You may be wondering...did Debbie take a cooking class, did she actually start eating at home, has she really not tried a new restaurant since June??? Never fear, although I do know how to cook, the hubby and I still choose to dine out frequently. Not sure why the blogging of such meals hasn't been happening. Maybe blogging is a cold weather sort of activity?
I have had the good fortune to dine at many good restaurants this summer both locally as well as a recent trip out to New England. (Sidebar...I have now visited all 50 states with my last one being Vermont. Gorgeous!) I will not try and go back to capture the details of those visits, but will simply start anew.
The hubby and I were out running errands on a gorgeous fall day and found ourselves at a newly opened restaurant called Purple Sandpiper. We were there in time for a late lunch and found ourselves one of three tables in the restaurant. The location has been a couple of other restaurants before, so the interior is still reminiscent of the previous restaurants. I'm sure as the restaurant is open longer there will be additional changes to really make it their own.
They serve their breakfast menu until 3:00 as well as their lunch menu. The hubby went with one of their signature dishes and got the Lemon Ricotta hotcakes topped with fresh raspberries and blueberries. The one small bite that I was allowed was so incredibly delicious (any further and I would be sporting fork marks on my hands). He claims it was the best dish of 2010 thus far. Given our propensity for eating out, that says a great deal!
I went with a lunch option and had the Spicy Thai Chicken Wrap. It was very good as well. It was stuffed with fresh, crunchy vegetables and tender chicken. The peanut sauce was not overpowering and was nicely spiced. Key to the dish was the side of sweet potato fries! These wonderfully delicious fries were seasoned with smoked paprika and sea salt and served with a dipping sauce consisting of a cinnamon orange concoction. I would go back just for those!
We finished off the meal with dessert. The hubby went with the Peanut Butter Rice Crispie Square, Raspberry Puree, and Chocolate Dipped Chili Pepper. He seemed to enjoy it and the Chocolate Dipped Chili Pepper had a bit of a kick. I went with the Dark Chocolate, Hibiscus Caramel, Drunken Cherry Ice Cream. It was a flourless chocolate cake drizzled with caramel with a scoop of ice cream. The ice cream and caramel were great! I was less impressed with the chocolate cake as I really am not a fan of the flourless variety.
All in all, the meal was great and I'm looking forward to trying their dinner some evening. They have a 5 course tasting menu that changes frequently so that could be a future visit as well. The prices are very reasonable - always nice! I hope this restaurant takes traction in the city and people give it a try. Definitely worth it!
Oh...and I forgot to mention. They source their food locally so for the local food movement, a definite plus!
