The Restaurant Week menu - 3 courses for $26.11 - wasn't as appealing to me as some of the selections from their man menu. Becca really enjoyed the butternut squash soup, heirloom salad and Atlantic salmon. I decided to forego the deal and choose what sounded best. I started with the smoked salmon mousse, served with cucumber, pickled ginger, red onion, candied orange zest and lemon caper aioli (see photo below). I was surprised to see the mousse served in little tarts but it was fantastic - the crust was rich and buttery and not too flaky. I would love to try another dish in a larger shell made with this dough. For the main course I had game hen with roasted brussels sprouts, blackberries, bacon and smoked buttermilk grits. It was outstanding! It was plated with four meaty little winglets stacked on top of one another, atop the delicious medley listed. The brussels sprouts were crunchy and roasted, the bacon was in thick, juicy little hunks and the grits provided the perfect creamy texture. My only qualm was that the blackberry seeds kept finding their way between my teeth, but what can you do? Our server was wonderful - I'm looking forward to going back with my mom and Kiki - we've talked about going for a long time - or for a romantic date with MR - he thought the hen sounded great. It's a very small and intimate space, so reservations are certainly recommended, I'm glad we had one. It was a full house at 8pm on Saturday. Next time I'd like to tap into their wine list, too.
After dinner we went to Oktoberfest Zinzinnati to meet up with friends and it was an absolute cluster! Phone service was spotty and it was nearly impossible to find anyone. I have never seen the festival so packed - it made it hard to enjoy the evening. The weather that afternoon was beautiful so perhaps that would've been a better time to go. It was just a crowd of drunk fools and far too many insulting smells in every direction. I also hate to see how people trash our city - but I also didn't see many garbage cans at our disposal (literally.) We each had one Sam Adams Oktoberfest beer and chatted a bit then headed home. I'll need to re-think my visit to Oktoberfest next year because I just can't be bothered with that circus again.
Side story: Bouquet also holds a special spot in my memory because last May, Kristin and I went to MaiFest in MainStrasse one Saturday and decided to sit down with our Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ales at a little table right in front of Bouquet. We were chatting about how I'd been a single gal since college and Kristin gave me a great girl talk about how I'm too quick to judge and should give guys the benefit of the doubt and not be so skeptical. I took her advice and tucked it in my back pocket when she dropped me off in Mt. Adams to meet up with Lindsey & Maura an hour or so later. So when we left Monk's Cove and sat down at a table at Tavern on the Hill, the only open seat was across from the girls, next to a guy with a huge smile and a big laugh who started talking about the Vols - so I turned around and gave him - MR! - a big Gator chomp... I gave him a chance, just like Kristin said, and the rest is history :)
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