I should be getting ready for dinner, but I’m not pumped up to go out yet. Part of the problem is that we went to this really nice place last night and tonight we are going to Longhorns. Not that there is anything wrong with Longhorns, but after trying someplace new and exciting and having some seriously excellent bison bolognese, it is hard to get excited about it. I can get excited about the friends we are going with who we don’t get to see often enough, so that’s good!
Place we went last night, The Abbey, was a bit of a comedy of errors until we actually got seated, and from that moment on it was very pleasant.
7:45: Friends arrived early and put our name in. Decided to go to a nearby bar since the restaurant was itty bitty and the bar side was packed.
8:10: We arrive at the bar they are at, hostess said 30-45 minutes. I think we should head over, but friends vote for another drink.
8:30: We are informed that we missed getting our name called. I wish I’d said something before, but too late now! Hostess said we are on the list. Doesn’t specify if we are ahead of the other people who put their names on there since we did. We get drinks.
8:35-9:15: Squish ourselves up near the bar. The place is a tiny rectangle with a bar on one side and tables on the other. People at the bar are very annoyed at us reaching over them for drinks and standing behind them trying not to smack into the waitresses. Sorry guys… You opted to eat at the bar and the place is the size of a postage stamp. Don’t blame us! We nurse our drinks, I greatly enjoy a glass of Caposaldo, a Pinot Grigio that I’ve never tried before. Pat got a Czechvar which brought back memories. He wanted a Killians, but they didn’t have it. Irish themed restaurant, but not big on Irish beers I guess. Our friend L got a tasty margarita because she didn’t see anything on the drink menu that appealed. Her boyfriend R got something called a Rye Mash. I don’t know much about cocktails, so I have no idea if that is a thing, or they invented it. It is apparently, “muddled lemon, orange and mint, simple syrup, and whiskey.” Don’t be impressed with my memory, the restaurant’s website is abbeyrestaurant.com.
9:15 or so, maybe later: We are seated, man near us is royally pissed off because he is there with 5 other people, and they are seating us at the only table that can take 6 people. At the time I thought maybe they were planning on putting two tables together elsewhere, but they ended up having to wait until we’d eaten our entire meal! For a restaurant that doesn’t take reservations, I think they need to work on their seating and reservation policies. I don’t really blame the hostess, she seemed really nice, but it is tough on a busy night with such a small place.
Minute after seating: Adorable Irish waitress. She walked away and we all immediately started talking about how sweet and charming she is. Great service from her, loved her. I got another glass of wine, Pat another Czechvar. L had another margarita and R tried another cocktail called a Galliano Sour. It was Galliano (no idea what that is), brandy, bitters, lemon juice, simple syrup, and one egg white. I tried it and it was good, tasted pretty much like a creamsicle, ha. I didn’t realize when I tried it that it had an egg white in it, but I probably would have tried it anyway, I was feeling adventurous.
9:20: Waitress brings some tasty bread with hummus and olive oil. The hummus has sesame flavouring, very, very good. The olive oil is light and also very good.
9:25: We order. I got something called halloumi cheese because I’d seen it mentioned on someone’s blog recently (vegemitewife) and as I said, I was feeling adventurous. For my entree I got bison bolognese. Everything I had was amazing, best food I’ve eaten in ages. Pat and L both got a burger, which was good… But I wouldn’t recommend getting a burger there, try something more fun. A good burger is great and all… But it is something a lot of places do well. R got lamb, which I didn’t try because I am not a lamb fan, but he said it was good. Everyone else split a hoisin broccoli side, which I didn’t try because I can’t stand broccoli. Bleh. Sometimes my inner 10 year old gets out, and broccoli drives her crazy.
So we ate and I was literally sad when my pasta was gone. It made me seriously happy. We would definitely go back for the food, but I would only want to go on a week night to avoid the crowd. The meal came out to be 160, which wasn’t too bad for four people. Maybe keep it to special occasions.
The Sleepy Owl 