Aubrey

I was so happy to see something go into the old Small Batch space since I love the black and white tile floor and long bar. I also love the name of the restaurant, although it may be due to a crush on Aubrey Plaza.

Anyway, I couldn't wait to see what these young chefs had in store. 

For the cocktail menu, they had an amaretto sour on the menu, so I had to try it. Made me feel 21 all over again!

I appreciated the small menu...instead of selection overload!

Since this was a GNO, we shared everything. 

The Caesar salad was covered in Parmigiano-Reggiano...you know this made me happy!

Caesar Salad

We split the seabass, a true test of a good restaurant, Wild Mushroom Risotto, and the Bolognese. Turned out the Bolognese was the best with homemade noodles.

Seabass

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Bolognese

Luckily, we took most of it home so we could have room for dessert. I couldn't say no to a chocolate mousse.

Chocolate Mousse

The Creme Brulée was beautiful as well.

Creme Brulée

Definitely worthy of a date night! 

Resources:

Aubrey = https://aubreystl.com/

Gamlin's Maplewood

While I was super excited that the restaurant in the empty space in Maplewood was going to be filled again, I had my reservations about it since the last two concepts didn't last long.

Patience was craving a steak and I was craving to try out a new restaurant!

We split the ribeye, which is not my usual way to go, but it was the priciest item on the menu so it made sense to split it. They cooked it perfectly!

Ribeye

I still ordered my gnocchi though because that's what I really wanted!

Gnocchi

We couldn't resist ordering oysters as well as a special lobster appetizer.

Lobster appetizer

Dozen oysters

Patience had to have dessert too since there was an unusual Tiramisu on the menu.

Tiramisu

While the food is upscale, the issue with the high ceilings and noise levels still remains. But if you don't mind a lively spot and being able to see the the TVs from the bar, then it's worth checking out. 

Resources:

Gamlin's Maplewood = https://www.gamlinsmaplewood.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

Gol Bowl

Gol Bowl recently moved into the old Tapped space, and since it's so close, it made for the perfect "Take out Saturday" meal.

Of course we had to start with some Samosas...always a good tradition when dining on Indian food.

Samosas

I was not too hungry so I just ordered a mixed veggie platter, which also came with more samosas, pakora (friend sweet potato), and spring rolls!

Mix Veggie Platter

Patience was hungrier and she ordered a full dinner of Mango Chicken. I actually could handle the spice on that one! Also, the dinners are large enough, when you add rice, for two meals.

Mango Chicken on rice

When I stopped by the restaurant, it smelled SO good inside...I hope we can dine in next time!

Resources:

Gol Bowl = https://golbowl.com/

Cafe Ganadara

Even though I was a little sad that an institution like Mama's Deli was moving, we have been really enjoying the replacement, Cafe Ganadara. Or better known as "the Korean place" in our house.

And when I say "we", I really mean Patience and her godson, Andy, who got a sneak peak early on. 

I had yet to try it myself when our Korean culture-loving friends, the Bacon Sisters, wanted to come over and try it out. Cafe Ganadara is very small, with only two small tables and stools inside, so the most comfortable seating it outside. With the summer weather heating up, we just got our order to go, but they are available on Door Dash since they don't have a website.

You can make your own ramen there on the spot, but we just ordered off the menu. You will definitely want to review the menu and pictures before you go because there are so many choices!

Patience ordered a Spam and a Tuna Gimbap, which looked like a giant sushi roll to me! 

Tuna Gimbap

The Bason Sisters got a bunch of items to share... the top item is a Korean Corn Dog, followed by the strangely-named SDSD, which is a skewer of little sausages and rice cakes.

Korean Corn Dog (top) and SDSD (bottom)

Then they shared a Bulgogi bento box served with kimchi, rice, dumplings, and a cheesy pasta.

Bulgogi Bento Box

I played it safe by ordering dumplings (who can resist?) that I forgot to take a picture of, and a three piece Rice Crispy Chicken strips. Yes! Rice Crispy cereal makes the breading! This was plenty of food and I'm so glad I didn't get the five or seven piece. But I definitely will be trying more for future "Take out Fridays"!

Three piece Rice Crispy Chicken

Everyone loved their dinner! Highly recommend if you love a food adventure!

Resources:

Cafe Ganadara = https://www.facebook.com/p/Cafe-Ganadara-100090679294098/

Andre Mack at Madrina

When Andre Mack, sommelier and winemaker, and now YouTube star, comes to town, everything else must wait.

Madrina, one of my favorite restaurants, got to host the first wine dinner. Andre is such a cool dude with such great stories, but at the end of the night, his Maison Noir wines are killer and just go so well with food. 

We started the evening with an Aperol spritz along with grilled oysters out on the patio! Lovely...

Grilled Oysters

Moving inside, the first official course was Tuna Carpaccio, which I'd never had before. It melted in my mouth. I got to try a new wine to me, the New Noir, which is an orange wine. 

Tuna Carpaccio

I was most looking forward to the Lobster Roll, although this was in a chilled style. The seafood was smartly paired with the OPP Pinot Gris.

Lobster Roll

Next up was a Fire Roasted Corn Risotto, an interesting combination in the rice dish but it worked!  The acide of the "Oregogne" Chardonnay cut through the creaminess of the risotto!

Fire Roasted Corn Risotto

I was also looking forward to the Ricotta Gnudi with roasted shiitake mushrooms since it's one of my favorite Italian dishes after Agnolotti. Theses were huge! And stuffed with cheese! We got a double taste of the "Oregogne" Pinot Noir and the In Sheep's Clothing Pinot Noir to compare and contrast. This was my favorite pairing of the night!

Ricotta Gnudi

And the last dish gave a backyard BBQ feel with a Grilled Short Rib on top of roasted squash and polenta. This was well paired with Maison Noir biggest red wine, the Horseshoes & Handgrenades Red Blend.

Grilled Short Rib with Roasted Squash and Polenta

Definitely a once in a life time wine dinner!

Andre Mack telling wine stories

Maison Noir Wines - Madrina Menu

Maison Noir wine lineup

Resources:

Andre Mack = https://www.andrehmack.com/

Maison Noir Wines = https://maisonnoirwines.com/

Madrina Italian Restaurant = https://www.madrinastl.com/