Being restaurant week, Jen decided to go with items from the special menu. For the first course, she started with the Bistro salad which consisted of mixed greens, walnuts, goat cheese, english cucumber, & red onion with parmigiana vinaigrette. The goat cheese in this salad was a wonderful compliment to the vinaigrette, adding the creaminess to offset the ‘zing’. For the second course, Jen had the trio of lamb which was a special for restaurant week. This dish consisted of three cuts of lamb each in their own sauce. The red wine braised petite shank, grilled petite t-bone, and roasted lamb chop were all cooked to perfection (in Jen’s opinion) overtop a bed of wilted spinach and couscous. The petite shank pulled cleanly off of the bone and was the most flavorful of the three cuts. For the third (and most desired) course, Jen ended the evening with the Grand Mariner Truffle Torte. As Jen does love her share of chocolate – she did need some help to finish this dish as it was very palatable but very rich! Through dinner, Jen sipped on the German Riesling which suited her taste perfectly. Everything was definately up to Jen's expectations and worth every penny!
Julia had the butternut squash soup as an appetizer, which was slightly peppery for her tastes. This is a common complaint of hers regarding vegetarian items found at restaurants, however, and it did not prevent her enjoyment of this starter in the slightest. The small pieces of apple as garnish were a pleasing touch as the slightly tart sweetness contrasted nicely with the smooth, sweet flavor of the butternut squash. She also had the red bell peppers stuff with saffron couscous. This was an especially pleasant entree for Julia as she adores couscous. The black olive tapenade was a delectable addition, however, a higher concentration would have balanced out the flavor of the saffron and pepper a little more evenly. With dinner Julia trialed two different white wines, the first was Torrontés Riojano from Argentina and the second was a Portuguese Vinhos Verdes,
The dessert was definitely the highlight of the meal, although this is also where one of the small setbacks. Julia had the fruit tart, which was blackberries, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries on custard in small shell. This was especially pleasant as the shell was a kind of shortbread with a much lighter and more neutral custard than is typical. The setback occurred when dessert was first served. Julia cut into her tart to find a hair. The server was appropriately apologetic and actually appeared aghast. Another tart was supplied immediately and the after dinner tea was provided gratis. Altogether, this incident could have ruined the meal and instead was a small blemish, quickly resolved
Julia had the butternut squash soup as an appetizer, which was slightly peppery for her tastes. This is a common complaint of hers regarding vegetarian items found at restaurants, however, and it did not prevent her enjoyment of this starter in the slightest. The small pieces of apple as garnish were a pleasing touch as the slightly tart sweetness contrasted nicely with the smooth, sweet flavor of the butternut squash. She also had the red bell peppers stuff with saffron couscous. This was an especially pleasant entree for Julia as she adores couscous. The black olive tapenade was a delectable addition, however, a higher concentration would have balanced out the flavor of the saffron and pepper a little more evenly. With dinner Julia trialed two different white wines, the first was Torrontés Riojano from Argentina and the second was a Portuguese Vinhos Verdes,
The dessert was definitely the highlight of the meal, although this is also where one of the small setbacks. Julia had the fruit tart, which was blackberries, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries on custard in small shell. This was especially pleasant as the shell was a kind of shortbread with a much lighter and more neutral custard than is typical. The setback occurred when dessert was first served. Julia cut into her tart to find a hair. The server was appropriately apologetic and actually appeared aghast. Another tart was supplied immediately and the after dinner tea was provided gratis. Altogether, this incident could have ruined the meal and instead was a small blemish, quickly resolved
***As a warning when visiting this establishment --- Beware of poorly marked private parking lots. There is a lot directly next to the restaurant which one would think was for the restaurant, but to Jen and Julia’s dismay was not. Upon returning to the car, there was a ticket placed by the parking company on the windshield. When Jen and Julia approached the booth (which was at the back of the lot… backwards… we know), the attendant was very rude and stated that a fee for parking was owed and it HAD to be in cash because the lot does not take credit. Jen stated that she did not see anyone when she pulled in regarded where to make a payment to which the attendant responded that he “is not going to stand outside in the cold for every person that pulls in,” and that “an ATM can be found across the street.” When asked where the sign was for the lot that stated that it was a private lot along with the fees, the attendant pointed to a sign that was off to the side and poorly lit (if at all) regarding paying if the lot is unattended. When Jen got home, she did call the parking company to report the attendant and was told they would call the supervisor right away to check out the lot, and that we could have paid using credit as all booths have some sort of a credit machine.**
Marie Louise Bistro: http://www.marielouisebistrocatering.com/
Baltimore Restaurant Week: http://www.baltimorerestaurantweek.com/
