Picked By: Michael Kemper
D.A.R.Es to dine out: Josh, Christy, Mike, Tamara, Lauren, Ross, Dave, Alesther, Bailey, Kyle, Sophie, Vince, Holly, newcomers Inga Parvani and Mike Horvath
Just Says No: Janet
Is this how Bartholomew felt? (Bible zing!!) OK. For those of you who aren't Biblical scholars (yes, I'm looking at you Christy, Mike, Tamara, Ross, Lauren, Ross, Dave, Alesther, Kyle, Sophie, Vince, Holly, Inga and Mike H.) he was the guy on the far end of the table at the Last Supper. I'm fairly certain the conversation that night went something like this....
INT. REGIONS BISTRO & BAR
Jesus:
One of you is going to betray me.
The group gasps.
Bartholomew Josh:
I can't hear you! I'm stuck at the end of the table because Jesus keeps adding Apostles and now I can't hear s*#@!!!
Doubting Kyle:
Ohmygod! This is awful!
Apostle Vincent:
Yes, it is awful that someone is going to betray Jesus.
Doubting Kyle:
No.. I mean it is awful that there is no table bread.
Long story short: the group grows to a record breaking FIFTEEN but the Tour rolls on. We're definitely well passed an intimate dinner but still by all accounts a terrific evening.
First of all --- congratulations to Mike Kemper for finding a restaurant no one had been to. He made numerous choices, among them: Gallo Blanco Cafe, Cheuvront, Rokerij, El Queso Del Mundo and Latitude 8. Sophie goes to most of those places and orders 'the usual.'
Second -- happy hour here should be called happiest hour. I got a mojito (or two) for THREE FIFTY apiece. It felt a little bit like stealing.... and speaking of that...
Third --- if you're going to this place and not using restaurant.com, how do I put this nicely?
('You're a total idiot, sir or madame.') That site normally sells $75 gift cards for $30. We got ours through a sale for $6. The bill wasn't cheap but this isn't a cheap kinda place and as a whole we saved $69. (go ahead. Giggle.) Tamara said it best: "It's like they're paying us to eat there!!!"
I'm curious for other people's take on their food. Most people seemed satisfied if not blown away. Best thing I had was the cornbread pudding and chowder.
Service was average in speed but very polite. In a group of 15 (especially ours) it's hard to ask for more.
A nice touch was Billy the chef who came out to check on everyone's entrees. Classy move and very nice guy.
Total Bill: $450 ($30 / head including gratuity but not including happy hour!)
Next MMDT: May 19th (Inga picks)
3 comments:
I agree with all that Josh said. It was super fun and I'd definitely go back for the happy hour. Would love to try some of the half-price "small plates." As for dinner, wasn't blown away, but it was good catfish (and I've had bad catfish). All in all, a success.
Here's where I need some help from the group:
When Mike and I got back to our car last night, there was a small, square, black styrofoam "to-go" box in our backseat with a piece of a chicken breast inside. It didn't smell old or bad and we have NO idea how it got there. My first question to all of you is, if you got leftovers, were they in a box such as I have described? Secondly, is someone playing a trick on us? Thirdly? Did we take your leftovers or something weird like that? PLease help us, because we are afraid we're losing our minds!!
We probably are losing our minds, but we'd just like a confirmation of that.
First off - THANKS for adding me to the club, peeps!! It was muy fun and already looking forward to the next one!!
Secondly - don't know anything about the mysterious leftovers in the Kempers' car.
My thoughts on Regions...
ATMOSPHERE: Excellent - posh and trendy meets garage/warehouse. Nice lighting, nice table settings, nice level of spaciousness and elegance.
SERVICE: Started out strong at the lounge. Remained strong for the first 15 minutes during the Menu Handout period. And then I think we scared our waiter. Well, I think Josh did when he asked for some bread while we were perusing the menu. Not sure why that would be scary, but in my mind, that's when the server (despite his culinary background) seemed to get overwhelmed. But well said in the post, Kelmo - what else can one expect with a loud group of 15.
FOOD: Good, not Great. Like Tami, I'd go back for the drinks and would enjoy sampling some small plates. My food:
--Chowder (very good)
--Walnut/blue cheese salad (very good)
--Mussels (pretty good, nice creamy sauce)
Nothing WOWed me either, but I did enjoy everything. I also enjoyed the "plating" of the food - nice presentation in general.
Company: EXCELLENT and ENTERTAINING! At least the south end of the table was:)
Post a Comment