Birthday Dinner

Had dinner last night at Lulou's to celebrate our friend Anju's birthday. She hadn't been there since their big remodel a few years ago, and was pretty impressed. We agree - for my money, they have the best food in town. I'm "wowed" every time I eat there. Other places have great atmosphere, make me feel really comfortable, but from a sheer food standpoint, Lulou's does it for me. Excellent service as well.

We started sharing three appetizers, a Hamachi Sashimi, a Carpaccio, and a Baked Lobster dish. The Hamachi was served with a really interesting fruit sauce, and the Carpaccio was wonderfully tender. The Baked Lobster was amazing, though - served in an escargot plate, we were dipping the lobster butte rout with bread until they took it away. Mich and I each had a salad - she a blue cheese and I a butter lettuce with enormous radish slices. Mich continued with the "Colorado Lamb" - very nice. And Anju had the Ono, a whitefish that was beautifully textured. I ordered the Veal, partly because I hadn't had veal for years, and partly because it was served with "Truffled Mac & Cheese", which I just had to try. Most amazing macaroni I'VE ever had. Coffee was followed with a white chocolate sundae, a warm chocolate tart with pear creme anglaise, and a caramel pots de creme. Excellent!

We tried a Willamette Valley Pinot with dinner, and I can't remember the label. I'm going to have to call them later today to get the name - it was very pleasant.