas, quiches, and of course desserts, along with a selection of daily “specials”, all at reasonable prices. There are also beers and wines available. As chance would have it, on the day I was there, one of the specials was “Chicken Cordon Bleu” soup and a Gruyere grilled cheese sandwich.. how can you beat that? You place your order at the counter, usually to one of the chefs so you can discuss any changes you might want. We had a seat in one of the little rooms, and pretty soon our food was brought out. Mine was a pretty sizeable (pretty red) cup of the creamy soup which had actual hunks of chicken (not cubed or shredded) in a rich broth (I find out) of pureed roasted garlic, ham, and Swiss cheese, into stock with added cream and lovely little leaves of baby spinach floating on it. Quite pretty. Very rich and satisfying. The grilled croissant Gruyere cheese sandwich had a lovely bite.It will definitely go on the list…

So which would I rather do? Originality and creativity or a laminated plastic menu that never changes… “you guys” figure it out.

And I dunno about

DFD